Rosemary and I joined Atticus’ preschool for a trip to a local apple orchard. It was perfect weather – cool, crisp and sunny – and we had a wonderful time picking and eating apples. There were also chickens which amused Rosemary and goats which Atticus and his friends fed apples that were wormy. And, at the end of it all, an old fashioned swing hanging high in a tree.
Atticus and Luke are playing Rainbow Soccer this season. I guess I should say that Luke is coaching, although he seems to be having so much fun that I think of him as playing. Atticus is having a great time and is really enjoying himself. Surprisingly so am I. Since I tend towards antipathy with regard to competitive sports I was a little worried about signing Atticus up. Each week finds me dealing with soccer three times – two practices and one game. Fortunately for me , the Rainbow Soccer folks have done such a great job making it fun for the kids – no goalies (as long as you can kick the ball the right way, you get a goal), not a lot of referee calls such as “out of bounds” or “fouls” or “obstructions” (yes, all things I am learning about for the first time) and my favorite, no keeping track of the score – that I am also having a great time. Anyway, here is what you really want, pictures:
We’ve been doing some limited baby signing with Rosemary for a few months – mainly the words light, fan, change, more and eat. In the past few days it seems to have clicked a little. She has clearly made three signs – fan, change and eat – all of these right after we have shown her. This afternoon she made her first sign without any prompting – “fan.” We walked into the bedroom, she looked at the fan, looked at me and made the sign.
Fortunately for my ears, it will be a while before she is able to imitate her brother’s non-stop chatter, but these first steps are so wonderful to watch!
A post I drafted some time ago, but forgot to post…
For some reason this post (about how parents who let their boys wear dresses/pink are horrid) was suggested as “similar” by the WordPress computer to my post “In Mama’s Dress” below and I couldn’t help but click on it. Be careful, I recommend sitting down and having a (insert soothing drink of choice here) ready to imbibe before reading, because I think this post is going to drive you completely batty.
Someone, please, please, please tell me what is wrong with boys in dresses. I just can’t figure it out. This is after all, the 21st century. The last time I checked, it was not illegal for a man to wear a dress – so there are no criminal consequences. And for those people worried that someone might mistake a boy for a girl, I have to ask, why do you care? After all, if that presented a huge problem, well, I would already be shelling out the big bucks for therapy because that happens to my son regardless of what I dress him. So far, he finds it interesting (and perhaps mildly annoying, as did my sister when she was consistently mistaken for a boy in high school). From what I can devise from the article (and I apologize if this was not the author’s intent), there are two basic arguments against boys wearing dresses presented: first, it demonstrates a lack of discipline on the part of the parents because second, the child will be subjected to ridicule in school.
As a parent of two small children, one of them genetically male, I come from a place of experience when I state that I am in favor of limits on children – primarily though, on things affecting their safety: no playing in the street, you must wear a car seat (preferably harnessed) while the car is moving and no smushing* children smaller than yourself. Boys wearing dresses comes nowhere near this end of the safety spectrum. There is a possibility that at some point in the far off future, my son’s safety might be compromised by dress wearing (perhaps when he is past the age where he would always be under an adult’s supervision) or if he took up some sport in which a dress would result in a broken neck. A potential far-off-in-the-future threat of possible harm, however, seems hardly a reason to deny a child’s request for a clothing item.
As for the school issue, well, frankly we’re not there yet. And probably won’t be for a while. My personal experience, however, suggests otherwise. I recall fondly the menfolk at my high school who liked to wear dresses to class (and where, oh, where would they obtain these garments – you guessed it, from your author the amazon’s closet). And the last time I checked they were doing fine (lawyers, high school teachers, poets, many with children of their own).
So, menfolk small and tall, old and young, enjoy the liberating feel of a dress without worry or fear of reprisal from yours truly – after all, I am occasionally seen in pants roaming the wilds of Orange County…
*I always thought this was a word, apparently not according to the WordPress computer. Anyway, I am sure you can figure the meaning out for yourself…
I am sorely remiss in not updating…but I have an excuse: Rosemary is on the move, and fast! She learned how to crawl in mid-August when we were on our annual beach trip with my family. In fact, I completely blame my father who actually got down on his hands and knees to demonstrate the art of crawling. Now, if I could just figure out a way to prevent her from walking….
Rosemary is also weighing more (19 pounds at her 10 month checkup) so it is becoming increasingly uncomfortable to type (as I am right now) with her sleeping in my arms.
In other news, fall is almost here: Atticus has started preschool at Morning Song three mornings a week and is enjoying Rainbow Soccer. Now if the temperature would just start staying in the 80s, I might be inclined to break out the fall decorations!
I promise to try and get some good video of Rosemary crawling up and on the web soon!
Nicole
Blog o' Graysmiths 