The Art of Negotiation and Persuasion

CJ's negotiation skills continue to improve.  Here are some recent examples.

Me:  CJ, can we give away one of your Thomas trains to your friend for his birthday?  You have so many Thomas trains.

CJ:  No!

Me:  But CJ, you have so many; you even have unopened trains that you need to earn with stars.

CJ:  Mama, would you like it if I gave away one of your boxes?  (I collect boxes from around the world.)

Me:    Hmmm... good point, CJ.

CJ:  Mama, I want to keep all my trains in my collection and you want to keep all the boxes in your collection!

Me:  You're right, let's get a present for your friend.

Me:  CJ, it's time for bed.  We're going to read 4 stories coz you're 4.

CJ:  But mama, I'm 4 and a half.  Can I have a bonus?

Me:  CJ, it's time to brush teeth.

CJ:  Can I brush my teeth after stories?

Me:  No, we brush teeth first and then read stories.

CJ:  But mama, I want to read stories first.

Me:  Sorry, CJ, we brush teeth first then we read stories.  Do you need to pee?

CJ:  Mama, I'll pee after stories.

Me:    Okay, you can pee after stories.

I'm toast, I know.

CJ is Ready for Kindergarten

Maki and I met with CJ's teacher, Ms. Courtney, this week and she reported that CJ is ready for kindergarten.  Phew!  There was no talk of holding him back, no qualifiers, he is ready!

She did say that although CJ enjoys all aspects of school and seems to thoroughly being in school, he does not like drawing.  Drawing seems to stymie him.  Guess that's something we need to work on. Maybe I can get Uncle Alex to help out in this area.

What activities does CJ like?  He apparently loves to read and is definitely reading, he loves math, he loves to sing and dance, he loves puzzles and problem-solving, he likes comparison games (which is faster, smaller, etc.), and he likes playing outside.

CJ gave me the thumbs up when I told him that he was going to kindergarten in September with his neighborhood buddy, Mary V.

CJ Still Loves Sushi

It's amazing but CJ still loves sushi.  Any chance he gets, he asks for sashimi or sushi.  If we go to Harris Teeter, my grocery bill is always $20-$30 higher than it would be normally because he asks for sushi and enari pockets. 

CJ and Maki have a cut tradition when it comes to haircuts.  CJ gets his hair cut at a barber shop in a shopping center that also has a good Japanese restaurant.  So today, CJ got his haircut and then Maki, CJ, brother Alex and I had a sushi lunch.  CJ ate 4 pieces of salmon sushi, 6 pieces of crab, 4 pieces of egg sushi, and one gyoza.

We ordered a little too much sushi so we took it home and CJ had leftover tuna, yellowtail and tuna/avocado rolls for dinner.  

The picture top left is of a special clam sashimi that we ordered. It came with the huge clam shell and was super yummy.  The picture at right is CJ with Uncle Alex. Just look at the big smile on his face!  I also realized tonight that CJ has become so independent.  He drinks without a mess (usually) from a cup or glass, he eats on his own without assistance (unless I need to cut up his food), he can mostly dress himself, he goes to the potty all by himself, he can turn on the computer and fire up a browser to play games (he can read the bookmarks to get to his favorite Thomas or Little Einsteins games) and he can pop a DVD in the player to watch a movie.

Swimming Lessons

Last summer, I watched in amazement when I saw CJ's friend Bayley jump in the pool and swim to the deep end without a swim vest.  So I was determined to enroll CJ in swimming lessons this Winter so that he'll be ready this Summer to swim without a vest.

We're not members of the Y so I had to wait until non-member enrollment opened.  I went in person on the the first day of non-member enrollment and signed him up for two, back to back lessons.  It might sound a little over-achieving, but I wondered how much he would really learn in a half hour once a week.

CJ's first lesson was last Saturday and he did really well.  His lower lip was a little trembly when I left the pool area but he seemed to do better once he could see me watching him from upstairs.  It was actually hilarious how many parents were glued to the glass, watching their kids.  It's not like the instructors were going to let them drown or anything!

The swim classes are great!  The kids were taught how to enter the water safely, they dog paddled to a little island that they can stand on and be above water, they swam with a noodle, they floated on their backs, and they dog paddled back to the side.  CJ pretty much dog paddled to the island without any help, which shocked the heck out of me.  He did get a lot out of one class but I think it was awesome for him to get two lessons.

Today was his second week of swim classes and he did even better.  I pretty much dropped him off at the pool, told him to sit on the side of the pool and wait for the teacher to start the class.  He simply said, "bye, mom."  No trembly lips and he even entered the water and got on a noodle all by himself.  I was impressed that the teachers gave each kid exactly what they needed.  CJ is comfortable in the water and can dog paddle a little so they don't hold him very much, while the younger kids get more help.  And it's amazing how many instructors there are and how they watch the kids like hawks!  CJ is loving his swim classes!

I don't have pictures because they Y does not allow photos except on special days and only if the kids' parents sign a waiver.  So just imagine CJ in his Thomas the Tank Engine (of course!) swim trunks, blue crocs and big smile on his face.

Getting Messy with Cornstarch

A couple of weeks ago, CJ and his classmates made paper mache planets as part of a week's worth of learning about the solar system. CJ was all excited about planets; he can now name all of them - amazing.

When I dropped CJ off at school one day, I was admiring the planets that the kids had made and then painted that week. CJ's teacher commented on how CJ simply refused to work with the paper mache glue at first. She said he just kept saying no and was in tears until she just took his hand and dunked it in the glue, at which point, he apparently stopped crying and said, "oh, this isn't so bad, it's fun!"

I realized at that moment that CJ simply does not have enough "getting dirty" time at home.  He reads books, plays with his trains, takes walks, colors, etc., but he just doesn't get dirty.  And his yaya (nanny) just hates it when CJ gets messy or when she gets messy.

So one night, I decided it was time to play with cornstarch.  I took a bowl, filled it with cornstarch, added water and made a great batch of funky, gluey, sticky stuff.  As expected, at first CJ refused to touch the stuff, even though I was playing with it and having a ball.  So, taking a page from his teacher's book, I took on of his hands and dunked it in the paste.  CJ's attitude changed after that.  He and I got so messy!  He loved swishing his hands in the paste, watching it dribble from up high, splashing it on the counter.  

We marveled at how the paste would seem really solid when you played with it, but when you let your hands stop moving, the paste just flowed through your fingers.  And on the kitchen island, it would harden right away, but when you went to wipe it up, it turned to liquid again.  Amazing stuff.

CJ enjoyed spreading the cornstarch on the island until it was all gone from the bowl, at which point I had the fun job of cleaning up CJ, the island, the floor and the bar stools.  But boy did we have fun!  And I hope CJ won't be so hesitant about getting his hands dirty next time.  Note to self:  give CJ "getting messy" time on a regular basis!

CJ's First Video on YouTube

CJ is obsessed with YouTube, which he watches through our AppleTV. There are tens of thousands of Thomas the Tank Engine episodes on YouTube - real episodes that have been ripped, homemade episodes, product announcements, music videos.

CJ really, really, really wanted his own Thomas video on YouTube. So for the last few weeks, we've been filming. Here's our very first effort. It's a video of CJ introducing his battery-powered Thomas train collection.



There is even a high def version, which you can access by clicking "Watch in High Quality" below the video, right side link. The high def version is definitely an improvement over the low quality flash videos you usually find on YouTube. You can only access the high def versions on the computer, not through AppleTV.

Here is the link on YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAXBVeCSTsA

Please watch and rate this video highly! CJ is excited that he's gotten some 5-star ratings!

CJ's Gonna Take Over the Business Someday

CJ continues to enhant us with his sweetness. Here are some of the recent things he's said.

CJ: "Mama, when you're old, I am going to take over Matrix Group."
Me: "Really?"
CJ: "Yep, you take care of me now. When you're old and tired, I will help you and take care of you."

(Note to self: I need to get this on video so I can play it for CJ when he's older and hating us.)

CJ: "Mama, I wish I had a car."
Mama: "When you're older, maybe you can have mama's car."
CJ: "No, mama. I want a blue car."

(Note to self: Have a plan to paint gold Honda Civic blue.)

CJ: "Mama, when I'm older, I will treat you and dada to dinner."
Me: "That's nice, thank you."
CJ: "Mama, what does treat mean?"