on our own

sometimes they surprise you.

r has been working through a new emotional and social development stage. when he is disappointed. he no longer rolls on the ground. instead he either says "nobody likes me," "you are not my mommy/friend anymore," or "i never get to XX." those are preferable to the claw hands and hitting he was doing last week. it is clearly a stage that kids go through. i have seen it on the playground. i somehow probably thought that he was not going to go through this stage. i tried to point out to him, that it is great when he uses his words (rather than hitting) to express how he feels. but that also when his friends act like this, he does not like their moodiness. so he might want to think about that. so far we have tried reassuring him that we love him. but i think what he wants is not to reassured but to get what he wants. don't we all. still this week has been better than last week. so i am grateful.

at pick-up, we took it nice and slow. r was grumpy right away with some thing i did that apparently rubbed him the wrong way. but i ignored it and stayed chipper which worked well. they ran around, played on the buttons, and listened to a book. and then both complied with getting their shoes de-sanded, using the bathroom, and washing up. but k had the biggest tantrum i have ever seen when i did not permit her to put the cap on her own water bottle. but r held it together and waited patiently. he was just terrific. since he had started with his own grousing, this was a wonderful display of calm and coolness.

k whimpered all the way to the parking lot while holding her friend's hand. r explored with his friend and we all managed to get to the car. after a few unexpected phone calls and assurances that there would only be cooperation from now on, we headed out to the noodle restaurant. both kids were great and ate their food with minimal difficulty. in fact, we had a nice time talking and eating. they both ate well. r did not fidget. being in a different place allows him to sit and eat, unlike at home where he can't hold it together at dinner. afterwards we went on our adventures: getting gas. swimming class, and cookies with milk on the back porch. i did not get to watch r's swimming class much as both kids had bms right after the other. but he did well enough to move on to level 3 according to the observer. so we will celebrate that soon. we saw our friend moon in the parking lot.

both kids were getting snarky on the way home from class but managed to hold it together for just a little longer. we made it home. each kid picked a book. we read and then everyone got tucked in. the last 15 minutes before dad got home were rough as they were exhausted. but i am proud of them -- they were great!