Today was Ro’s first day at his new school. We were worried that he would be very sad, but he instantly fit in the new group and had fun.

I went to check on him twice throughout the day. The first time he was reading a book happily sitting in a circle with the other kids waiting for lunch to be served. Luckily they had his most favorite dish: meatballs!

Then in the afternoon he had computer time and he learned how to use the mouse while playing easy coloring games. I sat with him for 10 min, but he wouldn’t let me have the mouse so I left again 😉

Later in the afternoon they had “animal day” and they brought in reptiles from a local zoo – “Dragon and Snakes” as Ro said :-). Ro was the only kid in his class who was courageous enough to carry a snake around his neck. They said it was a Python (non poisonous, but very strong), and it sort of looks like one, but I’m having a hard time believing it…maybe a good thing I wasn’t there 🙂  Also note in the other picture how old the other kids were who dared to touch the big snake! Looks like he’s off to a great start at the new school. Mommy and daddy are proud and relieved:

Ro: “Daddy, can I have your comverdabble?” <pointing at my red model Porsche 911 Cabrio, meaning convertible>

MrM: “Yes, here you go – but be careful with it”

Ro: “OK, thank you. <he really says that :)>

Ro:”Mommy, what’s the car’s name?”

MrsM: “It’s a Porsche”

Ro: “No, it’s a comverdabble…. ”

Ro:”Daddy, what’s the car’s name?”

MrM <looking up from computer work>: “It’s a sports car convertible” <note, that I didn’t really answer his question, I answered for type, not name!>

Ro <to mommy>: “Mommy, the name is a sports car comverdabble!!”

MrsM: “Yes, it’s a Porsche”

Ro <looking slightly confused, then with a big smile>:”Daddy, the car has three names!”

Yesterday morning when we got ready to leave for day care I asked Ro to climb into his seat. I then realized that I had forgotten something inside the house. When I returned from inside, I was shocked to find  Ro trying to climb on my car’s hood.

Me: “Ro, *NO*! You can’t climb on this!!!”
Ro: “But there’s my picture!” <his reflection in my shiny car paint!>

Ro was running around naked this morning in the bathroom, playing doctor with his stethoscope.
Ro: “Mommy, let me listen to your broken heart!”

Ro: “I want music, daddy, come!” <pointing to the macBook>

Me <reading a paper at the table>: “…Umm… OK ….. — …..I’m coming …..”

Ro: “No you’re *not*!” <pause> ” You’re feet aren’t moving!”

On our way to day-care Ro took the initiative to strike a conversation with me.

Ro: “Daddy, what did you do when you got me from school the other day ?” <The other day is his way of saying “yesterday” – still struggling with tenses :)>

Me: “I picked you up with the blue car and then we drove home”

Ro: “No, you braked!”

Me: “Yes, that’s right, I slowed for a squirrel, so I wouldn’t hit it” <I had a rather sudden full stop with anti-lock brakes engaging, to not hit the little squirrel, who was running across the street>

Ro: “I love squirrels!!! We have squirrels at home”

Me: “Yes, we have a squirrel in the yard, he’s running on the fence. You like him?”

Ro: “Yeeees, I love him, I catch him!!!” <no future tense here either>

Me: “I don’t think you will be able to catch him. He’ll run away, he’s very fast.”

Ro <insisting>: “No, I catch him”, <now waving his arms and showing how he catches the animal>, “and then I’ll turn him OFF!”

I really burst out in laughter from his baby logic: Turning off a squirrel, so it wouldn’t run away – genious!

Every night, it’s the same routine:
Potty, brush the teeth, get into jammies (pyjama), pick two books, read the books in bed while drinking milk with the first one, water with the second one, tug into bed, get the toy Pluto and cat, hug, kiss and finally, lights off.
We religiously stick to this routine and that enables a predictable bedtime for Ro. But lately he’s testing his limits and is starting to negotiate changes. When we say: “Two books!” He comes back: “Three!?”, or asks for orange juice instead of milk and so on. He’s really creative. (Who can turn down a kid in the middle of potty training who claims after the lights are off that he has to go!? – Gotcha, Daddy! – “Thanks, Ro for telling me! Ohh, that is a small one! But we’ll call it a p… anyway”)
After all else fails and the lights are finally off he now reliably declares after 15min:
“I’m ready!” indicating that he’s done sleeping. That’s the announcement he uses in the morning to tell us he’s awake.
When you tell him that it’s night now and even the sun went down, he argues: “but my eyes aren’t tired!”.
It’s so amusing and we often have a hard time keeping our serious looks on our faces to convince him that he actually has to sleep now.
On a recent night I had to make a phone call right after he went down. Still awake he shortly after declared “I’m ready!”, so I had no choice but to lie down in the dark with him in his huge Queen size bed. I talked a long time on the phone and he was happily cuddling with me in the dark.
When I finally hung up, I kissed him good night again and told him that “Daddy will be outside now”.
Ro surprised me by saying:” OK” – only to add shortly after with a serious expression  “I’ll keep your arm!”
I just had to hug him again for that one!

Needless to say I took my arm along …