Thursday, August 29, 2019

Television Is the Best Medicine

Dear Sawyer,

Things you did recently that made me laugh:

-Your new school hosted a painting party on Tuesday morning so that you could meet your teachers and new classmates. It started at 9am so I told you the night before that you would have to wake up early and get ready. When you woke up on Tuesday, you exclaimed, "I have to go to school! I have to get ready! Quick! Quick!" You then ripped off your pajamas, ran to use the bathroom and wash your hands and booked it back to your room and got dressed. You were like a firefighter getting ready! Wonder how long we can sustain that sense of urgency during the actual school year?

-I was on the couch last night when you walked over to me with a super sweet smile. You leaned toward me and gave a long, tight hug. I breathed in the smell of your hair and just as I was thinking what a sweet moment we were having, you asked me, "Do you want to smell by butt?" What now? Way to kill the mood, little guy! I laughed and asked you why you asked me that. You said, "So that you can know if it's clean or not." Um, no thanks!

-You were playing in your room tonight and accidentally hit your head on the edge of your bed really hard. You cried a lot and while I was comforting you, you asked me in a shaky voice, "Can I watch TV to make myself feel better?" Hahaha! I asked you if a kiss from me would make you feel better and you said, "No, that would only make me feel a little better." Sneaky sneaky. But you were so cute that I caved and let you watch "Blaze and the Monster Machines."

Love,
Mom

Monday, August 26, 2019

First Kiss

Dear Sawyer,

Cute things you did recently:

-Aunt Sarin, Uncle Austin and Julietta came over to visit last weekend. A few minutes after they came in and we exchanged hellos and hugs, I realized you were nowhere to be found. I went into your room and called out for you. You responded and I heard your voice come out from under your bed! I asked you what you were doing under there and you said, "I don't want to see them!" I eventually convinced you to come out and join everyone in JieJie's room, where JieJie and Julietta were playing, but you hid behind me the entire time and refused to talk to anyone other than me. You are a very social, friendly guy but you can still be incredibly shy sometimes.

-You were playing in my closet and came out and told me, "I was in the cave! I found jewelry for you!" I said, "Wow! Did you find diamonds for me?" You replied, "Yes! I got you diamonds and rectangles and all the shapes!" Haha!

-We went to your BFF Mila's birthday party yesterday and you and Mila were so happy to see each other again! Her parents told us that you were the only party guest she cared about coming. Another one of your nursery school classmates, Ella, was also at the party and her parents told us that when they were driving over, Ella said, "I hope Sawyer is going to be at the party. He and Mila are best friends." You and Mila have such a sweet friendship! At one point during the party, the two of you even kissed on the lips and GuhGaw came running over to tell the adults (he left out the part about him actually being the one who goaded you two to kiss in the first place). Later, Mila's mom asked you, "Hey, did you kiss my daughter?" You looked at her matter-of-factly, "Yes. Because I love her." How cute is that? And you're such a gentleman, too. At the end of the party, you and Mila climbed onto an ATV that was parked in the backyard. You had so much fun pretending to drive it and when I said it was time to go, you climbed off first and then turned back to hold Mila's hand and help her step down. At home, I told you that I noticed you do that and you said, "Yeah, because I know she was wearing a long dress." So sweet!

Love,
Mom

Friday, August 23, 2019

So Bubbly

Dear Sawyer,

Me: I'm going to miss you when you're in school all day.
You: But school doesn't last forever! Like bubbles!

You are so wise!

Love,
Mom

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Boyfriend Trouble

Dear Sawyer,

So this happened at dinner tonight:

You: Mommy, remember that time we met your boyfriend?
Daddy and me: What?!
You: That time we met your boyfriend.
Daddy: What boyfriend?
Me: Sawyer, what are you talking about?!
You: Remember? We went to Manhattan and met your boyfriend and I was shy and was holding onto you.
Me, suddenly realizing what you were referring to: You mean that time we met my friend Rob when he was visiting from London?
You: Yeah.

Sheesh. Way to get me in trouble with Daddy, Sawyer!

Love,
Mom

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Math Skills

Dear Sawyer,

I know I'm your mom and a little biased but I think you are super smart! This afternoon, I asked you what 1+1 is; you answered two. I asked you what 2+2 is; you chirped "Four!" Then I asked you what 3+3 is. You held up both of your hands and held up three fingers on your left hand and then three fingers on your right hand ("One, two, three. One, two, three."). Then you counted those fingers: "One, two, three, four, fix, six. Six!" You know how to add already!

It was really cute when I asked you 4+4 (which you also answered correctly) because you couldn't quite hold up four fingers on each hand without me helping you to hold your thumbs down, hehe.

Love,
Mom

Sunday, August 11, 2019

End-of-Summer Blues

Dear Sawyer,

Next month, you will be starting "real" school and going to pre-k! You will be in school for six hours every day, which will be a big adjustment for you . . . and me! I have cherished our quality Sawyer-Mommy time so much over these past four years. I like taking you to gym, art, music or soccer classes and just walking around the neighborhood on a nice day. I love our morning snuggles after GuhGaw and JieJie have left for school and spending our afternoons baking chocolate chip cookies and lemon blueberry cakes. I look forward to your daily nap time because we curl up in your bed, read a book together and then cuddle until you fall asleep in my arms. I also really like not being stressed out while I rush to get you ready for school in the morning and to bed on time in the evening.

At least we still have a few more weeks of summer left. I love you so much, baby bear!

Love,
Mom

Wednesday, August 7, 2019

Pre-Reader

Dear Sawyer,

Here are some cute things you have done recently:

-When I asked you what you wanted to do one morning, you replied, "Spend time wis you."

-We were playing in your room one morning when I fell asleep on your bed. When I woke up from my little cap nap, I discovered that you had outlined the lower half of my body with all of your toy cars.

-The playground in our neighborhood has a little "library"--a covered wooden box with free books you can borrow or trade for books of your own. It's a great idea and the selection of books is different every time we go to the playground. Sometimes, you actually prefer to read the books instead of running around the jungle gyms! The last time we were there, it was time for us to go home so I asked you to put the books back. Not only did you carefully put them back in so that they were all right-side-up but when you dropped one on the ground, you dusted it off before you put it back in the box. So responsible!

-You love when I make water balloons for you and want me to make as many as possible. But then you hoard them in your bucket! You never like to throw them and watch them break and splash everywhere. But other kids do so when we were at the playground the other day, little kids kept trying to run up and take your water balloons and you just sat in the middle of the sprinklers with your arms draped over the bucket, guarding your precious treasure. The only times you parted with any balloons was to give a few to your BFF Mila :-)

-Daddy was trying to hug me one night but you pushed him away and said, "No, she's mine, all mine." Your siblings were possessive of me when they were little, too, but your possessiveness has outlasted theirs . . . which I guess makes sense since you're the youngest. But it's cute. I feel so loved!

-Right before bedtime one night, I opened a new container of lotion and gave you the cute little green box it came in to play with (you and your sister love squirreling things away in bags and boxes!). It obviously meant a lot to you because at 5 in the morning, you woke up, came running into my room in the dark and cried, "Where is the green lotion box?!?"

-When you read your Elephant & Piggie books (which you love!), you often run your fingers across the speech bubbles and "read" the text that you have memorized by now. When I read to you, you often tell me to point at the words as I say them so you know what on the page says what. And when I was reading about a mountain in a book the other day, you pointed to the word mountain on the page and asked, "Is that the word mountain?" I am so impressed, little man! You are going to be reading on your own so soon!

Love,
Mom