All Grown Up

(The Humid Look)

I remember this happening with Kaitlin......Jack was 8 months old and I had been sleep deprived for quite some time. She had been in Kindergarten for a month or two and I realized that all of the sudden, she was ALLGROWNUP. I missed a lot of it with Kaitlin because I had a baby, but there is a special thing that happens to a Kindergartener. They go to Big school and unconsciencely purchase a pair of big pants, and then BAM...they're big. It is an alien abduction of sorts. A phenomonon that Kindergarten teachers everywhere get to experience every year. And it's the reason many K teachers, no matter how exhausting Kindergarten is, never want to leave that position. (Remember the poster: "Everything I need to know I learned in Kindergarten"?) Since I see this happening right before my eyes, I'd like to make a note of a few "little jack-isms" that may slowly vanish out of thin air as he grows into this Kindergarten "man" he claims to be. I'll do that at the end of this post. For now, I must record a few behaviors that have recently left me in tears, gut wrenching laughter, or just a little smile.....as I am getting little glimses into what kind of "man" my little boy seems to be transforming into. Of course....I must have photos, so I had to add the recent photos of Jack trying to decide which hair style would be best for the first day of school.

(The Faux-Hawk)

Last week in the car Jack was being unusually quiet. When I asked him what he was thinking about....he simply said, "war" (but he can't pronounce his "r" yet so he makes that ugly war word sound so cute). Then he goes on to say......."Mommy, when I gwow up, I want to be in the awmy so I can fight fow fweedom." Oh My. I had tears.

(The Electric Shock)

Friday night we went to Aunt Pattie's for dinner. On the way home I was falling asleep in the car and said that I wished I had a pillow. Jack then did something that I never thought he would ever do......he offered me his beloved b.l.a.n.k.i.e. I declined in shock that he was doing this, but the little man insisted. He claimed he didn't need it, but when I took it from him (hesitantly), I looked back into the dark car and he was culred up in a ball...cold and unsure about his decision. He kept insisting the was fine, so I snuggled with his beloved....in total shock at what had just occured. He ended up asking for it back after 5 mintues, but that was a BIG step......very manly. His blankie is a part of him......like his hair or his teeth. What a sweetheart.

(Harry the Clown)

Wednesday morning he left my classroom by himelf and walked to his class without even telling me. I check my Kindergarteners in in the mornings and it's a big process as I walk them through the unpacking and organizing process each morning, and apparently Jack got bored...so he just walked out ( I usually walk him down to his class and get a hug out of it!). I ended up finding someone in the hallway to watch my class so I could walk down to his classroom to make sure he was there. There he was, coloring at his seat. All by himself. I smiled and waved and said "you left without telling me" and he simply said, "I'm big now", shrugged his shoulders like, duh mom, and kept on coloring. Really?????

(Richie Rich)

During the 1 1/2 weeks of pre-planning I made several attempts to try and work with the kids in my classroom with me. Um, no. It was not happening. Jack was being so difficult and whiny that I called many members of my family threatening that if someone did not come get him, I was going to have a full blown nervous breakdown. Last week he was 5......this week he had decided to be 5 1/2. The beginning and end of the school year can result in some pretty long work days, but I have worked everyday until 6 all week, get this, WITH JACK IN THE ROOM. He has been so good all week, just hanging out, playing, eating snacks and making friends. PRAISE GOD! I was able to survive my first week because of his newfound manliess.

(A little McCauly Culkin never hurt anybody)

He has started this thing where he reminds me of stuff. Every afternoon he comes in with his backpack and shows me everything in it. He then reminds me the next morning that I need to pack him a snack, sign this or that form, make sure his lunch is ready, ect. He doesn't seem to care that it is already done, he has to remind me himself. He is taking on the responsibility of school like a champ and that makes me SO HAPPY. Kaitlin is my little responsible reminder and she is seriously 16 in so many ways, especially when it comes to school and taking responsibility of her schedule/work/projects.....she has never put that on me. I wasn't sure I would get lucky twice. I just may!! He is very concerned that I am doing my job as a mom and signing the necessary paperwork/packing the snack each day/sending in lunch money, ect. I love it.

(The slightly nerdy...but manly look)

So it has happened....the aliens have arrived, abducted my son, and given him back to me a man (or at least on his way to being one). I look foward to the days to come....watching him grow up, and out of the whiny-irrational-tantrum stage. (yes!) Here are a few things that I will miss about my little boy, you know, now that he's becoming a man (I guess he just skipped right over the guy stage).

1. I will miss watching him carry his blankie on his shoulder curled up in a ball while twirling his fingers through the knots in the side. He comes down the stairs like this every morning after "wake up time".

2. I will miss him waking me up by abruptly yelling in my sleeping face that it is wake-up time and demanding a snack and a drink ASAP. I will only miss this because I have big, high bed and it was always funny to see just the top of his orange head making demands from below like a little prince, even if it almost gives me a heart attack to wake up like that).

3. I will miss laying down with him at night and him saying...."Mommy, will you protect me?" This means he wants me to snuggle with him..... melts me ever time.

4. I already miss smothering him with kisses. He's all done with that. It's hugs only now.

5. I will miss his "r" that he can't yet pronounce. But when he finally learns to say his r's, I'm going to miss hearing his cute way of speaking. It makes him little!

6. I will miss his little feet. They keep getting bigger and before long they will be too stinky to kiss! I love his little feet.

7. Last but not least, I will miss his ability to play in front of me. I love hearing him make sound effects and play out loud with me right there. After a while kids get too embarrased and want to be alone so you can't hear their imagination at work. He still plays in front of me now, so I can enjoy it for the time being.

WOW.....that took a while, but I'll be so glad I wrote this all down in 10 years. I wish I had this blog when Kaitlin was abducted by teh Big Girl aliens. I might just have to take stoires from my old journal and put them on here. There are so many things I want to record about her but she won't let me because some of her friends read this. I may do it anyway and make it private.