Jameson 1, Bully 0

Every parent has a slightly different take on all the responsibilities of raising children. For James and me, we think part of our job is finding a balance between raising children that are kind and compassionate but also know how to defend themselves.  The story Jameson came home to share with us put me at ease a bit that at least he's going to stick up for himself.

Jameson loves to read, and he is often reading while waiting in the car rider line.  On this particular day, he found himself a comfy place on a bench and began reading.  Here is the story as relayed by Jameson:

Jameson [minding his own business sitting on a bench]

Bully [stares down at Jameson waiting for him to move]: Get out of my seat.

Jameson: No, I was here first.  You can't just tell me to move because you're bigger.

Bully [speechless, likely not sure how to respond to confident 1st grader he can't push around]

The bully walks away and doesn't bother Jameson again.

Yup - that's it.  Nothing major, no major battle just a 1st grade version of "don't f@$k with me, kid".  That's my little guy.  Keep sticking up for the little guys, Jameson!

This post was originally written when Jameson was in 1st grade and never posted it.  I finally had the urge to blog again, and he's a big 3rd grader now.  Hopefully, he's still looking out for the little guys.

My Kids Are Funny

We're never at a loss for a good laugh around here with all the crazy things our kids do. I should be doing work, but I wanted to get a few of these written down, so one day they can laugh at themselves too.

Jameson
My brother came over to visit last week with his daughter. He and JJ have a playfully antagonistic relationship, so I was surprised when after an evening of their usual shenanigans Jameson asked Betito (as JJ calls him) if he could give him a kiss before he left. Betito, of course said yes, and as he bends over for a kiss, Jameson kicked him in the shins. I was just as shocked as my brother, but we could not help but laugh.


Truman
I heard Amelia crying in the twins room tonight, so I went in to check on her and see if she needed her blanket or something. I went in, put her back on her pillow and covered her again with her blanket. When she settled and went back to sleep, I look over at Truman to make sure he is okay. I laugh as I catch sight of a belly-side down, bare-butt-against-the-crib-rails naked Truman asleep and, apparently, very comfortable. He has nicely scrunched up his pj's and diaper against the crib rails. What's funnier. . . this is the 2nd night in a row that we have to re-dress him in the middle of the night.

Amelia
What amazes me about Amelia is her ability to learn and repeat new words and phrases shortly after first being introduced to them. Not long after Darwin's birth, one of her new favorite phrases was 'chocolate milk', which really sounded more like "yacolat mook". She, in particular, seemed to take interest in what I was doing when I would nurse Darwin. I don't recall exactly how I tried explaining it to them, but I had to laugh when one day as I'm nursing Darwin, Amelia comes over to see what I'm doing and knowingly declares it "yacolat mook".

I can never wait to find out what they'll do or say next to make us laugh!

Frida Kahlo Bedtime Story

Tonight before bedtime, Jameson and I read Frida by Jonah Winter. It's a children's book about the Mexican artist, Frida Kahlo. You can peek at the book at Amazon, but, if you'd rather not, you can take my word that it's a neat, creative book about this artist that Jameson always likes.


After we were finished, Jameson asked me about her, and we talked about how "painting pictures was her job", and he thought that was pretty neat, commenting that he too would like painting to be his job. I told him that with his dad's artistic genes he could probably do that, and told him I would later show him some of the pictures that Frida painted.


He likes to see the pictures that his dad puts on his blog, so I thought tomorrow I could show him some pictures on my blog. Here's a couple of pictures of Frida, and a couple of links to websites that have images of her paintings.

Mexican painter Frida Kahlo is remembered today for her personal struggle and extraordinary life story as much as for her vibrant and intimate artwork.

Frida Kahlo with Idol #11, Coyoacán, Mexico, ca. 1940

http://media.smithsonianmag.com/images/frida2.jpg

An exhibition at the National Museum for Women in the Arts (NMWA), "Frida Kahlo: Public Image, Private Life. A Selection of Photographs and Letters," examines the dichotomy between Kahlo's self-cultivated public persona and the grim realities of her life.

Frida Kahlo with Idol #11, Coyoacán, Mexico, ca. 1940
http://media.smithsonianmag.com/images/frida2.jpg

http://www.fridakahlofans.com/paintingsenglish01.htm

http://www.pbs.org/weta/fridakahlo/worksofart/index.html

Cutting the Cord

I am guilty of babying my kids. I figure they will only be babies once in their lives, so it's my one chance. I love to see them growing up, but I'm not anxious to see their time as babies end. Well, despite my efforts to slow him down, my biggest baby is getting more independent every day. At his request, we are trying another sleepover at grandma's tonight. Other than when the twins were born (when it was required), he has asked two other times to stay the night at my mom's house without either me or James also staying. Both times, I have had my parents give up and bring him back home by 2 a.m. It has been months since the last time he tried, so we have yet to see if he will be successful this time.

Tonight, he's with his grandma Claire on the promise of late night movies, waffles for breakfast, and a return trip home tomorrow. We had a showing on our house tonight, so we went over to James's parents' house to kill some time. We figured we would be returning around bedtime, so we got everyone ready before we left. Just before we were ready to leave, Jameson decided that he wanted to stay and watch movies instead of going home and going to bed (go figure). I tried to make sure he knew it meant he would be there without mom and dad, and we didn't want anyone to have to bring him home in the middle of the night. I'm still a little nervous, but I hope he makes it.

As much as I cherish him as my "baby", I also want to see him grow up to be confident and independent. I will miss not waking up to him tomorrow morning asking me to take him downstairs and get his chocolate milk, and he's only gone for one night. I can't imagine what I'm going to feel like when he tells me he want to go away to college.

Three Lovely Years

In the last three years since God blessed us with your birth, you have changed our lives in ways I never imagined. As you grow another year closer to becoming a man, I want to tell you about the happiness you have brought to our lives.

When I first found out I was pregnant with you, I was completely shocked. We knew you were coming, but we never expected you so soon. I remember being thankful that I would get to be a mother. In the months that followed, my body changed, as did the amount of sleep I got. Nonetheless, as most parents will tell you, pregnancy does not prepare you in any way for parenthood, with the possible exception of all that sleep deprivation. I had no idea how much you were missing in our lives.

As the weeks passed, and the realization that you would be born soon became more palpable as you grew, I already knew that I loved you more than I had ever loved myself. I dreaded going to my appointments and having that bit of doubt enter my mind that I might not hear your heart beat. I remember breathing a little easier every time that I did. I will never forget the first time I saw you on the ultrasound. I couldn't believe I was seeing the baby I would be holding in about 7 months. Here you are at about 10 weeks - just a little bean with heartbeat.



I struggled through your pregnancy a bit at the end, and you kept surprising me right up until the end. You were due on October 9, 2005 (our 1st wedding anniversary), so when September rolled around, I thought I had a few weeks to pack. Much to my surprise, you showed up 3 weeks early on September 21st.


When we brought you home, I was so overwhelmed with the idea of being completely responsible for you, but thankfully, Dad came to the rescue and reassured me that we would be fine. I remember we were completely unprepared, so your dad had to make a run to Target for some baby essentials. After a few weeks, I settled into motherhood, and I began to feel comfortable that I knew what I was doing.

In these early months, I watched you sleep all the time, and I thanked God for blessing us with you. I wanted to hold you all the time, and despite others' warnings, I let you sleep in mom & dad's bed so I could have you close to me all night. Although we had a hard time getting you to sleep on your own, I will never regret (and I often miss) putting you in our bed. I am thoroughly convinced that co-sleeping is one of the great joys of life. I am happy to have shared that time with you.

As the months passed and you began to crawl and walk and talk, I only became more enamored of you. With each day that passed, I was more certain that there is no greater purpose in life than to have a family and love it. I still struggle with my patience, but my love for you is unwavering.

From day one, you were a very social baby. You were anxious to start talking so your voice could be heard. 'Mom' was your first word, and oddly, 'backpack' (Dora the Explorer) followed not far behind. Once you learned your first couple words, there was no stopping you. Early on, you would get frustrated when I couldn't understand EXACTLY what you were trying to tell me. Now you've learned how to rephrase or explain what you're trying to tell me when I don't understand. My conversations with you are always an adventure because you can always make me laugh.

You started off as a great eater, but at about 18 months we hit a road block. Suddenly, you wanted to exercise your independence, so mealtime became a real challenge. Unfortunately, you have your dad's appetite, so I always think you should be eating more, and he always thinks you're fine. He may be right, but if I didn't worry about what you eat, who would?


Consider yourself a well-traveled baby. In your three years, you traveled to Mexico City, Lake Tahoe (NV), Orlando (FL), New York City, and Scottsdale (AZ). Soon, you can add Las Vegas to the list. You're a great traveler, and we look forward to many more family trips with you and the twins. Here you are showing off one of your souvenirs.


I make a point to tell you 'I love you' every day, and these words never lose their meaning. You like to tell me you "love me too, too much", and these moments I especially cherish. I love how much you love your love your babies and how you always tell me how "that Maya is a funny girl". I love to watch them squeal with delight when they see you and how you can always make them laugh. I love that you want to read them bedtime stories, and you always want to help me cover them. You are such a good big brother, and I am so happy that mom and dad were able to give you the gift of family.



So here I am with this day upon us. You're turning three, and I couldn't help getting choked up while looking at pictures of your first three years of life. In many ways, you're still a baby, but I
know today marks another year gone, alive now only in our memories. Though I cannot help but mourn its passing (just a tiny bit), I'm overjoyed to have lived it with you.

But today is no different in that I will pray that God keeps you and your babies happy and healthy. For every day I get to share with you, I consider myself blessed. I hope that when you are old enough to reflect on your own life that you will remember being loved and happy. I wish happiness and freedom above all other things for you. I want you to find your own way but know that you can always lean on mom and dad.


You are loud, opinionated, stubborn, warm, kind, affectionate, intelligent, sensitive, impulsive, hyperactive, verbose, and a thousand other things. I love every bit of you.

Happy Birthday, Jameson! Thank you for three wonderful years.

A New Life . . . So Much Promise

Often when I look at my kids, I think about all the opportunity that lies ahead of them. They start with a clean slate. Their young, new lives hold so much promise. I suppose that's why I always think it's heartbreaking when I hear about the loss of a young life. It's sad to think of all the life they had yet to live . . . so many things left undone. Every day I pray to God that I never have to live through the loss of one of my own. I cannot imagine how devastating this must be.

Anyway . . . the loss of a child . . . that's NOT what this blog is supposed to be about, but it's a thought I had as I was composing this post.

I wanted to post about my 3 little ones and my predictions of what I think they might do with their lives. Maybe in 20 years they'll look back at this post (if they look at it at all) and wonder how I knew or laugh at how wrong I was. Either way, it's still kind of fun to speculate.

JAMESON

Tonight, I was watching Jameson play with his Legos, and some time in the last few months I have noticed his play and concentration has developed a bit. He's very focused and methodical when he plans to put something together. Tonight, he was "building a tower" as he told me - " a big one". He laid out all his Lego pieces on the floor and sorted them by size and color. He then proceeded to build several towers with pieces of like colors and sizes. Then, he put those smaller towers together to make larger towers. Every time his towers would fall over he would get very frustrated, but he kept trying.

I see the artistic inclination in him that he gets from his dad, and I wonder if he'll be an architect. He loves to ask us to "build horks" (forts), and he likes to sort and line things up like his dad.

AMELIA

She is full of attitude and not afraid to speak her mind. No, she's not talking yet, but I swear she is screaming (not just crying) and doing a lot of it. She is short on patience and wants what she wants. She is an impatient nurser, and she makes faces when we give her formula. She even spits it out sometimes. She cries or screams through most diaper changes. If I'm up late at night for several hours, I'm probably tending to her. It's early to make predictions for the twins, but I could definitely see her becoming a litigator or an entrepreneur. She likes to have things her way, and she's willing to fight for it.

TRUMAN

Nothing phases Truman. He is going to be my calm, laid-back baby. He's content to just sit in his crib. He cries when he's hungry, but he'll wait if I carry him. He often sleeps through his diaper changes. He loves it when I wash his hair. He's happy if I nurse him, but he'll take the formula just the same. His demeanor in itself is calming to be around him. He reminds me of some of the better professors I remember having in college.

Who knows what they'll do, but I hope they're NOT the next Hugh Heffner. We'll leave that one to their cuz.