Recitative

Keeping this journal has me noticing how often significant learning happens at random moments. In all the activities and books and projects we take on, I often end up wondering what if any "learning" took place. Not that it's a deal-breaker, mind you, but it would be nice to feel like he was getting something quantifiable out of all this. Then suddenly, on the way from the bed where I thought he'd been vegging out with Diego on TV, he starts talking about how his shadow on the wall changes as he moves in relation to the light and the wall. He was just sharing something he noticed, but it was so profound.

So I guess I need to stop thinking of this journal as some kind of compendium of knowledge, documenting his progress. I will never fully know what's going on in his mind. It's humbling (and kind of a letdown) to discover that his education is truly his own. I am not driving this bus.

The last few days have been busy with daily life, missing daddy and getting ready for Halloween. Wednesday started with a trip to the mall for a picture session which did not go well. We're going to try again next week with another photographer. I didn't know that "say cheese" is actually considered a professional technique. Later we went to coffee at "Starbox," and we visited with friends for a movie day. The movie was "Curious George," which Jack enjoyed, even though he only saw 40% of it. Later we went to visit Nee-nee, and she went with us to the toy store so I could get a few things for Jack's birthday.

Thursday, we stayed home so I could do some housework. Our activities included disposing of our old, rotten pumpkin, carving a new jack-o-lantern, and making a leaf collage.



He also enjoyed cutting paper with scissors. I showed him how I can use the scissors to cut shapes, but he wasn't having it. He just wants to snip around the edges.


Today is Halloween. This morning we went to gymnastics, then the library. Jack had a great time playing the Blue's Clues game. He spent the most time with the "sticker" book, where he had a ball placing stickers and then erasing them with the eraser tool. Interestingly, he was better able to control the mouse (left click) with his left hand, but it could just be that his hands are too small to hold the mouse in the normal way.

In the afternoon, we met friends at the park. We played hide & seek, and the boys tried to see how many trees they could pee on before we stopped them.

Jack wore his robot costume tonight, but there were technical issues. He actually fell down because the boxes restricted his leg movements. I was terrified because I thought he was badly hurt; it turns out he was just upset at smashing his costume. So we made it to four houses, then we visited with neighbors. While we were out, daddy came home and we are so glad!



Jack has been making up some very interesting songs lately. He's using repetition, rhyme, symmetrical phrasing, and tonal melody. He just sings as he goes along, and often the songs give a window into his mood. At the park today, waiting for friends, he was sings "Hello everybody come out and play, hello everybody, it's a great day" over and over. If I ask him where he heard that song, he says his Funny Teacher taught him.