Sunday, January 11, 2009

The psychology of dating... when you are 6.

The other night, Little Man and I were talking and he told me that Nanners was his girlfriend.

me: "How did she become your girlfriend?"

LM: "I don't know."

me: "Well, how did it happen?"

LM (annoyed): "She just told me she was!"

The follow-up to this was yesterday when we were over at H's and I brought the topic up.

Nanners was asked about it by her Mom and apparently it was a student-teacher at their school who told Nanners that since she and Little Man play together so often that he must be her boyfriend.

Later they came downstairs while playing hide-n-go-seek and H asked: "Are you two getting married?"

To which Nanners disdainfully replied, "No, we're just playing hide-n-go-seek."

And an aggrieved eye roll was implied by her tone.

Friday, January 9, 2009

Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog

Little Man is home with a fever today and he's asked to watch "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog" 3x so far this morning.

When I first saw Dr. Horrible this summer - I was instantly in love with it. And I watched it on the computer a lot but LM was not interested in it when I said that my favourite character was Dr. Horrible and he was unimpressed that I liked the "bad guy" the best.

So when I asked if he wanted to send in an application to the Evil League of Evil, he was adamant that it would not be fun so we didn't do it.

After listening to the soundtrack on CD in the car daily, I got the DVD when it was released in December and have watched it - a LOT! And I mentioned to the little man that he did not have to watch it with me.

But he did and now, he loves it.

And he wants to be Dr. Horrible for Halloween in October and he wants the songs put on his mp3 player.

He doesn't like Captain Hammer because he's "a bully."

He noticed on the 2nd viewing that Dr. Horrible is Neil Patrick Harris and he yelled, "Mom, Dr. Horrible is Barney from How I Met Your Mother!"


UPDATE: 4th viewing

Little Man: "I'm really starting to like this movie."

(even though he's the one who wants to keep re-watching it today... but he does the same thing when he gets a new superhero movie too. I can't tell you how many times I've seen Spiderman since it first came out!)

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Little Man and the tale of the middle finger

Yesterday we were out with friends and I happened to glance at Nanners and she was holding up her middle finger.

"Nanners, what are you doing?"

N: "I'm having a bad day."

me: "But why are you doing... *that*?"

N: "It means I'm having a bad day."

Little Man notices what Nanners is doing and gasps in horror.

LM: "Nanners, that doesn't mean you are having a bad day, that means the F word!"

N: (puts finger down): "Oh."

LM (holds out his pinky finger): "How about I hold my piggy finger?"

N: (laughs)

LM: "See, I can always make her laugh if I call my pinky a piggy."

N: (laughs again)


Later on, once we were at home, Little Man asked me why there are some things that adults can say and do that kids are not allowed to say and do.

I said, "That's because as we get older, we have more choices. Just like how each year you get older you get to make more of your choices, but that's why adults can say words or use gestures or do things that kids cannot."

LM: "Oh. You mean like how adults can have sex?"

me: "That's a conversation for another day."

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Batman contemplates the spirit of giving


So, at one of the many family holiday events we attended this year, Little Man decided that he wanted to attend as Batman rather than as himself.

I finally got him to take the mask off when I informed him that there were no presents for "Batman" and that there were only some for my Little Man (well and there were some for Rhyme Girl and the other two children in our family under the age of 16).

more posts from the past



April 3, 2003
Proud Mommy alert

March 21st - age: 35 wks, 6 days
event: repeatedly got into a sitting position from laying down on the floor, without any assistance from ppl or objects. I'd never caught him doing this before although he was sitting up on the 20th and neither Mom nor I had seen him do it and hadn't placed him in that position (well, Mom couldn't remember if she'd sat him up or not)

STILL March 21st - event: once doing the sitting up thing repeatedly during the morning, Torin began grabbing [my birth mom]'s coffee table and pulling himself up, but not to a complete stand... only pulling himself high enough to then proceed to bite and attempt to chew on the edge of said table.

March 22nd - age: 36 wks
event: one of this top teeth was visible through his gums (this is tooth #3 for [Little Man])

march 24th - age: 36 wks, 2 days
event: [Little Man] pulled self to a stand, multiple times, from a sitting position at Mom H's using her coffee table

march 25th - age: 36 wks, 3 days
event: another tooth up top became visible through his gums (tooth #4)
event #2: [Little Man] began to "travel" by holding on to the table and then walking around it

I think this is pretty good for a wee man who will be 9 months old on April 13th. (which is odd when you consider that 36 wks makes 9 months)

Feb 14, 2003

OK, over a wk ago, [Little Man] said, "Mama" 2x while taking a break from chewing on my arm, but he hadn't said it since and I didn't think it counted as he didn't seem to actually be using it in reference to me.

BUT!!!!!!!!!!

Today, he has been doing a lot of sounds, Mama, Ga-ga, Dada etc... well, my sister was holding him and he began to say, "Mu, Mu, Mu, Ma, Ma, MMMMMMMMMMMM, MAMA, Mama!" and he sorta lunged away from her arms and reached for me at the same time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO excited!!!!

And he just did it again while I was posting this!!!!!!!!!!

Feb 7, 2003

boob first thing in the morning (6:30). 2 to 3 hrs later, 3 tablespoons of rice cereal mixed with breast-milk and depending on weather 1.5 - 3 tablespoons of fruits followed about 15 mins later by more boob. (if it's cold, he always wants to eat more than if it is mild out)

about 2 to 3 hrs later, 3 tablespoons of rice cereal mixed with breast-milk and 2 - 3 tablespoons of veggies followed about 15 mins later by more boob. Though if he still acts like he wants more solids I'll give him one tablespoon of fruit if he hasn't pooped in a day or of veggie if he has. Then, if he acts thirsty, he gets boob immediately elsewise I wait 15 mins to a half hour as he's very good at letting me know if he's hungry.

About 3.5 hrs after this he gets 3 tablespoons of rice cereal mixed with breast-milk and 2 tablespoons of veggies followed about 15 mins later by more boob.

About 3 hrs after this he may get 2 table spoons of rice cereal mixed with breast-milk if he seems unsatisfied by boob. And then I feed on demand until bedtime via boob.

The timeframes are based on the sked that [Little Man] has set for himself.. if he gives me his hunger cues earlier or later, I feed him when I see the cues.

:>

Feb 1, 2003

1st tooth - Bottom left incisior

Jan 22, 2003

carrots - he'll eat them but he's not digesting it well at all
squash - excellent
green beans - good
corn - BAD

applesauce - he got it for the first time today and he made the funniest faces. he didn't like it!

Nov 13, 2002

length: 26 and a quarter inches
weight: 16 lbs 4 oz (so he's less than 2 lbs away from doubling his birth weight)
head circumference: 42

that puts him in the 75% percentile

Oct 22, 2002

[Little Man] rolled all the way over today... he's been rolling from his back to his side for a month or more but he would always get pissed off before he actually got all the way over onto his stomach.

once on his tummy he seemed very nonchalant about the whole thing but i was VERY excited :>:>:>

Oct 17, 2002

feeling really rundown today but still in good spirits.

every time I look at [Little Man] I am utterly amazed at how strong and smart he is! And he is almost always SO happy and I want to do my best to help him stay that happy for the rest of his life.

I always imagined how much I'd love my children when I would someday have them but it wasn't even close to the way I feel... my love for my son blow what I had imagined I'd feel out of the water with the intensity of it all.

:>

Sept 25, 2002

perfect love
perfect joy
perfect trust
ultimate innocence
the personification of happiness

the depth of the soul
reflected in wide, smiling eyes
gazing up at me
the encompassing emotions of motherhood
took me by surprise

Strength, empathy, love, trust
intuition, knowledge, joy

My heart came to life
and resides inside him...
my impish little boy

cooing and squealing
with unsurpassable delight

Nursing at my breast
sleeping on my chest
held tightly in my arms
cradled forever in my soul

My precious one
my only son
you made me whole

Sept 13, 2002

... And sometimes I wonder how I will raise my son to do good in this world, despite all the evil in it, and how I will protect him from it...

I want to be a hero.

Not a military hero or a rescue-related hero... I want to be an everyday hero. I think everyone could be one. By being the best they can be, by encouraging ppl and loving ppl instead of hating. By promoting honesty, faith and goodwill.

By leading by example.

I have an even greater opportunity to be a hero in regards to my young son.

If I can raise and nuture and love him while he grows from an adorable infant, to toddlerhood and then through childhood and into adulthood, I think I will BE a hero and will have raised someone who can be a hero to someone else.

Does anyone understand this? Because I am having difficulty finding the right words to truly express this...

Sept 9, 2002

Today [DS] *(code name for my ex) turned 30.

Today marked the supreme champion in worst poop ever... [DS] was holding a grunting and red-faced [Little Man] who proceeded to expel a golf-ball sized poop out of the leg of his diaper and onto [DS]'s arm PLUS filling his entire diaper...

Some things from the past... all about Little Man

Current -

Little Man will frequently inform everyone here, in a loud voice that he is, "...going to my room to play with my penis now, OK?"

I will respond, "OK."

Then, a bit later he'll shout, "I'm all done playing with my penis now!"

*shakes head and laughs*


from Jan 25, 2007 - some of the things my son said that day:

  • "I don't like boobs, they make me very sad"
  • "I don't kiss girls, I only kiss boys like me"
  • "When I grow up, I just want to be [his name]"
Nov 28, 2006 - Little Man speaks about reincarnation

"Grandma [surname removed] is NOT going to be dead anymore very soon. Grandma will grow up at [my oldest niece]'s house."

* My niece and her husband had a son born in Feb 2007 and a daughter born in Oct 2008

Sept 14, 2006 (the birthday of my late father, interestingly enough)

* Sep. 14th, 2006 at 4:39 PM

On the way home today, Little Man said, "Mummy, When will I be married again?"

And I told him he was silly because he had never been married before and he replied, "Yes I was, I was married to Grandma H. before I was a baby."

And when Mom was alive, she did say she wondered if Little Man was the reincarnated soul of my Dad...

*P.S. My late father was born on Sept 14th.

April 26, 2006

Tonight my lil man has been running around the living room and pulling out the top of his diaper and leaning down.

I thought he was looking at himself.

I said, "If you want to look at your penis, do it in your room please."

He yelled, "No!" and then added, "I smell my penis."

Then he turned to me and said, "Your turn."

I started laughing and said, "No thank you." then hid in the bathroom while I laughed some more

March 31, 2006

As a single Mom to a boy, sometimes things occur that really leave me baffled as to the correct course of action.

Last wk, [Little Man] came out wearing a pair of Spiderman underpants and says to me, "Look Mommy! Penis pocket!" and he proceeded to pull his penis out of the pocket part of the underwear.

me: "[Little Man], if you want to to look at your penis, please do it in your room."

LM (yelling): "Dis a MY penis! My penis!"

me: "Yes, it is. But it's for looking at in your room, not the living room."

LM (walking towards his room): "I tickle my penis... tickle tickle, I tickle you..."

me: *waits until he's in his room and crack up*

Nov 17, 2005

OK, so I've been trying to get [Little Man] to get an idea of gender... not society's version of gender roles, but just that boys and girls have different parts.

To get him to stop calling anything covered by his diaper a "bum" I taught him the word "penis" awhile ago and now he will frequently point to his groin area and say "[Little Man]'s penis".

Because he is a dangerous force of nature and I was in need of a bath tonight, I brought him into the bathroom and gave him a book and some toys so Mommy could have a short, quick bath.

[Little Man] pointed at his pants and said, "[Little Man]'s penis" and then pointed towards me in the tub and said, "Mommy's penis."

I said, "Mommy is a girl. Girls have a vagina."

[Little Man] pointed at his pants and said, "[Little Man]'s 'gina"

I said, "[Little Man] is a boy. Boys have a penis."

[Little Man] said, "[Little Man] penis, Uncle Mike penis, Uncle Pete penis, [Nanners] penis..."

I tried again, "[Nanners] is a girl like Mommy. Girls have a vagina."

[Little Man] said, "[Nanners] 'gina, [Yaya] 'gina, Mommy 'gina, [Little Man] 'gina."

I said, "[Little Man] has a penis, girls have a vagina."

He must have gotten bored because he then started talking about Spiderman...

Nov 3, 2005

When I picked up [Little Man] today, Jenny ([Little Man]'s teacher) pulled me aside and said, "You'll notice he's got green marker all over his hand and up his arm but I left it on to show you because it was so creative."

me: "Cute."

Jenny: "After he did it, he came over to me and said, 'Look Jenny! Tattoo!"

*laughter*

Sept 8, 2005

After I pick [Little Man] up from daycare we are going [place name removed] for his first speech therapy & occupational therapy sessions.

I am excited and afraid.

[Little Man]'s been doing so much better since he and I got into our own place, but then - when I see other children his age and younger being so communicative and lacking the echoalia - it sometimes makes me sad.

My son is a wonderful person and incredibly smart and special, but I worry that the rest of the world will overlook him.

Starting Out


*taken by me on Halloween 2008



Just a little background...

Little Man is 6 years old and has autism spectrum disorder (diagnosed in 2004) and he falls into the higher-functioning end of the spectrum.

He is superhero obsessed and loves the Marvel and the DC realms.

He is my only biological child and resides with my S.O. and myself while his father has him on alternate weekends.

Rhyme Girl is almost 9 years old and has ADHD (diagnosed in 2008) and we are still learning about it.

She loves drawing, crafts and animals.

She is my S.O.'s only biological child and is with us on alternate weekends.

To maximize our family time, we have it arranged that Little Man and Rhyme Girl are home with us on the same weekends.

Because both of them have been used to being only children, it can be quite trying at times but they love each other.