The child, and how things work around here

We're in the process of updating Mal's room. It's fun, but it's been a mess most of this week, and we won't get everything in until Tuesday, so I just have to deal with the nebulous stuff and try not to look at it too much.

If last night was any indication, though, instead of springing (ha!) for two twin mattresses, I could have just purchased one. Mal was intent on sleeping RIGHT beside me all night, and since I didn't want him lying on the split between the mattresses, I moved over so he could snuggle with his whole body on the mattress. Then after he was snoring, I'd move to the other mattress... only to repeat this the next time he woke up.

Mal slept through the night a week ago Monday, but has been waking even more frequently than typical ever since then. Like 20 times a night. Every night. For almost two weeks. He's also been crying for me before I'm ready to go to bed, and that had stopped for a couple of months, at least.

I'm sure it's a growth spurt or some developmental thing, but wouldn't it be ironic if the developmental stride of sleeping through the night actually disrupted his sleep? My brain just exploded.

So here's a cute picture of Mal.

For this picture, I thought it'd be cute if Mal held his fist up like he'd caught the front end of the airplane. He tried, but the whole time his hand was up, he was dancing around. I said, "Just be still while I count to five!" And he couldn't. So I was squatting, trying to account for his movement by changing my position, and this is the closest we could get.

Speaking of that, today we went to the Mabry Texas Military Museum. It was the first time I'd been in a while, and for some reason, it struck me as horribly maudlin. Everything there, including the ambulance and chuck truck, was designed for the enterprise of the widespread killing of people and its associated needs. I mean, I get that war is sometimes necessary? Especially defense. But today it weighed on me in a way it hasn't before.

Interestingly, the display to which Mal seemed most drawn (inside; outside, he was obsessed with the Chinese-style exercise station) was the medic. He looked at it for a long time, then after we moved on, he asked to go back.

Mal is revealing himself to be a pretty sensitive soul (not always, but in many situations). This week, he's had a hard time getting rid of old stuff for his room update, even as he's been excited about the new developments and arrivals.

I'd had my eye on the Garanimals website because they'd listed their summer line, but they weren't on sale. Then they were. I must have missed it by 36 hours, but most of the 5t tank tops and many of the shorts were already sold out! Anyway, I ordered his "summer wardrobe" for under $75, and it's on its way. I was cleaning out the stuff from last summer to give to Foster Kindness, and when he saw the bags of old clothes, Mal just lost it. "No! I want the too big clothes!" (Confusion, but in his defense, he was pretty distraught.)

He actually reached in one of the bags and pulled out two shirts, running into his room and hiding them. "I want the too big clothes! They're mine!" I finally calmed him down by distracting him when it was time to go to the Lego Lab at the library. But on the way home, he asked, "Did someone get my clothes?" I told him no; they're in the trunk. Today, he couldn't care less. He'll be super excited about the new ones. But he's attached to every. single. thing.

As we were leaving Lego Lab yesterday, Mal wanted to see the police station, so we walked down that road. He noticed that the Christmas wreath was still up and said, "It's still Christmas for the police! Do the police get Christmas presents?" "They do." "Do they get toys?" "Well, they might not get toys, but they probably get something they like. What do you think a police officer would like?" "To TRAP people!" Heh. Um, what? He clarified by saying, "With handcuffs." Oookay.

Earlier this week. Mal said he wanted to take a gymnastics class. I've been researching and was all ready to make a phone call to the best, for us, gym this afternoon when I asked him again, "You're ready to take gymnastics?" Emphatic NO!

I do think I'm going to try to get him into swim lessons this summer. I believe D started at this age, and by 8 was an excellent swimmer. It helps me be less nervous at the pool, knowing they can hold their own for a hot minute.

On a totally unrelated note, I need the 1099s from eTrade to get here so I can see how much money we're getting back from the IRS. Right now, it looks like a lot, but we had to sell some stock when James was not working, so we have "realized gains" to contend with. The suspense is killing me.

James seems to have enjoyed his first week of work. It's still a lot of red tape and IT stuff, but he likes the people and thinks the job will be a good one. Yay!

Have a great weekend!