February was a very interesting month.
I started out very grumpy. It was the end of my pregnancy and I felt uncomfortable, nervous and impatient. We expected our sweet baby to come early, as his brother and sister had done (both were born at 38 weeks) but he didn't come! So then it was a matter of trying to make things fun for the kids (who would soon be home bound with a new baby) without making big commitments that we wouldn't be able to keep.
Early in the month we made rock candy for a science program that Atticus decided he wanted to participate in. The boys both earned geology patches and we began working on the next patch for animal convervation.
We did a project over at the Home Depot. It was supposed to be a set of small glass vases but the boys decided they were chemistry beakers and started "sciencing" with them for the next couple of days. Unfortunately, my grumpiness really got in the way and put an end to it pretty quickly.
Of course, two weeks in we got to celebrate Valentine's Day. As much as I was hoping our baby would be here by then it was nice to be able to focus on the kids in a special way one more time before life would get crazy. Before the holiday we celebrated with some homeschool friends with a "love bug" theme.
Then, on the big day itself I put up my valentines for the kiddos on their doors
Sweet Atticus surprised us by putting some hearts on our door. His sweet messages melted my heart.
And the boys made valentines for each other, Lucy and for their grandparents.
We had crepes for breakfast, heart shaped sandwiches for lunch, heart shaped pizza and martinelli's for our candle lit dinner and all sorts of special chocolates for dessert. It was a fun day, even with my grouchiness.
Atticus was almost as impatient as I was for our baby to come. There was one night when I had some contractions and Atticus, unaware of what was happening said, "I think Israel is going to come tonight!" In the morning he was so disappointed and I felt the same.
It wasn't just that he wanted a day off of school, although I'm sure that was a huge reason. He was also concerned about me and the baby. One evening as he said our family prayer he was was so earnest as he asked, "Please help Mom."
Now that the baby is here he is very helpful. There are still moments when he seems to forget he has three siblings and can get impatient/demanding. But then there are days where he asks to hold Israel, where he plays with Lucy and tosses her on the bed or does all kinds of stunts with her in the sensory swings. I am so proud of the big brother he has become.
We are also so proud of him a big milestone he passed in piano. A few months ago the primary pianist (she plays while the children sing at church) challenged him to learn to play "I am a Child of God." "If you learn to play it you can accompany the kids at church," she told him. Well, it took him some time and there were plenty of tears along the way but he got so he had it practically memorized.
Two days before our Israel would come, he was ready. He brought his simplified hymn book and started playing. His introduction was flawless but when the kids started singing along, he had some trouble. The first two verses were rough. I was so worried, knowing of the rage he would fly into if he were at home with me. To my great relief, he pushed through! The third verse was flawless and you could see how proud he was of himself afterward. I have a video of that last verse on Facebook if you'd like to see it.
I am so proud of him for pushing through. It is NOT something he naturally chooses to do and so we will be reminding him of this experience in the future.
Atticusism:
- "Hinckley, you always spend your money so recklessly. When you get to be my age..."
Hinckley
Oh, Hinckley. This was a harder month for our 5-year-old. There were a few days in a row where he kept making unreasonable demands of me. Even if I wasn't 39 weeks pregnant, his requests felt would have made me laugh but feeling as tired and uncomfortable as I did, they felt downright impossible. For example, one day he asked for poached eggs for lunch. I told him no and he said he would go to his room. "If I'm not having poached eggs, I'm not eating," he threatened. And thus it was. He didn't end up eating anything until 4 PM.
Another day he needed a new duct tape wallet- right then. Eventually I got to it and he liked the product but it was the demand for immediate results that just made the day so hard.
Thank heavens, he has become much easier now that the baby is here. He has been his helpful, cheerful self much more of the time.
It should also be noted that he wrote his first chapter book this month. It is called Cool Batman and has nine chapters in it. It is hilarious- the story makes me laugh so hard. Basically, Batman was about to take the Joker to his batcave when a rock slide blocks off the entrance to his cave. His parents showed him a different entrance when he was 3 so he sets off to get in using that other entrance. The journey takes him many days, during which time he an older rabbit and a lion join him. He uses glue and leaves to make a sleeping bag, they scare off wolves more than once, there are "human skeletons" and monsters that block their way in one chapter, and at the end, when they feel really tired, Batman gives the two animals bowls of caffeine so they can run and run. Oh, and Batman carries a "satchel" with him that has hamburgers, cake, ice cream and other food so that they always have dinner before going to bed.
It's not just the interesting story he came up with (by the way, I can see bits and pieces from many different stories we've been reading in it) but it's also the word choice that are remarkable. He surprised his grandparents recently with some of the phrases he has used in conversation, some of which you can see in his quotes.
Hinckley speaks:
- "I like myself." (when he first got his school pictures- we didn't get them until January!)
- "I'm sciencing."
- "When Israel comes I'll be better." (about cleaning up after himself.)
- "Mom, you know why I want Israel to come out of your tummy tonight? So you don't feel that pain anymore."
- "Yes, it's kind of complicated." (When asked if he liked having a baby brother.)
- "Mom, why does Israel smell so good?" ("Because he's a newborn. That's how they smell!") "I wish I smelled like that."
- "It's fun having Dad at home (now that Israel is here) but it can be challenging."
- "No thanks. I want to play with Israel."
- "Can I hold Israel?"
Lucy finally seemed to understand that a baby was coming this last month. She would point at my tummy and say, "Baby coming?" She also probably understood better because we had taken all of our baby toys/swings, etc. out of storage.
She LOVES the mail a little too much. She loves to go and get it with me but then becomes very possessive of whatever we bring home. This can upset Hinckley, who also loves the mail a great deal. It's definitely become a balancing act of letting her hold on to the junk mail for the rest of the evening while being sure the important items don't get lost.
Listen to Lucy:
- "No! That mine!"
- "Jesus loves you!"
- "Bebe's a-comin?"
- "I cahn't do this." (All words with the short a sound come out as "ah")
- "Fire is bye bye?" (after a neighbor had fireworks that woke her up and kept her up all night, she was worried about more fireworks for days.)
- "Hey!" (Said in the most angry way if you take anything she sees as hers... which is just about anything.)
- "Hold it." (For Israel- thankfully, she has begun saying, "Hold 'im.")
- "Poopy diaper!"
- "Diarrhea!" (Both of these unsavory phrases have been taught by older siblings who then laugh their heads off when she yells them. Hooray.)
Homeschool has been spottier this month, especially with the baby's arrival. Don't get me wrong, the boys are so motivated and still get their basics done every day but our work and study of the broader themes has definitely taken a dive. We read the last two Rush Revere books and The Cricket in Times Square, and tried falafel and learned about Jewish holidays for our light study of the Holy Land.
As much as I would have loved to study more from our monthly topics, we'll do more next year and my goodness, has this month been one of learning. We've all had lessons in patience and delayed gratification, how to take care of a baby and the kids are all learning how to do more things on their own.
As I was contemplating having another child while homeschooling a year or so ago, I took comfort from the testimonials of many other moms. Their mantra was, "The baby is the lesson." I couldn't agree more. Learning compassion and how to enjoy the wonder of life have been pretty amazing themes.
