"Wouldn't it be funny if he were the smartest one here?"

Xavier came to work with me today as his school was closed for building repairs.

Giving this some context:

# of 8 year olds... 33.
# of almost 3 year olds... 1.
# of teachers... 1.
# of headaches... lost count.


Overall, it wasn't bad. Xavier was a very well behaved little guy who was just a bit overwhelmed with the students around him. He talked when he wasn't supposed to... paid more attention to all the kids rather than his mommy... charmed everyone... etc.


Funny Recaps (Instant Replay of the Mommyworld):

Xavier plays with Smartboard during a lesson involving the Smartboard

• Mommy is using the smartboard to explain how to use the data we came up with in order to fill in a pie chart. Xavier has never seen a Smartboard. Xavier picks up the eraser of the smartboard... while mommy is writing with the pen. For some reason, the things mommy is writing are disappearing! And then, just as she's about to label herself as crazy, she hears "mommy what's this?" and sees Xavier with the eraser tucked sheepishly into his sleeve. The class erupts in giggles...

Xavier answers question that stumped most students in the class

• "What would eat a seal?" The students' first response was... shark. Xavier's response, which he shouted out, was Killer Whale. So I made him raise his hand again... and then, voila! He answered correctly again. I, then, had to pull teeth to get "polar bear" from the students. One of them even said tiger...
  

Overall, the day went well. There were no horrible things that happened... no problems that couldn't be solved. It was alright. We survived a day with the 3rd graders.

Throwing punches...

I was informed by his teacher on Friday that Xavier was fighting in school and had to be in time out 3 times that day.

Part of me is deeply saddened that my little boy is leaving his sweet babyhood behind. I mean... babies don't usually fight.

Part of me is feeling guilty as if there was something else that I could have done to be more on top of him and his behavior.

Part of me is angry that he is fighting when he's not yet 3.

Yet, part of me is hoping desperately that he doesn't become a statistic. Anyone who has ever spent time in schools knows that the majority of behavior problems are found in boys. As is the number of Learning Disabilities. Furthermore, boys quickly labeled as lost causes or bad boys due to the aforementioned challenges. I would hate for my son to have those labels in the eyes of his teachers.

So, how do I support Xavier's growing need to be a little boy (aggressive, active, etc.) with the need to behave properly in school environments? Furthermore, how do I get the school to support me in not chastising or reprimanding my son's developmental needs while maintaining a safe environment? To see him as a child with physical activity needs rather than a child with problems or a child acting out?



...and they said labor was the hard part.

Of creepy critters...

I love reptiles. So does Xavier. So should everyone else - in my humble opinion.

Last weekend, we went to Reptilefest. It was so cool. We saw and touched all sorts of reptiles and amphibians.

Xavier really liked the tortoises and turtles. I was a fan of the Carpet Pythons. It was a really great experience... and I think we'll be coming back every year. I mean, how often do you get to hold a snake or pet a tortoise's shell?

There were so many really cool reptiles.
We saw:
-Alligators - Xavier held a little one!
-Monitor Lizards
- Crocodiles
- Tortoises
- Turtles
- So many snake species it's not funny (including big Reticulated Pythons)
- Geckos
- Iguanas, etc.

We all lie about our age...

My little guy has been dreaming about being three for a while now. He will wake up from a nap or the night and tell me that he was dreaming about it. It's so interesting that he is always thinking of being 3.

However, he will actually tell people that he is 3. All his friends are 3. Even adults are 3. (Mommy is 2, of course; he's older...)

The question then becomes... what do you do with a 3 year old for his birthday??

Thanks a lot, Edison!

Dear Thomas Edison,

I would like to personally thank you for the lightbulb. Also for all your work with electrical currents and making electricity available to the masses cheaply.

That being said... why do light switches have to be so appealing to young children? Did you have anything to do with their appeal? If so, I do not approve. Neither does my missing afternoon nap. Xavier informed me that since it was light out, I was not to lay down. I closed the shades... thinking he would succumb to nap time. However, he dragged his ladder to the room, placed it beneath the light switch and proceeded to scramble up it. While he played with the remote, I believed he would not find the trick to turning on the light. I was wrong. 10 seconds after I had assured myself he would not be able to turn on the light and that I should rest in comfort, the room was lit up like dawn.

So, once again thank you for electricity. I appreciate it everyday. However, if there is someone I could talk to about my issue, I would appreciate it.

Sincerely,
ae.

P.S. To my older brothers, who suffered through the four year old me, I apologize.

QOTD: Do Octopuses have Penises?

Every parent will say something like... "I've learned so much from my child... blah blah blah... sappy sappy nonsense... insert seemingly ingenuine comment... blah blah blah." Well, it's true. I had a "wow, I have exactly no idea" moment today. Today, I searched the internet for the answer to the above question because Xavier posed it to me earlier today. He categorizes people as to men or women and "what they have" so... where exactly does an octopus stand? err, swim? If there are girl dogs and boy dogs... girl cats and boy cats... are there girl and boy octopuses? (You can find the answer pretty easily but surprisingly they don't - simply one leg may detach as necessary.)

I think the wonderful thing about children is the insatiable curiosity that they innately have. Xavier stops everything... including dinner to talk about Octopuses. (I always thought it was octopi...) He watches in the middle of the produce section how someone uses a broom. He stops and picks up sticks that grown eyes don't see. There are never enough airplanes in the sky or sounds in the background to ponder about. Everything is still new.

Yes the perpetual "What ____ do?" can become tedious. Explaining complicated processes to a two year old can be incredibly difficult... especially when they ask the same question over. However, I wonder when will my curious little guy become an adult with blinders on? And... how do you remove the blinders from yourself?