Archive for November, 2007

Enough.

Jaimie on Nov 30th 2007

I won’t claim to have the most beautiful singing voice on the planet, but I know it is at least passable. I grew up singing in choruses at school and even doing a few solos, I was a music major (well, double major with biochemistry lol) in college and sang there, and I understand pitch and tempo and tone and can sing along accurately with most random music on the radio. Or on children’s TV shows.

CJ has inherited my love for singing, and frequently bursts into spontaneous song. I was getting CJ dressed for school up in his room and he started singing the theme song for “Little Einsteins”, a Disney TV show of which we have a few DVDs. I know the words too, funnily enough, so I started singing along (as I often do).

This time, CJ immediately stopped singing, looked at me kind of curiously, and simply said “Enough.”

I stopped and asked “What honey?” and he replied with a sigh, “Mommy, enough.”

He started singing again and I again joined in (I am a slow learner.) He immediately stopped and said even more firmly “Enough.”

So I stopped singing. He sang the rest of the song on his own. Happily.

On the one hand I was delighted with CJ’s correct usage of the word “Enough.” I’ve never heard him say that word before in context, or even say it I think, and I love how his language usage keeps growing by leaps and bounds. On the other hand… well hey! I like to sing and I know I don’t do a half bad job at it. He could be more appreciative. ;)

I can sing, honest! Unlike my own mother who freely admits she is tone deaf… but that’s another story.

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No One Told Me This Stuff In Parenting School

Jaimie on Nov 29th 2007

Oh, wait. I never went to parenting school. I had to go to school for more years than I can count to be qualified to do practically nothing, but I became a parent without any formal training at all. Oh yeah, right. Heh.

CJ ran up to me yesterday screeching “Dirty! Dirty!” and waving his hand around. Before I could grab his wrist and examine what was on his hand, he wiped his hand all over my sleeve and declared “All better.” And walked away.

Thanks, kid. Really. I didn’t like this shirt or anything. And I still haven’t figured out what it was that was on his hand that is now on my shirt. Which means it probably came from his nose.

Speaking of noses, I sneezed on my hand and wasn’t even the least bit disgusted by it, I just went to the sink and washed it off without giving it much thought at all. I am sure in my pre-child years I would have been horrified by the entire thing. Now… hey, worse things happen. For example, I ran CJ out to the bus yesterday morning with bare feet (my feet were bare not his) because we were running late and I didn’t want the bus to leave without him. The bus driver laughed at me. And it was cold! What’s a little snot on a hand… I mean, my feet were C-O-L-D.

Still not happy about the possible snot on my shirt though. Yet I didn’t bother to change it.

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Baby Curls

Jaimie on Nov 28th 2007

Alexa’s hair is very fine and a bit sparse, and as it has grown in, her hair has formed little ringlets in the back and on the sides. The top and front has been very straight (it is longer and thicker which I assume is why), so I figured that it was just a “baby hair” phenomenon and it would eventually go away.

And now it is. The little baby curls are starting to straighten and not curl quite as much. And for how sure I was that they weren’t permanent… I am frightfully attached. I pet the back of her head and tell the curls not to go away and get all choked up as her hair gets straighter and straighter. Yesterday her hair seemed almost completely straight in the back, and I actually thought for a moment I might cry.

Today it looks a little more curly. Or maybe it is my imagination. Wishful thinking perhaps…

They grow up so fast.

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How Was School Today?

Jaimie on Nov 27th 2007

For me, one of the most frustrating things about having a child with a significant speech delay is that he doesn’t (or won’t) answer the most basic of questions about things that happened in the past. When I ask CJ “How was school today?”, as I do every day, he doesn’t answer me. Or his answer is completely unrelated to the question - “I want lunch. I want play trains.”

I always read the note the school sends home about what they did, and I use this information to ask more specific and probing questions, and I still don’t get answers. For example, yesterday’s sheet said they made gingerbread, and had a list of specific activities the kids did in helping. One of the steps said “We smelled the cinnamon. It was spicy”. I have cinnamon, so I thought I would use it to get CJ to interact conversationally more.

I called CJ over into the kitchen, and took my cinnamon out of the cupboard. And this is how it went:

Me: “CJ, did you make gingerbread at school today?”

CJ: “Gingerbread?”

Me: “Your note from school says you smelled the cinnamon. What did it smell like?”

CJ: “Cinnamon?”

Me: “Look CJ, I have some here. Do you want to smell it?” (I hold out the open cinnamon container.)

CJ: Blows air out of his nose at it, and then turns it over and dumps it on the floor.

And then we all go back to playing with trains. After a cinnamon cleanup, of course.

I don’t know how to get him to answer me more. And what distresses me is I WANT to know about what happens at school. Call it part of my trouble letting go but ever since he started riding the bus I’ve felt so disconnected from the whole school experience, since I don’t get to talk to the teachers every day. Yesterday was the first day he brought in snack for the class (yogurt and graham crackers, by the way) and I want to know how he liked it, having things from home for snack. Did the other kids like it? Should I have packed more, less?

One container of yogurt came home. Is CJ the one who didn’t eat it? As soon as he got off the bus he agreed that he would like yogurt for lunch, right now. Is that because he didn’t eat it for snack, or because he liked it so much at snack he wanted more?

It’s a start, I guess.

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Alexa took a step!

Jaimie on Nov 26th 2007

And I missed it, I was studying chemistry for my exam tonight and she took a step between the table and the couch with Daddy.

Then held on to the table again. :)

I did see her take half a step but then change her mind and hold on again. ;)

It is her 13 month birthday… good time to walk as any. You go little girl! Take on the world. :)

Now back to studying. Exam in one hour. Heh. Walk some more after that girlie ;) .

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