This has been a busy week, though it feels like most of the activity has been today. I took David to get a haircut, and a haircut for myself. He looks like a little boy now, and much less baby-ish. I made sure to get it cut short, rather than the token haircut he got last time, but it's not buzzed by any stretch. At one point after the haircut, he looked at me and I saw his cousin Jared in him, and at another point I saw more strongly the resemblance to his sister as well.
Fridays are my day off, so he and I spent the day together. I'm taking a couple of classes at the local community college, and I have to read a lot of material, which I try to do while David's not around, because he always wants my attention. Today was no exception. He saw that I was reading a book, and then gets out several of his books to have me read them to him, which I did, of course. :-) There's one book that has a spider in it, and it talks about its 8 legs, so I asked David if he wanted me to count in French, and he said he'd do it instead: so my boy can count in French, and in English, to 10! Next up: Spanish. (He counted only 8 legs, but at the barbershop he was counting in French to 10 when I held him as he got his hair cut. It was a great way to distract him). Another thing about the barbershop: he says hello to just about everyone. And tells them about his shoes (super car! shoes. He loves those shoes), and today he was running around saying how fast he can go. People are always amazed by the way he talks to them. And he's getting more and more intelligible.
And speaking of being understood: I'm watching his language development again. I'm noticing lately his manners, being polite, the "extra words" we use to smooth things over are coming more naturally as part of his speech. Please, thanks! He says "Thanks!" very happily almost any time I hand him something. He's also my parrot, since he so often imitates what I'm saying. Other people think that it's funny when he does that. I think it's great. He's learning so much! I also like that he can say that he's fine when someone asks how he is, or he asks people "How are you?" And it surprises them...
Something funny about his going to "school" is that any time it's cloudy, or it rains, he says, "My friends at school can't go out to play!" It doesn't matter that it's Sunday, or morning, noon, or night. He's also synthesized something else: that's he's both big and small at the same time. He is able to come up with a complex thought all by himself, which I find to be amazing.
David went to the dentist this week. He has 20 teeth, and they are perfect. They have the right amount of spacing; they come together well when he closes his mouth; and they aren't stained. The boy is not shy, as the dentist noted. She thought he was great! He opened his mouth when asked, but wasn't a big fan of the spinny toothbrush. He brushes his teeth better at home.
We went to the zoo again, and we had a lot of fun. I absolutely love how he says Hi to people, and they don't know how to react. He talks to them like he knows them, and watching their reactions is wonderful. He really has an effect on people.
As it seems that I'm working backwards from Friday to earlier in the week, it's worth noting that David had his cousins stayed the night on Saturday night. Funny thing is that they got here so late that he had literally fallen asleep on the couch, watching TV, sitting upright. I put him to bed just as they got here. Later on in the evening, he woke up briefly and saw them, and said Hi, like it wasn't unusual for them to be there. At about 1 AM, he woke up from coughing...asthma attack. I tried to give him a nebulizer, but he fought me and struggled and hated it! I'm not sure what causes this reaction, as it only happens once in a while. Usually he just accepts it, and feels better after we're done, but not this night. It was a very rough night. The 20 minute treatment took over an hour, and he didn't get all the medicine, but he got enough to peacefully rest...The next day, when the three kids were awake at the same time, he had major problems with Jared, who was doing nothing more than talking my ear off, telling me all about the SpiderMan coloring book he was coloring, and just laying on the floor. David did not like this, as he was doing everything he could think of to disturb poor Jared. Coughing on him, rolling on the floor then on the coloring book, stepping on the book, throwing things at Jared...Jared did very well to merely protest, and complain; and naturally, David was in time out every 5 minutes or so until he figured out to leave Jared alone. Avery helped, too, by playing with David, to give him something to do.
Bath time has improved since his mommy thought to send a couple of the bath toys he played with up there down here. He doesn't scream and cry anymore! Yay!
And finally, David was able to articulate why he doesn't like me singing: it's because I'm not the original singer! He thinks that only the original person singing the song should sing it. How do I get around that? I'm sure I'll figure it out. He does like it when I sing songs without any music in the background, though. It comforts him when he's feeling scared, or unhappy.
I hope that you can resolve perplexing, odd little problems (like your son not liking it when you sing) with a simple explanation.
Rusty
Friday, August 29, 2008
Thursday, August 28, 2008
About me
I'm noticing that this blog really isn't about me, it's about the boy. I think I should change the name of this blog really. Not sure who reads it anyway. Besides, I changed the colors. Needed to be brighter. :-)
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Dentist
Went to the dentist with David today. He was great! 20 teeth. All well spaced, and the bite is good. He opened his mouth well for the doc, but didn't like getting his teeth cleaned by the tech and the spinny thing. It was a great experience. He's not shy at all.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Why he doesn't like it when I sing
So David was able to articulate why he doesn't like me singing: it's because I'm not the original singer! He thinks that only the original person singing the song should sing it. How do I get around that? I'm sure I'll figure it out.
Meanwhile, David is subversive. The way he was handling his jealousy and desire for attention from Jared was subtle, yet effective. Not so overt. Coughing on him, stepping on him, or the book, doing all kinds of things to interrupt or disturb him...I remember Avery doing things like that to Jared when he was little. I wonder what that means. hmmm
And another piece of news: David took a bath willingly today, and absolutely no crying. I'm amazed!
Meanwhile, David is subversive. The way he was handling his jealousy and desire for attention from Jared was subtle, yet effective. Not so overt. Coughing on him, stepping on him, or the book, doing all kinds of things to interrupt or disturb him...I remember Avery doing things like that to Jared when he was little. I wonder what that means. hmmm
And another piece of news: David took a bath willingly today, and absolutely no crying. I'm amazed!
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Did I mention that David considers things?
Today, all by himself, he makes the statement that he's both big and small, at the same time. I don't expect complex thoughts from a 3 year old, but there it was. He's a great kid. :-)
I hate asthma
David's been coughing again...he woke up at 1 AM from coughing...so I had to give him a nebulizer. He fought me and resisted, screaming, hitting...it was awful. Poor Avery was watching this whole thing transpire, since she couldn't go to sleep. At midnight I taught her how to play solitaire, since I couldn't stay awake much longer, and I wanted to give her something non-TV to do...but she's never really dealt with a full deck of cards, so I taught her her suits, and the number of cards, and what's the highest and lowest in the deck. We went through a game of Klondike, I think is the name of this particular game...there's tons of versions. Anyway. She's learning. It was magic just having her and going through the rules of the game: red and black alternate, going down, except for aces which go up and the same suit, and on and on. No interruptions from the boys who were asleep...Jared in my bed, and David in his.
David fell asleep upright on the couch last night before they even got here at about 8:30. He was tired! Jared and Avery ate McDonald's that their dad bought...and I put David in his bed. He didn't even know they were here. When he woke up later, he didn't even act surprised that they were here. I got a kick out of that. Avery was so helpful with David through the nebulizer thing, turning on the nebulizer for me while David fought with me to get the thing off...he said the smoke was from a fire, and he didn't want his medicine. That was so hard. I cried when it was all over...poor Avery went to sleep at 2:30 finally. Slept until about 11. what a night. I slept on the couch. Avery and Jared in my bed. David slept on the floor next to me, or on the couch on me, which didn't work out too well. I couldn't believe how quickly morning came...
David fell asleep upright on the couch last night before they even got here at about 8:30. He was tired! Jared and Avery ate McDonald's that their dad bought...and I put David in his bed. He didn't even know they were here. When he woke up later, he didn't even act surprised that they were here. I got a kick out of that. Avery was so helpful with David through the nebulizer thing, turning on the nebulizer for me while David fought with me to get the thing off...he said the smoke was from a fire, and he didn't want his medicine. That was so hard. I cried when it was all over...poor Avery went to sleep at 2:30 finally. Slept until about 11. what a night. I slept on the couch. Avery and Jared in my bed. David slept on the floor next to me, or on the couch on me, which didn't work out too well. I couldn't believe how quickly morning came...
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Falling asleep
David just fell asleep tonight, sitting upright, on the couch. He's never done that before. He was eating cereal (Lucky Charms), which he loves loves loves. But with the Bucs game on, he just sat, and fell asleep. He keeps coming up with something new. Tonight he's been chasing the cat off and on, and I keep telling him to stop...but he doesn't. He just does it again at some later point. The same thing Colleen did, but like her, I hope he grows out of it, like she did.
Friday, August 22, 2008
David Weekly, #27
David's cute. He says he doesn't see any cars "dat way, or dat way" when he's looking in the street before he goes to get the frisbee which he calls a brisbee. It's been Tropical Storm Fay all week, with the wind blowing, but not hard, overcast, no rain...it's made it easier for David to go outside and play, since the wind is cool (such as it is -- very humid wind), and no direct sunlight.
He's been going to the preschool 3 days a week, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. I switched it to Thursdays since I sometimes work overtime and I have Dot take care of him on Fridays, which is my normal day off. He's doing well. A few surprises as a result of this. He tells me things spontaneously, that he didn't before, such as "I washed my hands!" or "I ate a snack!" He also gives me hugs when I see him now, and even pats me on my back. He's very sweet. He takes a lot of time to tell me things, which means he's turning into a real motor-mouth, which I don't mind. He's got so much to say about the world, what's happening in it...He's only there for 3 hours, but it makes all kinds of difference for him. I'm really noticing the change in him from it, and it's only been two weeks!
At night when we're going to bed, we read the "Splash!" book. This is one of his all time favorites. He knows many of the words, but it's probably from just know what sentence goes on what page. He does know the word "SPLASH" though, because he can point it out and say it. He also has me read the Berenstain Bears "The Ghost in the Forest"...which is certainly not a picture book, because it has 3 or 4 sentences per page. I think he just likes that I read to him, so I read to him. It's a lot of fun.
Lately, David has two red matchbox cars that he calls his "Two Best Friends." I have no idea why. But it's very cute. He wants to make sure to have them at various points, and it's important that he keep up with them...It's all a mystery to me...
David has also discovered the camera. He loves to take pictures. His hands are too small to hold the camera very well, so he ends up taking pictures that have a peculiar look at the world. Sometimes they're close-ups of things you'd never willingly take a picture of (like the fender of my car), and other times they're pictures of just ordinary things, but from the perspective of a 3 foot tall individual. And by the way, we took him for his well care visit, and he's 39 inches and 36 pounds...in the 75th percentile for both height and weight. He's doing well.
I hope you're doing well.
Rusty
He's been going to the preschool 3 days a week, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. I switched it to Thursdays since I sometimes work overtime and I have Dot take care of him on Fridays, which is my normal day off. He's doing well. A few surprises as a result of this. He tells me things spontaneously, that he didn't before, such as "I washed my hands!" or "I ate a snack!" He also gives me hugs when I see him now, and even pats me on my back. He's very sweet. He takes a lot of time to tell me things, which means he's turning into a real motor-mouth, which I don't mind. He's got so much to say about the world, what's happening in it...He's only there for 3 hours, but it makes all kinds of difference for him. I'm really noticing the change in him from it, and it's only been two weeks!
At night when we're going to bed, we read the "Splash!" book. This is one of his all time favorites. He knows many of the words, but it's probably from just know what sentence goes on what page. He does know the word "SPLASH" though, because he can point it out and say it. He also has me read the Berenstain Bears "The Ghost in the Forest"...which is certainly not a picture book, because it has 3 or 4 sentences per page. I think he just likes that I read to him, so I read to him. It's a lot of fun.
Lately, David has two red matchbox cars that he calls his "Two Best Friends." I have no idea why. But it's very cute. He wants to make sure to have them at various points, and it's important that he keep up with them...It's all a mystery to me...
David has also discovered the camera. He loves to take pictures. His hands are too small to hold the camera very well, so he ends up taking pictures that have a peculiar look at the world. Sometimes they're close-ups of things you'd never willingly take a picture of (like the fender of my car), and other times they're pictures of just ordinary things, but from the perspective of a 3 foot tall individual. And by the way, we took him for his well care visit, and he's 39 inches and 36 pounds...in the 75th percentile for both height and weight. He's doing well.
I hope you're doing well.
Rusty
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Shutterbug
So maybe David's going to be a shutterbug when he gets older. He loves the camera, loves taking pictures, and having his picture taken. I think of all the careers he could have or just things he can do based on his interest as a 3 year old: head banger/football player, musician, dancer (because he dances to the scooby doo music), hmmm...not sure what else. Who knows what will happen. We'll just take it as it comes, and see where it goes...
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Normal night routine
I'm going to go to Dot's, get the boy, put him in the car. Get home, put him in his bed, hear him ask for milk. Say our little prayer...and hopefully he'll fall asleep. And I have laundry to fold before I can sleep. And I'm tired myself. It's been a long day.
Getting the boy to eat!
As he gets older, I'm having an easier time getting the boy to eat. Today was chicken and scalloped potatoes. I had to threaten him with no Scooby Doo, since that's what he wants to watch ALL THE TIME! "Okay, time for another bite," I'd say. And he'd say, "NO!" and then I'd say, "Then I'm going to turn off Scooby Doo." And then he'd take a bite. So we played this little game for a while, until it was all gone! Woohoo! Next will be getting him to sit in his chair to eat. LOL. I'm also trying to get better about cooking actual food, and making meals, which I'm not terribly good at. I can do it, but I'm lazy. Okay, so maybe I'm overwhelmed. That feeling of being overwhelmed makes me shut down, and then I don't do anything. It's good for me, too, since I take food to work, rather than buying it out...it's cheaper to bring it to work.
David Weekly, #26
Hello...David was gone for three weeks to visit his mom, and then he came back to Tampa...I'm sorry I didn't send this out sooner. I got out of the habit of writing it.
Here's the story of he and I in the airport after I went to go pick him up in St Louis...
So we go to get something to eat after going through security...$20 for a sandwich, a chef salad for the boy, and two drinks (one OJ, the other cran-grape).
Naturally, he doesn't want to eat a whole lot, though I did get some ham and a tomato in him, and a little bit of gold-juice. He ran around for a bit. Way full of energy. He did well waiting to get on the plane. I was sitting on the floor waiting for our turn with him, and I had my leg bent at an angle at the knee and he was going under it repeatedly (I didn't want to say he was going under it over and over, though. LOL :-). He was also doing somersaults until I told him to stop. He's very good about taking turns. When it was our turn...we got on the plane. He charmed everyone on the plane, because he talks to them, still not completely intelligibly, but enough once in a while. He's not like most kids who won't talk to people they don't know. He would tell people my name, not just "that's daddy." And his own, of course. When we got to our seats, he wanted to sit on my lap or stand next to the seat. He hated sitting in the seat when it was time, and he did not like the seat belt. That's okay, because take-off was worse. He didn't want to see the outside of the plane, so he shut the shade. Yeah, I put him next to the window for control purposes. He didn't like the plane powering up, or moving forward so quickly, or leaving the ground. He understands that we're flying, but I guess it's the old sausage analogy: you don't want to be a part of what goes into it. He especially hated the fact that it was a bumpy ride, and this caused much screaming. He said he was scared, and I would tell him his fine, and he'd say, "I'm NOT fine" or I'd say, "You're so brave" and he'd say, "I'm not brave, I'm scared!" And he cried a little bit, holding the armrest for dear life. My arm got sore from trying to hold him the right way. After a little while of being in the air, he fell asleep. It was a smooth 2 hour flight, for the most part, and he was awake for the worst of it. Poor kid.
There was a really nice guy that sat next to us who is going to interview at the Y in Plant City, and he was really good to me. I'm glad for nice people in this world. They are out there. And I'm glad for Southwest Airlines. They're the best. Anyway...David woke up for the descent ... and more bumpies, as we went through the clouds on our way down. He didn't scream as much, but it was still not so great. There was a point after we landed that he was talking about "touchdown" and some other landing terms. The lady behind us was impressed by his able descriptions of what was going on...Of course, it's just cute when a 3 year old says it. :-) When we were waiting to get off the plane, he looked up at the man in the seat in front of us and said hi, and introduced me, and he really charmed the guy in front of us. It was quite a thing.
Then we went to my sister's and hung out there for a couple of hours. He ran up to my mom and gave her a big hug, and to my sister, too. The boy and my niece and nephew played, and we all went swimming at my sister's and had an all around good time. He ate a full piece of pizza! I never did get him to eat any more of the food I bought...Oh well. Too much excitement at the airport, and on the plane, and then sleep. But he ate at my sister's house.
We went to Lowry Park on Monday, and when we were in the aquarium, he was up on a bench to see some kind of terrarium which had a snake or a spider or something like that in it, and he pushed another little boy right off the bench, and that kid landed flat on his back. After checking on the fallen child, and handing him back to his mother, I took David directly out of the park, and straight home. He was repeatedly asking me to put him in Time Out instead, and I said no. We went back on Friday and he said to me over and over that he wasn't going to push anybody else off of any benches. I'm glad he got the message. He still loves to see the elephants, and the giraffes, and zebras, and the rhinos.
I took him with me to the store the other day, and while we were waiting in line, he just says Hi to the people in front of us, and just starts talking away about whatever's going on. It's great to see people be moved by the way he seems to accept them, and how he talks to them with no reservation. He's got a real talent for that.
David has begun going to pre-school. He's going to Garbielle's Glen, which is Colleen's old pre-school/day-care. He's going 3 days a week for 3 hours a day. Enough that he gets a routine, but not too much that he can't spend time at home with daddy...They feed him breakfast and lunch...It's good for him so that he gets more socialized around more kids, and has a structured environment. He's not real good at letting me go in the mornings, but that's just part of it. So far he's gone just 3 days, and they've all been good ones. He calls it his new school, and Colleen's old school.
Well, that's about all. I'll try to get on my regular schedule this week. See you Friday!
Here's the story of he and I in the airport after I went to go pick him up in St Louis...
So we go to get something to eat after going through security...$20 for a sandwich, a chef salad for the boy, and two drinks (one OJ, the other cran-grape).
Naturally, he doesn't want to eat a whole lot, though I did get some ham and a tomato in him, and a little bit of gold-juice. He ran around for a bit. Way full of energy. He did well waiting to get on the plane. I was sitting on the floor waiting for our turn with him, and I had my leg bent at an angle at the knee and he was going under it repeatedly (I didn't want to say he was going under it over and over, though. LOL :-). He was also doing somersaults until I told him to stop. He's very good about taking turns. When it was our turn...we got on the plane. He charmed everyone on the plane, because he talks to them, still not completely intelligibly, but enough once in a while. He's not like most kids who won't talk to people they don't know. He would tell people my name, not just "that's daddy." And his own, of course. When we got to our seats, he wanted to sit on my lap or stand next to the seat. He hated sitting in the seat when it was time, and he did not like the seat belt. That's okay, because take-off was worse. He didn't want to see the outside of the plane, so he shut the shade. Yeah, I put him next to the window for control purposes. He didn't like the plane powering up, or moving forward so quickly, or leaving the ground. He understands that we're flying, but I guess it's the old sausage analogy: you don't want to be a part of what goes into it. He especially hated the fact that it was a bumpy ride, and this caused much screaming. He said he was scared, and I would tell him his fine, and he'd say, "I'm NOT fine" or I'd say, "You're so brave" and he'd say, "I'm not brave, I'm scared!" And he cried a little bit, holding the armrest for dear life. My arm got sore from trying to hold him the right way. After a little while of being in the air, he fell asleep. It was a smooth 2 hour flight, for the most part, and he was awake for the worst of it. Poor kid.
There was a really nice guy that sat next to us who is going to interview at the Y in Plant City, and he was really good to me. I'm glad for nice people in this world. They are out there. And I'm glad for Southwest Airlines. They're the best. Anyway...David woke up for the descent ... and more bumpies, as we went through the clouds on our way down. He didn't scream as much, but it was still not so great. There was a point after we landed that he was talking about "touchdown" and some other landing terms. The lady behind us was impressed by his able descriptions of what was going on...Of course, it's just cute when a 3 year old says it. :-) When we were waiting to get off the plane, he looked up at the man in the seat in front of us and said hi, and introduced me, and he really charmed the guy in front of us. It was quite a thing.
Then we went to my sister's and hung out there for a couple of hours. He ran up to my mom and gave her a big hug, and to my sister, too. The boy and my niece and nephew played, and we all went swimming at my sister's and had an all around good time. He ate a full piece of pizza! I never did get him to eat any more of the food I bought...Oh well. Too much excitement at the airport, and on the plane, and then sleep. But he ate at my sister's house.
We went to Lowry Park on Monday, and when we were in the aquarium, he was up on a bench to see some kind of terrarium which had a snake or a spider or something like that in it, and he pushed another little boy right off the bench, and that kid landed flat on his back. After checking on the fallen child, and handing him back to his mother, I took David directly out of the park, and straight home. He was repeatedly asking me to put him in Time Out instead, and I said no. We went back on Friday and he said to me over and over that he wasn't going to push anybody else off of any benches. I'm glad he got the message. He still loves to see the elephants, and the giraffes, and zebras, and the rhinos.
I took him with me to the store the other day, and while we were waiting in line, he just says Hi to the people in front of us, and just starts talking away about whatever's going on. It's great to see people be moved by the way he seems to accept them, and how he talks to them with no reservation. He's got a real talent for that.
David has begun going to pre-school. He's going to Garbielle's Glen, which is Colleen's old pre-school/day-care. He's going 3 days a week for 3 hours a day. Enough that he gets a routine, but not too much that he can't spend time at home with daddy...They feed him breakfast and lunch...It's good for him so that he gets more socialized around more kids, and has a structured environment. He's not real good at letting me go in the mornings, but that's just part of it. So far he's gone just 3 days, and they've all been good ones. He calls it his new school, and Colleen's old school.
Well, that's about all. I'll try to get on my regular schedule this week. See you Friday!
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Friday, August 8, 2008
The boy is back again
Hello all...so here's how my day went. Got up, sat at my computer for a little while, ate a bowl of cereal. Heard a crash outside and a car hit another car across the street, and then took off. I told the owner about the incident, and called the police...no good news there, just a hit and run, no one injured, minor fender bender...it was my neighbor's car across the street. After all that, I got in the shower, went to the airport...got on the plane...flew for two hours...the plane was late getting off the ground because of the weather down here...the planes were staggered 5 minutes apart. Landed just fine in St. Louis...left the 'secure' area of the airport, and saw them waiting for me. I saw my ex-step daughter...she didn't know what to think of seeing me, it's the first time in 8 months that I've set eyes on her...I gave her a big hug...after my boy ran up to me and gave me a great big hug, and just held me and wouldn't let go. I could see that he had tears welled up in his eyes, but they hadn't fallen yet...but then his eyes just cleared right up. He was ready to go, too. I had to tell him to say good-bye to her and his sister. We went towards security, and turned back to look at them again, and they were gone. Vanished. Just like in a movie. I sent her a text message later to ask about that, and she said, "It was just to make the transition easier." It seemed pretty easy to me, but whatever. I'm never going to look at her like she's someone I just kinda knew at one point. That may be why...so we go to get something to eat after going through security...$20 for a sandwich, a chef salad for the boy, and two drinks (one OJ, the other cran-grape).
Naturally, he doesn't want to eat a whole lot, though I did get some ham and a tomato in him, and a little bit of gold-juice. He ran around for a bit. Way full of energy. He did well waiting to get on the plane. I was sitting on the floor waiting for our turn with him, and I had my leg bent at an angle at the knee and he was going under it repeatedly (I didn't want to say he was going under it over and over, though. LOL :-). He was also doing somersaults until I told him to stop. He's very good about taking turns. When it was our turn...we got on the plane. He charmed everyone on the plane, because he talks to them, still not completely intelligibly, but enough once in a while. He's not like most kids who won't talk to people they don't know. He would tell people my name, not just "that's daddy." And his own, of course. When we got to our seats, he wanted to sit on my lap or stand next to the seat. He hated sitting in the seat when it was time, and he did not like the seat belt. That's okay, because take-off was worse. He didn't want to see the outside of the plane, so he shut the shade. Yeah, I put him next to the window for control purposes. He didn't like the plane powering up, or moving forward so quickly, or leaving the ground. He understands that we're flying, but I guess it's the old sausage analogy: you don't want to be a part of what goes into it. He especially hated the fact that it was a bumpy ride, and this caused much screaming. He said he was scared, and I would tell him his fine, and he'd say, "I'm NOT fine" or I'd say, "You're so brave" and he'd say, "I'm not brave, I'm scared!" And he cried a little bit, holding the armrest for dear life. My arm got sore from trying to hold him the right way. After a little while of being in the air, he fell asleep. It was a smooth 2 hour flight, for the most part, and he was awake for the worst of it. Poor kid.
There was a really nice guy that sat next to us who is going to interview at the Y in a neighboring town, and he was really good to me. I'm glad for nice people in this world. They are out there. And I'm glad for Southwest Airlines. They're the best. Anyway...David woke up for the descent ... and more bumpies, as we went through the clouds on our way down. He didn't scream as much, but it was still not so great. There was a point after we landed that he was talking about "touchdown" and some other landing terms. The lady behind us was impressed by his able descriptions of what was going on...Of course, it's just cute when a 3 year old says it. :-) When we were waiting to get off the plane, he looked up at the man in the seat in front of us and said hi, and introduced me (my kid is my wingman???), and he really charmed the guy in front of us. It was quite a thing.
Then we went to my sister's and hung out there for a couple of hours. He ran up to my mom and gave her a big hug, and to my sister, too. The boy and my niece and nephew played, and we all went swimming at my sister's and had an all around good time. He ate a full piece of pizza! I never did get him to eat any more of the food I bought...Oh well. Too much excitement at the airport, and on the plane, and then sleep. But he ate at my sister's house.
Funny thing about his being back is that it feels like he's just been born, all over again. Like I never had a kid, and now I've got one: what do I do? But already old routines are asserting themselves: reading a story for bedtime, some milk..."now I lay me down to sleep"...
Rusty
Naturally, he doesn't want to eat a whole lot, though I did get some ham and a tomato in him, and a little bit of gold-juice. He ran around for a bit. Way full of energy. He did well waiting to get on the plane. I was sitting on the floor waiting for our turn with him, and I had my leg bent at an angle at the knee and he was going under it repeatedly (I didn't want to say he was going under it over and over, though. LOL :-). He was also doing somersaults until I told him to stop. He's very good about taking turns. When it was our turn...we got on the plane. He charmed everyone on the plane, because he talks to them, still not completely intelligibly, but enough once in a while. He's not like most kids who won't talk to people they don't know. He would tell people my name, not just "that's daddy." And his own, of course. When we got to our seats, he wanted to sit on my lap or stand next to the seat. He hated sitting in the seat when it was time, and he did not like the seat belt. That's okay, because take-off was worse. He didn't want to see the outside of the plane, so he shut the shade. Yeah, I put him next to the window for control purposes. He didn't like the plane powering up, or moving forward so quickly, or leaving the ground. He understands that we're flying, but I guess it's the old sausage analogy: you don't want to be a part of what goes into it. He especially hated the fact that it was a bumpy ride, and this caused much screaming. He said he was scared, and I would tell him his fine, and he'd say, "I'm NOT fine" or I'd say, "You're so brave" and he'd say, "I'm not brave, I'm scared!" And he cried a little bit, holding the armrest for dear life. My arm got sore from trying to hold him the right way. After a little while of being in the air, he fell asleep. It was a smooth 2 hour flight, for the most part, and he was awake for the worst of it. Poor kid.
There was a really nice guy that sat next to us who is going to interview at the Y in a neighboring town, and he was really good to me. I'm glad for nice people in this world. They are out there. And I'm glad for Southwest Airlines. They're the best. Anyway...David woke up for the descent ... and more bumpies, as we went through the clouds on our way down. He didn't scream as much, but it was still not so great. There was a point after we landed that he was talking about "touchdown" and some other landing terms. The lady behind us was impressed by his able descriptions of what was going on...Of course, it's just cute when a 3 year old says it. :-) When we were waiting to get off the plane, he looked up at the man in the seat in front of us and said hi, and introduced me (my kid is my wingman???), and he really charmed the guy in front of us. It was quite a thing.
Then we went to my sister's and hung out there for a couple of hours. He ran up to my mom and gave her a big hug, and to my sister, too. The boy and my niece and nephew played, and we all went swimming at my sister's and had an all around good time. He ate a full piece of pizza! I never did get him to eat any more of the food I bought...Oh well. Too much excitement at the airport, and on the plane, and then sleep. But he ate at my sister's house.
Funny thing about his being back is that it feels like he's just been born, all over again. Like I never had a kid, and now I've got one: what do I do? But already old routines are asserting themselves: reading a story for bedtime, some milk..."now I lay me down to sleep"...
Rusty
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