Every night, after we’re dressed and washed for bed, Elliot and I crawl into his bed together and read 3-4 books under a small IKEA bed light. I put out the light, then he “lays kepe” (lays his head on my chest) and tells me to read my book. I open my tablet and start to read.
“What it say?”
I explain that I’m reading it inside my head, then I read out loud to him. He does not understand but listens for a bit. Then he uses his thumb and forefinger to zoom into the words and letter. He looks sat the letters and always start to sing the ABC song, which used to be called the “Baby C” song. Sometimes I sing with him.
Last night, Elliot and I were eating teriyaki salmon, barley, and garbanzo beans for dinner. The bottle of teriyaki sauce was on the table, uncovered.
Elliot accidentally knocked it over and sauce spilled onto the table.
He was so apologetic that I was surprised, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Daddy.” Over and over again.
I told him not to worry about it, no big deal. We went to the sink and retrieved the sponge. I started to clean it, but Elliot wanted to do it. He did not know what to do, so I showed him not to soak the sauce into the sponge, then go to the sink, squeeze out the sponge, rinse it, and repeat the soaking at the table. Of course I had to pick him up to read the kitchen faucet.
As a like while it was clean, and I said, “See? No big deal.” We finished dinner… and he never even asked to watch! Just a bubble bath afterwards with playtime with me. Then the usual “cocoon “ ritual. I pretended to find him a bottle of milk and pacifier, to which he proudly proclaimed “I’m not a baby!”, and refused the imaginary bottle/pacifier. Three books and sleep. It was a nice night.
At the piano music lesson, we go into a room with two drum sets. I ask Elliot what song he’s going to play and he says “Limelight”. There is video of this, too.
Elliot and I went to Glenwood Springs for 3 days and 2 nights with Maya, Ella, Rebecca, Sagi, Mayan (Sagi’s sister) and her husband Itamar. We had a wonderful adventure:
Stopped at Vail Village on the Thursday morning drive for lunch. We walked around Vail Village, played at the Pirate Ship Playground, and got lunch.
Write more here and include some of the great photos!
Last night, Elliot got quite upset. He did not want to change into pajamas or brush his teeth. He only wanted me to read books to him. But our routine is to get ready for sleep first, before reading time, and he knows this. It wasn’t quite a tantrum, but it was powerful.
“Daddy!”
He stomped around, angry, when I refused to read to him. He said I was mean and that I hit him (and then talked about Darien at school, who I know has hit Elliot before).
(Mimicking his one of his current speaking styles, which I adore, by saying in a sing-songy voice, “I never ever ever ever hit anyone before”). That was all of my response.
“You’re not nice!“
I got ready for sleep myself while he lay in his bed huffing and puffing, very upset, grunting and grumbling. When I was finished, I went to his bed and pulled him up into mine. He resisted a little but allowed it.
We laid down, and I held him in my arms. I sang a few songs to him like “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” and my version of “Puff the Magic Dragon” with Little Elliot Wolf Jung instead of Little Jack Paper. He really listened to that one and stopped fussing. Then I made up a simple rhyme, something like this:
“I love you when you’re mad, I love you when you’re glad, I love you when you’re angry, and I love you when you’re sad. I love you always and you are the most special person in the world to me.”
All of this calmed him down, and he asked, “Daddy, why you mad at me?”
He switched us around. He replaced me with himself. Bu he had been the angry one, not me. I wonder why.
“Oh, I’m not mad at you, Elliot.”
I kissed him and went back to the bathroom for a couple of minutes. When I returned, he said “Grendel told me it would be ok.” Grendel had been in the room the whole time, sitting on the dresser.
Grendel in June 2020
I told him Grendel was right, and that everything was already ok. Everything was always ok and just as it should be.
“Why Grendel say that?” he asked
“Grendel is a very smart cat who knows a lot of things. She also loves you very much,” I said.
I asked if he was ready to undress and brush his teeth. And he was. We did all of that then read three new books that Cherise, the next door neighbor, gave to us earlier that day.
Ever since Elliot was a little baby, we’ve been buying one red balloon every time we go to the supermarket together. How much longer will he want them? I’ll vicariously enjoy his simple pleasures while I can!
The first night of Hannukah, 2021. Elliot and I had such a wonderful day. I’ll write about it tomorrow, but before I forget I want to write down something he said to me while we were reminiscing about the day at bedtime.
“When I can be taller, taller, taller, I can make YOU latkes.”
[Since I cooked latkes for dinner tonight, he’s telling me he’ll do the same for me someday]. I told him I can’t WAIT to eat his latkes.
A 12 word sentence! Who would know this kid had speech therapy when he was younger?
He has been talking lately a lot about when he will be taller (his way of saying “older”). Tonight he was so excited to tell me all the things he will do when he’s taller: drive a blue car, run like daddy, ice skate with blue skates*, ski (blue skis), and many other things, but I did not understand them.
He was animated, and his enthusiasm and excitement for his future was wonderful. I asked him what else he would do, to tell me more. Then I told him other things he can do when he is taller, like fly to space. And I told him that he will be taller than me.
* That is a reference to the “Hannukah on Ice” ice skating rink we went to tonight. He was wearing blue skates and of course could not skate. So I kept him in front of me while I skated, pushing him along.
Often he will hold his hand against mine and say “not old enough” instead of “not big enough”. For some reason, I find this grammatical mistake so lovely. It brings a smile to my face every time I think of it.
