Help?

When I got home tonight the nanny was very excited.  She had taken Middle Son out, and when they got in the car to come home, Middle was having trouble with his seat belt.  He reached from the back seat and tapped her on the shoulder.  She asked if he needed help, and she said he said "hea" and signed yes.  She was startled that he was vocalizing, and asked again.  Again, he said "hea" again.

The first speech-like response Middle has given in a VERY long time.  Hopefully it's the start of a trend.

Not Asleep After All

Last night, about an hour after he went into his room to go to bed, Youngest Son came out.  He was sobbing and saying "come on."  It took me a while to realize what had happened.  I had told him to go to his room and I'd come and read him a story in a few minutes.  I got distracted dealing with Middle Son, and then it had been 15 minutes and he hadn't come out, so I assumed that he had fallen asleep.

I was wrong.  He was awake and waiting.  And waiting.  And waiting.  Once I figured out what had happened, I apologized profusely.  Daddy is very sorry to have kept you waiting--I thought you were asleep.

Middle Son at the Wedding

My Beloved Fiancee and I went today to look at a location we're considering for our wedding and reception.  As we were talking to the event co-ordinator, My Beloved started talking about Middle Son, how he might react, and how we might be able to set up an area for him that would be a little sheltered from the noise and commotion but still allow him to observe the festivities.  I discovered that My Beloved had already talked with the co-ordinator about Middle when she had set up the appointment.

I teared up a little.  I am accustomed to being the only one who is thinking about Middle's wants and needs and taking action, the only one truly tending to his future.  I don't for a moment question MomC's devotion to all of her children, but I rarely,see her engaging with Middle's challenges in the here-and-now, let alone in the future.

And here My Beloved was taking action about something I hadn't even thought about in Middle's future.  She tells me that she's always thinking about my boys and their future and needs, and especially about Middle.  And now I've seen the it in action.

I am in awe of my (and my children's) great fortune to have found such a wonderful woman.  (If you're reading this babe, I love you this <-------------------> big.)

Dinner and Snacks

Youngest Son asked to be excused from dinner tonight with eating much.  I told him he needed to eat some more food.  And he did.  So I excused him from the table.

About 10 minutes later he asked if he could have a snack.  I told him "no, if you are hungry now it is because you didn't eat enough dinner food, and you don't get a snack until bedtime."  He tried a couple more times, but I stuck to my line.

About 8:45 he said he was ready for his snack.  I had him turn the TV off and use the bathroom, and told him that after he ate he would go to bed.  So he ate.  Then he said "maybe I'm not ready to go to sleep yet."

I told him that he had just had his bedtime snack, so now he had to go in his room.  If he wasn't sleepy he didn't have to go to sleep, but he had to stay in his room.  He went in, and didn't come back out.  Apparently he was ready to go to sleep.

Nighttime Feeding

There was lots of motion during the night last night.  Both Oldest Son and Middle Son were up moving around.  I woke around 4:30 to the sound of Middle Son flushing the toilet repeatedly and never got all the way back to sleep.

Oldest slept through his alarm and missed the bus today.

When I woke up Middle, in his bed a found the bag of bagels that I had left on the counter last night.  It had been a brand-new bag with six bagels in it.  Now there were only four.

If he'd eaten his food instead of throwing it at me, I bet he wouldn't have needed to eat two bagels in the middle of the night.

Temper and Food

Middle Son got up from the table in during dinner with his plate in his hand.  That usually means he's planning to dump his food into the trash.  Since he hadn't eaten much, I didn't want him to do that.  So I got up and went to stand in front of the sink, blocking his path.  When he saw me standing there, he flicked his plate so that all the food went flying off, towards me.

Pasta in alfredo sauce, corn, and sliced apples.  Big mess.  I cursed in front of my children for the first time in  a couple of years.

More Batman

More Batman paraphernalia arrived this weekend.  We have now Batman sheets and a Batman pillowcase.  Still waiting on the Batman comforter.