Hug It Out

Dear Sawyer,

This morning, you were fed, brushed, dressed and ready for school with more than 10 minutes to spare, so while most school days are me barking at you, "Get your water bottle! Go downstairs! Put on your shoooooooes!!!", I had time today to stop and hug you before you left. Like, really hug you and not just a perfunctory embrace before pushing you toward the door. You hugged me for two seconds and when you realized I wasn't letting go, you immediately wrapped your arms around me again and looked up at me with such love in your eyes. Your eyes were so big, your smile was so sweet and your face looked so happy. Thank you for loving my hugs and thank you for loving me. I wish we had more time to hug like we did this morning. One of my resolutions is to remember to pause often and just take it all in. The laundry hampers might be full, the furniture may be covered in dust and the dinner has to be made but tiny moments like a prolonged hug in the hallway are what really matter.

Here's to more hugging in 2024!

Love,

Mom

Surprise Plant

Dear Sawyer,

You and your older siblings have your own bathroom and I don't go in there often because you guys are responsible for keeping it clean. But clearly, I need to start checking it more frequently because I glanced in there today and noticed a small weed growing out of the sink drain. Um, what? Last week, you did mention to me that there was "a plant in the bathroom" and I had no idea what you were talking about but I was in the midst of dinner/laundry/homework craziness so I didn't follow up. Now I see what you were talking about. I don't know what you guys have been doing (other than obviously NOT cleaning the sink) but all of the bacteria, mold and gunk in your sink drain have somehow sprouted plant life??? I am perplexed!

Love,

Mom

Laugh Track

Dear Sawyer,

Ever since you were a tiny little Sawyer, there is one thing that completely cracks you up like nothing else: watching someone accidentally bump into a wall. When you were 3 or 4 years old, we saw a commercial where an elevator door opens up but there is a wall inside the elevator so this unsuspecting guy walks into the elevator, only to crash into the wall (I have absolutely no idea what the commercial was for). You laughed SO HARD. And your laugh is so cute that I replayed the commercial over and over just to hear it. I think I replayed the commercial about a dozen times and each time, you released a fit of giggles! And to this day, you laugh uncontrollably when you see someone walk straight into a wall. MuiMui was trying keep up with me the other day and wasn't paying attention to her surroundings, so she walked into the dining room wall and you LOST it! (MuiMui was okay, so it's fine that you were laughing. Kind of.)

There is only one other thing that has made you laugh harder than when someone crashed into a wall. One time, I told you this joke: "A bear and a rabbit are standing next to each other in the woods. The bear turns to the rabbit and asks, 'Do you have a problem with poop sticking to your fur?' The rabbit answers, 'No, I don't.' So the bear picks the rabbit up and uses him to wipe his butt." The second you understood that the bear used the rabbit for toilet paper, you giggled like crazy! You giggled so hard, you walked over to your bed and fell onto it in a fit of giggles. You got up, still laughing, and even slapped your leg a few times in your merriment. And everyone in our family started laughing, too, because your giggles were so infectious! Oh Sawyer, I hope your laugh never changes!

Love,

Mom

Museum Day

Dear Sawyer,

Today, I was lucky enough to be a parent chaperone for your class trip to The Metropolitan Museum of Art. I was excited that your teacher picked me because a) it was the first time I got to chaperone one of your class trips and b) it was your first time going to The Met and I was glad to be there with you.

You and I have gone to the American Museum of Natural History many times because, duh, dinosaurs but I never took you to The Met because I didn't think you'd be interested in the art. I was waiting for you to be a little older but I shouldn't have because you really enjoyed seeing all of the different sculptures and paintings today. Your class split into several groups and the tour guide for our group took us on a kind of "greatest hits" tour of the museum where we saw works by Monet, Degas, Renoir, Picasso, Pollack and Twombly. You listened intently to what she said about each piece we stopped to look at and said Monet's "Water Lilies" was your favorite artwork.

My favorite? How happy you looked when we sat next to each other on the bus rides to and from the museum. The other chaperones' kids sat with their friends but you said you wanted to sit next to me. And during the rides, you smiled up at me and hugged me several times. I could tell that you were really happy that I was there with you and I was touched that you are not "too cool" to hug your mom in front of your classmates. I had so much fun with you today, sweetie, and promise to take you back to The Met again soon!

Love,

Mom

In Da Club

Dear Sawyer,

Every Friday, JieJie has a Fitness class where she and her classmates go to the school weight room and exercise. She was telling us about it at dinner last night and that prompted a conversation about how Daddy and I used to work out at a gym before we had kids. You and I had this exchange:

Me: I used to go to the gym every day from Sunday to Thursday. Then on Fridays and Saturdays, I went clubbing with my friends.

You: The chess club?

Me: Um, yes, exactly.

You: Nice! I got it on the first guess!

Hehehe :-)

Love,

Mom

An Awesome Day for an Awesome Guy

Dear Sawyer,

We had a busy day today! First, we went to Chinatown and had a delicious dim sum meal with PoiPoi and my aunt and uncle. You had all of your favorites (sticky rice, shrimp dumplings, egg tarts) and also got to try bacon-wrapped shrimp for the first time. Afterward, we went to Chinatown Ice Cream Factory where you had a big scoop of mango ice cream. You have been really fascinated by 9/11 since watching a video about it in school this year, so we drove to the Financial District so that you could see the Freedom Tower and 9/11 Memorial. After that, I decided we needed to end the day on a more positive note, so we headed to Battery Park where we took a ride on the really cool SeaGlass Carousel (you initially had no interest in it until you saw that the seats were designed like giant fish and not just the standard merry-go-round horses) and walked along the water to take in views of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. With all that walking, we were soon hungry so we went back to Queens and had dinner at Taqueria Coatzingo, where you wolfed down your chicken quesadilla. At the end of the night, when I was helping you brush your teeth, you hugged me and said, "Thank you for making today awesome." You're welcome, little man!

Love,

Mom

Biker Boy

Dear Sawyer,

We don't get as much quality Mama-Sawyer time as I'd like but we did have a nice chunk of it this past Saturday when our family went to Rockaway Beach. Daddy took the other kids to the playground while you and I hopped on our bikes and rode down the boardwalk. It was so many of my favorite "b" things: biking, beach and my baby bear! I know you would have preferred to go to the playground (why does no one else in the family like biking and hiking like I do??) but you also still crave alone time with me, so you said you would do half biking/half playground. Thank your for spending the first half of the day with me! We rode to the western end of the boardwalk before turning around and then parked our bikes on the beach and walked across a jetty. You were a little scared to walk on top of the rocks but you did enjoy looking down between them to see the water and shells. I love how much you love collecting shells!

After we climbed down from the jetty, we got some arepas, empanadas and paletas before meeting up with the rest of the family. When everyone was finished eating, we headed back to the playground where Daddy decided to lift up the training wheels on your bike. You didn't want him to do it but he told you to just try it for a little bit and so you nervously pushed off and THEN YOU DID IT!!! You rode your bike without training wheels!!! I was so proud of you and you looked so proud of you! I loved how you were grinning and sticking the tip of your tongue out of the corner of your mouth while you were concentrating on, I guess, not falling? You were amazing!!! YAY!!!

Love,

Mom