10.10.2012

The Middle



I will start with the middle child because he is my favorite.
Wait, what?
Let me try again.
I will start with the middle child because his big brown eyes melt my heart.
One more time.
I will start with the middle child because sometimes I feel guilty, like maybe he suffers from middle child syndrome. I would have no idea what that might feel like, I was the oldest so I was the boss, more out spoken then my other two siblings.
So needless to say, I am a push over when it comes to Ethan. I admit it. No need to tell me or hold some intervention. He may never move out and I will end of feeding him and doing his laundry for the rest of his life due to this, but at least I won't be lonely.

He has said he is going to be a zoo keeper. He has promised that I can live at the zoo with him. But in a little house next to his. Alright, I can deal with that. I asked him if I could sing and dance and welcome everyone to the zoo daily. He kindly said, 'that's ok Mommy, but you can sing when every one goes home...for like one show's time.' Every thing here is measured out in increments of show length. 'How long until I go to school?'  'Two shows time.'

So this is progress. Two years ago this child wanted to crawl back into my womb, bring his blankie, and call it home.

I simply started with Ethan because he just plain grew up. Kendall came out of me and was already 23, and Jake, listen I don't know what's up with that kid, he literally is a hurricane. So to have a child actually become more and more independent and begin to spread those little wings is fascinating to me. I literally thought I was going to have to shove him from the nest and set the place on fire so he wouldn't have something to return to.

This kid has friends. And not only that, he asks daily when school starts, and gets a little disappointed if there is no school. This kid has confidence in his skills and can confidently tell you when he is or isn't ready to acquire a new one.  I told him the other day as he sat coloring, 'E you are such a good artist.'  He replied, 'I know that Mommy.' And he sat there laughing some giggle un der his breath that had this mocking tone, that really was 'duh, like no kidding, look at this piece I just created, catch up.'

Yet, riding a bike with two wheels is a work in progress. He will do this willingly at my grand parents farm, but told me he is not ready for the 'sharp' turns in the neighborhood.

He really did say sharp. He also told me yesterday that he was 'really picking up the skills that are necessary to whistle. '

Hello vocabulary.

Where does he get it? Ok, so perhaps I did just say to him and his brother, 'If you two cannot respect each others boundaries I am going to have to intiate an alternate activity to play.' A full vocabulary must be like spanish, if you teach it from a young age they just may be fluent, ok so maybe a bit of a dork, but I talk like that, you expect me to change? Get real.

And he isn't all Spelling Bee Champ Vocab. Please. He does have speech issues surrounding his 'sl's, and l's' I personally find it mad cute. 'Hey Mommy, remember this summer when we pwayed on the swip and swide? I wuved that.' So needless to say there will be some speech therapy in Elementary School, I am sure. Right now it's one of those things I can constantly correct, or just go on with conversation because I clearly understand him, screw everyone else. I don't know I have never heard a grown man ask, 'can I pwease have swice of pizza?' So I am totally cool with it and have no worries.

Ethan did not head to Kindergarten this year. This is where having them a year apart from each other works in my favor and not have me longing for my sanity to return. I could actually see from the time that Kendall started preschool that Ethan was more behind her then one year. This kid was so disinterested in anything school while Kendall was screaming mad on the first day of preschool that she did not come home with the ability to read chapter books.  So Ethan is in Pre Kindergarten at the same preschool he attended last year. He is in this class with two of his closest homies, which could have gone either way. He could have been completely distracted and playing ninjas when he is supposed to be reciting his abc's, but it has built his confidence and made the classroom comfortable.I have seen learning actually click. To the point where he says to sister, 'Kendall why do you cry about homework? Its fun.' I wouldn't exactly go that far.

When asking Ethan what is favorite things to do he replied:

1. Color
2. Play Super Heroes, or Power Rangers, or Ninjas
3. Go to School
4. Watch SuperHeroes
5. Play Dinosaurs and learn their names
6. Practice Whistling

Man he is determined to whistle.






No comments:

Post a Comment