Thursday, September 8, 2011

Chinese Silk


What is Micah up to? I've had to really make an effort to spend more time with him and that's not because he's hard - it's the exact opposite. It's because he's so easy. It's because I'd rather take the hard job (the two older ones, or dealing with repair people - which happens at an annoying rate!) So I'm trying something new, I'm starting to boss Ms. Connie around more and be firm - I figure that if I'm not going to a place called work I'm going to have it all go as close to what I'd prefer as possible. One of the other things I've learned lately is that I"m going to do what's right, but first and foremost I;m going to do what's best for my family and what's best for me - I looked around and it seems that's what everybody else is doing and I feel like a fool lover here trying to do the right things which is ALWAYS the harder road. So, Isaiah isn't going to lame basketball practice on Wednesday, if his coaches were better and the Y was closer - than maybe I would feel differently - but the Y is a good 30 to 35 minutes away and his coaches SUCK, as sweet as they are - they suck and it's a waste of my time and his so he's going to play on Saturday and not go to practice ala Alan Iverson. It's what's best for me, so for now, it's what's best for him. Ok, back to Micah who is nine months and starting to stand up and tonight was body slamming his chest into the crib - which was a little like some crazy horror movie. He's a strong boy who doesn't cry very often and smiles a lot and who will be even more cute when those rashes disappear completely from the side of his face. Golly, I love these kids as crazy as they make me - God, just grant me a little more patience, please.

As for Isaiah


Wouldn't it be nice to sit here even just a few nights a week, maybe even with a glass of wine and capture some of the random moments of the day. It might help my memory and I always find it satisfying to write down a little bit about these fleeting moments. I swear I'll remember a look or a way they pronounced something, but I don't because their are so many beautiful and frustrating things happening everyday. I won a bike helmet today - funny and random, right and not really about Isaiah but there's not enough time to keep my own journal so I will tuck little things I think and feel into their journal - because for now it's all about them. And I'm not doing all this stuff for them, not really. All the things I do are for me because I feel it's best for them - what they really want is to watch TV all day and drink fake juice from juice boxes and eat chips. But I'm a mommy and can't let that happen - so I drag them to the beach and on walks and make them sit down and force them to listen to me read them a story when all they really want is to jump around and yell and scream and push each other or hug on Micah. SO what did Isaiah do today - so much. Well today was his first day in the Peaceknicks, he's no longer a squirrel. He's officially a big boy. I had to think today of the peacenicks nap and they do, in fact he'll nap in Kindergarten too with Fanahi who is going to favor the hell out of him and I don't mind one bit. He will have a better self esteem because he is loved by her, and that will make him a better person and a kinder man. One of my jobs is to make sure they have access to the people that love them for that very reason. My kids and all kids actually, need to see the joy on people's faces when they walk in the room and I can say my kids have that. They have people who care about what they have to say. These days Isaiah is into Lightening McQueen and it's not because he loved Cars 2, he didn't. In fact, he feel asleep and so did I. I'm guessing one or a few of the kids at Happyland at into Cars 2 and he got sucked in with them - it's cute how he makes this racing sound and wants ot tell us over and over again about how fast he is and how he's the fastest and how whenever he sees a brightly painted car he assumes it's a race car even if it's Mini Cooper. He talks loudly and often - and I have guilt from wanting to tell him to hush for a bit so I can hear a song or just zone out because soon enough I'll be pulling the words out of him which is what I already feel happening with Noah who has always seemed older than she is. Always. The last few days Isaiah will tell me he has a surprise for me just when he can sense that I'm at my witts end with the tow of them and he comes to me and kisses me on my lips and it works - it softens me every time. Noah is learning to apologize when she had made me mad and when I ask her today why she was apologizing she said, "Because I don't want to be in trouble." Which was good enough for me.

First Days


Today is what, umm. Thursday. So the first day of school was the day before yesterday. The summer came and went so fast we didn't have the time to do all the things on the lists of things we wanted to do this summer. Noah made it during her last week of kindergarten with me at King's Road while we shared a breakfast sandwich on our way up to Community. I feel a little guilty, but we had a good summer - but it's all happening to fast - the days pass with blinks of my eyes. My head hits the pillow and it's morning. So the question becomes, how do we slow it all down. Do less. Get frustrated less, worry less, be patient more - do they have a pill for that. There's definitely a mantra for that. Anyway, back to Noah and her first day. WHen I picked her up yesterday at the same bus route (with a promise to myself to always be on time this year,) I was excited to hear how her first day went and lamenting yet again that the summer flew by. I stood by the door happy to see Yasmyn and Ali from Happyland there too, to find Noah hot, baret in and sweater in her backpack, sweaty and grouchy because she was worn out. She did say, "First grade is WAY easier than kindergarten." Which made me laugh and I knew that Fanahi would be happy to hear that she was so tough! She also was excited to be in the same class with Leila who she said this year was def. her BFF and she used that, BFF. Noah is smart and picked up on how Leila was more receptive to her and I was proud of my daughter for being able to read people. She seems to like her teacher and when I asked her how her day went she said, "Andre took a picture of me." ANdre is the 3rd or 4th grader who when he showed up to the garage sale last May Noah pulled me aside and said, "I like him," not really knowing what that meant but knowing that she thought he was different than the other boys and girls she liked at school. When I saw him my first thought was, good, he's cute! I just got all three of them down with plans on how to make it more efficient tomorrow night - which is what I do with everything. Oh no, Micah is back up - returning from China has thrown him off, or maybe it's the heat, or the air conditioner, or he's teething - who really knows.