...Heart to Heart...

Oh my? Where have I been?
I keep two "journals" for our boy -- one I keep on our kitchen table, and try every couple of days to write down "quips' or silly things he did, and then I have the blog -- and truly it seems I can keep one or the other, but not both, up each month! :) I guess that, in looking back, LM will have "balance" between the two to remember his life by!
He really is doing great, and it's funny to watch as his personality just bursts at the seams now supported by talking talking talking... What he says, comes up with, and makes up really is so funny, I wish I had a better memory to keep track of it all!!
here are some shots of a few of the weeks since we last posted! I still have a few more to do, but this is a start to catching up for our LM's "life book":)

LM loves his Aunt Linda -- it makes me smile to see him get all excited when she comes and then "show off" for her all the things he can do... "Aunt Linda, look at this/ look at me/ watch this Aunt Linda", etc etc... She's been over and they play, we also went to a local indoor arcade area and goofed off while the rain blew over where he showed her duck pin bowling and they rode the carousel together, and other times play at the house/ a boat ride, etc... Over the years, I've watched Aunt Linda with all the other nieces and nephews, and the special relationship they all have -- so I am really happy to see LM and his AL play together and start to build theirs, too!

"It's 5 O'Clock Somewhere" Late Sept, 201o "CHEERS Aunt Linda!"

Still playing his guitar all the time... Or anything resembling a guitar -- He learned the song "Splish Splash, I be takin' a bath" and you even mention night time routine right now, and he'll go into his rendition of it... This particular night he came flying out of the bathroom w/ the big brush to "play it for you, Mama - you clap while I play guitar"...
He is totally into being a "conductor" -- and will literally "give" us (real or imaginary, depending on where we are), different instruments to play -- and he can "air band" any instrument we name now... seriously.. piano, guitar, violin, trumpet, cymbols, triangle, cello... etc... His knack for music continues to astound us...

..."Splish Splash"...

This month Aunt Joan also came - AGAIN! yahoo! Which also means a visit from B.and her little boy, who LM refers to almost daily before their visit and it continues on -- we had just seen them when we went to Northbay for our anniversary, and LM is totally fascinated with him and other babies... It was a beautiful afternoon and visit -- for the first time in many moons, I didn't work during LM's nap, and while the boys napped, we sat out on the deck and had some much needed girl time -- I feel so lucky to have women like "Aunt Bethany" and "Aunt Joan" amongst my friends. They are amazing women whom I admire personally and professionally, and it is so great to see them and have our children grow up knowing each other and having a special relationship with us as their "moms/aunties" - -we share so much in common, including our love for traveling internationally on humanitarian and student supported service learning trips -- we all went to Romania together in 2007 -- and hope someday when the kids are older, to do more trips again... Meanwhile, lazing on the deck and chatting up life sure was wonderful... And the boys adored each other and playing with us all when they woke up. I still dream regularly of Jeff and I and the kids hauling it off on some international missions trip for a year, and maybe if we get lucky AB and AJ and their families will come along :).... dream a big dream -- and pray it all comes true.. and meanwhile, It was really a great day in the life to enjoy!

"It's 5 O'Clock Somewhere" with Baby J!!

We also did some, eh em, paperwork this month, which included a trip out to Harrisburg for some extra stamps and staples in our lives.... We made a trip of it on a beautiful Friday afternoon... and LM got to see his state capital building and enjoy a smoothie on the steps!

..."To us and apostilles, LM"...

Part of our paperwork quest also took us to visit a great woman we love and admire and wish we saw more of! Here we all are together...

... Life is full of miracles of friends ...

The "big" news of this posting is... SCHOOL. Yes, LM started school. We ended up going with the small church school that is about 15 minutes from our house -- while not the fanciest of places, it was the place where kids were playing together, talking to one another, and smiling and laughing during our entire visit. And, the teachers were nurturing of the kids. For us, feeling good about himself, and practicing social skills was most important for us this year, and this seemed the best fit... We can teach him his ABCs, etc -- I wanted a structured place that supported social & loved their kids. He goes Tuesdays (9 kids), Wednesdays (7 kids), and Thursdays (10 kids) - to two teachers... so also ended up being a pretty good ratio, too... It was supposed to be more, but 3 kids didn't work out... Here are some shots..

... the FIRST "First Day of School" photo with Papa...

doesn't he look a bit nervous but excited?? I am talking about LM, but suppose you could say the same for Papa! :)

I was pretty obnoxious mom to prep him -- We got the backpack and practiced taking it with us everywhere so it became a comfortable "transition" object for him... Then we would "pretend" school. Then I made the pictures and laminated them and we looked at them the day before school, and the morning of school he "picked" his favorite pictures and I put them on a key ring and put them in his pocket, so he could pull them out and look at them if he missed us...

Here we are walking in -- His backpack has his name on it, and it is super super cute if I do say so, myself... It was my first "splurge", which I know, sounds crazy, but really, it was...To say that I am pretty conservative when it comes to shopping is an understatement... And I am so grateful and fortunate to our friends who have passed along great clothes, and to Gamma who also has bought him some new things.... I have bought "essentials" for LM, but for school, I really wanted him to have a super cute backpack and for it to have his name on it -- so He and I sat down on the computer and looked at 3 options I had found: one with a guitar, one with a lion, and this one -- he and I both liked this one the best! so ordered it up and it arrived in time to "practice for pre-school"... :)

... Headin Into School...

Good job Papa -- behind was probably much better of a shot because I am not sure who would look more anxious -- LM or Mama! :)
They were kind and for the first week I stayed in the building the entire time and he could come "find" me whenever he needed... The Sunday after his first week, he was already able to name most of the kids in his class (I obnoxiously learned all of them so that I could practice with him to help him transition into 2nd week -- don't you feel bad for these teachers? Man, I was/am a "holy obnoxious mom", no doubt...) Second week was a fade -- he could check in, then i'd leave the building for an hour or so and return to pick him up.... On all these days, he cried a lot when I left, grabbed my leg, and had a hard time with me going... The teachers really were wonderful and supportive, and they felt bad he was "crying so much" -- I actually had to tell them that, while I was so sad for LM -- LM, I was so happy you cared enough to be sad and upset that I was leaving...Once in the room, he waivered between playing, watching, and some bouts of crying -- I sat where I could listen the entire time when I was in the building.... The teachers would tell him to get his lion or hug him or look at his pictures with him.. and Week 2 was very little crying once in the room... By the Third week, he was practically saying "sayanara mama" -- in fact, That Wednesday he even almost forgot himself and ran into play with his "friends".... suddenly he turned back and ran over to me and said "heart to heart, mama" -

...It's 5 OClock Somewhere... First Week of School...

because, yes, EVERYDAY starting the first day, I draw a little red heart on his hand.. And each time right before he goes in without me, we say a little "poem" we made up:
"Heart to heart
And nose to Toes
My love follows you
Wherever you goes"
And we touch our hands to each other's hearts and noses, then give each other a kiss.

I know. See? I told you: Obnoxious mom/ transition/ attachment freak. But, hey, what can I say? for the most part, it worked. I will never know it it all was in vain and he would have done fine anyway, without any of my "transition tools", but at least I feel like for once I did all I could for this great kid to help this first major life transition go well. I can honestly say it's the first time I look back and think that I know, for certain, I did all I could to make a parenting decision for him and think and follow through on all avenues to assure his success... And it feels good to know that, as many of you know, I tend to waiver on if I "did the right thing".. But, when I see him playing with his friends and laughing as they run down the hallway towards their classroom to play together, I know that, for this particular life decision, we made the right one, and he is thriving... (hopefully years from now he wont' tell us horror stories of what happened behind those doors.. LOL LOL)...