Our Space Ranger

The boys are changing so fast, I literally can't keep up. Here are some highlights of Aaron's latest exploits...

Mr. Personality
I have to start with Aaron's playfulness, because it's one of his best features. He runs to greet anyone with a smile and "What's your name?" He usually has a twinkle in his eye and loves to make jokes, calling us by the wrong names, impersonating the characters from Sesame Street (you should see his Cookie Monster), or using inflection and facial expressions to make us laugh out loud at the dinner table. All of which has led to one of his favorite refrains, "I'm funny!" Most of the time, he is.

"I Baby Isaac!"

"I put my pants on, Mommy!"

"I a cowboy!" (Time for a round-up?)

"A pocket, Mommy!"

"Faster, Mommy!"

BMOC
His teachers wrote on his first progress report: "Aaron is such a joy to be around and he already has many admirers throughout the school. He plays nicely when peers are around and he is willing to participate in any and all activities."

Which according to him includes a lot of sleeping... Whenever I ask what he did at school, he says: "My teachers say, 'Go nigh-night!'" (nap is their last activity every day)

Thanks to their other school activities, he's stringing together fuller sentences ("I want to watch a movie with my blankie.") and his reasoning is getting a little too good:


A: Get my toy, Mommy!
Me: I can't while I'm driving. We'll get it when we get home.

A: At a stop sign, Mommy!

On the Throne
Perhaps all this progress is what finally made me snap. September 28th at 7:30am, I reached my limit. Suddenly Aaron was too big to be wearing diapers. So I stopped putting them on him. That was it. Well, that was the end of it, and the beginning of something else. Sept 29th was our first breakthrough (peepee in the potty!), Oct 1st was another (no accidents!). By the end of the week, he was almost entirely potty trained while awake. I cannot tell you how much this both surprises and relieves me.


And Everywhere Else
There is one, itsy-bitsy GINORMOUS catch: rest time (awake time alone in his bedroom). Last Thursday, just after a new neighbor arrived for a playdate, I walked into Aaron's room to find poopoo in places poopoo was NOT meant to be. And really, you never want to find poopoo pretty much anywhere. The music from "Psycho" started playing in my head. I stripped and washed the boy, closed his bedroom door, and tried unsuccessfully to focus on my neighbor for an hour.

Later, I discovered my rags & Resolve are no match for poop. I thought we'd have to get new carpet. So I took a break for dinner (I'm getting better at denial). In the nick of time, my knight came riding home with flowers, ice cream, and a rented carpet cleaning machine that worked its magic but could not prevent little man from doing it again Sunday. We've upped the ante for Not Touching Poopoo, and I'm praying it works before I switch us all to a clear liquid diet.


Floored
A couple weeks ago, I walked out of Isaac's room around 11pm and thought Darth Vader must be standing in the hallway. It was freaky. Deep breathing but no one in site. Turns out Aaron had decided he'd rather sleep curled up on the floor at the base of his door than in his nice comfy bed. Now it's routine. I tuck him into bed and as soon as I close the door, I can hear him shuffle over to it and curl up with his blankie. It's too precious. It would be heartbreaking if it sprang from loneliness or fear, but he actually likes going "nigh-night." He often asks for it and heads upstairs on his own. So we're going with the theory that he's just unexplainably adorable.



And Beyond
I was sitting in a quiet training session with 200 lay leaders from our church when Aaron burst through the side doors, flew toward me with arms outstretched and a big smile and shouted, "Mommy! I Ba-Bightyer! I 'ave wings!!" It was adorable. And loud. ;)

That boy LOVES Toy Story. He played with his Buzz Lightyear action figure so much that it now falls apart spontaneously, so I just got him a less-destructible version which he flies through the house saying "To infinity!" He asks to watch the movie(s) at every opportunity; Thank the Lord there are 3 of them, or Noah and I would be bonkers by now.

Lightbulb...Lollipop?
It's possible Aaron already is. When I walked into his bedroom first thing this morning, I found his nightlight removed from the plug behind the couch, uncovered, and the bulb broken down to a stub. Upon interrogation, he told me "I ate it!" then showed me where the glass was shattered on the carpet and...wet. I was dumbfounded. I still am. WHO EATS THEIR NIGHTLIGHT? Miraculously, he didn't get cut and doesn't seem to have ingested any glass. But I've added this to the list of no-nos. Not Touching Poop. No Eating Lightbulbs.

My Boy

Despite the glass-eating incident, I see so many signs that Aaron is no longer a toddler. It struck me most at his first school-classmate party. Usually he's tagging along to Noah's parties, which makes him look younger. This time, it was his people, and he was thrilled. He spent 30min on the tallest slide in the joint and another 30min climbing the mountain nextdoor. Seeing his perseverance, his confidence, and his joy, I could see more of the boy he is becoming. He often reminds me, "I a boy" and "You're my mommy." I am so, so very glad. And so thankful that he still loves to sit on my lap, give me a hug, greet me with exuberance, and hold my hand.

His Mommy
Especially this week. Aaron has a tender heart, he obeys more than he disobeys, and he learns rather quickly. But I have still felt more stressed and stretched than usual. The quandaries that arise whenever a child is in transition wear me out...

Should I let him leave the light on in his bedroom all night?
Should I make him put his pants back on every time he goes potty?
Should we drop rest time?
How long should he have to sit at the dinner table?
Should I discipline him for ____?

Which is all to say that while I want to catalog my kids' adventures with humor and grace, don't think for a minute that I'm coasting through them myself. And anytime you have advice to give, I'm all ears. Cause this job is tough. Good, but tough.