Cutie Mommy

Dear Sawyer,

More cuteness!

-When you were eating your after-school snack yesterday, you suddenly remembered something you learned at school and said, "Mrs. K said tomorrow on the calendar, some person is going to take a ship from one place to another place. Tomorrow. The day after this day." I was totally confused and asked you who is going on the ship. You replied, "Someone I don't know." Um, okay. It took me a minute but I eventually figured out that you were referring to Christopher Columbus!

-I was cooking dinner while listening to music on my iPad last night and you were hanging out in the kitchen with me. When I turned around to look at you at one point, you had opened the cabinet where the baking sheets are and put the step stool in front of it. You were sitting on the step stool, moving your fingers across the baking sheets as if you were playing a piano, swaying your head back and forth and opening your mouth as if you were singing. So cute!

-You are still super into dinosaurs and quote the LeapStart dinosaur book I got you all of the time. Allosaurus is your favorite dino and you always tell me it is "the deadliest dinosaur of the Jurassic period!" You have several miniature plastic dinosaurs and you have been carrying them all over the house in your PJ Masks lunchbox. You and I had time to play before school yesterday so we were playing with the dinosaurs and you looked like you were having so much fun. When it was time to leave for school, you gave me the sweetest smile and told Daddy, "I love Mommy the most."

-You were going to bed and I said, "Good night, Cutie Pie." You replied, "Good night, Cutie Mommy."

Love,
Mom

Future Roommate

Dear Sawyer,

Funny things you said recently:

"Drop-off [at school] is sad but pick-up is happy!"

Daddy: You look so handsome.
You: Yeah.

You were upstairs by yourself when you came downstairs and asked me, "Can you be near me?"

You sang this to me while I was cooking dinner last night: "I want to hug my mommy! I want to hug my mommy! Because I l-o-o-o-o-ove her."

Me (waking you up for school): Good morning, Baby Bear!
You (drowsily): G'morning.
Me: Hi!
You (still drowsily): Hi. I'm going to tell you a joke now, okay?
Me: Oh, okay.
You (fully awake now): Why did the train say "choo-choo"? Because it was going on a delicate track! Haha! You get it?
Me (thinking): Not in the slightest.

You: When I'm a grown-up, I'm going to live with Mila.
Daddy: You might have to ask her first.
You: I don't have to ask her. She loves me.

Love,
Mom

Calling the Shots

Dear Sawyer,

You still handle shots like. A. BOSS. You, JieJie and GuhGaw all had to go to the pediatrician yesterday for your annual flu shots and despite being the youngest, you were by far the bravest. While we were waiting for the doctor, GuhGaw and JieJie were already whimpering about how they didn't want any shots and you kept saying, "I got shots before and they didn't even hurt." You even told the nurse, "I'm tough. I have big muscles." (The nurse was so smitten by your cuteness during the entire appointment that at the end of it, she told us to call her anytime we needed someone to babysit you, haha!)

When the shots were ready, you were fine with going first and sat calmly on the exam table. The doctor asked if you wanted to look away and you said no. In fact, you looked right at the shot as the doctor injected it into your arm and didn't flinch or make a single sound. Boom. Done.

Your braveness emboldened JieJie and she told the doctor that she wanted to go second. JieJie was still a little nervous and asked me to hold hand but she also looked right at the shot as it went in and was fine, especially when the doctor gave her a sparkly silver Band-Aid.

GuhGaw . . . he was another story. He had to be held down against the exam table by Daddy and he kept trying to get away while screaming, "Wait!! I'm not ready! I'm not ready!" When he was finally done, you told the nurse matter-of-factly, "GuhGaw whines a lot."

But anyway, you are awesome--and famous at the pediatrician's office! When we were leaving, a completely different nurse saw you and said, "Are you the strong guy who does so well with shots?" So impressive!

Love,
Mom

Bathroom Etiquette

Dear Sawyer,

You impressed me with how thoughtful you are within minutes of you waking up this morning. When you went to use the bathroom, you saw a Q-tip that had fallen next to the trash can and immediately bent down to pick it up and throw it away. There are actually errant Q-tips that have missed the trash can more often than not in the bathroom (they often bounce off the side when Daddy or I toss them from across the bathroom) and you told me, "When I see a Q-tip on the floor, I always pick it up and throw it away so it doesn't hurt the earth." (I have taught you that littering and throwing garbage on the ground harms the planet.)

Then, while you were peeing into the toilet, you told me that when you pee in the middle of the night, you always aim for the "white side of the toilet" instead of the toilet water at the bottom of the bowl so that you don't make any noise and wake everyone up.

Being thoughtful in the most unexpected ways--I love it! And I love you so much!

Love,
Mom

Happy Pick-Up

Dear Sawyer,

Daddy usually picks you up from school every day but I was there today and you looked SO happy when you saw me! When you saw me through the door while you were walking down the stairs, your face immediately lit up and you started waving at me. Then when your teacher dismissed you, you ran toward me, shrieked with excitement and jumped into my arms. Best. Greeting. EVER!

Love,
Mom

Missing Mommy

Dear Sawyer,

Two super sweet things and one sweetly sad thing you did recently:

-When we were eating dinner a few nights ago, I suddenly felt a sharp kick in my stomach. I was fine but you ran around the table, hugged me and said, "I hug you to make you feel better so that the kick doesn't hurt you."

-You came into my room yesterday morning while I was still in bed. You put your hand on my bare shoulder and it felt cold to you, so you immediately pulled my sheet up to cover my shoulder and told me, "I cover you so you're not cold anymore."

-You were playing in the attic by yourself this afternoon when you suddenly came downstairs sobbing. Our housekeeper saw you and asked you what was wrong and you replied, "I miss Mommy." When you found me in the kitchen, you ran into my arms and asked, "Can you play with me?"

Love,
Mom

New Girl

Dear Sawyer,

Today was your fourth day of pre-k and you have already made a new best friend! We had this conversation after you came home:

You: Charlotte P. is my favorite pre-k best friend. There is another Charlotte, Charlotte B., but I like Charlotte P.
Me: Why do you like Charlotte P.?
You: I like her because she looks beautiful.
Me: What does she look like?
You: She has dark hair and gray eyes [gray?] and she's taller than me because she eats more food.
Me: Is she nice? Is she a good listener?
You: Yeah, she's nice and every time I look at her, she is listening.
Me: Did you talk to her today?
You: Yeah. I told her that she is my best pre-k friend.
Me: What did she say?
You: She said I am her best pre-k friend, too. She said it back to me.
Me: Did you guys sit together today?
You: No. Only one time. But tomorrow I'm going to sit be next to her all the time.

I am so happy you already have a buddy! And I hope Mila won't be too upset . . .

Love,
Mom