News from School

It was Ian's first Monday of school. He hemmed and hawed about school being too long and how much he'd miss us, but he really likes riding his little bike to school. He hugged and kissed both of us and sat on his little spot on the rug. Then he zeroed in on the screen and we ceased to exist. After school, Erin and I picked him up (my HC is on a 3-11 shift during weekdays! ugh!) and we got a huge hug. Then he sped off towards home with us following in his dust. Thank the Lord for STOP signs or we might not have caught up.
He got some down time at home and played and snacked and took his shoes off. But the really sweet time didn't come until after bedtime, when Erin was ensconced in her crib and Ian was lying in bed and didn't want me to leave the room.
So I sat on the floor next to the bed and we talked. The neatest thing about the kids getting older is the way they get older. They get more expressive and opinionated and have more interesting likes and dislikes and finally one day they can tell you WHY. And I love how Ian and Erin both have their own unique sense of humor. Erin laughs her head off when you get her making loud kissy noises. Or if you make funny faces or put something on your head, like a cup or a book or anything, really. Ian was harder to amuse at that age and ended up mostly giving you a "what planet are you from?" look.
Late Saturday night, Ian had an incident and I went into his room to help him change his pjs and his sheets. He immediately curled up on the floor and dozed until I was finished. I put his bed back together (not the most convenient time to have a bed tent....sigh) and tucked him back in. I was tip toeing out of his room and tripped (naturally) over a toy. I had a 1960 [or whatever] Cadillac permanently imprinted on the bottom of one foot, thank you very much, and I was trying to get out of his room and into the living room where I could make a little more noise and examine the damage done to my foot. I staggered out into the hallway and heard some noisy giggles. I crept back into his room and Ian's eyes were still closed. "Ian," I asked. "What are you laughing about?" More giggling. Some impressive eyerolling on my part. "That was funny," he said clearly. "What was funny?" "Mommy stepped on a toy." Then he turned over and went straight to sleep.
I wasn't laughing until then. His reaction was funny to me, though I have to admit, I prefer the painless amusement of girls. It seems like boys laugh the hardest when someone gets hurt, slips, falls off of something or chases them making weird noises.
Oh well. I guess that's what Daddies are for. To pretend to (or really) get hurt, slip, fall off of something and chase them making weird noises and not get their feelings hurt when the little guy rolls around on the floor and laughs until his little face turns blue.

Back to tonight. I was sitting on the floor beside the bed and he was in a mood to talk. We talked about school and how many days until Friday. Today was the 3rd day of Pre-K and already we have all of the weekends on his calendar marked with smiley faces.
Then I started asking questions and he started giving answers. This is what I found out:

• He had chocolate milk for breakfast. And carrots and broccoli (uh....).
• He had chocolate milk for lunch and applesauce.
• He had crackers for snack time.
• He played with play-doh and made something (not sure what it was he said he made, but appropriate oohing and nodding ensued).
• They had a craft today and traced their hand. A Hershey kiss was glued to the top of the paper and eaten as soon as we got home.
• One kid cried because he wanted to go home.
• A girl cried because her band-aid came off.
• PE was great, but Ian got time out because he was running around in circles when he was supposed to be sitting still.
• Mrs. Williams gets mad when no one listens (snigger snigger).
• Mrs. England is nice and he likes her a lot. She gets to hold his hand (his words).
• Ian played on the race track on the playground (and from the amount of mulch in his tennis shoes, he had a great time).
• They read a story today about a spoon and a bowl and they played and it was funny but no one laughed but Ian (he is SO my kid). (Obviously, the other kids were not paying attention properly.)
• Nap time is long.
• Ian has friends and they are boys and girls. I asked him what their names were and he garbled off some unintelligible stuff. I assume he doesn't quite know their names yet.
• I asked him if they sang any songs and he said yes. He then proceeded to chirp out a tune. I think it's a new song for him because he sounds like I do when I try to sing along to 80s music. "Take On Me....take me oooooh....I'll be whooooo, shweee oh WHEEEEEEE" is just an example of how I may sound. I trust Ian will learn the words and more of the tune soon so I can figure it out. Otherwise I can predict a frustrating time for him next time we sing songs and he wants me to sing that one....eeek.
• He did admit that they knew the Wheels on the Bus, but they don't sing the Whale Song. I am appeased.
• We also made up a new kind of kiss. There is a normal smacky kiss, a nose kiss (he has NO clue what an eskimo kiss is and I have been told that it is not PC to call it that [get a grip!], butterfly kisses (my HC is much better at it than I am, since his eyelashes (and Ian's....and Erin's) are at least 4 inches long) and a new one. Take note. Elephant kisses. This is where we rub our ears together and flap them around some. It was Ian's idea and I thought it was brilliant. Elephants could do it if they really wanted to. But that is now a favorite and never fails to bring a smile out.

Then it was time to go to sleep and I was dismissed. After a last drink, a tuck-in, a kiss to Bunny, tucking in Elmo, simulating Elmo snoring, helping Elmo get tucked in under the blanket for a blanket snuggle and one last kiss. Then I tip toed out. And I didn't even step on any toys. And Monday is over.