Blogger

I don't know if anyone else using blogger is having the same issues as I was having, but I thought I'd offer some advice in case my fellow bloggers are having problems. I couldn't sign in AT ALL for five days. The "dashboard" at the top of my blog was gone and when I went to the blogger home page, it wouldn't take my username or password. I do know some other people were having the same issue and this is what worked: Completely clear out the cookies on your computer. Even if it keeps cookies from your favorite websites to keep log in information, clear them. There seems to be some "rogue" cookie from the past week that is messing things up for us blogging people and you need to clear it from your system to get blogger back to normal. Happy blogging!

The Dentist

Today Aiden had his first dentist appointment in 2 years. We had been putting it off because when we first took him when he was 3, he completely freaked out. Terrified, couldn't even get him to sit in the chair, the dentist only did a quick visual exam while Aiden was screaming in my lap, and then we left as quickly as possible. Needless to say, we hadn't been very excited to take him back. But since I'd been feeling a massive amount of guilt over him not having a dental exam in over 2 years, I made another appointment.

We talked about the appointment every day for almost a week, we read the Little Critter book "At the Dentist", we promised him ice cream if he did a really good job. He alternated between seeming excited and scared, but by the time the appointment came around this afternoon, he was totally calm. He sat well for the x-rays, he opened wide to get his teeth cleaned - although he was not a fan of the flavor they used. He told the hygienist, "Well, I think it's pretty gross." He really did quite amazing and better than some adults! Thank goodness too, because Nathan watched the whole thing in order to prepare him for his appointment next Tuesday! I don't think Nathan would be so relaxed about the idea of having an appointment if Aiden had flipped out again. We scheduled everyone for dental appointments and then un-did the whole cleaning Aiden had just had by heading to Baskin Robbins. But oh it was yummy!

One funny thing that I do have to mention is that Aiden is VERY literal. We had been reading that Little Critter book about going to the dentist, and obviously, all the characters are animals - critters, if you will. On our way to the dentist, Aiden was going over what happens in the book and asking if that would happen to him too. The answer was always yes. Then Aiden asked, "Will the dentist be a rabbit?". I really don't know how much I'd enjoy a person sized rabbit giving me my dental exam.... :^)

Um, Ok....

Sometimes Aiden says things that just make us shake our heads. Here are just a few over the past week or so:

"The smallest part of my brain is the learning part."

"When ghosts come into my house, I'm going to catch them on tape. Using tape is good because it's sticky."

And the one that made mommy look like a total idiot:

"Mommy, are protozoans considered invertebrates, or not because they're a single cell organism?"

Mommy did not have an answer.

Mommy Fail

As I've mentioned recently, and of course those of you who spend time with us know quite well, Aiden is a very special child. Interesting and sensitive. Very sensitive. I've been told this is very normal for children who are considered gifted and it's a challenge. I think I'm really understanding why there are support groups for parents of gifted children. I feel like I'm failing big time. Especially the past week or so, I've felt like I can't do anything right for him. Everything is upsetting to him, I say all the wrong things, when I try REALLY hard to be a good parent, it's just blowing up in my face.

Earlier today, he asked how babies were made. I told him that mommies and daddies make babies together. He says, "I KNOW that, but HOW do you make them together?". See, he knows the differences between men and women, he knows where babies come out, and he has a book on how our bodies work, so he's read all about the reproductive system. He just wanted me to clear up those fuzzy details. I couldn't give him the answer he wanted and he wasn't happy. I'll be honest - I didn't WANT to give him the answer he wanted. He's five. I don't feel like he's old enough to know that last detail of what has to go where in order to make a baby. Sorry Aiden!

Fast forward to this evening. Both boys were in desperate need of haircuts. They both readily agreed to them (odd for them) and sat happily while their hair was cut. Aiden was last and when he was done, he looked in the mirror. He immediately began crying and holding his hands over his forehead. He tells me that he thinks his forehead is too big, and he doesn't like the way it looks, and he wants longer hair in front to cover his too-big forehead. I had no idea!! I didn't know that five year olds got self-conscious, but then again, I don't have a normal five year old and I seem to be unable to remember that. He cried for almost an hour. I finally had to promise that we'd buy him a baseball cap tomorrow to wear until his hair grows back in front.

These are just two little incidents out of a few weeks of more and more struggles. I feel like an awful parent. A completely unprepared parent who isn't smart enough to handle her own child and what he needs. I told my sister in law this past weekend that it's like having a special needs child, but on the opposite end of the spectrum. Sometimes I get really worried about what next year in public school is going to be like for him. I'm afraid that they are going to look at it as behavioral issues. Acting out. Naughtiness/disobedience. And sometimes it's hard for me to remember that it's not the case. There's nothing WRONG with him. He's just having a hard time understanding that not everyone thinks the way he does and it upsets him. And now that we know this, everything makes sense. But figuring out how to help him lead a "normal" life is what's hard and some days I wonder why God thought I could do this.

Quitting = Less Free Time??

I was under the impression that once I quit my job, I'd have some extra time to blog and whatnot. Turns out I'm busier than I expected! I'm using all my "extra time" to catch up on the cluttered messes in my house that got pushed out of my mind due to work, and shockingly, spending time with my children.

When I quit last October, I felt a little lost and shut in. I have yet to experience that feeling again this time around. I have not missed working one bit and I'm able to focus on what I can do with the boys that day instead of how little time I have before it's time to head to work. I'm also really loving having weekends again. We bought a membership to OMSI, we've taken trips to the craft store, we've started decorating the boys room with a solar system theme (yes, the boys are helping!), and we're discovering fun movies that we like to watch over and over again (the current one is Despicable Me, which has been viewed probably 40 times since I bought it 2 weeks ago - we love it!!).

I'm enjoying feeling like my house is mine again. It no longer belongs to the junk that I didn't have the time or energy to deal with before. We're clearing things out and simplifying rooms. I finally have the mental capacity to know how I want each room to look - almost a year after moving in. The organization isn't done yet, but the process keeps getting smoother and smoother.

John keeps asking if I feel shut in and lonely yet. But I really don't. Some days I am quite ready for the boys to go to bed, but that's a normal mom feeling. I honestly feel happier and more connected to my family. I know I'll get to the point where I need some actual adult mental stimulation, but that's where school comes in this fall. For now though, I am looking forward to a free and clear summer where I can focus on family. Swim classes and science camps for the boys, watching my sister-in-law get married, and planning an early October family trip to Disneyland. Life is very good right now. And I'm sure I'll find some time to blog. :^)

Role Model

In case you hadn't figured it out yet, our Aiden is a bit of a know-it-all. And who is the one soaking up every minute of his know-it-all goodness? Nathan. Aiden will read to Nathan from just about anything, although he usually prefers educational books. The result is that Nathan is beginning to be a bit of a know-it-all himself.

This morning I found the two of them sitting on my bed, Aiden reading a book on bugs to Nathan, and Nathan sitting there with a definite look of "I adore my big brother". While I don't want to admit that Aiden might be teaching Nathan more than I am, he might just be pushing it. After a few pages of bug facts, Aiden stops and says, "You know, Nathan...I just don't know why they call this 'The Icky Bug Board Book' - it's made of paper, not boards!". And Nathan looked like Aiden had just made the most important discovery ever. Aiden has no idea how important he is to his little brother.

Graduation

Just over a week ago, we were able to attend my sister-in-law Laura's college graduation. Her fiance Kevin also graduated, so it was fun to see them graduate together. It was hard to believe that it had been a full four years since we'd seen them graduate high school - especially since that meant it had been four years since we'd found out we were pregnant with Nathan. It doesn't seem like that long ago! Remember that you can click on any photo to enlarge.

Yay Laura!!

We were so happy that we could be there with her! And if it seems like I'm smiling funny, it's because she had just hit me on the bottom with her diploma. Ah, the Minthorne shenanigans!

After the graduation, we headed back to my in-laws' house for a triple graduation party. Since John had also graduated a few weeks prior, we combined celebrations for Laura, John, and Kevin.

Congratulations Graduates!!

Here's the gorgeous cake!

We partied the evening away and after everyone had left, we sat around to relax a little. Nothing had been put away and we noticed that Nathan had gotten awfully quiet. Just a second later, he comes waltzing through the living room....ever so smoothly...swinging his arms....with frosting ALL over his face. After checking on the cake, this is what we found:

I guess he thought it was pretty yummy!

A Tiny Addition

In all our busy-ness, I completely forgot to blog about our new addition. A lot of you already know about her, but I'm sure you can handle seeing another picture of her.

Meet Izzy! One of the moms at the boys' preschool was selling a litter of kittens that her cat had just had and well, we couldn't resist. We love our little Izzy, or as I refer to her, our monkey cat. She climbs everywhere and will take running jumps to attach herself to mine or John's thigh. Luckily she only weighs about a pound, but her claws are quite sharp. Our two adult cats, Jack and Poe, have fallen in love with her and are actually getting some exercise! Izzy loves to chase them around and pounce on them. They also allow her to snuggle up to them during kitty nap time. Sometimes she'll nuzzle her face in their tummies like she's trying to nurse. It's quite adorable. They also taught her how to use the cat box! We've introduced her to Buster and have tried to give them a little bit of time together, but Buster loves her just a little too much. He's such a sweet and affectionate dog, but she's still VERY small and his doggy kisses are just a bit too much for her to take quite yet. We are hoping that she'll get adjusted to him at some point since she's very young and can get used to being around him. Our other two cats are just a little too old to really tolerate the dog very much and they mostly stay upstairs.

I've joked with many people that I'm pushing cat lady status with three cats, but we are loving having a new little kitten around.

Reaching for the Stars

We had the boys' parent/teacher conferences with their preschool teachers last week and we heard what we expected to hear.

Nathan is your typical three year old, but is also fairly attached to mommy and sometimes has trouble letting me go at the start of class. I will say that I was surprised to have his teacher tell me that he is very interested in science - it's not what I would have assumed from him. I guess he's been paying attention to his big brother. He's a very smart little kid and is right where he should be.

Aiden.....well, is Aiden. This was the second time we've been told from his teacher and from the preschool director that they believe he is gifted. I haven't discussed this too much, but basically it seems to be the reason for his anger outbursts that were confounding us all so much. I started reading The Parents' Guide to Gifted Children after the preschool director suggested it and everything is making so much sense now.

To make it as short as I can, gifted children are typically very sensitive and their emotions are heightened and much more intense. They also see things as very black and white, fair and unfair, and so on. So Aiden tends to have "triggers" of things that he believes are incorrect (a child in his class grabs something out of his hand = unfair, someone sings the wrong words to a song, even jokingly = incorrectly done, etc) and it upsets him. Because of the heightened emotions, he doesn't know how to deal with the intense anger he is feeling (over what we might consider a very minor deal) and outbursts occur. My job now as a parent is to teach him how to handle those emotions when they happen and to understand that people sometimes make mistakes or change things around and it's not the end of the world. The book is fantastic and has lots of tools for me to use to begin this process, but it's going to be a very long and drawn out thing. Basically until he's out of the house, I'm going to have to constantly work with him on how to appropriately handle normal society and, excuse my rudeness, some of the idiots that live in it. My five year just does not tolerate fools very well. :^)

Aiden is not yet into kindergarten, but has an estimated reading and comprehension level of between 3rd and 5th grade. I am unable to get enough upper elementary level science books for him to keep him properly occupied. His interests soar with an absolute fever pitch and he can't seem to get enough information. He knows more about the solar system than I ever learned. He can describe the different development levels of slime mold in under three minutes. I am constantly in awe of my child every single day. I also have a significant level of fear for him every day. Am I capable of handling a child with his intellectual needs? Is our public school system capable? What huge challenges are we going to face this next school year? I am scared out of my mind.

After it got dark this evening, we took the boys out into the yard with the telescope. Aiden has been absorbing every tidbit of information about the solar system that he can his hands on and has been begging for the telescope to be brought out. We found some little stars and then finally, found Saturn. We told Aiden to take a look and as he did, he shouted, "I can see the rings!! I really see them!". He then jumped around the front yard, dancing, with the biggest smile I've ever seen on his face. The amount of joy he got just from being able to see the rings of a planet he's been studying for weeks was a moment I won't soon forget.