A Tough Topic

How do you explain death to a five year old?  Some people think they're too young to be exposed to such a horrific topic, but death is a part of life, and I don't believe in sheltering my children from it.  When my friend passed away last month, M and I debated on whether we should bring the kids to the funeral.  It turns out the funeral was held on a Monday, so M had to work and the kids had school anyway.  We did however, attend the viewing on Sunday night.  Without the luxury of having babysitters on standby, the kids ended up going to the viewing with us.  Baby M was too young to understand anything, but I did tell big sister K that Auntie I was very sick, and she couldn't get better, so she died and is now in heaven with God.  I don't know how much that really sinked in, but both kids were surprisingly well-behaved at the viewing.  They eventually got antsy and wanted to leave, but we managed to stay for at least an hour.

A few days ago, we drove by the funeral home.  Out of the blue, big sister K said to me, "That's where Auntie I lives... she was sick and she died, so now she lives over there."  I explained to her that Auntie I doesn't live there... she was only there for a short period of time after she died so people can go and pay their last respects.  I told big sister K we went to the cemetery the next day while she was at school and buried Auntie I in the ground.  Then I tried comparing it to when we were in California and had visited my grandmother's grave.  Big sister K got confused and asked, "So now Auntie I is in California??"  I told her she's in another cemetery near where we live, not in California, but I don't think she quite understood it.  That night, she asked to pray for Auntie I.  I said that Auntie I is already in heaven with God, that we didn't need to pray for her anymore.  Instead, I told her she can pray for Uncle P and K & M (their two kids), so that's what we did.

Sibling Scuffles

M came home tonight complaining about the drive to school/daycare with the kids this morning.  He said I wouldn't believe what the kids were arguing about in the car... baby M told big sister K she couldn't look out his window, to which big sister K responded yes she can, and the bantering went back and forth until M couldn't take it anymore and told them both to be quiet.

Here's the kicker: his total drive time to drop off the kids is only ~5 minutes (okay, it could go up to seven minutes if he has to wait for the lights).  I just laughed and said, "Welcome to my world.  Now you know what it was like for me for two and a half years."  Or rather, he's only getting a little taste of it, considering my commute with both kids was at least half an hour long each way, sometimes 45 minutes if we got stuck in traffic.

Kids... there's never a dull moment with them around.

Big Boy Bed

After months of procrastination, we finally upgraded baby M from a crib to a twin-size bed.  We assembled the bed over Labor Day weekend and his mattress was delivered last Tuesday.  I worked from home that day to wait for the delivery, and once it came, I couldn't wait to cover it with the Thomas the train bed sheets that I had gotten a while back.  It was only afterwards that I realized I was supposed to let the mattress "air out," so I removed all the beddings, threw them into the wash to get the new mattress smell out, and remade his bed again a few hours later.  I had to take big sister K to her ballet lesson that evening, so I was a little disappointed I couldn't be there when M showed baby M his new bed.  When I got home that night, baby M asked me, "Mommy, did you make my Thomas bed?"  I told him I did, and asked if he liked it.  He answered yes, though the big smile on his face already said it all.

Needless to say, we didn't have any issues getting baby M to sleep in his new bed (conversely, we had trouble getting him out of it!).  The good thing about the transition is that now he can get into and out of his bed on his own; he no longer has to call for us to get him out of his crib.  The bad part is, he's still waking up every night and climbing into our bed with us, and now he brings with him his gigantic Thomas pillow and whatever else he can carry (toys, stuffed animals, sometimes his blanket).

Our conversation the other night:
Me: Baby M, you have your own big boy bed now.  Why are you still climbing into mommy and daddy's bed?
Baby M: Because I want to.
Me: But you should be sleeping in your own bed.  What if mommy sleeps with you?  Would you stay in your Thomas bed then?
Baby M: No, I want to sleep in your bed.
Me: But if you sleep in mommy and daddy's bed, then there's no use for your Thomas bed.  Does that mean we can throw Thomas away?
Baby M: No.  I want to sleep in my Thomas bed AND mommy and daddy's bed.

How do I argue with that one?  Personally, I don't mind it too much because I know there will come a day when he won't want to snuggle next to us, so while he still wants to, I am willing to oblige.  They are only this young once, and I am trying to savor every moment.

First night in his new bed:

First Day of Preschool

After months and months of searching, I finally bit the bullet and changed daycares for baby M.  He started his new school today. I've been prepping him for it and we even visited last week to meet his new teacher.  I am praying baby M will have a positive experience at this new place.  It is close to big sister K's elementary school, so the drop-off and pick-up will be easier with one person taking care of both kids.

A brief video from this morning:

Cheese?

Conversation in the car with baby M this morning:

Baby M: Mommy, we're hiding in the cheese.
Me: We're hiding in the cheese?
Baby M: No, we're hiding in the cheese!
Me: In the cheese??
Baby M: No, in the CHEESE!
Me: In the trees?
Baby M: Yes, in the cheese!

First Day of School

My little girl is all grown up and starting first grade at public school!  

 Big sister K's second day of school: