Monday, October 24, 2011

Meet Pander


I thought that those of you who don't know me personally might want an introduction to my lil crazies. I'll start with Pander.
Before Pander was born, Jeff and I were living in a fancy apartment, I was working full time in the wedding industry and Jeff worked opposite shifts in restaurant management. We refer to those years as "The Golden Age" because compared to our current life, we were rolling in cash. When  we were married a little over a year, we had a miscarriage and it was a devestating time for us. Months later, we were ready to try again. We went to the store and bought an ovulation kit and were just so excited to start the temperature taking, charting and all that fun "trying to get pregnant" stuff. We ripped the kit open as soon as we got home and read the instruction book. The first thing it said was to take a pregnancy test before you start. I thought that was so weird, who would need to buy an ovulation kit if they were already pregnant? I sent Jeff back to the store anyway, to get a test. When he got home I took it and, surprise, surprise, I was already pregnant! Guess it was a good thing we decided we were ready, huh?
Pander is a special guy. I know, all kids are special. But to me, Pander was the small light given to me in a really dark time. He was a difficult baby, fussy, lots of tummy issues, but he loved to snuggle and he was always momma's little man. I had no clue how to parent, read everything I could get my hands on, and still didn't know what I was doing, though you never would have heard me admit it at the time. Once, when he was dealing with tummy pain, my grandma kept saying "give that baby some Karo syrup!" and I kept saying "I don't want to try old wives tales, I'm taking him to the pediatrician!" When I finally got to the doctors office, guess what he said? "Put dark Karo syrup in a bottle of water every morning until he's regular." Ouch, should've listened to grandma!
Pander is a smarty pants. By the time he was 18 months old, he knew all his letters and the sounds they made. At 4 years, he was reading. Not just short sentences, but whole books and with expression and feeling. In his kindergarten class last year, he had to be his own reading group because there were no other 5 year olds who could keep up with him. He tries to negotiate with me, always wants to know the reason for everything, can study ants on the sidewalk for hours, and has announced his decision to become a mad scientist when he grows up.
Pander is also an emotional, sensitive boy. As a baby, he didn't walk until he was a year and a half because he of his cautious spirit. He cries when other people cry, and we have to be careful about bringing him into the service at church because if any slow hymns play, he gets overwhelmed by the music and weeps. This emotional side has definite negative points, for instance, small conflicts or discipline can send him into a tailspin. Often times I tell him he needs to stop crying and he says "I just don't know how to stop!" He is easily overwhelmed. But there are up sides to the sensitivity. Whenever I am upset, he is right there loving up on me, making sure I am okay. He never wants to hurt anyone, and is quick to help the other crazies feel better. Such a sweet little man.
So that's my emotional intellectual, Pander. (Who, by the way, just ran through the yard yelling "I'm a beautiful, magical butterfly!" What a kid.)

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