So I've been out of this loop for a while (again), and got the official
"... I'm getting complaints that you haven't posted in a while" line from Kim this evening, so here goes...
As many of you may or may not know, Harry's been deep in the throes of emotion lately, from the cute dimpled one that everyone knows and loves, to the crescendo-ing screamer who can't get his way at the dinner table and opts for putting
himself into the time-out chair in the playroom rather than asking if he can be excused, that truly only a mother could love (okay so maybe even
she hates it too...).
I'm still relatively proud of the fact that I haven't completely exploded in his general direction yet, which is not to say that I haven't raised my voice louder and potentially more often, than since major college sporting events, but he's certainly pushing both of us to our collective and individual limits.
That said, he seems like a kid beyond his years, in a good way. He can engage the bigger kids in conversation, to the point that they actually talk back, and engage him. Like when we went to the pool on Saturday, spending most of the ride explaining that neither Kim nor I had any idea of who else was going to be there, only to have his older friend Hannah fly over him with a patented flying-cannonball just minutes after us getting in. They spent the better part of the next 30-45 minutes jumping in together, with very little interaction on the part of either of us, or Hannah's parents. He can hang with the big kids.
But then there are times like last week on our trek to NJ to see the Drexel Hill McD's... slightly different dynamic there. Patrick is younger than Harry by about 10 months, which to some could be a lifetime, but recall that when Harry was the youngest at daycare, he was always trying to keep up. Patrick is on his own track, literally.
Harry had been talking up this trip to the beach to see Patrick, Meghan, and Gramma literally for weeks. He was so excited to see everyone, and recognized them all (even Meg #2 --it just took a little longer), who they were, and how they were related to others. Every time we made it to the beach first, he was on constant lookout for everyone, and took off in his own version of a dead sprint whenever someone came over the dune, to greet them, whether the enthusiasm was returned or not.
As the week went on, and less of the enthusiasm was coming back his way, his frustration mounted. Admittedly it took at least 3 separate instances of him running from the room in tears to hide (which he's never done before) after being scolded for not playing nicely, for me to realize what was going on. The kicker was when I jogged after him -- out of the room, through the kitchen, down the spiral staircase, through our bedroom, into his, and under the bed. The memories of my own wonderful vacation experiences came crashing back in an instant. I'd been under that bed.
It's interesting to see how the choices we've made for our family seem to have panned out so far, at least for us and our world. In general, Harry seems to be an extremely well-adjusted kid. Suffice it to say, he's got his fair share of quirks and ways that things just must be done, but after seeing the hurt in his eyes, when all that he wanted so much was to play with everyone, not just next to them, he's very much his own person and it shows.
So we made the choice to head out early. We came home to decompress, recover, and hopefully put that behind us and get back to our world. Our schedule, our fun, our family. The good times are great to share with everyone, but sometimes it takes a really crappy time that truly make you appreciate the company you keep.
Then there are days like today, spent traveling to Arwen's house for yet another birthday cake, only to have him explain to me repeatedly that the last time he was there, Daddy didn't come, that Mr Gene made pizza, and Arwen has a big swing-set in the back, etc, etc,etc.
The things that he picks up on between screams, missed cleanup opportunities, and non-finished dinners, are amazing. at one point he asked if someone on TV this morning was Harry Potter.
How the heck does he know who Harry Potter is??
