This crocheted clad ninja would be G, my 5 year old, who rules the roost around here. He is "the baby"...poor thing will probably always be referred to this way....and we all tend to let things slide when it comes to him. I am not sure if it is our extreme satisfaction at everything he does (Good job!) or if he was just born with an insane amount of self confidence.
He is all around different from his brother and sister, our first hint at this would be physically. He was born with the most royal blue eyes I had ever seen...those are now blue-gray eyes that can change to green in a heartbeat or change of a shirt. His brother and sister both have brown eyes, one the color of a muddy river you would love to dip your toes in...the other as smooth as melted chocolate.
He did look quite a lot like both of his siblings, a funny mixture that depending on who he is sitting by, he looks like them. I continued to see the differences...his teeth didn't come in until he was 11 months old and when they did...it was the top. And only one tooth hung there by it's lonesome for over a month, making him look like a mini hillbilly. We now know that he's actually missing quite a few of his teeth...even the grown ups that were supposed to be waiting in the wings.
He's now 5 years old and the differences are still there but he's really created this whole persona that is really a force to be reckoned with. I would say that he is particular but others might see it as peculiar. Let's just say that he's not the kind of kid that can just pick up and go along with whatever is planned for the day.
He can be fearless or full of fear. If an pajamas came together, they must stay together. No mixing tops and bottoms or just wearing a t shirt and pj pants to bed. For instance, we got him a robe for Christmas. It is not Christmas-y, I made sure of this so that we could avoid the situation but it didn't work out the way I wanted. Once he opened the robe he put it on over his Christmas pj's he opened the night before and now he just can't seem to put the robe on with another pair of pajamas. He gets a little OCD about things....just like the whole pajama thing.....he also gets fixated on one pair and I will have to wash them everyday so that he can have his favorite pair ready...he literally wore holes in the feet of his favorite "footie" pajamas and they looked like they might have been inhabited by a family of squirrels from all the wear and tear.
His diet is another thing. I have finally thrown my hands up and started giving him PediaSure...even though I felt like a total failure doing so. I mean, what mother can't force/guilt/tempt food into the mouth of her children? Obviously me. He used to eat like a champ. He breastfed for 16 months and ate everything we ate at the table. He has gone through phases where all he wants to eat is hot sauce and chips (he is a Texan)....sometimes he will only want pickles all day. He eats apples everyday. He exists on peanut butter and honey sandwiches. When I make dinner, I have to make sure that anything I decide to put on his plate looks almost exactly as it did when I bought it. He'll eat carrots like Bugs Bunny might have invaded his body and he enjoys noodles. Cinnamon toast, a breakfast of oatmeal every once in a while. Yep, very limited. Just try to put a casserole in front of him. He will almost gag and not like in a bad episode of Supernanny, like a genuine gag reflex from seeing food mixed together.
Let's move on to playing with G. Feel like grabbing some Lego's and building freestyle? Sorry, that is not allowed. We have to keep the books that come with them so that he can see what they are doing in the picture. I have had to look up the spells from Harry Potter so he can use the "right" ones with his Lego Harry Potter people. It's not that he doesn't have an imagination. His imagination amazes me sometimes. I guess he just puts order where he needs it.
It's actually good to have a kid who keeps you on your toes. He is kind hearted and so loving it would blow your mind. He knows exactly what to say and cracks us up pretty much all day. Yes, he may only wear white socks and likes his sandwich cut a certain way (circle cookie cutter, used everyday) but he is sure of what he wants.
What I have learned from my 5 year old:
- Slow down
- Be who you are with no regrets or apologies
- Embrace your laugh and your parents and you will have a good life
- Don't be afraid to say what you don't like
- Love fearlessly (God, people, pets, your stuffed animals...)
- Lounging in your pajamas all day is not such a bad thing
- Every once in a while, it's okay to live on fruits and cheeses
- Popcorn is always good
- Movies are even better
- Spend time with your grandparents
- Believe in possibilities
- Break dancing is a way of life.
We all have our odd quirks. Thank God.
