Girls Rule, Boys Drool

Did you know this is the reason that girl's have babies and boys don't? If you ask my almost 6 year old, this is the answer you would receive. Here is the conversation:

Arlington: Mommy, why do only girl's have babies?
Me: Well, God had to decide between boys and girls and he chose girls
Arlington: That's because Girls Rule and Boys Drool.
Me: right.

Is she wrong??

Arlington has been tickling the funny bone this week. Tonight when we were talking about her birthday party, I told her we have two little kids who we still need bowling shoe sizes on. Half teasing her I said

Me: Arlington, tomorrow will you ask "O" and "C" their shoe sizes?
Arlington: I don't know about that
Me: You don't have to, but can you tell me why you don't want to?
Arlington: Well, we aren't good friends
Me: Arlington, you told me these were your friends- that is why we invited them
Arlington: Well, "O" and I play together sometimes, and "C" and I have the same number of letters in our name- so that is why I invited him.
Me: Seriously? But you asked "M" her shoe size today
Arlington: no I didn't. She just told me.
Me: Well you are friends with "M"
Arlington: yeah -we wore the same pants one day, so that is why we are friends.
Me: Right. Good reason.

Kids are SO awesome. If you don't have any, I strongly suggest adding them because conversations like this could be happening to you.

Arlington also brought home some work she did at school the other day. It had 5 holes in it and resembled swiss cheese. She said it got wet and she helped the wet spots along by making them holes. Nice. BUT better than that was what the paper said. They have been doing observations in their room and writing what they see. This time she was apparently observing some red wood. Why, I don't know. She never remembers that part. But she had to draw a picture, which was very good of how it started and how it ended, and then write a sentence. She wrote "I saw that the red wood good dork". I looked at the sentence over and over, and finally I read it to her. She laughed and laughed. She said "it is supposed to say I saw that the red wood got dark". SO close. Yet SO funny.

Our little funny girl. On the plus side, she is climbing faster than I imagined in her reading and writing skills. We have stepped up the books she is reading and she amazes me on the words she knows. Arlington also understands how to make plurals and past tense etc. For example, she can read "play" and can turn it into "played", "playing", "plays" and knows the difference. She also understands prefixes. The other day she and Mat were talking about taking velcro off of something and she said "it is to unvelcro it". Pretty cool. She also can read things like "I'm" and "couldn't" and understand it is a combo of words. Learning is amazing. To watch your kid make strides is even more amazing.

Finley is doing okay. Little stinker has a fever again. Don't know what it is this time. She was JUST at the doctor's yesterday and they deemed her healthy. Ears looked great. Came home from school today and temperature was 101.3. UGH! She came home and laid on the couch. We will see what she is like tomorrow. Poor baby. Our sickliest kid.

Cainan is doing well. Tomorrow is his first step IEP (individualized education plan) to transition him out of the birth to three program and into the public school system. His actual IEP meeting will be in May after they do testing on him this spring. They need to see what progress he has made since September. Mat and I don't think he has made much. Granted he is speaking in 3 word sentences, which is an improvement, but our concerns are much greater than his speech. He seems to have low retention. He doesn't seem to understand what we are asking. He can't answer simple questions. He gives up easily. He can count to 10, which is new. But letters and colors? Forget it. He knows one color and no letters. We work and work and work with him (repetition each night and try to make it fun) but he has not picked it up at all. So we will see. This is new for us. The girls just flew through this stuff. Cainan is a different kid and a different learner. We just need to work with him more and figure out when to push and when to let it slide. We don't see him making significant progress and that worries me. So we will see. Mat is going to the meeting tomorrow with our list of concerns and then testing will start. We want the best for him and hope he gets the support he needs so he can catch up.

School has been fine so far this week. A little busier than last week, but not terrible. The teachers are still using the nurse passes and that has been great. I did have a couple funny kids.

3rd grade girl brings in a note from the teacher that she has a headache (Monday)
Me: You have a headache?
Girl: yeah, right here (points to her forehead)I bumped my head at home
Me: You bumped your head at home? when? (why do I ask this??)
Girl: Friday
Me: And it is STILL hurting?
Girl: uh huh
Me: Did you tell your mom
Girl: (smiles) well, no
Me: (looking at clock) It is 11am on Monday. Why didn't you tell your mom?
Girl: well, it didn't hurt all weekend - it just started hurting now?
Me: Well, you don't have a bump or mark. What can I do for you?
Girl: (everyone together now) can I have an ice pack??

Again, my "ice packs" are little yellow sponges that I wet and freeze and put in a baggie. WHAT is the attraction?

Today I had a frequent Kindergartener come in
K: (hands me a note - had an accident and needs to change her clothes): I peed my pants
Me: you did? Okay - no big deal, let's get you some clothes.
I look her over and she doesn't look wet. Test her pants - DRY
Me: are you sure you had an accident??
K: (nods) I am sure
Me: Well, your pants are dry, let's get you some new underwear.
She goes and changes and comes out
Me: Were you wet?
K: no.
Me: so you actually didn't wet your pants?
K: no. Well, yes. Actually my underwear were a little wet. Well, not really a lot wet. Well, I don't know. (she shrugs)
Me: huh.
Some days, I am totally confused.

2nd grade girl: My ankle hurts
Me: what happened?
2nd grade girl: I don't know. Well, nothing really. Nothing happened. It just started hurting. By itself.
Me: okay. When did it start
2nd grade girl: just now
Me: what can I do to make it better? (nothing visible is wrong)

Can you TAKE A GUESS on her answer?????
Girl: ice pack.
Me: Righteo.

I probably give our 30 ice packs a day. Who would have thunk it.

Today was especially busy, though. I was in a meeting and I get a call from the gym teacher that he has an asthmatic in my office having an attack. I go out and one of my frequent fliers (I actually don't think I have any other kind of visitor) and what I call "medicalphobe" (always thinks something is wrong with him) is crying and hyperventilating. 4th grader. Story was, he had gotten in trouble in gym 3 times and after the 3rd time, he started to cry and say he couldn't breath. His lungs were clear, so I gave him about a gallon of water and cooled down his face told him a few bad jokes and he settled. While this is all going on, I get a call from my diabetic's teacher that he feels low. So I have to leave the asthmatic (who had calemd down at this time) to run to my diabetic who was indeed doing poorly. Got him settled. Back to asthmatic. By this time, one of our more complicated, emotional wreck kind of kids came in and was having a horrible day and needed calmed down and delt with. Then, the diabetics teacher called again. Needed to check him once more. Luckily the aid of my emotional kid came in, asthmatic was all better - back to class time. So I went back to my diabetics class. Still low blood sugar but better. Another treatment. Then he went back to class.
When it does happen at my school, it seems to happen all at once. All was well. Fastest hour I have ever worked.

So, here are some pictures! This weekend on Sunday, MAt took Arlington to a comic book convention in NYC. We went when we lived in California and it was awesome. We met/saw a lot of stars (Ben Affleck, Arnold Swartzenegger, etc.). But NYCs wasn't as fancy. Mat did see the guy who wrote and starred in "Super Size Me" pushing a baby stroller outside of the bathrooms. Arlington loves superheros. We don't let her watch any of the superhero movies, but she has watched some cartoons and has some superhero action figures. Arlington had a great time. After the convention they went to the M+M store and go some treats and then went down to the American Girl store where Arlington got a book. They had a great time and were gone all day.

Enjoy the pictures and I will see you Saturday!!