I'm staying with Jen and Dave these days to help take care of Zachary while his current babysitter is unavailable. I love these days with the kids. I haven't been here for close to a year, although I've seen them a couple of times in that period. This gives me a chance to reconnect with Nicholas and get to know Zachary a little better. He is two. He is self-absorbed. He is determined. He rules the world. As far as he is concerned, It's All About ME!!!
Zachary's idea of getting to know you is to give you a big hug-- a wonderful hug, I might add-- and to make sure you know EXACTLY what he wants and what he doesn't want. That's a tall order for an itty bitty thing that has a working vocabulary of about 5 words.
Mama, DADA, Out, UH-UH!, The lesser--Uh Huh!, EW and ME! or MEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!! depending on the urgency. There are other words, but these are the most important as far as he is concerned.
And yet we always know just what it is he wants.
Most of those are self explanatory. EW is very descriptive and covers everything from sticky hands, to a stinky diaper. EW with a screech probably means "Get that drop of syrup off of my bib this second!" EW means "Clean it Up!"
Then there are hand signals. An outstretched hand opening and closing means "I want to show you something". Wise people will go look. It could be harmless... "I want Elmo out of my bed." Or it could mean "Look! There's a boat floating in the toilet!", OR, "I just helped myself to some vita gummies on the counter." He is a constant reminder that 2 year-olds are fun-loving (note: boat) and resourceful (note: vita gummies).
My favorite hand signal is the one that comes at the end of dinner... or after he eats 3 bites and hands his plate back. "Dada!," he says. When Dave looks at him he holds his arms out in front of him, makes a tight fist with his hands, and his whole upper body tenses and shakes---his sign for Cold--or in this case, ICE CREAM! His light blue eyes positively light up at the thought! If dada ignores him he tries it again, a little louder. By the 3rd time his eyes have a fierce look, the shaking has taken on earthquake proportions, and he sends as much energy as he can muster into that look so there can be no mistaking what he wants!
Today we have heard a lot of UH-UH, and MEEEEEEE!!! Today he is ornery and full of himself. Whatever I suggest, (or need to do) he's got other plans.
"Zachary, it's time for lunch." "Uh-Uh"
I try again, "Yep, It's time for lunch!," I say enthusiastically. "UH-UH!" he answers with more defiance.
"Do you want a hot dog, or Peanut butter?" UH-UH!
I change tactics.
"Then it's time for a nap." UH-UH!!
Lunch or Nap? UH-UH!!! Each response is louder and higher in pitch.
Finally we settle on lunch.
"Let's get in your chair." MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!! he says racing to the chair.
I slowly back away, lest it escalates again, and let him climb in his chair by himself.
I heat his hot dog in the microwave and transfer it to his plastic plate.
UH-UH!!!!! he says pushing away his plate.
This, I have learned, doesn't mean he doesn't want it. It means if I fixed it on one plate, that's the plate HE expects to be served on. I put the hot dog back on the paper plate and give that to him.
I am learning. There are tricks to feeding him. There are ways to cajole him into doing what you want. And there are times when you will never win, until you pull out the Parent Card: "When all else fails, remember YOU ARE BIGGER!" As parents, next to patience, it is the best card we have.
Monday, April 28, 2014
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
A Gradual Awakening
When March and April roll around I eagerly begin searching for the first signs of spring. When I walk, I check the trees to see if the branch tips have begun to turn red. I search peoples' flower beds for signs of a crocus. I'm always in a hurry, and Spring always seems to drag its feet. This has been a very snowy winter and people everywhere are just ready for Spring! Me included!
March 20, The First Day of Spring came. It was cold, gray and there were snow flurries in the air.
This is the time when robins appear looking for worms, and make all of us think '"It won't be long now!" Then you wake up one morning to several inches of snow on the ground and you hear a loud healthy scream coming from somewhere. It turns out it's you, trying to vent some of that frustration.
One day as I was driving through the snow flurries I remembered the promise I made myself at the beginning of the year. "In all things, give thanks.", the Bible verse I was going to try to live out. OK, I can be thankful it's just flurries, and not a blizzard. Fair enough. I can be thankful it's..... hmmm....think some more.....it was warmer yesterday and it will be warmer tomorrow. It's a thought, but truthfully, I was still not feeling all that grateful.
And then I really started to think about what Spring is all about. Plant life has been dormant all winter, and March is its time to slowly wake up. Thinking back I remembered winter a year ago. We had a mild December. My daffodils were 4 inches high before Christmas, only to be crushed again and again by the late freezing temperatures and snow. They couldn't figure out when it was safe to come up.
This winter all of my bulbs have stayed tucked deep in the ground until now, when they are hesitantly peeking their heads out to see if it's safe. The trees are beginning to test the air as well and are slowly turning red. How much better is that gradual awakening than the mild spring, followed by a late snow that kills off the new blossoms.
I thought a little more about gradual awakenings and realized that's how we all are. There is the image of a dad, sound asleep on the couch, and his 4 year-old son comes in and yells in his ear. Dad jumps, sits up, his heart pounding in his chest. How much nicer, and better, is it to lie in bed in the morning and gradually come-to as you wake up at your own pace.
Even patients, who have been put in a sleep-induced coma for their healing, are brought out of it gradually.
Waking up slow. It has a nice feel to it. As much as I would love to wake up tomorrow and see a forest full of leaf covered trees, it would be hard to appreciate the daffodils if they were surrounded by roses and petunias. It's the fact that the daffodils and tulips are the only show, that allows us to see them as the star of the show. And speaking of the Only star in the show? I love Forsythia. Not everyone likes this shrub that can grow wild and bushy. It's not all that pretty in the summer when it's covered in little green leaves. It doesn't have much character then. But in late March or early April it is the only bush blooming and that gorgeous, bright, sunny yellow calls to you from hillsides and roadsides. It heralds Spring.
In Florida, winter is a muted season. It can get cold--below freezing in fact, but it doesn't last long. In February, spring arrives quick and vibrant. Azaleas bloom along with flowering cherry and a few dogwoods. In 3 weeks it's over and summer is knocking on the door. When I lived there I liked it that way. But I missed daffodils. When I moved back north, the Pear, Eastern Redbud and dogwood in Spring reminded me of all I had missed.
Ok. I still wish Spring would move a little faster, but when I compare it to places where it does, I can appreciate a gradual awakening that comes with Spring. While I'm waiting, you'll excuse me if I roll over in the morning and snuggle back into my pillow. If the trees can take their time waking up, then so can I!
March 20, The First Day of Spring came. It was cold, gray and there were snow flurries in the air.
This is the time when robins appear looking for worms, and make all of us think '"It won't be long now!" Then you wake up one morning to several inches of snow on the ground and you hear a loud healthy scream coming from somewhere. It turns out it's you, trying to vent some of that frustration.
One day as I was driving through the snow flurries I remembered the promise I made myself at the beginning of the year. "In all things, give thanks.", the Bible verse I was going to try to live out. OK, I can be thankful it's just flurries, and not a blizzard. Fair enough. I can be thankful it's..... hmmm....think some more.....it was warmer yesterday and it will be warmer tomorrow. It's a thought, but truthfully, I was still not feeling all that grateful.
And then I really started to think about what Spring is all about. Plant life has been dormant all winter, and March is its time to slowly wake up. Thinking back I remembered winter a year ago. We had a mild December. My daffodils were 4 inches high before Christmas, only to be crushed again and again by the late freezing temperatures and snow. They couldn't figure out when it was safe to come up.
This winter all of my bulbs have stayed tucked deep in the ground until now, when they are hesitantly peeking their heads out to see if it's safe. The trees are beginning to test the air as well and are slowly turning red. How much better is that gradual awakening than the mild spring, followed by a late snow that kills off the new blossoms.
I thought a little more about gradual awakenings and realized that's how we all are. There is the image of a dad, sound asleep on the couch, and his 4 year-old son comes in and yells in his ear. Dad jumps, sits up, his heart pounding in his chest. How much nicer, and better, is it to lie in bed in the morning and gradually come-to as you wake up at your own pace.
Even patients, who have been put in a sleep-induced coma for their healing, are brought out of it gradually.
Waking up slow. It has a nice feel to it. As much as I would love to wake up tomorrow and see a forest full of leaf covered trees, it would be hard to appreciate the daffodils if they were surrounded by roses and petunias. It's the fact that the daffodils and tulips are the only show, that allows us to see them as the star of the show. And speaking of the Only star in the show? I love Forsythia. Not everyone likes this shrub that can grow wild and bushy. It's not all that pretty in the summer when it's covered in little green leaves. It doesn't have much character then. But in late March or early April it is the only bush blooming and that gorgeous, bright, sunny yellow calls to you from hillsides and roadsides. It heralds Spring.
In Florida, winter is a muted season. It can get cold--below freezing in fact, but it doesn't last long. In February, spring arrives quick and vibrant. Azaleas bloom along with flowering cherry and a few dogwoods. In 3 weeks it's over and summer is knocking on the door. When I lived there I liked it that way. But I missed daffodils. When I moved back north, the Pear, Eastern Redbud and dogwood in Spring reminded me of all I had missed.
Ok. I still wish Spring would move a little faster, but when I compare it to places where it does, I can appreciate a gradual awakening that comes with Spring. While I'm waiting, you'll excuse me if I roll over in the morning and snuggle back into my pillow. If the trees can take their time waking up, then so can I!
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