To Gym or Not to Gym...What will H do?

H is not overly adventurous when it comes to new situations. I usually try to get him thinking about a new activity only a day or two in advance so as not to give him too much time to stress about the situation. Last week the opportunity was presented to participate in a preschooler gym class. It's supposed to be a precursor to gymnastics. H loved the gym bus (as I called it) at his prior daycares so I sought out a place to take him that would be similar. It worked out we were able to be added to a class already in progress, not too far from home, and not too late at night, and not too late in the week. These things all bode well for his enery level in an effort to keep the whine/cry mode to a minimum once he gets tired. This is a typical H approach to new things.

Three days prior:
H would you like to go to a gym class where you could do the same things you did on the gym bus?
No.
You liked the bus. Are you sure you don't want to go?
No.

Two days prior:
H, we get to go to the gym class Monday.
I don't want to go to gym.

One day prior:
H tomorrow after school we get to go to gym class.
Can't we stay home?

Morning of:
After school we get to go to gym class.
I don't want to go to gym.
You might like it.
No.
Well, can we just go visit?
No.

After school just prior to class:
H guess what we get to do? We get to go to gym class.
I don't want to go.
Well, why don't we just go and check it out?
Will you come with me? You stay with me Mommy?
Yes, I will be there with you.
Can I just watch?
Yes, we can just watch today.

Arrival and change clothes enter door with 4 little girls who have already been in class for 4 weeks. H hangs onto my neck and won't look at the teacher.

Who's this?
Buried head into my neck.
Do you want to have mommy stay for a while with you?
Slight nodding.
Okay.

First H stays in my lap all curled up and not really wanting to watch. The teacher has the girls stand by little cones and do different activities. H has some interest but not enough want to move out of my lap. He is now sitting up though and paying attention. Then the girls get to bring their cones, H is encouraged to take a cone to the teacher, too! He dashes over and quickly hands off the green cone and runs back to my lap. Now he's sitting on the edge of my foot, then on the floor next to me, then walks a foot over to the big mat, then returns to my lap. We do this routine while the girls and teacher do some other activities.

They other kids move over to a new mat. H wants to join now but asks me to sit along the closest wall. The kids are going to do somersaults. H can do these. He wants to participate but still isn't completely sure. I keep encouraging him. He watches the girls. He goes over to the line. He comes back. He sits, he goes, he peers at the mat, he hangs out in the front of the line but not taking a turn. The girls aren't quite sure what to do with him. Finally, he gets up the courage to want to try a somersault. Down the mat he goes! Then a mad dash back to me. Back to the mat, hanging out in the front again while others go. He takes a turn - mad dash back and we do a high five. We do this three more times and then he's good for a while.

The teacher moves to the cartwheel mat. He's back in my lap but doesn't stay long. He takes up his residence at the front of the line just watching again. This is new to him. He gets up the nerve to try. Mad dash to the lap. Tries again, hangs out. He begins to laugh and smile. He hasn't figured out the cartwheel at all but is beginning to fully participate.

At the end of class:
He stands last in line to get his hand stamp. He confidently declares "I want two." He gets them then starts to dash over to me when the teacher says "Can I have a hug?" He beelines back to her, gives her a hug and a patented H smile dimples and all then has to show me his stamps.

He sits down to put on his shoes "Mommy, I like gym."
I'm glad H. I thought you might like it.

We walk out the door and he sees all the big kids in the large gym doing tumbling, beams, bars, and vault. His eyes just get big and he wants to see.

I want to go in there! (We have to go to the balcony so he can see everyone at once.)
Mommy, why can't we go down there?

Well, that is for big kids. If you go to class for a while, you can go down there, too. Did you have fun? Do you want to come back?

Yes. Mommy, I want to do gym! Mommy I want S to do gym, too.

Well, buddy, I don't know about that. He may not like doing gym like you do.

Mommy, can we come back?

Yes, H, we'll come back next week.

Anatom*y Lessons

We have preferred the actual names of body parts when necessary to some cutey names. He spends quality time showering together with Mommy or Daddy (less tolerant for the shower hog he has become these days although had lots of fun in the really big bathtub on vacation) so he's seen and is comfortable with grown up bodies. However, we haven't been pushing knowing all the part but I think they are learning more about pieces parts at school these days as H has told me he has various body parts that we haven't really discussed. Topic of conversation after his bath tonight?

Anatom*y Lesson 101

Mommy, what is that? (pointing to my fully clothed crotch.) Mommy wisely remains silent to see what comes next.

Mommy is that your p(encil)?
No, H, Mommy doesn't have a pencil.
Why not?
Only boys have pencils. Girls do not.
Oh, does Daddy have a pencil? 'Cause he's a boy?
Yes, Daddy is a boy and has a pencil.
Does Jessie (Toy Story 2 character - we have the little tiny characters) have a pencil?
No, Jessie is a girl.
What about him (Woody)?
Yes, Woody is a boy.
And Buzz?
Yes, Buzz is a boy.
What about alien? (You know the little green guys from the claw machine in Toy Story 1 - they are on his underwear with Buzz).

Here Mommy pauses before answering - what exactly do we know about these strange little green three eyed creatures that seem to act as one individual en mass???

We'll call alien a girl
What about my dump truck?
And Zebra?

Clearly, body parts don't register too much since in his world, all manner of things are alive and well and clearly should have similar names for body parts even if they are purely mechanical.

Saying of the Day: Just a Mom

"H, where's Lightining's big race?"
"In Dallas."

"Mommy, this is the purple bear."
"The purple bear from Toy Story 3?"
"Yeah, Big Lots."

While watching Madagascar
"Mommy, look there's a Hipanonamous!"

We have spent some significant time recently being either a baby kitty or a baby lion. Apparently, they read a book about a baby lion at school one day. I am often greeted in the morning with "Mommy, I'm a baby lion!" Discourse the other day:

"Mommy, I'm a baby lion!"
"Oh, I like baby lions. What does a lion say?"
"ROAR! Mommy, I'm a baby kitty. Meow!"
"Oh, pretty kitty."
"Mommy, I'm a baby bunny!" (Not sure where that one came from and it hasn't appeared since.)
So I start twitching my nose like a bunny.
"Mommy, what are you doing?"
"Twitching my nose like a bunny. Bunnies don't say anything. They twitch their noses. Mommy used to have a bunny."
"Mommy, stop that!"
"I'm a bunny."
"No, you're just a mom."

Delusional Mommy Part I

What on earth was I thinking? H has developed two good friends with two boys at his school. Even at this tender age, it appears there are divisions in the group of only 7 kids - 5 boys (heaven help the teacher) and 2 girls. Obviously the girls play together often but the boys, well there is the three musketeers and the two others.

"H do you play with M?"
"No, he hits me."
"H, do you play with J?"
"No. I don't like him."

So once it became clear there is a definite preference for friends, I asked like any well intentioned Mommy if he would like to have one of his friend over to the house. He thought about it for a while and then it became a frequent request.

"Mommy, I want S and T to come to H house." 
"Well, let's start with one friend, ok?"
"I want T to come to H's house."
"How about we start with S?" I don't know T's mom, have never met the dad, fortunately thanks to the school directory I do know where they live and we are all on an email list - you know for school functions.  So far, we have had "Western Day" and now its "Fall Festival" time and our "class" has a booth (I haven't volunteered anything for that one yet) but I do not know anything else about the parents. As an aside, I signed up for the "Gardening Committee" as it appeared to be only three people and something I could do in grungy clothes. No one has contacted me yet so it was a pretty good choice!

Now, both S's parents work and the family makeup is similar to ours with significantly older siblings but S is not adopted. S is also soon to have a younger sibling. 

Anyhow, now that we no longer go to daycare, we/I have no holidays to myself. I panicked one day when I looked at the school calendar and realized just how many days off the kids get! This of course means either I stay home with H or in some cases, H gets to go to the office (and I get very little done.)

The opportunity presented itself  to ask S's mom if he could come over and play with H on Columbus Day. She said yes and his dad would bring him over. I thought GREAT! What could be better? I suggested a morning drop off to keep with the lunch and nap schedule. In my head, I was thinking of ALL the things I could do while two THREE YEAR OLD BOYS (yeah, keep that phrase in your mind) played together. Would I be able to finally iron (shirts only get ironed when my mother-in-law comes to visit - it makes me feel bad but she hates to sit around so I take her up on the offer to do something), clean the bathroom, pull some weeds, wipe the floors? Oh, the possibilities were endless.

I have to insert here, there was no discussion about coming by, seeing the house, making acquaintances, checking things out. They got the address and agreed to a date and time. I have to confess, the reason I agreed to have a friend come here is I do not yet trust any other parent with my child. Is that so awful?

I have been presented with some really outlandish (to me and my midwestern sensibilities) plans to have H whisked off to various places by others...ummmmm NO. I'm not paranoid. Really. A) I know my kid and he would not go with anyone else except a grandparent without some introductory period; B) no one has asked about particulars of how we raise our son - I ask about various things like food, pets, etc. and all I get in response is - nope, he'll be fine; C) have I mentioned I do not trust my kid with anyone else? I have never met these people outside of context and I do no know who they habituate with outside of that context. Go ahead parents, weigh in on that one!

Anyhow, the entire weekend was cold. Yup, we had a 20 degree differential. I was so hoping to just let the boys loose with the hose in the backyard with trucks, mud, and kiddie pool. After all, this is NE TX and fall doesn't really mean cold. Nope. It was cold and gray - strike one.

H was sick (different post) and had a faucet for a nose Monday - strike two.

Drop off time came and went. No calls. I kept wandering to the door to see if there was a car in the driveway. H wanted to play. I was distracted. H wasn't feeling so chipper but I couldn't give him anything or else he would be sleepy if they did arrive. If I knew they weren't coming, I would have made different plans (and lounged in my pj's a bit.) Turns out S's dad got caught up working and couldn't do the earlier drop off. He called and said "I didn't receive a response to my text so I thought I would call. Text? Look, I gave you may home phone number which only three people on the planet have so if you needed to call me I would hear the phone. I'm home, my other phones (yes, plural) are somewhere else. He's a self-employed works from home guy in technology so he's attached at the hip to his phone.. Anyway. we spent the time wondering when our guest might arrive - foul ball.