last day of school

dear roman,
today was the last day of preschool. the entire class i watched you with a huge lump in my throat. every monday for nearly two years you and i have gone to preschool together. for two hours i’d watch you interact with other kids, discover new projects, participate in group time and music sessions all with me by your side. your growth over the last year was remarkable. you started this school year as an independent player, a little hesitant to participate in group time and you wanted me within sight the entire class. you finished this school year with friends who you actually play/interact with and you get excited to participate in group sing a longs. you hardly acknowledge my presence as you go from one activity to the next. it’s been an experience i am grateful to have shared with you. but today was the finale. next fall for two hours twice a week you will be at preschool on your own. big kid style.  there will be a distance between us. i’ll be wondering what clever thing you said to another kid or what song you sang or what you ate for snack.  as i held back tears i realized once again how bittersweet it is watching you grow up.

xoxo,
mom

who is this child living in our house?

dear roman,
you are in this really interesting okay challenging phase right now. some days you remind me of the sweet boy we know and love and other days i’m left thinking who is this child? one moment you’ll be screaming at us to let you do it yourself wanting complete independence and the next you’ll be overreacting/crying and needing my comfort because of a small fall that couldn’t possibly have hurt.

we’re thinking of getting your hearing checked (kidding) because you seem to have a problem hearing your parents. all day long it’s the same requests- “roman please keep your feet on the floor, that means no climbing on furniture, roman i said don’t stand on the couch, roman you’re going to get hurt jumping off the side like that”… cut to you screaming because you got hurt standing/climbing/jumping when i asked you not to. your dad and i end up sounding like such… parents. ugh.

but the kicker is what you can say. we have to keep a sense of humor or our feelings could really get hurt. you and i were standing in line at the bank waiting our turn. it was completely silent and the room was full of people when out of nowhere you yell at me, “mama i’m going to hit you and kick you.”  mortified i tried to play it off by suggesting you meant you wanted to hit a baseball and kick a soccer ball, but you corrected me by repeating your statement a little bit louder. thanks buddy!

When I Grow Up

Dear Roman,

When asked what you want to be when you grow up your response is-

‘A baseball player and a drummer.’

Of course you figured it out

Dear Roman,
You never give your dad or myself a break from figuring it all out so I suppose we shouldn’t be the least bit surprised at your latest development… climbing out of bed… again. The first time you tried this stunt was last July when you were barely 21 months. After a few weeks of attempting and failing to transition you to a toddler bed we purchased a sleep sack or ‘astronaut suit’ as we presented it to you. Every night we zipped you into your sack which kept your feet from monkeying their way out and you safe in your crib. Months later you figured out how to climb out of your crib WITH the sack still on! I can’t figure out how you did it, but after another unsuccessful attempt to transition you to a bed we invested in a crib tent or ‘space tent’ as we presented it to you. See a theme here?  You were thrilled with the tent and asked us to ‘zip it up’ every night. You seemed totally content until this week. You figured out how to unzip the tent allowing you the freedom you so want and seem not yet ready for. Except maybe this time you are. I mean after all if you are smart enough to unzip the tent (which was supposed to be toddler proof) maybe you should be sleeping in a big kid bed!

Which leads me to another idea… if you are old enough to pick out your own diapers off the shelf in the store and carry them to the checkout counter (true story) then perhaps you are capable of using the toilet. No pressure.  I’m just saying…

Right Natalie

Dear Roman,
you are such a character. any opportunity you get you are chatting it up with someone making friends and putting smiles on their faces. if you’re in the yard you talk across the fence to a neighbor. if we’re at a restaurant the waitress knows your name and what you want to eat in a matter of seconds. when we’re at the park you’ve introduced yourself and said “hi” to every kid there. you’ll even introduce me and Charlotte to them.

you want to be involved in every conversation i have these days.  if dad and i are talking you’ll say, “what are you talking about” and we have to explain our conversation and include you. this happens all of the time so it’s safe to say your dad and i haven’t had a one on one conversation in weeks. if i answer my phone you’ll ask, “who is it, who are you talking to, what are you talking about.”

“why” is another big question for you. “why” did that happen, “why” does that work, etc. or you want me to explain something again and again and again.

We hear you saying…

At the grocery store told to the checker, “we’re making muffins today.”  then you turned to me and said, “right Natalie.”

“I’m having my privacy go in the other room” directed toward me when you are about to pee in your diaper.

“I know, lets play baseball!” said with as much enthusiasm as possible and heard about 10,000 times a day.

“what do I have to eat?” then I give you a choice between two foods and you’ll say, “NO those are not my options!”

Conversations from bed

Dear Roman,

A lot of my favorite time with you is spent in our bed- Mama and Daddy’s bed as you call it. We’ve been known to cuddle together and eat breakfast in bed, watch a George episode, read books, tell stories, or just hang out. For some reason it’s usually the only place I can sneak in a few snuggles from you- a kid who usually won’t stop for or be bothered with too much mushy stuff like hugs and kisses.

Anyway this morning I was lying in bed watching Charlotte wake up. Then you came downstairs with your Dad and hopped in with me. You sat next to me staring at Charlotte who had her eyes wide open and was looking all around. We sat together watching her for several minutes, you compared your feet to hers. You touched her head and gave her a few kisses. Then you started talking to her and here’s what you said:

“Baby Charlotte, you are a really good baby. I have toys downstairs. When you get big you can play with them too. I share with you. Baby Charlotte you are my best friend.”

Now it’s fare to say that everyone is your best friend when you are feeling it. I’ve been called your best friend, so has dad, Izzie, Zoe, Miles, Nana, Mimi, Poppi, Pop, the neighbor, the neighbor’s cat… you get the idea. But still to hear you say such sweet things to Charlotte sent a huge smile across my face.

2 years 8 months

dear roman,
things are starting to settle down in your world. we are getting into a new groove and you are adjusting to our household of four. since charlotte entered the picture we have adjusted our routine. we started taking a morning walk and an afternoon walk. we have your friends over to play during the day and nana comes to play with you twice a week. dad is your buddy when he comes home from work. you guys watch baseball at the park, he gives you a bath and he’s started telling you stories in addition to reading the usual stack of books before lights out.

as your mom i have been amazed to watch how you have adjusted to your sister. you accepted her instantly. you put up with all her feedings and being held without too much acting out. you love her and want her around as though she has been apart of us since your existence. mostly your direct interaction consists of touching her head and saying, ‘awe she’s a good baby!’  since i’m always holding charlotte i’ve been forced to let you do more things for yourself like getting snacks, putting your clothes on etc. you are such a big boy and follow direction really well! i am so proud of you… 90% of the time…

the other 10% can be a bit challenging. we can’t tell if the behavior is because of all the change you’ve gone through or simply because you are two and a half. the big issues are that you are known to not listen, grab anything in sight even if it is off limits without asking first and you test us by throwing and hitting with intent. All behavior we aren’t used to from you. When I see you start to head down a negative path which is usually when I am nursing  Charlotte, I get you outside and quickly as possible. that always seems to work. Taking a walk or playing on the deck clears both of our heads.

things you are into at 2 yrs 8 mos-
baseball
baseball players, their outfits, you want to be one.
mickey mouse pancakes
bubbles
lolly pops
curious george
monsters
hop scotch
pretend play-doctor, restaurant, baseball
puzzles
playing with friends and declaring that they are your best friend
helping dad in the yard
books
stories
hummus
making waffles with dad- every saturday
making muffins with mom- every tuesday
domino- the neighbor’s cat

we love you!