It Has Come To Be...

...Xander has learned the art of the awkward smile.

Xander likes to use his finger to find his way through mazes. He also likes to hide the eggs in weird places in the refrigerater....

:)

Summer is Fun!!

Took Xander to the water park on Thursday.

We tried the water slide again, with me going down with Xander this time. He still didn't like it enough to go twice. I think the splash was to big at the end.

Check out the pics in photobucket:)

Projecting....

The aftermath of what happened at Xander's previous daycare center has effected not only Xander, but myself as well. A few weeks after pulling him from his previous daycare, where he had been going since he was 1.5 years old, I realized that I was going to have to choose another daycare or something equivalent soon. I was nervous for him-I wasn't sure if he would adjust well, I was afraid he would be forever afraid of any schooling situation.

Initially I looked into nanny services. I felt like Xander would do much better with one on one care and also it would work out better since my schedule isn't always 9-5. Unfortunately having a nanny isn't an affordable option at this point. Consequently I checked into daycare centers in the area and made some appointments. Ultimately deciding on a center in Ann Arbor.

Leaving your child with anyone is always a little unsettling, especially when they are basically strangers. Xander wasn't super excited about going and during the first few visits was especially clingy with myself or Tony. He's old enough now that he talks about his day more and speaks of specific teachers. While I know he would rather be home with Mommy or Daddy, he seems to be adjusting slowly but surely.

There was a moment when I decided I was going to take him out again, based on nothing but over protectiveness and my own scars from his past daycare experience and my distaste for public schools. Tony had a moment of clarity and pointed out to me that we had no reason to suspect any wrong doings at this new place and to give Xander a little more time to adjust. He also made the point that Xander isn't going to get use to a school environment with class room structure if he isn't exposed to it.

Fair enough.

I pick him up from daycare Monday and what do I find? A little boy with lots of mosquito bites and slightly soiled underpants that are on backwards. Turns out they don't treat the play ground, which is near a marshy area, for mosquitos. I also found out that Xander has been giving them a hard time about helping him when it's potty time.

So I communicated and hopefully neither of those things will happen again.

Notice I said I "communicated". I didn't overreact and leave to never return. Yeah....that was difficult to do to tell you the truth.

None of those things comes close to being as awful as finding out that your 4 year old child was physically attacked by another 4 year old child that obviously has emotional issues only to be told that your child is " a passive child and needs to learn how to deal with these kinds of things because when he goes to public school there's going to be more of the same."

Brilliant, right?

Despite the itchies and backwards undies Xander seems to be adjusting and starting to have a good time at his new daycare. Maybe he's realizing that you can't always be in control of everything and so long as you communicate and don't loose your patience situations that you may initially be leery of can become valuable and wonderful experiences.

Or that may be me projecting a thoroughly adult thought process onto a 4 year old.

Either way, Xander's happy.....and above are some big huggy pictures, that Xander took,to prove it.

"...to big for the big slide."

This past Saturday Xander and I went to the Rolling Hills water park. My point and shoot is broken so I didn't get any pics.

Rachel and I took him last year but he was still afraid of everything but the little sprays of water that shoot out of the ground in the kiddie pool area.

This trip he loved everything but the big slide. He loved having his own tube in the lazy river, insisted that I take him repeatedly into the wave pool despite my initial nausea and ran gleefully around the sand pit even though I'm sure his feet had to be burning up.

His fear of the big slide, I hate to say, is not an innate fear. He was eager to try it out and I wasn't aware that you had to go down one at a time until we reached the top of the line. I was going to forgo the whole thing when a nice lady that was ahead of us suggested that she let her husband and daughter go first, then I could slide down so I could catch Xander, then she would stay with Xander in case he got cold feet and would walk him back down if that happened.

I thought that sounded like a good plan, so down went the nice ladies husband, down went the nice ladies daughter, down went the bad decision making Erica.

We're all waiting at the bottom of the slide. The nice ladies husband, daughter and me....waiting to see my little turkey come down the slide. Waiting.....Waiting.....

Then we see the nice lady (whose name was Maria, by the way) with Xander in her lap coming down the slide smiling away.

I thought the life guard said only one at a time?

He did, but at the moment I was less concerned with that.

So, here they come sliding down the big slide. The nice lady and Xander. Then they get stuck right at the end. She lets Xander go so that I can catch him and about 3 feet before he gets to the end I see a man come zooming down the slide. He plows into the nice lady who then plows into Xander and all 3 of them crash past me and plunk under the water.

And that is why Xander does not like the big slide.

He took a needed break and cuddle after that, then was up and ready to go back in the wave pool and lazy river all the while reminding me that he was "to big for the big slide". Which translates to " to small for the big slide".

:)

Things....

I've been thinking about starting my own blog and dedicating this one for Xander related updates only. I think separating myself from things Xander is up to will make it easier for me to keep things updated. And keeping things updated and myself organized is something that needs to be done now...right now.

So, what is Xander up to you ask? Lot's of stuff!!

I found him a new daycare in Ann Arbor. It's a bigger place with more kids of different ages. He seems to tolerate it,and I've noticed he's becoming interested in other things besides cars and trains, but still isn't super excited about going. It has me thinking that he would do better with a babysitter or a nanny. I've found there's always one person at the daycare centers who is wonderful and everyone else just seems to be passing the time. So wish me luck in finding someone who is better suited to give Xander a happy place to be.

Speaking of becoming interested in new things, he is now into bug catching! I'm excited because for a long time he was afraid of bugs. I don't know where he got that from, but at any rate it's cute to see him searching for ants, beetles, butterflies and the elusive spider. Right now his bug catching box is on the balcony filled with ants and a fly.....and of course a piece of cheese bread for them to eat. Oh! and a dried up worm :( It dried up because he didn't want to let it go...sad...

Maybe this new found need for animal companionship stems from the fact that Heartbreaker doesn't live with us anymore. I decided to take her to stay with Mike a few weeks ago. Xander wasn't vicious with her, but just couldn't stop treating her like a 60lb pitbull.

He is still slightly obsessed with Thomas the Tank Engine. He constantly wants to "buy thomas babies at the walmart store". When he's with me that doesn't happen. I can't speak for Tony's resistence to his giant brown eyes and pitiful pleas :P

We have plans to go to the lake tomorrow. He's been asking to go for sometime, but it's been unseasonably cool here. Tomorrow it's suppose to reach 80, so we're taking the chance and heading out to the lake.

I'm sure I'm forgetting something, but hopefully if I update this more I won't forget the little cute things he does:)