I Guess I Should Get Used to Being Wrong

The scene: Yesterday morning, on our deck, as we are heading out to school.

Me: "Will, isn't it a beautiful day? There's not a cloud in the sky!"

Will, pointing over my shoulder: "Clouds over der, Mama."

Well, yes, okay, there are a few clouds over there. But, it's still a beautiful day. Oh, just get in the car!

The Splinter Issue

The weekend before last we went to the lake, and there was a brief time that Will did not have his shoes on while we were on the dock. I guess it was all his running and jumping, because when we returned from our trip, we discovered that he had quite a few splinters in both feet. Most were small, but there was one fairly big one that was in the ball of his foot. We hemmed and hawed and tried to figure out if we could get it out ourselves (Zach voted yes. I voted no.). Eventually, we determined that trying to get it out would be torture for all of us, so we decided to take him to the doctor.

Doctor Levin was very nice and had all the right tools to get the splinter out. Will screamed and screamed, but the big one came out easily. Doctor Levin told us the smaller ones would come out on their own. After the procedure was over, Will dried his tears, looked up at Doctor Levin, and said, "Dat's better, Doctor Ell-in." And then, "Thank you Doctor Ell-in." Even after all his pain and suffering, he was still polite and happy! (And demanding a sucker for his troubles.)

But, the saga continues...only because Will won't let it go. He is STILL talking about the splinters and STILL wanting to show us his feet...often during mealtime, which is so pleasant. Out of the blue, he declares "Doctor Ell-in get the splinter out. Doctor Ell-in get the big one out." At least we know that he's got a good memory.

Big Kid

I know it's such a cliche (seems to be a theme on this blog, along with excessive use of parentheses), but where has my baby gone? It seems that all of the sudden Will is no longer a baby, but is now a "kid". A big boy. I guess this is a good thing, given that we have a new baby coming in just nine weeks, but I still can't believe how big he is. Of course, I'm sure I'll look back on these times and think, "He was so little! How could I have thought he was grown-up then? Look at him now!" Sometimes, I still see glimpses of his babyhood--like when I put him in his crib for bed each night--but for the most part, Will has moved into kid land.

It seems that he's doing new things every day. Each day he can run faster and with more skill. He's learned how to jump--really jump--with both feet off of the ground at the same time. He knows words like "aquarium" and "dinosaur". He can sing the ABC song and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star with pretty good accuracy on both. He now drinks from a real cup (only when he's sitting at the table) and likes to have his glass of OJ each morning with breakfast and a nice pinot with dinner (ok, I'm only kidding about that part). He no longer wants to use his tray with his booster seat--in fact, he refuses to--and instead insists on sitting at the table with a placemat. And he knows the word "placemat"!

Will's also learning how to be polite: He says "please" and "thank you". He knows to say "excuse me" if he bumps into someone or farts or burps--which he does much more often than Mama would like, but I guess that's just being a boy. (He likes to announce, "Excuse me! I burped!" and then giggle hysterically.) He says "bless you" if someone sneezes, and he's even starting to learn to cover his mouth if he coughs or sneezes. He's learning how to talk on the telephone. In short, I just can't believe that this baby--MY baby--has not only learned how to walk, talk, etc., but is also learning societal niceties and how to function as a real person.

When we were at the beach, Will slept in a room that had bunk beds in it, and he was very curious about the top bunk. To deter him, we told him that "only big kids sleep up there." Well, he became obsessed with the idea of "big kids" and what they could do. He remains slightly obsessed, and often talks about "big kids over there" or "big kids in the pool". He seems both fascinated and a bit scared by the "big kids". I hate to tell him, but he's quickly becoming one of them. Right before my eyes.

Interrupting

While we were driving in the car the other morning, Will was talking non-stop. He was doing a full monologue, some of which we understood, and some of which was just babble. He hadn't really been addressing us or asking questions, so we hadn't been talking to him much, but this didn't stop him. He just kept going. Since he seemed to be talking to himself, I started to ask Zach a question. As soon as I start speaking, I hear from the back seat, "No, Mama. I talking to Daddy!"

Well, okay then. I guess I should learn to not interrupt.

Hilarities Ensue

This morning we took a family trip to Panera for breakfast. Will and I have been doing this some when Zach is out of town, but today Daddy was in town and able to join us. Will loves Panera...there is a long courtyard with fountains at either end, "birdies" that come and sit on your chair and then "fly away up to the sky," and sometimes, the escalator and the elevator are turned on--perfect for riding up and down. It's basically paradise for him. He runs and runs, and often, we give him pennies to throw in the fountains.

This morning, Zach and Will were happily throwing pennies in the fountain when I went inside to get another drink. When I came back out, Zach looked immensely perturbed and confused. When I asked him what was wrong, he just pointed...to the middle of the fountain, where Will had thrown his keys. I am really helpful because all I could do was laugh.

Luckily, the nice manager at Panera was able to use a broom to help fish out the keys. And, Will learned two new sentences: "Sorry Daddy." and "No keys in fountain."

Boys Will Be Boys

The first thing Will says to me this morning, as he reaches up and sweetly touches my face: "Pick Mama's nose!"

No! Just NO.

Things Will Has Learned That We Didn't Teach Him

Zach and I are continually surprised by the things that Will picks up on, mostly at school, that we don't teach him. Often, we look at each other and ask, "Did you teach him that?" Since the list format seems to be working for me lately, here's a list of things Will has learned and we don't know how:

1. Will can now count to ten. For real. Sometimes he gets hung up on seven and wants two to come after six, but if you prompt him with seven, he can go up to ten.
2. He often calls a clean plate a "happy plate." Apparently this is what they say at school when they are good eaters.
3. All weekend Will would randomly say, "Turn around and sit down." And then he would do just that. Again, this is part of a song they sing with them at school.
4. At school, Will can point out all of the moms and dads for the kids in his class and Toddler Two. As in, "Emma Mama." "Abby Daddy." Even I don't know half of the parents and which kid they belong to!
5. Will now knows several of the lines to the song "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star". Well, his version of the lines. Such as, "Diamond in sky" and "Up world so high."