Somewhere in the Middle

Growing

Today Lil' C went on his first class field trip without me. This is a huge step for me. I mean this is my one and only little baby boy. Don't think I didn't at least try to go because I did. lol! But the teacher explained how they had plenty of staff going so the student to teacher ratio would be quite small. Plus they weren't going far which helped put my mind at ease. I don't know how the parents who's children are to France for a few days do it. I suppose it comes in baby steps.

It's still hard to accept though that my baby is growing up and beginning to have a life of his own in which I'm not a part of. It makes me sad really. I imagine there will always be those mixed feelings of wanting Lil' C to be independent but at the same time wanting him to still need me. When I step back and look at Lil' C I'm amazed at how much he's grown. So mature and independent. I love the boy he is becoming... caring, creative, funny, intelligent and so much more.

So this morning before I sent him off in the brightest shirt he owns I reminded him a million times to stay with his group and not to stray away. We went over some scenarios of things that parents dread to think about but have to. Made sure he knew my phone number by heart and just to be on the safe side I packed a contact information card in case he does stray. God forbid. I gave him a kiss & hug and watched my little boy run off and prepare for his exciting adventure.

Looking Inside with Magical Eyes

When I picked Lil' C up from school today he told me about an interesting conversation he had with his classmate. I'm always intrigued about what little kids talk about when they're together. The story was so funny I had Lil' C tell S about it during dinner tonight. It went something like this...

Lil' C: "H said that he was a policeman. But he's really a child not a policeman cause he's little. I told him he was lying."

S: "How did you know H was lying?"

Lil' C: "I looked inside his brain. If I see a different word than what they said I'll tell them they're lying."

S: "How did you look in his head?"

Lil' C: "Because I have magical eyes from when I was a fairy."

S: "So let me get this straight... H can't be a policeman but you can be a fairy?"

Lil' C: "Uh huh."

If only we really could look into someone's brain to see if they were being honest. Our world sure would be a different place.

Lemon, Lime, and Little C

Ever since Lil' C was wee little he has always preferred eating tart & sour foods. While other kids are licking sugary royal icing off of birthday cakes & cupcakes, my boy samples one bite and is done. It amazes me especially since S & I are huge sweet lovers.

Lately, I've been researching different recipes in search of the one dish that will become Lil' C's favorite dessert. You know that one dish you love so much you still ask your Mom to make even if your all grown up. Well, that's the one I'm looking for. As I searched the epicurious website, I found an interesting recipe for Lemon Ricotta Pancakes. Unfortunately, I didn't have lemons nor did I have ricotta. So I improvised and used limes and yogurt along with the classic Aunt Jemima pancake mix (yes, I'm too lazy to make home-made pancakes).

For those tart lovers out there here are some photos of our Citrus Lime pancakes...

My family always adds an egg and milk to the pancake batter. My Dad thinks it makes the pancakes healthier. I mixed the egg with yogurt before adding the pancake mix, zest, and lime juice. Look how the batter grows after its all mixed up.

And, voila... Lil' C's Lime pancakes. I wasn't quite sure what the results would be but everyone in my house loved them especially Lil' C. Despite loving maple syrup I actually thought these were better without it... ok, well maybe a little powder sugar sprinkled on top is the perfect compliment. A girls gotta have a little sugar. ;) Enjoy!

Look who's home from vacation

Lil' C has an amusing habit of hiding things when we go away. I don't think it's intentional. He's just a little boy who likes organization. It started when he was just a wee little baby and enjoyed stacking his toys in neat little lines, according to size and color. So when we go away Lil' C usually keeps himself busy deciding where he's going to store his personal items. S & I find this quality quite endearing and we usually check the hotel room closely before leaving.

So when Lil' C's stuffed animal went missing a few weeks ago I thought he was hidden somewhere in our house and Lil' C had just forgotten where he hide him. Luckily, Lil' C sleeps with about 3-4 characters and he rotates them every week or so. And because Lil' C had slept with Doggie while we were vacationing in Germany I knew I had some time to find him. But every once in a while Lil' C would ask me where Doggie was. After throughly searching every little hiding spot I could think of I started to worry that Doggie really was lost. When I told S about it he said he would look for him but the more I thought about it the more I began to think we "oh no, what if we left Doggie in Germany?" I tried to visualize all the drawers, cabinets, and armoires I opened to ensure we didn't leave anything behind. But then I realized I missed one place... under the bed! How could I miss the bed.

That morning I called the hotel in Heidelberg and asked if they had found a stuffed dog. Sure enough Doggie was there. One of the housekeeping staff found him on the bed. The bed! Again I can't believe I missed the bed! lol!! When I asked if they would mail Doggie to us they said it wouldn't be a problem. Whew! This is Lil' C's favorite dog. The dog he feeds chicken nuggets, dresses in funky hand made outfits, and ties ribbons & knitted strips to the top of his head. When I got off the phone I told Lil' C I had found Doggie. Lil' C asked, "Mommy, where is he?" I said, "Doggie is in Germany. He was having such a great time he decided to stay a little longer. But he's coming home now."

Curiousity + Imagination + Good Questions

Lately, Lil' C is asking me all kinds of questions. And they're totally out of the blue. Like the other day he asked, "Mommy, how do penguins hear if they don't have ears? hmm... good question! We see penguins all the time at the park and never once have I thought about how they hear? lol! So instead of grabbing a set of encyclopedias (like my parents did when I was younger) I told Lil' C, "Let's look it up on the computer." We googled it and here is what we found...

"They do not have external visible ears. But they do have an ear canal (there's probably a more scientific term for it) under their feathers that allows them to hear sounds both in the air and underwater. Hearing is an important sense for them as they recognize each other by their voice."

So the next time you're playing some kind of trivia game or have an inquisitive child ask this questions you'll know what to say. lol! ;)

Yesterday, Lil' C asked me several times to show him a photo of a ghost on the computer. Let me tell you there aren't many friendly ghost photos in cyberspace. I settled on a photo of a white body of mist. Lil' C wasn't completely convinced it was a ghost but he seem to accept the image and went off to play with a toy.

But this morning on the way to school Lil' C's questions focused on the supernatural.

"Mommy, why don't ghost have legs?"

There are some ghosts that have legs.

"Then why do some ghosts have legs and some don't?"

Well... it just depends on what they want to do. Some ghosts like to float around and some like to walk. Now I'm beginning to think, oh no what have I gotten myself into.

"Well, Mommy how come ghost don't have eyes?"

He must be thinking of those pictures of ghosts covered in sheets. So I tell him.. "there are some ghosts that have eyes."

"How can ghost see if they don't have eyes"

"Those ghosts depend on their other senses. Like the sense of smell."

"Mommy, why are ghost white?

"Sometimes they make ghosts white so you can see them better. Like a white smoke." Not really happy with my answer I tell him. "Lil' C do you remember what I told you about how when we die our spirits leave our bodies (shell). Well... spirits are like ghosts and they watch over us and protect us. They're good ghosts."

"Well, where do the bad ghosts go?"

"Don't worry, they stay far, far away from us."

Lil' C's questions about ghosts were like those interview questions that are completely unexpected and in a split second you need to come up with an answer. That's how I felt this morning. Must be more prepared next time. lol!

Believe me our conversation would have been so much easier if I didn't believe in ghosts. All I would have had to say was, "Ghosts? Ghosts don't exist." But that's not me.

love thursday :: Mema

Lil' C + Mema ~ Aug. 26, 2007

I love this snapshot.

At a glance it's just a photo of my Mother & son but if you could take a peek into my world you'd know this photo says so much more.  It symbolizes the closeness they share similar to the bond I myself have with my grandmother.

Look at those smiles. I love how much fun they're having tickling each other, making jokes, and playing with that hat.

I love how when I look at this photo I see how much my Mom truly loves spending time with Lil' C and how silly she is with him. I can just look at Lil' C's smile & see how much he adores his Mema.

And I love how when my Mom calls she still will ask, "How's my baby?

Enjoy more love thursday here.

Little Note

Look what Lil' C surprised me with yesterday. My own little love note. It's my first one and I absolutely love it especially all those adorable swirls. I hope this note is the first of many to come.

Love Forks

"Hey Mommy, you know what my new tooth looks like?"

"What?"

"It looks like a little fork on top."

"Let me see. You're right... it sure does." :)

Wrapping it Up

Lil' C has become fascinated with ballet and fairy tales. So much that I thought it would be fun to take him to see a ballet for Christmas. After doing some research, I discovered the ballet "Sleeping Beauty" was coming to Antwerp. So we bought tickets and decided to make a whole weekend out of the event. We had an incredible time! I wasn't quite sure how Lil' C would handle a 3hr. show nor how the Belgians would react to a 5 yr old attending a ballet. I played it safe and bought matinee tickets hoping there would be other children present and there were. Tons of well behaved kids.

Weeks before the event I bought Lil' C a ballet book/cd which included stories of all the classic ballets along with the music. I described to him how the theatre would be a little dark and the music may be a bit loud. I did my best to prepare him so he wouldn't get scared and want to leave during the performance. By the time we actually saw "Sleeping Beauty" he knew the story line by hard and all the characters by name.

Watching Lil' C see his first real ballet made me tear up. I know... I'm way too emotional! lol! I'll never forget how his little eyes lit up when he saw the stage and all the ballet dancers. Lil' C was absolutely captivated and on the edge of his seat during the entire performance. It was so adorable to see! Even watching him clap was cute since I knew he was clapping because he loved what he was seeing. In those moments that I watched him take it all in I couldn't help think that seeing this ballet would be a moment in his life he would remember as an adult. You know those experiences that make such an impact on you that you always remember them no matter how young you are when they occur? Well... I think seeing the ballet "Sleeping Beauty" was one of those moments.

Another highlight for Lil' C was a trip to the Aquarium which he loved! Who doesn't love seeing fishes, octopuses, and sharks in a fun atmosphere! We also had lots of fun playing at the hotel's heated swimming pool and enjoying each other's company.

Our weekend also included walking around the shopping district, the Antwerp Christmas Market and eating the most fabulous steaks at an Argentinean restaurant!

A Perfect Part

Several weeks ago I opened Lil' C's backpack and found a letter from his teacher about their Christmas performance. It said Lil' C was to play the part of Joseph! I was so excited for him!! Immediately, a smile appeared on my face because I could already picture him all dressed up like Joseph. I immediately called my Mom and said, "Guess who Lil' C is going to play in his Christmas performance? Joseph!!"

I asked Lil' C if he knew who Joseph was and that lead Lil' C to ask me a lot more questions.

The Christmas performance was wonderful and all the kids were absolutely adorable! Lil' C took his role very seriously. Throughout the performance he would smooth out his robe & head piece to make sure everything was in place. It was funny. S & I were beaming... we were so proud of our little guy.