Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Quick Quotes from Josiah

The other day Josiah came home from school and said, "Guess what!"

"What?"

"An older girl on the bus called me a cutie... I didn't mind. She's going to sit next to me tomorrow."

(I love the "I didn't mind" part!)

--

While looking at his chest in the mirror Josiah noticed his ribs. I said, "Do know what ribs are for?" (I was planning to explain how they protect his heart and lungs).

He responded, "They make women."

It took me a few seconds to realize he was thinking about how God used one of Adam's ribs to create Eve.

Sleepwalking

I woke up at 3:00 this morning to the sound of someone closing the refrigerator. A quick glance to my left confirmed that Al was still in bed so I quickly got up to investigate. I found Elijah sleeping in the hallway outside the kitchen and a jar of applesauce (his favorite food) sitting on the kitchen table.

At 4:00 this morning I thought I saw Elijah walk past our bedroom door. I worried that he might fall down the stairs in his sleep and struggled to wake up or at least wake Al up. I thought, "I have to get him! I have to get him!" When I finally woke up I realized I had been dreaming. I got up to check on Elijah. It was dark and I couldn't see very well. I leaned forward to look into the hallway and bonked my head on our closed bedroom door. Al woke up when I said, "Ow!" a little too loudly. Elijah, of course, was sound asleep in his bed. I wasn't able to fall asleep again.

On a happier note, on Sunday Elijah walked up to me at our church Easter celebration, signed "Love" and gave me a big hug. That was the first time Elijah told me he loved me. It made an already wonderful day even better!

Monday, March 10, 2008

Goodbye Crib

I was talking on the phone during Elijah's nap on Saturday when I heard a thud. I thought he had thrown a book or something out of his crib, but then I heard some scuffling. When I went to check on him, Elijah met me at his bedroom door! I practically hung up on my friend, exclaiming, "Oh! He got out his crib! I have to go." He had climbed out (even with his cast) and was ready to play. Fortunately, he wasn't hurt or even upset by the fall. I spent the rest of his nap time converting the crib to a toddler bed. We are keeping pillows around his bed until he learns how to sleep in the toddler bed without falling out.

He fell out of bed twice the first night. I awoke to a soft thumping (he self-soothes by bumping his head or foot on the mattress). I could tell he was thumping against the floor instead of the mattress. I got up to check on him and sure enough, he was sleeping on the floor. He barely even woke up either time. I gently put him back in bed.

The next day I was away during his nap time. I came home to this:

(note the pillows near his bed)


Elijah clearly was not interested in napping and since Al had closed the door, he decided it would be fun to throw everything on the floor. Sigh. I suspect that he will either stop taking naps most days or that we will have to monitor him until he falls asleep each afternoon.

It's kind-of bittersweet. On the one hand I'm proud that he is growing into a "big boy" and is ready for the toddler bed. On the other hand, we probably don't have any more babies and it's a little sad to say goodbye to the crib (and all of the sweet baby things associated with a crib).

Wednesday, March 05, 2008

Silly Syllabus

This is the syllabus Josiah and I created for the class Al had to take on being silly.

Teachers: Mommy and Josiah Hsu
Date and Time: March 2, 2008 – 8:00 a.m.

Location: Team Hsu Headquarters, Basement

Objective:

This is a practical class where the objective is to learn how to be silly. You will not learn the purpose, history, theology or philosophy of silliness (although we are certain these are worthy areas of study). You will learn some very basic ways to be silly. This class will be a lot of fun.

Requirements:

You must attend two classes where you will be asked to participate in a variety of silly activities with Mommy and Josiah. You must also read two silly books and take a test.

Required Reading:

Calvin & Hobbes
by Bill Watterson. Kansas City, Missouri: United Press Syndicate (1987).

The Sixth Garfield Treasury by Jim Davis. New York, NY: Ballantine Books (1991).

Class Schedule:

Class one: Mommy Hsu

1. Laughing. We will begin with the basics. The whole point of being silly is to laugh and/or to make someone else laugh. We will practice a variety of laughs including: giggling, happy laughing, belly laughing and super silly laughing.

2. Tickling. While you are not required to enjoy being tickled, it is important to master the skill of tickling someone else. Mommy and Josiah will demonstrate the fine art of tickling, including the “Bumble Bee Poke”. You will then be asked to tickle Josiah until he can’t stop laughing.

3. Silly faces and funny voices. One of the quickest ways of making someone smile, is making a silly face and talking in a funny voice. We will practice making silly faces and talking in funny voices.

4. Goofy dances. You will learn the “Quack, Quack, Quack, Quack, Quack, Cock-a-doodle-doo” dance and practice making up your own silly dance to music.

Class two: Josiah Hsu

1. Telling silly jokes. Everyone loves a good joke. Josiah will teach you some silly jokes.

2. Goofy noises. Our bodies are capable of an astounding variety of giggle-inducing sounds. Josiah will be your guide as you explore a number of noises you can make.

3. Funny motions. You will learn how to do funny motions by participating in a silly, silly game of Simon Says.

4. Silly games. You will learn silly games like the “High Five, Low Five,” “Smoosh the Lump” and “Kid Salad” (tossing kids on the bed).

Final Test:

At the end of the classes you will demonstrate your mastery of silliness by taking a test in which you will be asked to act very silly. You will be graded by how much you make Mommy and Josiah laugh and by causing them to exclaim, “You’re so silly!”

(This was a pass/fail class. You will be happy to hear that Al passed).