Be careful what you wish for.

Last week, Eliana was bumped up from level 18 to level 28 in reading. From what I have been told this means that she is now reading at a beginning 3rd grade level. Sounds great, right? Parents dream of having a 5 year old who reads like an 8 year old, right?

Well, I am proud of her.

But there are two problems. The first is with class time. I know her teacher does her best to let each kid be who s/he is and learn what s/he needs to be learning. But it's just not feasible in a group setting to really be able to meet the needs of a kid who is reading 3 grade levels above the average. Add the boredom that you'd expect in this situation, to a child that is spirited and does not handle boredom well, and you have a recipe for misbehavior. Nothing bad like hurting other people, just finding ways to entertain herself, but still not the conformity that is expected at school.

The second is with the books she is bringing home that are level 28. Our first two were called "Best Enemies Again" and "Encyclofacts". She can read them just fine, I think the level is appropriate for the actual decoding of words, but the issue is with meaning. The former is about a girl, probably about 8 or 9, who has a classmate that likes to make her life miserable. She can't relate (and I don't particularly want my 5 year old to learn cattiness until she has to anyway). The second is a science book. Neither interests her, and combined with the 10 level jump (from picture books to text-everywhere chapter books) she is suddenly saying "I don't want to read." Never heard THAT before. In addition, while she can understand each sentence well, she is having trouble deducing greater meaning. She understands "People figured out that when they put an engine on a glider it could fly longer" and "After that, they built airplanes a lot more than they built gliders" but wouldn't be able to say after reading those two sentences "Oh, an airplane is basically a glider with an engine." So we're having some issues with content at level 28 - the kid's smart, but obviously her decoding is outpacing her understanding of the material.

Anyone want to start writing children's books for advanced readers with age-appropriate content?

Soakin!

Elly: "I'm soakin' cold!" "I'm soakin' hungry!" "I'm soakin' hot!" "That's soakin' cool!" "She's soakin' big!"

Kes: "No, I didn't did it. It did it itself yesterweek."

Eliana also learned how to start swinging by herself and get going up high, just today at the park.

Donovan is babbling now, and just started blowing raspberries today.

Humoring me in my old age, already.

I was reading out of my binder, which was in front of the computer screen. I had no programs open, so the screen only showed our desktop wallpaper. Eliana walked in to tell me she was ready to read with me in the living room, then looked briefly at the computer screen, looked at me as if I had gone completely nuts, and said, "Just lookin' at the colors, huh? They're pretty. Come on, now, let's read."

Tan Pup, nursling

Eliana, at bed time, nursing her Tan Pup: "Awww, look, isn't he precious?"

Tan Pup

Eliana approached me yesterday, cradling her very limp Tan Pup in her arms, and looking forlorn.

"Oh dear, did Tan Pup get hurt?"
Elly: "No. He's..." (sniff) "dead!" (starts crying real tears)
Me: "Oh, no. How terrible! You must be so sad."
Elly continues crying real tears.
Me: "Why don't we have a funeral for him."
Elly: "Oh. No! Wait, look! He's just hurt!" (stops crying) "Oh Tan Pup! You're alive! Oh Tan Pup, I'm so happy!" And she walked off to administer first aid to his wounds.

The minute she was gone I could not contain myself. This child got theatre genes from both sides of the family. And while it manifests itself in the dramatic quite frequently, it was fun watching that it may actually also involve real talent. This scene was really good!!!

I heart NoseFrida

I already loved the nosefrida. I thought it was well worth the $18 I paid for it, just to have a snotsucker that actually worked, as opposed to the bulb syringes, which just make D mad. And the past few weeks, it has occasionally been solely responsible for allowing D to nurse and breathe at the same time. Which is sort of necessary. But this morning, the NoseFrida became worth its weight in gold. It started like this:

Eliana: "Uh-oh. Mooooooom!"
That's never good, but I wasn't prepared for what came next.
Eliana: "Kessa put a bead up her nose!"

I ran to their room, and looked up her nose. It was so high up I could not see it. ("Are you sure it's in there? It didn't fall back out?") I felt her nose and could barely feel it right below the bridge of her nose. I ran back to D's room, grabbed the NoseFrida, and ran back. As she giggled and sniffed ("no don't suck it in further!") I applied the nosefrida and it popped right out.

Now there's a use for it I never thought about. But it just earned a permanent place in my home, even after the baby phase is over!

The country-western clean-up blues

Eliana, singing dramatically (with Kes howling in the background for effect):

I want you I want you I want youuuuu
I'm never gonna clean up without youuuu
I'm gonna have to leave
and say goodbye
and never see you again
if you don't help me clean uuuuuup
Yeah I need help cleaning up my room
Or I'm gonna have to leave home
And I'll leave really soon
I'm gonna leave really sooooooooon
if you don't come
before I leave
I really want to stay
because I love youuuuuu

(starts crying)
and I can't handle the crying
so I'm gonna leave soon
oh please I need you to help me crying
oh stop me crying (stops crying)

so come here
before I say goodbye
and have a goodbye hug
a goodbye hug
I'm going to leave in one minute
so you better help me clean up in one minute
before I leave
and I'm gonna get tooken by a stranger
or you can come help me clean up
which choice are you gonna have, Mom and Dad,
what are you going to choose?
I'm going to leave without saying goodbye
or having a hug
I'm gonna sit on that front step outside
until you come out
oh please
I'm gonna leave in a second
I'm going to go out in a second
I'm going to leave you alone with only one child
and only one baby
the second's almost finished
I would never like to leave you
oh please come
I would never want to leave you
so I need you
cause I would never love you again
I would never come back
I would never come here
so I need you so I don't have to go

Simple questions

As the kids and I came home and Scott answered the door, the first thing Elly said to him was, "Daddy, Daddy! Can you take us to ride bikes at the park, and can we have four babies???"

Because, you know, having another child is as simple as a day at the park.

Seriously, though, she won't let go of the idea that we should have another one, no matter how many times Scott and I tell her we're done. I say, "We always wanted three children and now we have three." Scott says, "No." (So, I suppose it really was a simple question since it had an easy answer.) And, "That would be too expensive." I've tried explaining that part too - she had told me we should have four or five and I mentioned the money aspect and she said, "OK just one more then. Four's OK, that won't cost as much as five."

Updates

Elly, reading: "This reusable drawing board is excellent for doodling and coloring..." About at this point, I realized she was reading upside-down. 5.5 years. Sheesh.

Kes, today: "Mommy, I'm angry with you." Why? "You maked me mad." How? "You were a wild child."
Later: "Look at that gigangous truck!"

I started pottying Donovan. He goes almost every time I offer, but we've only had one dry diaper, so mixed success. Still, not bad for starting out.

They grow so fast

Eliana rode a bike with no training wheels for the first time over the holidays. And, her 3rd loose tooth is hanging by a thread. My baby!