B, G and J Day: Spotlight on Joshua

I missed my deadline!  Sorry, sorry. 

Sister #2, brother-in-law #1 and their 3 terrific boys were visiting this week and we were having too much fun for me to get online much.

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B: He's adjusted just fine to civilian life.  He likes dressing up in a suit and tie each morning and has come upon the reputation of "Best Dressed" in his office.  I don't think he has to dress that formally.  But he likes to be dapper. 

Last night at dinner, Joshua announced that he was done with the food in front of him and then said, "I'd like some pie!"

Without skipping a beat, Daddy said, "You can have some pie-napple. . ." 

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G:  She was old enough to go on the white water rafting trip with our guests and Bryan.  (Joshua had to stay home with Mommy. . .)  She sat in the front row during the lulls, and in the middle during the rapids.  Sister #2 bought the CD of photos that the rafting company takes of the trip and in all 10 of them, Gemma's face is a mouth-open, eyes-bright, smile-huge portrait of exhilaration. 

I wouldn't have guessed that she'd be a thrill-seeker.  But there you have it.


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J: I think I have a lot to tell you about him because he's in that magical stage of having acquired language in a level that finally gives expression to everything in his head. 

For instance:

He was packing stuffed animals to take on one of our many trips this summer and had chosen, of course, Doggers and then the Moose that heretofore has only been "The Moose." 

I asked what that one was called and Gemma piped in with a somewhat predictable, "Moosey."  Josh's eyes darted to her, he scowled as if she didn't know anything and then announced, "No.  He's Mooster-Head."

Last Spring, he'd had a stuffed puppy on the airplane when a passenger asked its name and Josh said, "This is Cutey-Cute."  Right on the spot.

I thought it was fleeting, that a name like that would not stick.  But all these months later, Josh is still walking around with Doggers, Mooster-Head and Cutey-Cute.

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Speaking of our day together while the others rafted:  I had played it up as Josh and Mommy's Special Day together and was prepared to lay on a thick supply of bribes to make it worth his while. 

We did eat at IHOP for breakfast, which was a treat.  And I did buy him his little birthday present at the teacher supply and awesome toy store, where I had to go anyway to get Gemma's handwriting book.

But after that, we came home and went downstairs to play and he was simply thrilled to have my attention for several hours.  (He told me I couldn't do any laundry.  Ha!  If it's one thing that doesn't distract my attention from him, it's laundry. . .  Clearly, he meant, "Don't work. Just play with me.")

It's like this for the kids who aren't born first, I think.  With Gemma, there was no point in trying to do much else while she was awake because she had no distraction.  But Joshua has always had a Gemma around to play with him. 

I don't regret this.  Who am I to argue with the physics of Birth Order?  But I took this day together as God's reminder to me not to miss out on him.  Gemma will go to a home school enrichment program every Tuesday for a full day of school, and instead of trying to knock out errands that day with Joshua in tow, I now think that we'll have a day together each week to enjoy.

It was especially fun to see him play for nearly 2 hours with a single toy--those plastic stacking pegs and rubbery-mats with peg holes in them.  He has a great imagination that I hadn't noticed before. 

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Bryan had another load of bricks to move, and he offered Gemma $1 for every 10 small ones and $1 for every 6 big ones she carried.

Josh piped in, "For me, it's 1 for 5 small ones and 1 for every 2 big ones because I'm little." 

Bryan and I both swiveled our heads towards him.  Joshua The Negotiator. 

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Josh is into hugs.  He is a very cuddly boy.  A few weeks ago, he said, "I'm going to give you the biggest hug," and then he latched on.

He squeezed and squeezed and squeezed, the whole time saying, "Bigger than a house, bigger than a rocket, bigger than an elephant, bigger than the moon. . ." 

Finally, he broke it off.  Stepped back.  Then spread his arms out in a ta-daa kind of pose and shouted, "That's the biggest hug!!!!"

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While at the Burches for an overnight, he kept making mischief via the annoy-Gemma mode.  (He has several modes of mischief-making. . . )

Amy, who was watching them, kept putting him into Time Out.  After the third offense, she asked him, "Why do you keep being naughty after I have to put you into Time Out?"

He shrugged and said, 'I didn't make any promises.'

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I started the summer off by giving a swim and diving report. 

Both kids are now swimmers.  Gemma is approaching what looks like the real free style.  (Her arms have to get a bigger stroke...)

(What's that?  How is my swimming coming?  I can go from here to there with a flip turn without stopping.  That's 50 yards, baby.  I'm looking around for a good Fall-Winter swimming situation for the kids because Gemma wants to keep doing lessons and I figure I could swim while they did theirs. 

One thing is for certain: I'll never be able to do 75 and then 100 and then 150 yards without actually being in the pool.  There is no training like swimming training.  And it's the best exercise I can do to rebuild my lung capacity, which was damaged by the radiation, so I'm especially motivated to get something set up. . .)

Joshua is a proficient doggy paddler, belly glider (e.g. face in the water, kicks his way to where he's headed) and back floater. 

He is allowed to go off the diving board if I'm standing on the side to watch him.  And by this point, he just walks right off the plank without hesitation. 

The other day, he got the edge, stopped with his toes hanging over, tilted his head back and flipped his goggle up to peer over at me. Then he snapped the goggle back down and jumped off.

As he came up the ladder, he said, 'Did you see that?  That was my Looking Dive.'

On the next one, he wiggled his arms around and then jumped.  His Juggle Dive.

On the next one, he flapped his arms like a bird and then jumped.  His Wing Dive.


In general, I was thinking that all of these were My Awesome Kid Dives.