The fantastic Andrew

Andrew requested that I do his post next...since he was nosy and reading over my shoulder while I wrote Lily's yesterday. He wanted me to tell you about soccer and swim lessons and making new friends and about him eating a piece of asparagus without even complaining.

I really wonder when I'll have to stop making this blog public, because he will be so horrified that I'm writing about him. Soon, I'd guess. Unless he gets to dictate what I write, that is.

Andrew is finally seeming to adjust to his new schedule. He is acting more human now and not dragging so much in the afternoons. He enjoys school, and although he will occasionally tell people that he finds it boring, he says it much less frequently than before. I think the big difference is he is making friends. We went to the book fair after school one day this week, and he saw a kid from his class and they were hugging and playing...obviously friends. But this isn't even one of the kids he's talked about to me. This one is on his soccer team and when his mother approached me (I was talking to her son), I said, "Oh, hello! Andrew and Brandon are on the same soccer team!" To which she replied, "His name is Brendan." Nice. Although in my defense, there is also a Brandon in his class. I think that it would be much worse to have a kid in your class with ALMOST the same name than to have a duplicate. Andrew cannot tell the difference between Brandon and Brendan's names...hence my confusion...Andrew had told me that Brandon was on his team...how am I to know the difference? But I guess I'm on the mother's shit list now. Whatev-

Wow...went off on a passive aggressive tangent there. Let's get back on track, shall we?

I've been continuing to try and "enrich" Andrew's morning time with me by doing activities that normal good mothers do with their children from birth. Trying to pretend to be someone I am not. ;) Our latest project has lasted a few weeks. You can see the end result here:

Yup...we ordered caterpillars and have watched them grow and turn into cocoon's and now be butterflies. They are nasty. When they emerge, they ooze red yucky stuff out of their bottoms, which is now all over the netting. Yuck. Andrew, Lily, and Michael love them. Think they are the coolest things ever. Now if we could just get one last warm burst from the weather, we can release them. But now you understand better why all three were so ecstatic about the allergy-caterpillars in the Poconos. I won't let them play with the perfectly harmless ones we have at home because we could make them sick. But WILD, UNTESTED bugs...go to it, kids!

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Soccer is going fantastic. Andrew is a totally different kid than just a year ago. He is powerful, fast, in control of the ball, and doesn't get upset at all when he misses a shot or gets the ball taken. He doesn't brag or revel in his successes...he is a good teammate. Once again, I am reminded how proud I am to set this boy loose in the world. He makes me know that Lily isn't my fault. I kid, I kid...Lily's awesome too. (update on Lily's school...she went no problem on Wednesday because I let her bring her night-night. And then we had a monster battle later that afternoon because she yelled at me, so I made her go to bed without tv or milk. Screaming like a maniac in her crib for 45 minutes. -sigh-)

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What else about Andrew? I had mentioned to his teacher that I would be happy to do projects at home to help her out...like cutting out patterns or pasting...you know...prep work for class projects. And she has actually taken me up on it! Which I love, because I always thought I wouldn't be able to help in Andrew's class due to the little ones always around. But now I feel like I'm contributing and I get a little peak into what they are doing in class.

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He came in from swimming this week and told me, "Mom! I just made a metaphor. About swimming. See I'm on a staircase and I just moved up a step to this new class." Spending all together too much time with his father when he starts talking about metaphors. What's next? Memorizing the Periodic Table of Elements (don't get ANY ideas, Jeff)

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All in all, Andrew is just fantastic. He likes to wrestle a little too much for my tastes, and he talks about football constantly. But he's happy, and I love him.

Now I need some new project ideas/science ideas. Got any?