JDaniel Moments Archives - Page 6 of 15

A Quiet Quit Hand Signal

February 26, 2011 By Deirdre

JDaniel and I went to our local children’s museum on Thursday. It was crowded due to several school having field trips there.

Eight to ten year olds were running all over the water play area when we arrived. Water was flying out of the water pools. Waterwheels were spinning wildly shooting water across the pools and on to the children. Each child seemed to be having a wonderful time. There wasn’t any rough play just a bunch playful splashes.

It looked chaotic and wild when we first approached the play pool. I was worried JDaniel would be knocked over. Yet he was able to play with a toy boat and small duck amongst the big kids. He was in heaven.

I noticed the teacher when we entered the water area. She was quietly watching her class play. When one child slipped while trying to run to a different part of the pool, she quietly sauntered over to check on her, made sure she was okay, and reminded her to be careful. She had such a quiet loving way about her.

When it was time for her class to move to another exhibit, she quietly raised her hand. It took about two minutes for the first child to notice the raised hand. Once that child moved to get in line the other got in line behind her.

I stood there amazed at this wonderful teacher. She has obviously set ground rules with her students earlier in the year about lining. I bet she was clear with them about what she expected them to do.

I hope that JDaniel’s life is filled with teachers just like her.

Belly Laugh Leads to a Faucet Retreat

February 24, 2011 By Deirdre

On Mondays JDaniel and I go to playgroup. We have been meeting with many of these moms for two years. The kids know each other, each other’s toys, and homes like the back of their hands.

Two days ago we met at Joe’s house. Joe’s house is known for its fenced in backyard as well as a sand/water table. When I tell JDaniel we are going to Joe’s, he is thrilled. He loves to play in the sand.

I think all the kids love to play in the sand. At one point all of them were huddled about the table with shovels or scoops in their hands on Monday.

Apparently one of boys named Jay decided that it would be wonderful to add water to the sand. He tried the faucet in the backyard and noted that handle was not screwed on tightly. He must have known he wasn’t supposed to turn it because he only turned the handle so a small trickle was coming out of it. It was just enough to fill dirt spot under the faucet and create mud.

Soon another little boy scurried over to see what he was up to. This drew the attention of Jay’s mom who rushed over to remind him that he wasn’t to play with the faucet. He apparently has worked at faucet handle tightening and loosening at home with much success. His mom wasn’t happy about his plying his talent at Joe’s.

Shortly after Jay’s mom reminded him not to play with the faucet. Jay decided to show JDaniel and Joe how to make more mud. He knew he had to be sly about it or his mom would find out. Joe silently sauntered away from the sand table and leaned against the house. JDaniel tiptoed over to the mud pile and looked like he was scooping up the mud to bring some to the table.

Suddenly JDaniel let out a huge laugh. It rose from his belly and filled the whole backyard. The noisy laugh caught all the moms and other children attention. We all went running to see what was happening.

Water was gushing all over the ground. Joe looked relatively innocent. Jay looked a little perturb at JDaniel. JDaniel just kept laughing.

He must have thought sneaking around to do something forbidden was a hoot.

I don’t think Joe and Jake are going to want to have JDaniel around to act as sentry when they get up to mischief later on. His laugh is going to draw attention every time.

I hope he keeps laughing loudly it will give me a heads up that there is trouble afoot.

Postscript: After Jay’s mom took him in for a timeout, all the children stayed away from the faucet. The lesson of leaving the faucet alone had been learned by all.

This post is linked to Mama Kat’s Writing Workshop.

Trimmings from a Tree Become a Beaver Home

February 23, 2011 By Deirdre

He Loves Sticks

JDaniel has always loved to gather sticks. He started gathering them as soon as he could walk. We have spent hours picking up sticks and carrying them to the woods behind our house.

There have been times when his friend Nathan, our next-door neighbor, has wanted to do something else and JDaniel has told him he has to finish his work first.

I love the simplicity of picking up the sticks and carrying them to the woods. The sticks are taken out of the yard and JDaniel gets to exercise at the same time. I have been astounded by his ability to focus on a single task for 30 or 45 minutes at a time.

The Beaver Dam

The sticks suddenly stopped leaving the yard last week. My husband was trimming the branches of a tree in the front yard. The branches were both large and small in size. JDaniel started picking them up and carrying them to the bushes in front of the house instead of the woods. He gathered one stick or branch at a time and carefully leaned them against the bushes. When the bushes closest to him filled up, he started carrying them to the set of bushes on the far side of the house.

“What are you doing?” I asked him. “Why I am creating a beaver dam?” JDaniel informed me.

Reasoning with a Beaver

I am all for pretend play, but these sticks and branches started to look terrible in front of the house after a couple of days. I can’t imagine what the neighbors thought about them.

I knew that he would not be enthusiastic about the sticks being moved out of the front yard. He really loved darting in and out of them pretending to be a beaver.

I decided to reason with him.

“I believe if we leave these sticks out front,” I told him, “Beavers are going to drive by and decide this would make a perfect home for them.”

“Mom, beaver can’t drive!” he replied.

“What is someone drives them?” I asked.

“They wouldn’t like it. There is no water for them here,” he answered.

“Maybe we could move the dam into the backyard so they won’t be tempted?” I told him.

“Okay, we can move them, but they still won’t come,” he said matter-a-factly.

Thank goodness we were able to come to an understanding.

The Big Beaver Moves Sticks

JDaniel doesn’t know this yet, but a beaver has come to take some of the sticks away. He is about six feet tall with graying hair and is JDaniel’s dad when he is not being a giant beaver. This big beaver is not a fan of the sticks being anywhere in the yard. He has been taking one or two sticks a day to the woods.

I am hoping it takes JDaniel a while to notice.

This post is linked to Capture the Everyday and Alphabe Thursday.

“No, Thank You” Could Lead to a Coup Attempt

February 19, 2011 By Deirdre

“No, Thank you” should be a wonderfully polite phrase uttered when you are offered something that you have no interesting having or shouldn’t.

It could be really wonderfully delicious second slice of chocolate cake that you really don’t need.

It could be a cup of coffee offered when you walk into playgroup.

JDaniel has started saying, “No, Thank you”. He says it all the time. When we are out in public, people are so impressed when they hear him say it. While it is better than hearing no over and over, it is starting to sound just the same to me.

“Would you like to go to the potty?” I ask

He replies, “No, Thank you.”

“I need you to help me pick up toys” I say.

He replied, “No, Thank you.”

“It is time for you to take a bath! I exclaim.

He replies, “No, thank you.”

“We are going to have just one cookie for snack,” I inform him.

He replies, “No, thank you.”

It really sounds like he is trying to overrule what I am telling him.

Does it work for me? No, it really doesn’t.

Do I want to keep hearing it? No, thank you.

Well, in a polite way it would be okay as long as it isn’t part of a coup attempt.

Sunday Sleeping Lead to Silently Listening to My Husband and Son

February 16, 2011 By Deirdre

On Sunday afternoon I decided to take a nap when JDaniel did. My sinuses were driving me crazy and I has sneezed or coughed during most of church that morning.

I must have been in a hard sleep. I totally missed JDaniel’s screams for mama that fill the house when he wakes up from his nap. (He hasn’t figured out that he can get out of bed yet. He just sits there and screams for me until I come.) What did cause me to wake up was the pounding of feet down the steps and sounds of his voice coming from the kitchen.

I glanced up and noticed that my husband had closed the bedroom door so I could sleep without interruption . No one outside the door would know that I was awake. If I lay quietly without making a sound, I would be able to have a few more moments of quiet time to myself.

Then I felt my first bodily betrayal. I sneezed. I tried to quiet the sneeze by sneezing into my pillow. Yes, that was gross idea. I silently slid over to my husband’s pillow and listened for the sound of little feet to come to the bedroom door. There was silence.

It is strange to lay there in quiet of the bedroom and hear all the noises of a toddler as he moves around the house. After JDaniel inhaled a snack, I heard a loud crash in the living room. Oh! The trains were now dumped out all over the floor. I knew that wood on wood sound when I heard it.

Then there was a patter of feet to the bedroom door. He must have listened at the door and not heard anything because there was another patter of feet away from the door a few second later.

A second crash came from the living room. This time there were squeaks and groans along with the bang. The toy basket must have been dumped out too. Stuffer animals with squeakers, toy instruments and other assorted toys were now spilled out next to the trains. The idea of this growing mess was hard to fathom. I was sure my husband had come downstairs with him. Where had he gone? There weren’t any exchanges of conversation about needing to clean up before mom saw this mess or inquires as to what was going on. Just silence and then loud crashes filled the air.

I didn’t hear my husband’s voice until the phone rang. I heard a shuffling of penny loafers to the phone and a conversation with his friend Jeff begin. I was glad to know he was still downstairs.

It was at that moment my body decided to betray me a second time. It told me in very certain terms that I needed to get up and use the restroom or I was going to need to change the sheets soon.

I quietly tiptoed to the bathroom and used the toilet. Then I tried to flush quietly, but you really can’t flush quietly.

As I left the bathroom, the knob on the bedroom door started to jiggle and shake. A voice from the other side of the door demanded that I help open the bedroom door. “I need you!” the voice exclaimed.

I did what every mom would do. I opened the door and let my son rush in.

It was so worth it to have him rush into my arms and say, “I missed you.”

I asked if dad had done a good job getting him up and giving him snack. “He was great!” he said. I was please to hear that. “But I really missed you!” he continued.

It is great my husband took care of getting JDaniel up from his nap. It was great to get some quiet time to just lie in bed. More than anything it was great to be missed.

This post is linked to Mrs. Matlock’s Alphabe Thursday and The Writer’s Workshop.

I Crumbled While Making Cookies

February 10, 2011 By Deirdre

Last Monday I invited my friend Bridget and her daughter over for a play date and to decorate Valentine’s Day cookies. Before they arrived I decided to make the cookies and have them ready to decorate. JDaniel was watching The Cat in the Hat on television this meant I could make them without “help.”

As soon as I had the cookie ingredients mixed in the bowl, a patter of feet headed toward the kitchen. Before I could rush the dough out of the bowl and start rolling it out, I felt a plastic stepstool being knocked against my leg. “Move over Mom! I want to help you,” JDaniel announced. Apparently the Cat in the Hat had lost his attention.

I moved over and showed him what I was doing.

“I am trying to roll this dough out and cut it into hearts,” I explained.

“I need to taste!” he replied. I pinched off some of the dough and gave him a little bit.

“I will need more, please,” he told me. I gave him a little more and then started to roll the dough again.

Giving him little bits seemed like a good idea. It wasn’t a good idea. He kept trying to reach in the bowl and get more as I rolled out the dough and cut out the cookies.

I got more and more frustrated. He got more and more indignant about wanting the dough.

Thankfully my friend Bridget arrived on the scene with her daughter before the battle had really escalated.

When she saw the battle over the dough, she calmly picked up a spoon I had laying on the counter and filled it with dough.

“If you want this, you will need to go sit in your chair at the table,” she told JDaniel.

He walked right over to the table and climbed up in his chair. Once he had taken his seat, she handed JDaniel the spoon. He sat silently he licked the dough off the spoon while I finished getting the next batch of cookies in the oven.

“This happens at my house all the time,” Bridget said. “Really the best thing to do is give him his own ball of dough and let him play with it at the table.”

Why didn’t I think of that?

Why did I turn it into a battle?

Thankfully Bridget bakes often and she has gained experience on how to entertain her daughter while she cooks.

I don’t bake often, but I still should have known better.

I wish I hadn’t made a rookie baking mistake in front of her, but know what I will do next time I bake.

We did have fun decorating the cookies though.

Many years ago my sister Michelle asked me to give her oldest son a bath. I asked her about the water temperature and she said he liked cold baths. I thought it was odd, but filled the tub with mildly cold water.

When the tub was ready, I lifted my nephew into the tub. He screamed loudly about ice cube water and stood shivering in the tub with his arm wrapped around his body. I grabbed him out of the water and wrapped in him in a towel.

My sister came running into the bathroom wanting to know what was wrong.

“Ice cold water is in there!,” my nephew told his mom.

“She put in super cold water!” he pointed accusingly at me.

“Why did you do that?” she asked.

“I did what you told me to,” I announced.

Jump forward from the past to the present day

When JDaniel is ready for a bath, I always try to draw a warm bath for him. The water is not too warm and not freezing. Every time I put him the water he complains it is too hot. I remind him that it will lose all its warmth by the time he gets out of the water and encourage him to sit down.

By the time he has been bathed, shampooed, and has played with his bath toys the water is frigid. He protests that he needs more time. He hasn’t tried to swim in the water yet or he hasn’t squirted all the water out of the toys. (Bath toys that could now start growing icicles.)

I let him stay in the tub until all the water has drained out of it. He tries prevent the water from exiting the tub by sitting on the drain and to keep the water in the tub.

When he finally gets out of the tub, his fingers are pruney and his toes are pickled. Wrinkles cover his hands and feet.

I don’t know how he stands it. I do know that long ago when the water was that frigid another little boy couldn’t even stand in it.

This post in linked to Mrs. Matlock’s Alphabe Thursday!