We are a little obsessed with lollipops in the Costello house these days. This is in large part because of swimming. They are each rewarded at the end of their lesson with a Dum-dum lollipop and also bring some along as it can help to smooth any tiredness and crankiness after the lesson or in the car ride home. Things have escalated a bit, however, because Connor, as he often does, has charmed his teacher so he's now authorized to take 3 lollipops after the lesson. Jamie, of course, will not be shortchanged so inevitably he gets an extra one too.
Last week, however, Sarah noticed something odd. We keep the swim bag, which has a bunch of lollipops at all times, in the hall closet, near the boys room. When she opened the bag one day there were some empty wrappers and she hadn't remembered leaving any in there. She didn't think too much of it though and certainly wasn't thinking about it at all that night when, since I was at basketball, she was fighting the get-Connor-to-sleep battle on her own. For about an hour Connor had been talking, getting up to ask questions, go to the potty, do about anything but stay in bed. Jamie had long since fallen asleep, of course. Finally at about 9 it got quiet and Sarah went to look in on him. She was not completely surprised to find, however, that Connor was not in bed. She looked around the room and didn't see him. She next checked our room, which is logical because one night not too long ago, she came into find him there relaxed on the bed quietly watching TV. But this time no Connor. Now she started to get nervous and searched all over the house. She was about to really panic when she walked by the closet and saw a pair of blue eyes peeking out from between the coats. There was our little angel happily sucking away on a lollipop. This was almost exactly the point at which I got home, finding Sarah trying hard not to laugh but also having to get over having been really relieved to find him, and not a little bit exasperated. So I told Connor to go to bed which he dutifully did plopping the half-eaten Dum-dum directly into the swim bag, which now contained several more empty wrappers. Two mysteries solved.
It's all just a sign of how different from each other the boys are. Jamie could never be that sneaky. In the first place, he wouldn't be interested in getting out of bed if it didn't involve us. Secondly, he could just never sustain it for that long. He's such a good citizen, he'd come clean after a minute. Connor, on the other hand, would have kept this going precisely as long as he'd wanted to, then come out only to ask us to put his blanket over him.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Crushes? Really?
As I was getting him dressed after swimming yesterday, Jamie informed me that a little girl in his class has a crush on him. "Oh!" I said, surprised to hear this word, and asked how he knew. Seems another girl, best friend of this one, informed him. He then asked with a mixture of bravado and uncertainty, "Do you even know what that means?" I said yes, it meant that she really liked him a lot. "Yeah," he replied coolly, "And she wants to marry me." Well, well. She seems to come from a good family, though no dowry has been discussed, and her name isn't "Brytneee" or something (the Brittany variations are many here in Tejas), so we're in favor of it.
Things seem to be going a little less swimmingly for his best buddy. He informed us that W. is "looking for a girlfriend." It's not clear what qualities are particularly desired here, but Jamie also told me that the best friend of the girl who likes him does NOT want to marry W., so back to the drawing board I guess. In the same conversation Jamie started asking about whether one could marry someone in the same family, so I think he and W are still in competition for the hand of W.'s sister. What a tangled web.
Things seem to be going a little less swimmingly for his best buddy. He informed us that W. is "looking for a girlfriend." It's not clear what qualities are particularly desired here, but Jamie also told me that the best friend of the girl who likes him does NOT want to marry W., so back to the drawing board I guess. In the same conversation Jamie started asking about whether one could marry someone in the same family, so I think he and W are still in competition for the hand of W.'s sister. What a tangled web.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Are we having fun yet?
So we started swim lessons again with the boys last week. Our goal is to get Connor to a basic level of independent swimming as soon as possible so Sarah and I can stop having drowning nightmares about the boys, so we signed him up for a 2-week everyday boot camp kind of thing. Jamie protested vigorously when we suggested signing him up as well, but after the first day of watching all the other swimmers and bragging about all the things he could do, he wanted to take them too. Connor cried terribly the first day. They are very loving at this place but also very direct about getting them used to being the water, putting their faces under water, etc and Connor was clearly terrified.
After the first day we talked to him about how it was OK to be scared but his teacher would make sure he was safe. We suggested to him that if he wanted to cry he should wait until after the lesson and then cry. As I watched him the second day he did some crying but was also clearly trying really hard to hold it in because sometimes he would sit on the side of the pool with an anguished expression and two hands clapped over his mouth. But he toughed it out and then came to me to be dried off afterwards. As he stood there shivering, he said, "N-n-n-now, m-m-m-may I cry please?!!!" I said yes and cry he did.
But incredibly that was the last time. By the next day he was completely fine and he has gotten better everyday since. Yesterday he went all the way under water to pick up rings from the pool floor and jumped off a little platform, going all the way under. Jamie, meanwhile, is totally fearless, diving (literally) headlong into every new thing without hesitation. He is the most advanced in his group and is very proud of the fact that he often goes first to show the other kids how to do new skills.
After the first day we talked to him about how it was OK to be scared but his teacher would make sure he was safe. We suggested to him that if he wanted to cry he should wait until after the lesson and then cry. As I watched him the second day he did some crying but was also clearly trying really hard to hold it in because sometimes he would sit on the side of the pool with an anguished expression and two hands clapped over his mouth. But he toughed it out and then came to me to be dried off afterwards. As he stood there shivering, he said, "N-n-n-now, m-m-m-may I cry please?!!!" I said yes and cry he did.
But incredibly that was the last time. By the next day he was completely fine and he has gotten better everyday since. Yesterday he went all the way under water to pick up rings from the pool floor and jumped off a little platform, going all the way under. Jamie, meanwhile, is totally fearless, diving (literally) headlong into every new thing without hesitation. He is the most advanced in his group and is very proud of the fact that he often goes first to show the other kids how to do new skills.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Ouch!
Sorry, loyal readers, for the paucity of posts lately. I had a couple of other writing things to occupy me the last couple of months but those are cleared away for the moment so I can concentrate on the important stuff.
The boys have inherited, perhaps from G-diddy, a love of the well-placed movie quotation. They've been at it for some time. About a year ago Jamie and I were at a Rice baseball game and we came across a Ferrari in the parking lot (tenured faculty member's no doubt). I showed it to him eagerly, and he immediately responded, quoting the Cars movie word for word, with Italian accent: "A real...Michael Schumacher...Ferrari!! Punch me Guido! Punch me in da face!!"
Connor has picked this up as well and deploys it sometimes to quite comic effect. We were discussing going to a surprise party for Jamie's teacher last weekend and Connor asked how old she was going to be. We told him 50 and he said, quoting his current fave Space Chimps, "Oooh. That's gotta hurt." You can't teach this stuff. Don't worry though, it will be several years before they're in a position to quote from The Godfather saga, and The Hurt Locker is right out.
The boys have inherited, perhaps from G-diddy, a love of the well-placed movie quotation. They've been at it for some time. About a year ago Jamie and I were at a Rice baseball game and we came across a Ferrari in the parking lot (tenured faculty member's no doubt). I showed it to him eagerly, and he immediately responded, quoting the Cars movie word for word, with Italian accent: "A real...Michael Schumacher...Ferrari!! Punch me Guido! Punch me in da face!!"
Connor has picked this up as well and deploys it sometimes to quite comic effect. We were discussing going to a surprise party for Jamie's teacher last weekend and Connor asked how old she was going to be. We told him 50 and he said, quoting his current fave Space Chimps, "Oooh. That's gotta hurt." You can't teach this stuff. Don't worry though, it will be several years before they're in a position to quote from The Godfather saga, and The Hurt Locker is right out.
Monday, February 22, 2010
$1 more, 1 baby tooth less
Yes, Jamie lost his first baby tooth on Saturday. It had been loose for quite some time and the permanent tooth, about twice the size, was already well up behind it. Jamie was a little ambivalent about the whole business. On the one hand, with so many of his friends losing teeth, he has the distinct impression that this is a big kid thing to do, so that's good. Also, he has learned of the tooth fairy and is interested in the acquisition of wealth so that he can buy Star Wars legos or Bakugans without being subjected to the whims and vagaries of his undependable parents. On the other hand, he was a little disquieted by the feeling of looseness in his mouth and genuinely apprehensive about whether it would hurt when it came out. By Friday night it was very loose indeed and he couldn't stop messing with it, but the more he did so the more upset he became. He wanted me to pull it out but recoiled every time I got near.
Unfortunately, we never actually saw the tooth come out and it was lost. We assured him that the tooth fairy knew the deal and didn't need the actual tooth. He was clearly doing some thinking about the nature of the tooth fairy and his beliefs that night, though he did not say so exactly. Just before bed he asked me if I believed in Santa Claus. Yes, I said quickly, aware that I meant this metaphorically, but that even so I was lying a bit.
Anyway, he was very pleased about the $1 so alls well that ends well. Except that this is only the beginning. Parenthood is a process of perpetual inexperience as we seem to be unready for each new phase. We actually had to borrow a dollar bill to avoid a highly awkward situation and even so very nearly forgot to put it under his pillow.
Unfortunately, we never actually saw the tooth come out and it was lost. We assured him that the tooth fairy knew the deal and didn't need the actual tooth. He was clearly doing some thinking about the nature of the tooth fairy and his beliefs that night, though he did not say so exactly. Just before bed he asked me if I believed in Santa Claus. Yes, I said quickly, aware that I meant this metaphorically, but that even so I was lying a bit.
Anyway, he was very pleased about the $1 so alls well that ends well. Except that this is only the beginning. Parenthood is a process of perpetual inexperience as we seem to be unready for each new phase. We actually had to borrow a dollar bill to avoid a highly awkward situation and even so very nearly forgot to put it under his pillow.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Scary things
Jamie is a very brave little boy. He used to be so timid, but now he just dives headlong into new situations. It's quite inspiring. We are always asking him if TV shows or movies scare him and he just laughs at us. The key for him seems to be a very clear sense of real and imaginary. The only things, in fact, that seem to upset him are historical events. He's been very into the Magic Tree House books lately. These are great for him and he absolutely loves them, but at times they can get a little intense. The Titanic one, for instance, gets pretty graphic about the situation at sea and Jamie needed to take this very slowly. As is his wont, he memorized a number of salient details, as you'll see below.
Generally, Jamie reacts in a reassuring way to these things, talking about how he would run away, or get on a lifeboat or something sensible like that. One night after we read a bit and the boys headed off to bed, Connor started talking about the same thing, saying that if he were on the Titanic, he would stay on the life boat. Jamie, with his great older brother knowledge, then said, ever a little impatiently, "Connoooo. The life-boats are used to get AWAY from the boat. And I hate to tell you this but there were only 20 lifeboats and they needed 40 to get everybody off the boat. It's very sad..." Here the voice cracks a little and the pedantic tone shifts to uncertainty. "It's making me really sad, right now. Now...I'm...crying..." And indeed he was. Poor little fellow, when he knows things are real, he feels them acutely. Connor, meanwhile, had already moved on.
Generally, Jamie reacts in a reassuring way to these things, talking about how he would run away, or get on a lifeboat or something sensible like that. One night after we read a bit and the boys headed off to bed, Connor started talking about the same thing, saying that if he were on the Titanic, he would stay on the life boat. Jamie, with his great older brother knowledge, then said, ever a little impatiently, "Connoooo. The life-boats are used to get AWAY from the boat. And I hate to tell you this but there were only 20 lifeboats and they needed 40 to get everybody off the boat. It's very sad..." Here the voice cracks a little and the pedantic tone shifts to uncertainty. "It's making me really sad, right now. Now...I'm...crying..." And indeed he was. Poor little fellow, when he knows things are real, he feels them acutely. Connor, meanwhile, had already moved on.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Heartbreaking Connor story of the day
Poor Connor. It is hard sometimes being the younger brother. Jamie is, of course, the most fascinating, funny, inimitable character in the world and endlessly more interesting than Sarah or I. Connor wants to be with Jamie and do what he does all the time. Very often this works out well because Jamie is forever in search of a partner in crime and Connor is all too happy to be co-opted. The problem is that if another partner presents his or herself to Jamie, Connor is frequently jettisoned.
Last weekend a family that lives down the street came over for dinner. They have a 5-year-old boy, who is great friends with Jamie, and a 2-year-old girl who is just heavenly. Every time we see them, which is not infrequntly, we are rewarded for our decision to move. Anyway, Connor couldn't care less about the little girl, of course, and just wants to play with the big boys. At best, he has trouble physically keeping up with them and at worst the game becomes getting away from, or otherwise torturing, Connor. On this night in question Jamie's friend got really into playing with Legos, which Jamie didn't want to do, so that made him sad. Connor meanwhile, just wanted to play with Jamie, who had no interest in him. We were in the other room when we heard Connor start to wail. We went in (not quite rushed in, I'm afraid, because in these post-pacifier days this happens often enough not to be alarming). I found him on the couch absolutely inconsolable. I asked what was wrong and it took a good 30 seconds for him to calm down enough to blurt out: "Jamie doesn't want to be WIFF me!!!!" before dissolving again. Poor little fellow. I offered myself, Sarah, our friends, the Obamas, and double chocolate brownies all as substitutes. None would do.
Last weekend a family that lives down the street came over for dinner. They have a 5-year-old boy, who is great friends with Jamie, and a 2-year-old girl who is just heavenly. Every time we see them, which is not infrequntly, we are rewarded for our decision to move. Anyway, Connor couldn't care less about the little girl, of course, and just wants to play with the big boys. At best, he has trouble physically keeping up with them and at worst the game becomes getting away from, or otherwise torturing, Connor. On this night in question Jamie's friend got really into playing with Legos, which Jamie didn't want to do, so that made him sad. Connor meanwhile, just wanted to play with Jamie, who had no interest in him. We were in the other room when we heard Connor start to wail. We went in (not quite rushed in, I'm afraid, because in these post-pacifier days this happens often enough not to be alarming). I found him on the couch absolutely inconsolable. I asked what was wrong and it took a good 30 seconds for him to calm down enough to blurt out: "Jamie doesn't want to be WIFF me!!!!" before dissolving again. Poor little fellow. I offered myself, Sarah, our friends, the Obamas, and double chocolate brownies all as substitutes. None would do.
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