Highlights
- “Wang” the kitten joins our family
- Calan gets his quarterback groove on
- Evan marches on with treatment (rye)
November kicked in and we could sense the holidays coming around the corner. Sports activities were switching from basketball back to football again. Even though we continued to mourn Kitty’s loss, anticipation was in the air as we looked forward to taking in a new feline friend named “Wang”.
Certainly the biggest “deal” this month was bringing Wang home. After weeks of visiting the little guy at Jen’s house in Newbury Park, it was finally time for Wang to come join the family. (Jen was the doula for both boys’ births). Of course, as one would expect, he was an instant hit. A tiny ball of black and gray fur, with wide eyes he was certainly a fit for this family. It’s safe to say that this month Wang had more photos taken of him than the kids. Staying mostly in his cage for naps and during the night, he was a lot of fun for the boys during play time. Like any kitten, Wang loves to chase, pounce, attack and wrestle anything that moves. What we’ve liked about Wang as we’ve gotten to know him over the previous weeks and through what Jen has shared is his lovey-dovey side. When he’s ready to relax, he usually likes to cuddle in with anyone who is willing to sit still on the couch for a bit…especially when there is a pile of blankets and pillows.
Calan
Even after several weeks since letting Kitty go, each morning Calan still carries his printed out Kitty photos, her bag of fur, the ‘Apache Tears’ gemstone and her paw print. He keeps these items in the family room for the day and then returns them next to his bed at night. They seem to comfort him when going to sleep. It’s bitter sweet. It’s a sadness he is dealing with. At the same time his cherishing Kitty and missing her allows him to cope and express his feelings. He can’t help but be sensitive about all of this. A complicated attribute no doubt that brings about its own set of challenges in the best of us. When he feels emotions more deeply, we try to support him working those feelings outward in calming ways. It seems to be a healthy process for him.
Calan went back to writing his monkey story again. He is really using his imagination as far as the flow of the story. It’s almost like a stream of consciousness style of writing, and it’s great. You really have no idea what’s going to happen to the characters (the family of monkeys), next as they carry on in their adventure. It’s fun to see Calan write quietly and then read what has poured out from his little fingers. Of course we’re happy he’s getting to practice typing as well as using his imagination. It’s also a delight to see him proudly share his story. His favorite is having you read it aloud with him sitting closely, nestled in next to you. Good moments any parent would love.
We had a pleasant surprise as the new football season kicked off this year. Our team coach, Jason decided it would be a good idea to have a little “tryout” session at the first practice so he could see what positions the kids wanted to (and could) play. Calan and another boy both threw the football pretty well. We noticed that some of the other kids could throw it harder and farther but it seemed their passes didn’t make it near the intended receiver all that often. When Calan threw the ball, it got to “his guy” pretty much every time, unless the distance was too far. Coach Jason really appreciated that he could hit his targets so consistently and said he could play at the quarterback position. It worked out well, as a lot of the other kids wanted to either run the ball or be a receiver. What was extra fun was seeing Calan shine and surprise us as the first few games kicked off. The other quarterback “selected” was a no-show, so Calan became THE quarterback for the entirety of the games. This was a completely different scene for him compared to all his previous seasons where he’d often be stuck as the snapper or get lost in each play when the more assertive “stars” of the team would take over most of the plays on both offense and defense. By the second game, we looked at each other and said “that’s our son?” He had such a natural command of the position, barking out “down, set, hike” then moving quickly and decisively to avoid getting “sacked” and then launching short throws directly at his receiving teammate and away from any defenders. It was clear he liked playing QB, and it was a definitely a best-fit for him as he developed his abilities to throw the ball in the heat of a game usually successfully.
He gained even more confidence by working privately with Coach Wil on throwing and moving around with the ball, e.g. the 3-step drop and moving side-to-side while looking ahead down field. Coach Wil was impressed and even took notice of Calan’s willingness and aptitude to learn more about plays and running them as a QB. One example was in the older Division 2 team workout Wil allows Calan to join at his studio. He was showing the kids some plays and route running schemes. While the other 8 and 9 year old kids kind of looked on, he was mostly showing Calan who was focused and listening intently. Afterwards, Coach Wil made a point of saying he feels like Calan can grasp some of this higher level football stuff even if he doesn’t use it right now. All this adds up to such a great learning experience for Calan: Working hard to figure out some of the challenges that come with any sport, helping him realize that he CAN figure things out. So when pursuing any other thing in life that might not be ‘natural’ or where he may be at a disadvantage, he can reflect on his sports training and the fun he has with getting better.
Notable quotes this month:
Craving meat one morning, Calan asked eagerly for sausages. While waiting less than patiently, says “I’m too hungry for sausages.”
Talking about running for president one day: “I’m going to vote for myself when I’m 35. I was born in the United States and I’ve lived here more than four years.”
Hanging out in the office/guest room: “Dada, here’s something I’ve been wondering for years…actually something since I’ve been born.” Looking around the room. “Well, there’s no clock in here.”
“I’m glad I’m not a girl. Because if I had to have twins I would just…” (makes a face like someone passing out), “so I’m lucky I’m a boy…and Evan too.”
“People who want to get married, need to fall in love. So, they have to fall in love so they can get married.”
“If you do something for your allergies, it’s more important than getting poor.” Trying to make the point that you’ll die sooner from an allergy than you would from running out of money at the end of your life. Now, that’s deep.
Clapping for a big gain by the other team while watching football.
Dada: “Why do you clap Calan?”
Calan: “Because they didn’t make a touchdown.”
Dada: “Does your foot really hurt?” Seeing Calan limping around with a makeshift crutch.
Calan: “No I’m just pretending”
Dada: “Why is that?”
Calan: “Because I like to. That’s just what kids do; its part of playing.”
Calan:”Mama said we’re having turkey for Thanksgiving.
Dada:”Are you excited?”
Calan: “Yes, I think it came from a real turkey.
Dada: “How do you know?”
Calan: “Because there are two bones on top.”
Dada: “Why does that make you think it’s a real turkey?”
Calan: “Because I saw one like that on Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. “
Evan is a fun kid for so many reasons. He is definitely on the independent side when it comes to learning or introducing new things to try. You have to come at it in a way that feels like he’s making the choice to try it. Whether it’s T-ball or learning new site words to read. This month, the most glaring example was learning to write letters. While we’ve experimented in the past with showing him how to write a couple capital letters, he’s usually not been receptive or loses interest pretty quickly. In the case of writing, he may see it as a bit difficult (he’s three so of course, right?), so it was easy to give up. But recently, he’s been willing to try a little harder. As he’s made little baby steps toward drawing his own upper-case letters, he’s figured out that it’s fun. We worked with him mostly on the stick-on chalkboard that’s fixed to his bathroom door. So far, he’s really gotten the hang of: A, B, C and E.
When it comes to picture drawing, he is now filling up the page more with his creations. Last month’s theme was to color those dense blotches of multiple colors all saturated together. Now we have rainbows and larger characters that may be somewhat related to monsters.
Evan also shows a little more interest in larger floor puzzles. Again, though, doing one is short-lived as you would expect with any typical 3 1/2 year old.
In the allergy department, Evan has been on rye doses. He’s been doing mostly great with it, and updosed this month from 1/8 tsp to 1/4 tsp. He did have a slight reaction on the first dosing day, but split up the dose 10 minutes a part and with some food and water. No problems since.
Notable quotes this month:
One day, when Calan was off in his room doing something by himself…
Evan: “Where’s Calan? I need him.”
Dada: “Why do you need him?”
Evan: “Because I miss him.”
Dada doing something in the office for a minute while Mama out shopping. Evan didn’t realize and went to Mama and Dada’s closed bedroom door, knocked and said, “Bugs!? Bugs?!” …using our own little affectionate name to call out for us.
Calan lifting up the small basketball hoop outside with the water-filled base. Obviously, it’s a bit heavy. Evan looking on says, “Wow, that’s heavy Calan. You and your big muscles. That’s really heavy!”
“See, look at the clock. It’s time to watch Wild Kratts.”
“That old blanket is from when I was inside Mama’s body, under her shirt.”
“We don’t want Wang playing and biting in the wires because “she” might get “E-LEC-
TRISSETED.”
“My tooth fell out so… I will brush it back in.” (Referring to the tooth he chipped).
One night after calling out for milk 20 mins. after going down to sleep for the night:
Evan: “I don’t have a remote control.”
Dada: “For what?”
Evan: “To put my body to sleep.”
The two trains we can use around the Christmas train aren’t working… Evan says, “Can we get a new train? One that doesn’t have any bugs in it?”
