Dollar Bill

A couple days ago, Adam wanted to move his money from his robot bank to a Darth Vader bank that he and Dave had brought back from Michigan.  Stuck inside his robot bank was a dollar bill.  I had to get some pliers out to reach it and pull it out and told Adam not to put it back in any bank because it's too hard to get out.  As I was putting the tool box away, I heard Adam in the kitchen looking for his scissors.  WHY does he need his scissors??  I get in the kitchen and Adam has the dollar bill all folded up and is cutting into it!!  Ahhh!!  "ADAM!  You don't cut up money!!"  He unfolds the dollar that now has all these little slits in it.  "I was just trying to make it pretty!"  I wish I had taken a picture of it.  I took it downstairs to show Dave and left it with him when Adam started yelling about me taking his money.  So there ya go.  Turn your dollar bills into snowflake art to make them pretty!

Parent/Teacher conference

Today was parent/teacher conference day at Adam's school.  It actually went pretty well.  The teachers had sent home the evaluation form on Tues. so we already knew school-wise how he was doing.  His teacher's said he's really funny and smart.  We have to work on a couple things like Numbers 11-20 and teaching him his address, phone number, and birthday.  I asked if he was OK behavior-wise for them.  They said that they noticed a little bit of a change in January (a little "aggressive" as Mrs. M. put it) which I think is interesting because he seemed to be better for us after Christmas.  They said he either gets really mad or really sad and cries.  Much like at home, he gets something in his head and if it doesn't go his way, he breaks down.  We told them we're working on his over-reactions and trying to get him to talk and not just cry or yell (or bite, punch, whatever) and they are working with him too.  They gave us a couple of suggestions to see if it helps as well. 

Things you don't want to hear...

coming out of your kid's mouth.  Today we were talking about Adam's friend Tyler.  We asked Adam something like, "You like you're friend, Tyler, right?"  He responded, "I do, but I don't".  Do you want to know what he said as the reason for NOT liking Tyler?  "Because he's a different color and has weird hair."  Great.  Our kid is a racist!  We talked about how it was not nice to say that, how Tyler is just as silly and fun as Adam no matter what color his skin or hair is, and how he should never tell someone that.  Digging a little deeper - Adam has a tendency to follow his "friends" around.  I don't know how many times I have heard kids say, "Stop following me!" when we are at the park or Community Center.  So - that is what happens at school with Tyler.  Adam wants to play with Tyler and follows him around and Tyler gets tired of it. THAT'S (I hope) the reason Adam says he doesn't like Tyler.    But you should see these two goofing around in the hallway before school.....

It's been a while!

Since it's been so long, I thought I should write something.  Adam's biting has pretty much stopped, so that's good!  We finally turned his bedroom door knob around so that we can lock him in his room.  That way there is no chasing him around and trying to keep him in a time-out and getting bitten and spit on anytime I grab him to put him back in the time out.  He kicks and throws things at his door and tries to yell down the vent for Dave to come up and help him but at least I stay safe and all the noise he makes, I know he is OK too.  The boy is such an attention seeker that it is the worst punishment for him to be out of sight and no one responding.  There was one time maybe a month ago where the 3 of us were at Home Depot and Adam wanted to climb all over the lawn mowers.  When I said he couldn't, he had a complete meltdown and I had to carry him out screaming (screaming "DAAADDYY!! so everyone was staring at me as I was trying to run out of the store and yell to Dave we were leaving).  I got him in his seat and just ignored him. He continued screaming. Dave came back and we both just ignored him on the ride home.  He kept screaming, "MOMMY!!  DADDY!! TALK to me!!"  After that didn't work, he started saying, "DRIVER!! DRIVER! Talk to me!"  It was pretty funny!  Once he calms down, we talk. 

I don't know how to get Adam to NOT depend on so much attention.  (Only child syndrome?)  Last week at gymnastics, I started reading an article on my phone.  Next thing I know, Adam is standing in front of me.  I told him to get back to his class (he said he doesn't like his new teacher but she is SO much better than his last one).   He went back, I started reading again and he was back in front of me again.  I HAD to watch him the whole time.  When we're at home, I have to sit near him and watch him even if it is something like an easy puzzle.  Today, I gave him an art project to work on and then the dryer went off so I needed to go fold some laundry.  I started folding and he got up from his table, grabbed some paint brushes and started poking them at me and grabbing the clothes I just folded.  I tried to explain the more he messed with me, the longer it would take for me to get back to his art project.  To that, he threw his hippity-hop at me.  I had to put him in his room so I could finish.  Aargh! 

Speaking of art projects...he LOVES arts/crafts but he gets "tired" after 5-10 minutes and wants to know what else I have planned.  I've got nothing!  The past couple of days I have found some things on Pinterest and other Blogs but we end up doing everything in a couple of hours and I spend all night searching for new things. If anyone has any lengthy ideas, let me know!  He also likes science "experiments" but those don't last that long either.  We have only done colored water in oil and now have a "wave" bottle and tonight we did vinegar and baking soda "explosions" (which actually kept him occupied a lot longer than I expected). 

Oh - and here's a funny story from school yesterday.  When I picked Adam up, the first thing he wanted to tell me was that his girlfriend, Abby, brought in Scooby Snacks for snack that day.  Then he started following some girl that I'm pretty sure wasn't Abby and asking her why she brought in Scooby Snacks.  (Her granddad hurried her off).   His teachers saw us still outside the room and told me that Adam kept asking Abby for her phone number because he wanted me to call her Mom and get the recipe for Scooby Snacks!  Mrs. M. told me to go to any grocery store.  Ha ha!

OK - I think that's it for now. 

Taking a break

We have decided to let Adam take a break from piano lessons. It makes me sad but we fight everytime we try to get him to practice.  We want playing music to be fun and not a shouting match.  He seems to do well at the actual lesson but he has no interest in practicing at home.  He wants to get the stickers for practicing and go up on the "hall of fame" board but he doesn't actually want to practice.  
On the front of the little practice sheet where he puts his stickers it has 6 "rules":
5 days (minimum)
Fast feet (fast feet to the piano to practice - no complaining)
Happy Face
Count out Loud
All songs
No Help
Adam doesn't want to do any of those.  He says he wants to go back when he is older and learn how to play Weezer.  Part of me wonders if he is bored with the stuff he is playing. We'll ask him again in the Spring and Summer.  Maybe get a different teacher.

Merry Christmas!

Adam had thought that Friday night was Christmas Eve.  He couldn't fall asleep and then woke up at 7:30am afraid to go to the bathroom because he thought it was still nighttime and that Santa wouldn't see him awake.  On actual Christmas Eve, he fell asleep no problem.  Must have been all the running around he did at the Chinese restaurant.  He didn't get up until about 9:15am.  He had woken up 2 times during the night but not because he was excited about Santa but once because he couldn't reach his Kleenex box and the next because "there was wind in my room that wasn't the fan".  (Found out later that it was part of a weird dream).  He ended up sleeping in our bed and Dave slept in the guest room because Adam kept waking him up blowing his nose or snoring because he was so congested. 

As usual on any special day, Adam walked downstairs with his hands over his face.  I had to keep telling him he could wait until we were actually down the stairs but he survived.  I think it took him 45 minutes to open everything (he's a slow unwrapper).  Lots of Batman figures,  Imaginext castle and boat, some Lego and Trio bloks, markers, and coloring books.  We asked him if he got "everything" since that's what he wrote to Santa.  He said no.  We asked if it was good enough.  He said yes.  Whew!

Christmas "concert"

Adam had his last day of school before Christmas break yesterday.  We were told to come 15 minutes early for pick-up to hear the kids sing Christmas songs.  We had been hearing small bits of songs at home so we couldn't wait to see/hear them for real.  Plus, with Adam, you never know what he's gonna do (like the Thanksgiving concert where he had a breakdown when they didn't sing the song he wanted).  I tried to edit the video but Adam's expressions crack me up so I kept most of it. (I did cut the very beginning where the teachers were waiting to make sure most of the parents were there and Adam stood picking his nose - both fingers up there!)