Todd sometimes gets into a wee bit of trouble at school, for talking. He'll occasionally get "talking tickets" for talking in class when he's not supposed to, but other than a bit of rambunctiousness that's natural for boys his age, he's been pretty well-behaved at school.
Well, today, when Daddy went to pick him up right after school for karate, his teacher had to tell him about an incident at school today.
Todd was sitting (eating?) with one of his classmates, D, when a 1st-grade boy, G, came up and joined them. As grade-school boys are prone to do, the conversation quickly turned to the direction of "potty humor". One of the first things out of D's mouth? Telling G that "your mom walks around the house naked". This devolved into the 3 boys coming up with other statements having to do with the word "naked". Three boys enjoying a bit of crass humor.
Evidently, when G got home, he relayed the "mom walks around naked" statement to his parents. His dad got mad, and talked to Todd and D's teacher about it.
Obviously, there are two sides to every story, but from what Todd told us, it didn't sound like he and D were actually making fun of G, all three were partaking of toilet humor, and it's likely that G's dad simply blew it out of proportion because he didn't want his little boy talking about people being "naked".
We warned Todd to think about the things he says and gauge them against 1) would he like it if someone said that to him? and 2) would it upset their parents if they told them about it?
Prime time for the "WWJD?" lesson we've been learning with the book I've been reading him at night!
Showing posts with label Shenanigans. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Shenanigans. Show all posts
Pitting One Parent against Another
Almost 8:00pm, time for Todd to do some reading before bed. He asked Daddy if he could join him on Daddy's bed, but as Daddy was getting ready to rest, he declined. So what did Todd do?
Come out into the living room and ask Mommy: "Can I read on the bed with Daddy?"
Since I hadn't heard the previous conversation with Daddy, I absentmindedly responded "Sure" before catching myself and hastily adding: "Only IF it's okay with Daddy!"
Tricky little boy! Already learning to try to use one parent to override the directives of the other!
Come out into the living room and ask Mommy: "Can I read on the bed with Daddy?"
Since I hadn't heard the previous conversation with Daddy, I absentmindedly responded "Sure" before catching myself and hastily adding: "Only IF it's okay with Daddy!"
Tricky little boy! Already learning to try to use one parent to override the directives of the other!
The head-bashing continues
That doesn't surprise you, does it? Ample evidence has been blogged to prove it.
Today Todd decided to ram Mommy's po-po with a full running start. Except she was standing with her side to him instead of her back. And his head is at perfect level with her hip. You can imagine what happened next.
With a powerful "THUD" Todd's forehead connected with my hipbone. We both reeled back in pain, but mine was overcome at the rare sight of Todd clutching his head (that steel-hard thing NEVER gets hurt!) He, too, was more amused than hurt, for he exclaimed:
"I didn't know there was a bone there! I thought it was the squishy part!"
Needless to say, he learned his lesson and made sure to aim more carefully the next time he decided to headbutt any of my "squishy" body parts!
Today Todd decided to ram Mommy's po-po with a full running start. Except she was standing with her side to him instead of her back. And his head is at perfect level with her hip. You can imagine what happened next.
With a powerful "THUD" Todd's forehead connected with my hipbone. We both reeled back in pain, but mine was overcome at the rare sight of Todd clutching his head (that steel-hard thing NEVER gets hurt!) He, too, was more amused than hurt, for he exclaimed:
"I didn't know there was a bone there! I thought it was the squishy part!"
Needless to say, he learned his lesson and made sure to aim more carefully the next time he decided to headbutt any of my "squishy" body parts!
The Adventures of Soapy Wee-wee Boy
Several weeks ago, while I was showering Todd and he observed himself covered in soapy suds, he declared: "I'm Soapy Wee-wee Boy!!"
Which I found amusing, but not significant enough to blog. Well, that changed last night. I was again showering him when he decided:
"I'm going to squeeze my wee-wee."
I had barely opened my mouth to explain why this wasn't a good idea, and that it might hurt, when he grabbed his wee-wee, squeezed it hard, and then exclaimed: "OWWWWWWW!!!!"
You would think it would stop there, but no. Remember, this is the same kid who likes bashing his head into things like stuffed animals and people's hands.
So what do you suppose he did? That's right... he grabbed it and squeezed it AGAIN. And again he cried out "OWWWWWW!!!!"
Sigh... this is why my Facebook status currently reads "Helly's little boy is speshul"!
Which I found amusing, but not significant enough to blog. Well, that changed last night. I was again showering him when he decided:
"I'm going to squeeze my wee-wee."
I had barely opened my mouth to explain why this wasn't a good idea, and that it might hurt, when he grabbed his wee-wee, squeezed it hard, and then exclaimed: "OWWWWWWW!!!!"
You would think it would stop there, but no. Remember, this is the same kid who likes bashing his head into things like stuffed animals and people's hands.
So what do you suppose he did? That's right... he grabbed it and squeezed it AGAIN. And again he cried out "OWWWWWW!!!!"
Sigh... this is why my Facebook status currently reads "Helly's little boy is speshul"!
Tenaciously fickle
Todd's been rusty at writing his ABCs, so earlier this week, Oma set him to the task of practicing writing them again. She gave him some leads to follow. But when she wrote out a capital "C", she put a little vertical line on the top of the curve.
Todd immediately took offense to that. When she told him that one should draw the line when making a capital C, he shrieked, very insistently, "NO, YOU DON'T!!!"
Fast forward to today, when I spoke with him on the phone. What do you suppose he told me?
"I'm writing letters today. On the top of the 'C' there is a line!"
Naturally, I tried to reassure him: "Oh, you don't have to write it"
Oh, but Toddy would have none of that, for the next thing I knew, I got a very loud and insistent earful: "YES, YOU DO!!!!"
Boy, when he sticks to something, he sure sticks tenaciously! Now... make up your mind, kid :-P
Todd immediately took offense to that. When she told him that one should draw the line when making a capital C, he shrieked, very insistently, "NO, YOU DON'T!!!"
Fast forward to today, when I spoke with him on the phone. What do you suppose he told me?
"I'm writing letters today. On the top of the 'C' there is a line!"
Naturally, I tried to reassure him: "Oh, you don't have to write it"
Oh, but Toddy would have none of that, for the next thing I knew, I got a very loud and insistent earful: "YES, YOU DO!!!!"
Boy, when he sticks to something, he sure sticks tenaciously! Now... make up your mind, kid :-P
Stop Hitting Yourself...
Do you remember when you were a kid, and you'd grab your, say, brother's hand and smack him in the face with it, repeating: "Stop hitting yourself!" and laughing at his consternation? Well, Todd adds a new twist to it. Observe... Todd and Daddy's hand:
Oh, and if that wasn't silly enough, Todd figures he can do the job just as easily and efficiently all by himself:
So if Child Services ever gets called on us, this is our evidence that he really did "do this to himself", honest!!
Oh, and if that wasn't silly enough, Todd figures he can do the job just as easily and efficiently all by himself:
So if Child Services ever gets called on us, this is our evidence that he really did "do this to himself", honest!!
Tickling is not helping!
When Todd found himself in a bit of a pickle when he tried to crawl head-first off the futon, he clamored for help. As you can see, Daddy decided to have some fun instead. Todd's response was very apt! :-)
Roundness
About a year or two ago, Todd did what most kids do-- fed the VCR (or in this case, Daddy's CD changer) stuff that it's not supposed to "eat". Luckily nothing liquid-- just lots of coins and plastic poker chips. Funny how the CD changer hasn't worked since :-P
Anyway, today Daddy took it apart and cleaned out all the errant stuff Todd had inserted over the years. Todd, of course, happily played with the coins and poker chips. When he started taking to throwing them around the house, however, Mommy and Daddy sternly admonished him to stop. Daddy even pointed out: "it's not a ball, so it's not for throwing!"
Todd picked up his scattered coins, examined them, and then declared: "But it's round!"
Anyway, today Daddy took it apart and cleaned out all the errant stuff Todd had inserted over the years. Todd, of course, happily played with the coins and poker chips. When he started taking to throwing them around the house, however, Mommy and Daddy sternly admonished him to stop. Daddy even pointed out: "it's not a ball, so it's not for throwing!"
Todd picked up his scattered coins, examined them, and then declared: "But it's round!"
Grass cutting, simplified
Todd loves mowing the lawn. He loves playing outdoors. So when he couldn't get the mower out of the shed because Opa was at work, he decided to cut the grass using an alternative method: scissors! Here he is, hard at work:
A new friend
A couple of my parents' friends who live nearby stopped by the house to offer their condolences on Ama's passing. While my dad was talking to his friend, Todd ventured a bit out of his shell and started playing with him. My dad promptly dubbed the friend "Opa An" (as An is part of his name). Todd started by simply nodding and pointing and basically interacting mutely with him, then gradually developed more confidence and started talking with him. When I whisked him away for a shower, he kept clamoring to go back into the living room to play with Opa An! And by evening's end, he was playing with Opa An just as rambunctiously as he was with Opa-- shrieks of laughter, tickling, teasing.
It was so refreshing to see Todd take to someone new so rapidly and so comfortably!
It was so refreshing to see Todd take to someone new so rapidly and so comfortably!
Creative thinking
One morning a couple weeks ago, Todd discovered bugs on the ceiling-- large dragonflies resting there. Since we maintained that the apex of the ceiling (at 14 feet) was too high to reach, Todd put his thinking cap on and then proceeded to find a broom and attempt to scrape them off. But the broom wouldn't reach! So he dragged a chair from the kitchen and climbed on it. Here are the fruits of his labor:
Todd also loves to express his creativity in other, more artsy ways. You know-- the usually crayon/marker/pen/pencil on paper endeavor. But sometimes it's not just limited to paper. Observe the hallowed walls of my parents' house. Not a single room has escaped Todd's touch, and these pics are but small examples of his, um, work. The clock on top, and socket outlet on the bottom, should give you some idea of just how widely these scribbles span (almost the entire wall!):
And this is a drawing of a person: note the large face, and arms and legs protruding out in the right places:
Todd also loves to express his creativity in other, more artsy ways. You know-- the usually crayon/marker/pen/pencil on paper endeavor. But sometimes it's not just limited to paper. Observe the hallowed walls of my parents' house. Not a single room has escaped Todd's touch, and these pics are but small examples of his, um, work. The clock on top, and socket outlet on the bottom, should give you some idea of just how widely these scribbles span (almost the entire wall!):
And this is a drawing of a person: note the large face, and arms and legs protruding out in the right places:
Funny Faces
Here's Todd making a variety of funny faces at Mommy's behest. At the end (cut off), he scrambles up and says "I want to see it!"
Labor Day weekend
Santa Barbara provided a nice respite from the record-breaking heatwave hitting LA, especially the Valley! While my parents roasted at 107 degrees, Todd and I enjoyed a breezy, sunny 78 degrees in SB. Saturday was chore and errand day-- shopping, washing Daddy's car, and cleaning out the back patio. In the middle of it, we bought lunch and delivered it to Daddy, who was studying on campus, because all the eateries there were closed due to the holiday weekend. We enjoyed a little picnic, explored the library a bit, and then finished our chores.
Next day, Mommy and Todd left after lunch (which we enjoyed on the clean back patio) so Daddy could have some quiet time to study for his upcoming interview. We stopped by Wal-Mart on the way home, and made a field day of it. After picking up the items Mommy was shopping for, we spent a long time sauntering through the toy aisle, looking at and playing with the numerous toys. Here's Todd sitting in a kiddie chair:
Afterward, we stopped by the McDonald's inside Wal-Mart and enjoyed an ice cream sundae snack together. Nothing's quite as fun as sitting across from my little man and watching him enjoy his cup of ice cream with a chocolate-smeared face and huge grin!
Next day was a lazy indoor day, staying in the air conditioned house, away from the oven outdoors. But that didn't stop Todd from helping Opa fix the front gate, and grabbing the lawnmower out of the shed and having a try at mowing the lawn all by himself! Here are the fruits of his labor:
Next day, Mommy and Todd left after lunch (which we enjoyed on the clean back patio) so Daddy could have some quiet time to study for his upcoming interview. We stopped by Wal-Mart on the way home, and made a field day of it. After picking up the items Mommy was shopping for, we spent a long time sauntering through the toy aisle, looking at and playing with the numerous toys. Here's Todd sitting in a kiddie chair:
Afterward, we stopped by the McDonald's inside Wal-Mart and enjoyed an ice cream sundae snack together. Nothing's quite as fun as sitting across from my little man and watching him enjoy his cup of ice cream with a chocolate-smeared face and huge grin!
Next day was a lazy indoor day, staying in the air conditioned house, away from the oven outdoors. But that didn't stop Todd from helping Opa fix the front gate, and grabbing the lawnmower out of the shed and having a try at mowing the lawn all by himself! Here are the fruits of his labor:
Early morning
*yaawwnnn* Mommy was up way too early this morning!
I woke up a little before 7:00am, sleepily shuffled to the bathroom, and then back to the bedroom for another hour of sleep. I was jolted awake by the realization that Todd's crib was empty! In my sleepy haze, I wondered who had taken him out, and then realized that he'd awakened, rolled over, saw the empty bed, and got up and out of the crib by himself (as the gate was lowered and the crib butted up against the bed). I turned around and there was my brightly smiling little man running down the hallway, turtle and pillow in tow. Yeah... neither of us was gonna get more sleep after that. So we cuddled for a bit before heading to the kitchen for breakfast.
Reminds me of another cuddle episode earlier this week, during which I had to go to the bathroom, so I remarked: "Mommy has to go pee-pee. Do you have to go?"
His reply? "No.... Don't make pee-pee in your pajama pants!"
An admonishment which he's not only heard time and again from the grownups, but which he's started dishing out to us.... isn't that right, Daddy? :-D
I woke up a little before 7:00am, sleepily shuffled to the bathroom, and then back to the bedroom for another hour of sleep. I was jolted awake by the realization that Todd's crib was empty! In my sleepy haze, I wondered who had taken him out, and then realized that he'd awakened, rolled over, saw the empty bed, and got up and out of the crib by himself (as the gate was lowered and the crib butted up against the bed). I turned around and there was my brightly smiling little man running down the hallway, turtle and pillow in tow. Yeah... neither of us was gonna get more sleep after that. So we cuddled for a bit before heading to the kitchen for breakfast.
Reminds me of another cuddle episode earlier this week, during which I had to go to the bathroom, so I remarked: "Mommy has to go pee-pee. Do you have to go?"
His reply? "No.... Don't make pee-pee in your pajama pants!"
An admonishment which he's not only heard time and again from the grownups, but which he's started dishing out to us.... isn't that right, Daddy? :-D
Boys will be boys!
Like all boys do, Todd was having a grand ol' time running around the house, swinging his noodle (the foam one for swimming) around and generally causing havoc. Oma warned him to stay out of the kitchen, as it was full of breakable things and other items that could hurt him! She then went into the sunroom to clean up a bit, and was startled by a terrific CRASH and the sight of Todd holding his chin and crying when she came running in. Broken shards lay scattered on the floor about him. Turns out he'd disobeyed Oma and poked his noodle at the kitchen lights, sending one of the panes crashing to the ground, and cutting him in the process-- he's now graced with a cut running from the bottom of his lower lip, diagonally across his chin. Typical boy!
Open/close the door!
Oma was bathing Ama-ama, who indignantly insisted that Todd close the bathroom door. Feeling contrary, Todd instead opened it wide. So, Oma decided to try a bit of reverse psychology. In her sternest voice, she commanded him: "Open the door!"
What do you think happened?
That's right-- Todd immediately shut the door! Mission accomplished! :-D
What do you think happened?
That's right-- Todd immediately shut the door! Mission accomplished! :-D
Tinkering with Toys
Todd had gotten a hold of Opa's screwdriver and was tinkering around with his spinning toy (the one where you sit on it and spin yourself around by rotating the wheel in the middle). It's not unusual for Todd to take his screwdriver to his toys and pretend he's fixing them, so nobody thought anything of it. Next thing I knew, a very surprised Opa sauntered into the kitchen from the bathroom, wondering what had happened on his way in through the living room. The toy lay in pieces-- Todd had managed to successfully remove all the screws in it-- all by himself! Handy little boy!
Getting dressed
Today, Oma had to run to the pharmacy super-quick to pick up a prescription. She left a naked baby at home with Ama. When she returned, the little man was fully dressed! According to Ama-ama, he climbed up onto a chair and picked out his clothes: underwear, pants and shirt. He even managed to put on the underwear and pants by himself, and asked Ama-ama to help him put on the shirt!
Broken Glass
The above picture was taken this past Saturday, and shows the glass sliding door connecting the dining room to the sunroom/backyard. No, your eyes aren't fooling you-- the glass is completely shattered.
Todd was being exceptionally naughty on Saturday morning, so Oma put him outside and shut the sliding door. In frustration, the little man picked up a small magnetic bead and threw it at the glass door. This thing was smaller than a pea, so you wouldn't think something that small could cause that much damage, but apparently the force of it was enough to break the glass. Especially since it was a lot of energy all concentrated on a small surface area. The bead sailed through the glass (if you click on the photo to view it in full size, you can see the hole where it all starts) and caused a ripple effect, cracking the entire pane.
Luckily the door is double-paned, and it was just the outside pane that Todd broke. A few days later it finally all came tumbling to the floor, and my Dad spent the evening picking out the remaining attached glass shards, and sweeping and vacuuming all the tiny pieces up.
What an expensive way to learn a lesson about throwing things, especially at glass windows/doors!
Woe is me!
This video captures a sampling of what Todd looks/sounds like when he's in the throes of a "woe is me!" outburst, quite obviously in a ploy for sympathy. I mean, who could resist those pitiful, heart wrenching wails? :-P
Of course, it should come as no surprise that as soon as he's sufficiently distracted, the tears instantly subside. I sat at my desk to upload this video, and he moved from the sofa to me, burying his head in my lap and continuing his crying. As soon as I uploaded the video and started playing it on my computer, he lifted his head, tears all but gone, and watched quietly, intently... and amusedly :-)
Of course, it should come as no surprise that as soon as he's sufficiently distracted, the tears instantly subside. I sat at my desk to upload this video, and he moved from the sofa to me, burying his head in my lap and continuing his crying. As soon as I uploaded the video and started playing it on my computer, he lifted his head, tears all but gone, and watched quietly, intently... and amusedly :-)
