Food Shopping Evolution

Well, the day has finally arrived: James is eating more food as he prepares to hit his main growth years. At age 12 (almost 13) he is reaching 5'6". He is still a picky eater, and his overall well being suffers when he does not eat.

Luckily, Costco has an answer for that: cheese pizzas that he asks for (4/$10 ... yay finally having an oven that works! So long, Little Caesar's!) and yogurt. I have bookend foods (dinner and breakfast) that fit in my budget!

Then there's Costco itself. I have James come with me. We get in walking time - yay, exercise. He also helps carry out to the car and returns the cart, if we take one. Of course he meets people he knows ("James! Hi!" from one of his yard duty buddies, while we wait in line).

I am starting to look at the clothes. James is now wearing mens' size 10.5 shoes and small in clothing. Pants are tricky, as he has the length, but is still in kid mode for bone size -- I can still get away with kids XL sizes there sometimes.

We have already determined that the underwear is a no-go (No briefs. What the heck is this new style in mens' underpants?). He does not like the socks or shoes. But jackets, shorts and pants? Those are distinct possibilities. And a bathrobe.

This Costco addition to our weekly shopping comes at a good time, in a way. The Trader Joe's nearest us (yes, our beloved Trader Joe's, where the Crew Members all know James and miss him if I shop without him) took a hit in the Tubbs Fire last month. The building still stands but the business next to it was completely destroyed and a lot of smoke and water damage resulted in the surrounding area. It's closed for probably the next year.

This means that we now have to shop 10-15 minutes further south, at the next Trader Joe's. This one is in a big retail complex that includes a Costco and Costco gas station. If we time our runs strategically, we can hit all 3 without too much craziness at checkout or the parking lot. James grumbles about having to go with me, because he has developed this weird phobia about plants (since August) and guess what Trader Joe's sells outside their entrance? Once inside, it's okay. We see a lot of our regular Crew Members, and I think that reassures all of us.

Raley's strangely enough, still has the best prices around for cat litter (for what I can easily haul up 16 stairs) and canned cat food. They also have a good emergency sized cat food in the brand they prefer. So I still shop there, either after I drop off James at school or on our way back from Boys and Girls Club. They also have the soft wheat bread that James likes, and the lunch ham that I can use for work lunches. Occasionally they will have a good deal on berries (for James' sister) or asparagus and Peets (for me). And come birthday time, this is where the kids get to pick out the frosting and decorations for their birthday cakes (they both still like making their own cakes from scratch with a Lazy Daisy recipe). I like Raley's a lot. I am glad it's still one of my regular retail stops.

Two new local shopping establishments are being added to our routine: Berry's Market and the True Value Hardware stores down the street from us. But that's another story ...

Smoother Sailing

This came home today in James' backpack:

Such a difference from last week. We are thankful all over again for the wonderful team James is working with at school this year.

James is doing his homework with us at night too with a minimum of fuss. It's modified, but we practice spelling, writing, math, and reading every night. He is choosing his books and asking what the spelling words mean.

Then I saw this wonderful graphic from Lizbeth, over at Four Sea Stars:

I thought about how far we've come since last year. And I am so grateful all over again for the people in our lives who allow us room to be ourselves. And how lucky we are to have some people in our lives that encourage and support us to be even more ourselves.

Tall Guy

Woah! James just tried on a new pair of long pants this morning. My "baby," at 7 years, can fit size 8-10 pants. And his legs are smaller proportions than his top.

See these sandals? The Tevas are size 10. I think his are size 3. When I bought them in March, they were at least 2 sizes too big. He fits them now. I am so not buying school shoes/tennis shoes until the rain's about to start.

This morning I measured my guy -- he's over 53" tall. That makes him 4' 5" tall+ and me rather blue. Where'd my Baby James go?

Howarth Park, about 3 months old

 Sorry, Honey -- Mom's prerogative!

Magic Marker Monday: Butterflies

Last week, my daughter was in feverish anticipation of cocooned caterpillars hatching into beautiful Venessa cardui (Painted Lady). She even drew their life cycle to explain to James:

She hates writing but loves life science. I am being good and not saying anything. Yet.

Back story:
Waaaaaaaaaay back in May, my daughter, while shopping for a friend's birthday gift, caught sight of a butterfly tent. Her eyes snagged on the phrase "butterfly caterpillars included!" and, well, we walked out with a present and a butterfly tent/kit. She paid half from her allowance and I paid half because she had such an awesome report card.

Then the nagging began: "when are you going to order those butterfly caterpillars?" Because of course caterpillars have an extremely limited shelf life and must be ordered after you purchase the kit.

Well, we were going out of town right after school let out in June. So a month went by. July came ... and I finally got around to ordering the caterpillars. Dang, they arrived quickly! Both James and his older sister were fascinated with the spiky, black, undulating insects. Within a week, they were spinning fuzz and hanging from the tops of the feeding can.

We had a minor setback when my daughter realized she'd taken out the gauze circle from the can's lid, meaning the chrysalises were attached to the lid, not the removeable gauze. However, the friendly lady on the 800 hotline assured us they'd be fine if we instead carefully removed the lid and placed it at the bottom of the tent.

Go, ladies! Grow!!

This weekend ... the first chrysalises hatched! Two beautiful painted ladies took up residence in the tent. Our kids went nuts with excitement. We brewed up sugar water and have been trying to feed them with care. Today, in the midst of a sibling fight and subsequent time-out, the third butterfly was discovered to have hatched. The peace and excitement it brought were amazing.

It's been great hearing James and his big sister talking about the caterpillars, and how they are changing into butterflies. She becomes so patient and generously teaches him, coaxing him with his words so he's pronouncing them correctly. He is thrilled with bugs, and being able to share in big sister things. He loves this kind of attention from her.

For more great masterpieces or to share some of your own, visit
 5 Minutes for Special Needs for more Magic Marker Monday.

                              
 

Different At the Dentist

I didn't tell James that he had a dental check-up this afternoon. That's because lately every time we've driven by the office on our way to the grocery store, he's become distressed and repeated "We're not going to the dentist!!!"

I am not sure where this came from. He started off with semi-calm visits, and then last summer he got freaked out.

It could be the noise from the drills and suction devices, except that we've been watching a Mr. Bean episode with a visit to the dentist and he's laughed at them then.

I blame the seat. He did get very anxious when he was lowered back and down last time. He was very unhappy about that bright light in his face too, despite the technician putting a cartoon on the ceiling screen (the things these kids get at the dentist these days; so not what I had, let me tell you).

The dentist, as usual, was awesome, talking soothingly with him and getting him to climb up finally on the dreaded seat. She then proceeded to do his checkup with a minimum of invasive  tools. I believe she used his new toothbrush, a mirror on a handle, and the room's regular lighting. I held James' hand while she gently scraped away a small area of plaque from his lower front teeth.

The good news is that his teeth look fine and he has no cavities!

I could feel him relaxing, and at the end I thought James would go for some fluoride treatment if I put some on my finger and then applied it to his teeth. This worked so well that the dentist then applied the foam fluoride treatment to his teeth with a toothbrush. Wow! This is great news and another big first -- James has never sat still and let us apply a fluoride treatment before.

This whole visit is a great example of why I love our dentist. James' loud noises and distress did not vex her. She was very calm and positive as she kept moving him forward through his visit. She was willing to try a different way to get him his checkup. And bonus: because so many clients are special needs children, I got the scoop on second grade teachers for next year!


Savouring a melon-y fresh victory in dental hygiene and maturity!

Magic Marker Monday: Blossoms

One afternoon last week, James' aide gave me a heads-up that James was bringing home some art projects in his backpack. We took extra special care of the pack and when I opened it at home I got a lovely surprise:

Not only was a nicely done project, it was timely, because the plum trees have started to really blossom this week. For myself, it has a special connection. I too did a similar project when I was in Kindergarten. My mom saved it, and for years I liked looking at it.

Here's James' artwork with it's outdoor relation:

I think I've found another piece to frame!


For more great masterpieces or to share some of your own, visit
5 Minutes for Special Needs for more Magic Marker Monday.
                      

SOOC Saturday: Changeable

James has been really talking socially and describing his thoughts so that even people who don't engage with him often can understand and reciprocate. This is good change! Meanwhile, we've had quite the week for weather. Even had some small earthquakes rumble and jerk their way through our home. It's been a changeable week.

We started out grey, cold, and rainy; then it began to clear and warm:

The flowers and plants loved the shift from winter gloom to hot sunshine:

And by week's end:

I'm participating in the SOOC action at Marvelous Mommy's blog. Come on over to see more or join in!

SOOC: Birthday Boy

Guess who turned 7 last month?

James is 7. I still have trouble believing it, sometimes.

As per the past couple of years, his birthday, coming soon after the big winter holidays wind down, was haphazard. Kind of like those days with patchy clouds that randomly give way to brilliant periods of sun. His birthday occurred during the first week that school started back up again, so not only did I need to remind the teacher, James would only get to see his Dad for a bit on his birthday. Also, it was an early morning drive Daddy to the bus stop morning, so James at least got a jump on his special day, and got to have us all together sing Happy Birthday to him.

After the bus drop, I took the kids to Starbucks, where James could have a special treat and open some presents. He liked his Curious George DVD and got really excited about getting the Barney one from his GrandMarie. Because it was his birthday, Big Sister and I sucked it up and let him watch Barney in the car on the way to school.

   

James helped make his cupcakes from scratch the night before, using a Lazy Daisy recipe. I made an extra batch from cake mix the next day, to be sure everyone got some. They sure turned out nice!

I think the best part for me was seeing James hand out his birthday cupcakes to his classmates, and having them sing Happy Birthday to him. I think his face says it all:

But his day was not over yet. We went up to my parents' house for some pizza dinner and more presents. James and his sister played with balloons, a wheel chair, and mysterious things in the attic. He went to bed pretty quickly once we got home, that's for sure! Happy Birthday, my big guy. Love you.

This cake shot is certainly SOOC. Unfortunately.

I'm participating in the SOOC action at Marvelous Mommy's blog. Come on over to see more or join in!

NYE 2011: Countdown at 6PM

2011, no offense, but you stunk at the end. Good riddance!

The beginning was not so bad. In fact, looking back at January pics, I can see how much the kids have grown. I remember the concerns I had then for them. How they powered on through and made their own success stories. That makes me happy to remember:

James went from not being very distracted in class, barely being able to write, and crying when I showed up to help at school to a confident first grader, who is able to sit in class for most of it, get A+ grades on spelling tests, and shows off for me at school singalongs.

In fact, this is what we read tonight, together:

I am almost reconciled to the fact that my baby boy is gone and my big, almost 7-year old is growing up and out almost every day.

Subconcious Memo

I had a weird dream last night. We suddenly had 3 children; same 2 plus another boy. He was younger than James, wild black hair, and always laughing and tearing about. You know how kooky dreams can be. I spent what felt like hours, wondering how we could be so stupid as to think we could handle another child, how I could keep forgetting about him, and where he was going to sleep and sit at the dinner table.

Just for fun, in the dream my husband phoned me to say that the music teacher (from our daughter's piano lessons, which she has refused to continue) got all excited because he whipped through 65 pages in the music book in one sitting and is a bona fide child prodigy!

I woke up very confused and then sighed with relief when I realized it was only real in the dream. Then I thought about it. Why did I have this dream?

Not long after, James woke up. As usual, he began his day with thumping the bed as he got out, announcing loudly "I want to use the bathroom!" After his pilgrimage, I had him play quietly in his room for longer than most mornings. It is Sunday, after all.

As I was slowly getting coffee ready and making breakfast, I heard James asking me for help. It was to open the package for a Mach 5 car he'd received almost a year ago. He thanked me, finished removing the car from the plastic, and began to play with it. Not so unusual for a 6 year-old, but it's a new step for James, who loves looking at things, but rarely plays with them.

This made me remember that his teachers and family have all noticed that James is starting conversations, and that talking with him involves less questions and more exchanges. That James is starting to draw pictures, rather than shapes, words, and random lines. Trying to engage others in play. Able to follow directions and make comments while he was staying on-task.

So now I am thinking that the real boy who's always been inside James is now coming out to play. And that it's so new that I dreamed about him as another child.

James, 2008

James, 2011

Growing Pain

Oh my heart. Look at this photo from last September (ignore the evil flash):

James, playing with hat and stickers

See those pant cuffs? How they are almost under his feet?  I tried to see if he could still wear these pants in early August, less than a year later. He could not even get them on. In less than a year he went from a size 5/6x to size 8-10. We are so lucky to have older cousins who give us hand-me-downs!

I miss my baby, but thank goodness you can't take the goofy out of my guy. That's still going strong.

James, playing with Photo Booth on his Nana's iMac

Little Moments of Duality

It may be January, but we're in the middle of a Spring Preview. The daytime temps have risen from in the 40s to the high 60s. You can smell the promise of growing things. We can see the sun set, throwing outrageous displays of colour in the sky and a few high clouds, each day lasting a little longer than the one before. It's quiet in a peaceful way, but you know it's not going to last once the season changes over.

The kids and I seem to be pushing out and growing in a random direction, then pulling in and going out again in a far-off position. We are excited and hopeful, but we know we're not yet back to truly longer days and warmer weather.

James has been verbally pushing to engage with others, inviting play, yet becoming almost fiercly protective when it comes to turn taking. He's asking me to play specific songs on the CD player in the van, but still can't tell me how his day went. He gets extremely frustrated trying to master the Leapster 2 game cartridges, and I've seen him trying to figure out chess by himself on an old clamshell iMac. To say nothing of the toilet training progress and regressions.

This afternoon he went from trying to ride his bike inside the house to crying "NOOOOO!" and hiding under his blanket 20 minutes later when I tried to get him outside to cruise the neighbourhood with his sister on her bike.

He was a little punky, clapping his hands over his ears and doing headstands in the sofa when I tried to get him to clean up his toys. Then a few minutes later he was on my lap, giving me a huge hug and telling me that I was his favourite animal.

I go from a chance to make dinner or read, with the kids playing in a bedroom with the door shut, to the phone ringing while James is calling "Mommyyyyyyyy!" and his sister exclaiming "James, NO!!" After dinner, I juggle cleaning the kitchen, sorting laundry, making sure James is well on his way to sleep, while responding to requests to help my daughter with her homework.

I did get a glorious hour of work in the garden, and within 20 minutes of coming inside I had a morning meeting booked and also made a promise to bring sour cream to a PTA event on Friday. At the end of the day, I watched my daughter pour out her bedtime glass of water. She's still wearing princess jammies, but she is tall and starting to look so grown up. I am trying to write this all down, so I can remember the blurring rush as it happens, and the calm moments when I try to savour them all.

Special Exp. / Wordless Wednesday: First Lost Tooth

... and he swallowed it while at school. Just like his mom.

The Tooth Fairy found out anyway!

For more great images or to join in the fun, Visit Special Exposure Wednesday at 5 Minutes for Special Needs.


and ... Wordless Wednesday