Show 'n' Tell

"Good morning, J", I said. "It's show 'n' tell day at school today", I said.

J's school has themes for show 'n' tell. Today, the theme is colours.

"Do you want to take my rainbow maker for show 'n' tell today, J?" I asked.

"Yeah!" responded J, happily.

J was excited for show 'n' tell. He loves to show his friends new things and explain how everything works. The rainbow maker is a very cool thing indeed, and has so many colours for his friends to enjoy. And it has a scientific bent to it; J loves science. So we cuddled together, and I held the rainbow maker and explained its workings to J. He listened attentively, soaking it all in.

"See, J? There's this little suction cup here. You get it wet, and you stick it to a window. Then the sun shines in the window and hits this little black angled rectangle - that's the 'solar panel'."

"Oooooh."

"Yes. And that solar panel powers the 'battery', over here."

"Here?"

"Yup. Right here. Then the battery makes all these brightly coloured wheels turn inside the rainbow maker. See the wheels?"

"Yeah!"

"Those wheels are the 'motor'."

"That's the motor?"

"Yes, it is. And when the motor runs, it turns this big crystal on the bottom. The crystal is a 'prism'."

"A prism?"

"Uh huh. And as the sun shines on the prism, the light becomes 'refracted'. Say refracted, J."

"Refracted," said J, with his typical perfect pronunciation.

"Right! 'Refracted'. See? Light gets refracted through the prism, and then the refracted light shines on all the walls. And that makes the rainbows."

"Oooooh!"

"You love the rainbows, don't you J? You love how they dance around the room, huh?"

And J nodded.

"It's dark and cloudy right now. But we can still see the rainbows, online. Do you want to watch a video of the rainbow maker?"

J nodded again. And we cuddled together and watched a quick Youtube video of the rainbow maker. J stared in awe, rapt with attention, thrilled to see the rainbows flying about the room on my computer screen.

"Pretty! Pretty!"

"Now, it's supposed to be a cloudy day, J. So the rainbow maker might not make the rainbows for your class. But you can tell them how the rainbow maker works, and you can take it back to school on a day when it's sunny so your friends can see the rainbows. Does that sound good?"

"Yeah. That sounds good", J agreed.

"It's delicate, J. You have to be careful with it. It's not a toy to be played with. And you can't put it in your mouth. But we'll tell your teacher how it works, and she'll stick it to the window for you and gently turn the crystal for your class if the sun isn't strong enough to do it for you. Okay?"

"Okay", J agreed. And then he held the rainbow maker, and started manually turning the crystal at the bottom.

"Careful, J", I said. "Remember, that is delicate. You have to be very gentle. You really shouldn't play with it like that".

[No response]

"Gentle, J. J? Please don't play with it like that, J. J? J?"

[No response]

"J????"

And then J was off and running like a shot, rainbow maker in hand. He moves quickly - much more quickly than his old and decrepit mother. He smacked the suction cup down, adhering it to his glass-topped craft table, then grabbed hold of the crystal at the bottom and pulled with all his might.

And this is why J's show 'n' tell item for today is a tri-coloured plastic airplane. At some point today, I hope to figure out how to reattach the crystal to the rainbow maker. That would be lovely.

*sigh*

Because mouse poop is funny

So apparently, if you don't post for a few months, the spammers come and get you. They put comments in random posts, thinking you won't notice.

I NOTICE!! I DELETE YOU!! HAPPILY!!

So for the sake of dissuading the spammers, I shall post. Though I've still not a great deal to say. I'm going through something of a depressive period, and I can't organize my thoughts coherently. It's easier not to write. But write, I shall. For it is now apparent that the penalty for writer's block is spam in droves, and that is unacceptable to me.

Feel free to skip this nonsensical post if you like. I just haven't got much to say.

*sigh*

First things first: I got scholarships! Two scholarships! One of them is a coveted national award. Annually, there's only one of these granted in each level. And I took it for Level 4. So I'm happy. There's cash involved. Now I can afford to buy tires. Because they continue to be punctured on a fairly regular basis. I still don't know why, but continue my conspiracy theories.

Secondly, J was moved into Pre-Kindergarten at school. I thought I had another year of preschool, but Pre-K is here. I'm getting used to it. He likes it a lot.

J says many funny things these days. But by the time I get to my computer, I've usually forgotten. I live in something of a fog lately, I'm afraid. But off the top of my head:

J: When I get big, I'm going to paint all the street lights green.

J: Can we go to the AC/DC Centre?
Note: This is J's term for the "ACT Centre", a pool and rec centre that he really enjoys.

J: Today, we talked about our favourite books at show and tell. Thali's favourite book is called 'Diarrhea Mouse'.
T: I think you mean 'Diary of a Mouse'.
J: No. It's 'Diarrhea Mouse'.
T: 'Diary of a Mouse'?
J: No. 'Diarrhea Mouse'.
H: J. Is the book about a mouse that sits on the toilet all the time and does absolutely nothing else? Or is it about a mouse that writes in a little book?
J: Oooooh ... [giggle] It's about a mouse that writes.
T: Ah. 'Diary of a Mouse'.

The final thing that I shall report on is N. Who is sick. Constantly. He's having teething issues. He had a flu bug a week or two ago. He now has a cold with fever. He is rather inconsolable. Last night, he even cried during bathtime. Poor little Pineapple.

There. I posted. Now quit spamming my comments, you nasty robots!

At least he knows what's most important

J: My teacher swallowed a frog.
T: You mean she has a frog in her throat?
J: Yes. She swallowed it but it got stuck. And now, she can't eat her french fries.
T: I see.

Will the circle be unbroken? Um ... NO!

Today, H picked up J from preschool. Inexplicably, J burst into song. "Santa Claus is Coming to Town". (Yes, in April.) This drew attention from one of J's teachers, who laughed and then relayed a little story from today's "circle time".

In "circle time", the class takes part in various activities. Show and tell ... music ... yoga ... Spanish class ... stories ... the list goes on and on. It's a very active preschool. Today in circle, the kids were playing a game called "Who stole the cookies". The idea is to rhythmically say: "Who stole the cookies from the cookie jar? [Name of child] stole the cookies from the cookie jar". And there are a few more silly little lines, with fun and innocent rhyming responses from the child in question, and then you keep going down the line of children until you've done all of the names. It's very cute.

All good, right? Except J doesn't like being falsely accused. So ...

Class: Who stole the cookies from the cookie jar? J stole the cookies from the cookie jar.

J: (sporting his best "mad-face") I DID NOT!!!

Teacher: It's just a game, J. We go down the line. So next, we're going to say that B stole the cookies from the cookie jar.

J: Well, then maybe he did it. But I didn't! **

J quite enjoys circle time. Only problem: he and his best little preschool friend A aren't allowed to sit together any longer. They chat and play during the planned activities, and I've been told that they get quite disruptive. I also note in recent days that they are also no longer allowed to eat lunch together. But they still get lots of good play time in, so I think they're pretty happy all told.

**********
** Note: The following is how "Who stole the cookies" should actually play out:

Class: Who stole the cookies from the cookie jar? [Child] stole the cookies from the cookie jar.

Child: Who, me?
Class: Yes, you.
Child: Couldn't be.
Class: Then who?

Along came a spider

Spring is in the air.

Today, J saw a spider on the sidewalk at daycare. He came home filled with details.

"Spiders spin webs. And they bite. But the spider didn't bite me. You gotta watch out for spiders. And bees."

H says that J was quite affected by the spider and the notion that spiders bite. When H picked him up from daycare and they went outside, J got nervous and thought that the spider was chasing him.

Mommy is deathly afraid of spiders. So it's looking like H will be the spider-killer in our household.

The Peanut Song

J sits down to eat his peanut butter sandwich. In a singsong voice, he says:

"Peanut sat on the railroad track.
His heart was all a-flutter.
Around the bend came the number ten
Toot! Toot!
And now he's peanut butter."

J apparently learned this little tune at daycare. He sings it often. Cute!

Shopping with a J

I always knew work would need their laptop back. I had hoped that it would be after the baby was born, but I kind of knew that was wishful thinking. The timeframe is just too long. The office has expanded, and new people require the equipment. My laptop needs to be updated with some new software so that it can be reassigned and returned back into circulation.

In my absence, I've been using the laptop primarily for school. My schooling is work-related, but not as work-related as actual billable work. Billable work takes precedence. And so, my employer has contacted me and asked for return of the company laptop. It's more than fair. They've actually been really good to let me keep it for this long. It needs to be returned ASAP, as their supplier has had some delivery delays and the situation is fairly desperate. They're good to me. We'll get the laptop back to them right away.

Unfortunately, we now need to make some alternate arrangements for my own sanity. I'm on bed rest, as you all know, so I can't sit up at my primary computer. I can't imagine what I would do with no computer access for the next several months, but the only access I'm permitted consists of using the laptop while lying down. And I can't adequately prepare for my exam with no computer.

H and I discussed it, and we decided that we needed to get a personal-use laptop computer. We'll need one in the next year or so anyway. And for the time being, I desperately need it to preserve my sanity for the next few months. Fortunately, they're on sale right now.

H was outfitted with a list of requirements, straight from the accounting association's website. And after work today, H picked up J from daycare, and off they went to the store to pick out a laptop computer.

They arrived at the store before 6:00. H found a knowledgable staff member to help him. A reasonably priced, appropriately discounted, completely suitable laptop was selected quickly. Score! H and J would be home in plenty of time for dinner, and J would make his regular bedtime.

And then, it was time to pay for our new computer.

H decided to use a credit card.

And that's when the shopping expedition turned. It went something like this:

**********

The security code on the back of a credit card is an added security feature for telephone and online purchases. But the store has a rather silly policy of requiring entry of the security code on the back of the card, even for in-person purchases. Sadly, the code is worn off of the card. So the cashier spends some time unsuccessfully trying to guess it.

After trying to ring it up seven times and receiving seven consecutive "declined" messages, he gives up.

H calls the bank to try to get the code. Runs through a million and one security questions, and eventually gets the code. The bank then advises that all of the "declined" attempts were actually put through as "preauthorized holds" by the bank, and the card is now maxed out. So now, even though H has the security code, he still can't pay for the computer. The bank advises that, unless this is remedied, there will be a hold on our account for 5 business days. That will put us past the "sale" date, will cost us a significant amount of coin, will prevent us from using the card in the interim, and is obviously completely unacceptable.

The store spends the next two plus hours trying to resolve the situation with the bank.

The bank requests a letter on the store's letterhead stating what happened. The store has no letterhead. Will a letter signed by the store manager do? The bank will check and call back. Yes. Yes that will do.

What does the letter need to say? The letter needs to list off the charges and the authorization numbers. But the store has no authorization numbers, since the transactions all showed up as "declined". Will the bank release the numbers to the store? No. The bank will not release the numbers, but requires them nonetheless. The store calls its own bank, hoping to get the authorization numbers. But the store's bank obviously has no authorization numbers, since the transactions were "declined". The store calls our bank again and begs on bended knee. Can our bank, please oh please, just release the numbers? Please? Yes. Yes they will.

The letter is drafted. The letter is faxed. The bank spends about half an hour fixing the problem. The bank calls back. The situation has been remedied. The card will work now.

The laptop is finally paid for.

Throughout this 2-hour ordeal, J behaves like an absolute angel. He drinks some orange juice. He plays with an inactivated debit machine. He plays nicely with some other children. He converses with other customers, and tells them all about his bears, and his rocks, and his racecar bed, and everything else he can think of. He almost makes up for the fact that he "hit his friends" at daycare today, and had to "spend some time thinking about what his hands are for" as a result. *Sigh!*

**********

After the situation was resolved and the computer appropriately paid for, H loaded J back into the van and started to drive home. That's when J decided to be especially entertaining.

J: Look!

H looked back at J. And he saw that J had pulled off his boots and socks, and was now wearing his mittens on his feet - a difficult feat, considering that his mittens are attached to his coat sleeves.

They got home. J trudged right through a puddle and got his pants all wet. He came in, and H promptly removed the wet pants. J ran into the living room to see me.

J: Look! I'm naked!

J had a nice, albeit late, dinner. And he had some chocolate as a reward for being such a good boy at the store. H also bought J a Backyardigans DVD, which he will get to watch tomorrow.

But for now, it is time for J to sleep. It is well past his bedtime.

Night night, little man. Sleep well.

Age appropriate activities

H: Did you have fun at daycare today?
J: Yeah. I had fun.
H: What did you do?
J: I did yoga.
H: Oh. You still have to teach Mommy and me to do yoga.
J: No.
H: Yes. Because Mommy and Daddy don't know how to do yoga.
J: No. You're too old.

Bouncin' and Misbehavin'

J has been extremely hyper lately. We don't know quite why. But he's totally bouncing off the walls.

J's favorite word is "NO"! So much so that he came home from daycare one day last week with a note to this effect. He is most uncooperative. Time outs are frequently occurring in our household these days.

Today, J came home with a note to advise us that he was hitting his friends and throwing toys. Around here, hitting is promptly remedied with time outs. Throwing toys results in the toys being taken away and locked in the closet for a long time ... like weeks or months. But daycare can't implement the same punishments that we can at home, so they try other things.

Apparently, J hit one of his friends. He was reprimanded by his teachers. J responded by apologizing to the little boy, and giving him a hug and a kiss. Sounds sweet, doesn't it? And it would have been sweet. Except that J then continued to hit the little boy so that he could follow up with hugs and kisses. My little 2-year old appears not to understand that he can hug and kiss his little friends for no apparent reason, and thinks this is some kind of game.

I don't want J to bully his friends!!!!!

J was super-grumpy tonight. He was sent to bed early, since he clearly needed the sleep. And we attempted to explain to him at some length that he is not to hit or throw toys. Of course, he's only 2 years old, and I just don't know that he understands these concepts yet. All we can do is try.

On another note, J now has a nightlight. He still doesn't enjoy bed time, but he is not panicked about being in the dark any longer. So ... score!

The J and the Jellybeans

Jellybeans are J's favorite candy. Apparently, they are manna sent from heaven. They must be. I have no other explanation for why he will eat them when he eats absolutely nothing else.

The Easter Bunny left jellybeans (and a few other special treats) in a basket on J's slide on Easter morning. J insisted on jellybeans for breakfast. We insisted that he would not have jellybeans for breakfast. It's hard to know who won the argument; he ate a paltry few jellybeans and refused all of the other food we tried to give. Did he have jellybeans for breakfast? Or did he skip breakfast entirely? Who can tell.

After the early morning Easter fun, we went to get bloodwork done. J and I both needed to get bloodwork. We reasoned that the lab would not be busy on Easter Sunday, everyone assuming they would probably be closed. We were correct; there was no wait at all.

I've gotten used to the whole bloodwork thing; being anemic, they check me often. But I'm not good with anyone poking a needle into my little boy's arm. J screamed and cried. H held him. I sang to him and tried to comfort him as best I could. Three nurses held his arm and tried to find a decent vein. Eventually the blood was drawn. J's reward was, of course, more jellybeans. And a nap; he'd really tired himself out fighting with the nurses.

J received finger puppets, jellybeans, Hershey's Kisses, a couple of sports balls, and the cutest stuffed bunny rabbit ever for Easter. He was a happy little guy!

Today, J's daycare celebrated his birthday. They let him wear a construction paper hat with a big "2" on it. And we took birthday cake for his class to share. Very cute! If we can ever convince J to wear his hat again, we'll post pictures. He refused to wear it when he got home. He's really not a "hats" kind of kid.

Exam is done!!

I feel quite strongly that I passed that. I can already see areas where I messed up. And there was one question that totally threw me for a loop. I know for certain that I have lost a good five marks on the obvious stuff that I missed. But I passed, and that's all I care about!

I took every blessed second of that exam. And I didn't get to double-check anything. So I hope I did things right the first time.

So there ya go. Done Level 1. And I have next term off of school, which will be really good. Woot!

**********

In other news, poor little J is all sick again. He has a very bad chest cold, and has been coughing a lot. I forgot to call daycare today to let them know he wouldn't be there. So I feel pretty badly about that, but such is life. I'll phone them tomorrow and apologize for the oversight.

I hope J's cold is just the typical thing. But it's right down in the chest, and it makes me a bit nervous. I do not like the sound of that cough.

Some like it cold

J's daycare has one of those big play-kitchens in it. It's in his particular room. J quite enjoys playing at the kitchen. It seems Panda finds the transition room a bit warm, and prefers to sleep in the refrigerator. When H picks J up, J usually has to get Panda from the fridge.

Pandas prefer cool temperatures, you see.

And I won't tell them your name

J has learned to say his name. Finally. T is ecstatic. His newfound skill comes in spurts, however. Tonight, we were chatting with the neighbours:

H: Can you tell her your name?
J: Puppy!
H: Come on, J. Tell her your name.
J: Yellow Nee-naw!

(For those who are wondering, Nee-naw is J's word for his soother. He has a yellow one, and a blue one, and he calls for each by turn.)

**********

Today, J lost his Panda. He was at daycare. I went to pick him up, and it wasn't there. But the good people at daycare understood Panda's importance to J. They stayed late and just tore the whole place apart searching. Eventually, they found Panda. They called to let us know that Panda was there. T picked him up on her way home.

I am very impressed with the good people at J's daycare, that they would put themselves out like that over something so small as a child's lost teddy-bear. They really care about J and his little friends, and it makes us very happy.

**********

On the subject of daycare, J has a girlfriend at his daycare. Her name is Bridget, and she always helps J to get dressed to go home. Coat ... hat ... mittens. Then they kiss good-bye. She is a very cute little girl. T thinks she just believes J is a special little interactive doll she can play with. But I know my son, and he's quite the lady's man.

Positive spin

J received his first report card today. Comments included:

"J is an expert at dumping bins of toys".

He is doing nearly everything that a child in his age group is expected to do. He has trouble sorting colours and shapes, and he doesn't walk up and down stairs with support yet. But otherwise, he is coming along nicely. He is really little to be trying the walk up and down stairs thing, anyway. He's smaller than most kids his age; we don't really encourage that particular move just yet.

The Name Game (Again)

J has made many new friends at daycare. Today, we received a list of the names of all of the children in J's class. We need to get Valentines for J to give his classmates.

I read the list of names out loud for J. J repeated each child's name for me. Even the hard to pronounce varieties. He smiled happily as he told me the names of each of his friends.

However, he cannot say his own name as of yet. And if I asked him to repeat his own name or those of his two best daycare friends, Bridget and Ava, he decided that this meant we were at the end of the list. But he wasn't finished! So he pitched a fit and called for "More! More!", and made me start over at the beginning.

**********

We are in the market for a new vehicle. Things are in the works, and we may be getting our older car replaced pretty shortly. It is now old enough to drink and vote. Too old for a vehicle, really. It has served us very well for its life, though, and so we have some mixed feelings about it. But we have concluded that it is time.

It's a good thing.

The Nutcracker

J's first Christmas concert was tonight. Daycare put on "The Nutcracker". We dressed little J in his special little three-piece suit and his new "Cars" shoes that light up when he runs about, smoothed his hair down, and headed off to watch our little boy in "The Nutcracker".

He did his part very well, I assume. I can't remember the name of the character he played, but it was the one who gets pushed about in a stroller while refusing to wear his antlers, mouth stuffed with cookies, tears streaming down his face, arms outstretched, screaming "Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!"

You know which one I mean.

Here are some pictures from before, during, and after J's first ever Christmas concert. Enjoy!

Halloween Parade

J had a wonderful Halloween yesterday!

His daycare had a Halloween parade for the seniors, and J got to wear his little frog costume and go for a nice ride in the turtle-bus. He received a goodie-bag and some cookies from a witch. And as an added bonus, he also got the opportunity to brighten the day of several people who really needed it. I really like J's daycare because of that particular focus.

Later, we went trick-or-treating. J was very sweet in his little costume. He really enjoyed all the decorations on our street. Our neighbours had a row of lit-up pumpkins up their walkway which he found quite entertaining. And he also enjoyed their ghost that moved its arms and made "Oooooooo" noises as we passed. We carried him from house to house, with his little black-cat goodie basket over his flippered arm. He never ceased to be amazed that people would give him special treats just for ringing their doorbells and looking cute. He smiled happily everytime something landed in his basket. And then he tried to pull it out to take a look. He got lots of candy (mostly chocolate) and a little tin of play-do, which I think is a great idea!

When we came home, he sat on the living room floor with his basket and went through it. He was just so happy! Then he chased the cats around with his candy and scared them. And that was around the time that we decided it was time to go and see the family.

A nice car ride later, and the family who lives nearby had gotten a good look at little J in his Halloween outfit. He received a few more treats, had some Smarties at Grandma and Grandpa's house as a special snack, and then came home for a nice cuddle and bed.

It was a wonderful day. And made even more special by the fact that I got to leave work early to attend the Halloween parade and take pictures. I haven't posted pictures in awhile, and it's about time I got to it. So here are some of the pictures from J's Halloween parade.

Ribbit!!

Fun with J

Early Childhood Development has been good for J. He is becoming more outgoing. He is learning to sleep on his own. He is experimenting more with language skills. He is eating slightly better.

J does not give kisses. He is just far too busy. But he does plenty of other things. Like high-fives. Which he loves and will ask for over and over again.

J says "night night" when he wants his soother (he only gets it when it's sleep time). And he says "please" when he wants more food and "all done" when he is finished. He also knows sign language for "all done", and uses that fairly often.

He sits in his special toy car to watch television, and he pushes it backwards. And as he moves in reverse, he says "beep beep". When pushing cars forward, the sound he uses is "vroom vroom". Sometimes he falls off the car's little seat, and he doesn't like that so much. Most often, though, he tries to stand up on the seat. He knows he's not supposed to do it. He thinks of it as a game. He climbs; we say no; he sits down. Repeat.

J likes chicken. Specifically, breaded chicken, like chicken strips or nuggets. His favorite meal these days consists of chicken nuggets and french fries. Not the healthiest thing I've ever heard of, but as long as he eats it, I won't complain much. And it should help him put on some weight. Tonight, he followed it with a piece of chocolate cake. Odd how he was too full to finish his chicken but made room for the cake, isn't it?

He is also on a bananas kick these days. He eats bananas every day, and loves them. Quite the difference from the child who hated all things banana. Now, he just can't get enough of them. I am happy about that.

J's school has music classes twice a week. J loves music. Now, every time he hears music, he starts to dance. So cute!

I tried to update my sidebars menu tonight, but it didn't work. The blog isn't publishing properly this evening. Hopefully tomorrow, I'll get the "New This Week" items from back in July out of there, and maybe even put up more pictures! If I have the time. Hopefully soon, though.

J started school

Yes, my boy is in school now. Early childhood development, to be exact. Three days a week. He started yesterday.

H is on vacation for the next couple of weeks, so we figured that would help with J's transition to school; H can stay with him for a bit in the mornings and then pick him up early.

H dropped J off. J clung to him and refused to let go. But H had forgotten to take some things, and he had to go home to get them. He waited for a short time, then left to go get J's missing items. J screamed and cried. H left anyway.

H returned. It was music time. J wouldn't let the teachers put him down, and was insisting on being held. When H returned, J was sitting in a teacher's lap, and she was helping him to clap his hands and feet to the music. J's back was to H, so H figured he'd just sneak in and out. J turned around and saw him there. Held out his arms. Screamed.

H left. He felt that his presence was becoming disruptive to the entire class. He went and ran errands instead. Specifically, we quite suddenly needed four new tires. Yikes! (Don't ask.) Fortunately, my dad got a line on some tires from an auto-wrecker, so we didn't have to pay full price for brand new ones. (You rock, Dad!)

When H returned to pick up J later in the afternoon, J was sitting at a table refusing to eat the Minigo that we had taken for him. Instead, he was trying to steal another baby's Fig Newton. He saw H, and just held up his arms and said "Up". At least no more tears.

The teachers said he was much better after his nap. That was good.

At least they didn't phone and ask us to come and get him.

Conversations of the Car et al

On "The Smart Car"

H: If I wanted a 3 cylinder diesel engine, I'd buy a garden tractor! But I hope they feel really good about owning a Smart car and being able to save on the high cost of gasoline. Just curious, though, why they also have three SUVs parked in a line beside it??

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Well, the garage is being built. It was started yesterday. All four walls are already up. Materials are being delivered over time, and I guess the store felt it'd take longer to use up what we had; we're out of materials now, and have to take a break until we get the rest of the stuff. Hopefully, that will happen soon.

Stupid people delivered the wrong colour of shingles! Oh well; it will be fixed soon enough.

**********

J starts "daycare" on Tuesday. I am nervous, but I think he'll enjoy it.

**********

And The Cryptic presents:

Stressed.
Pouring rain.
Head full.
Too much.
Forgetting.
Everything.
Remember when.
Please, not again.
Tired.