Meow

Today was William's big day! He had ECFE. That is early childhood family education, for those who aren't familiar with it. All of his older siblings went at some point and now it is his turn. It's really a nice experience for kid and parent both; there are activities together and then we split up for 20 minutes and the kids are together in a group with Max and Judy, who are famous preschool teachers hereabouts.

The first 3 were right in a row so I saw a lot of Max and Judy for a few years there and we became good friends. I was so touched when I ran into each of them separately last month and they both asked if I was mad at them...haha! In reality their class times havent matched our schedule yet for William to go. This time it finally matched up, and I was so excited to show them this little guy with his amazing language skills. We have finally seen the end of the "William Baby" phase that was getting so annoying there for awhile.

So of course he wouldn't talk. Or sign. He meowed. Yes, the child meowed all evening. "William, do you like apple juice?" "Meow" "William, how about you come over here and play with these nice trucks with me while mommy goes to talk with the other moms and dads" "Meow"

And so on and so forth. By the way, the meows meant "no". He didn't want to do a thing.

I was almost embarrassed. By kid number 4 that is hard to accomplish! I told Judy that I hadn't expected him to be reticent but that it's really not surprising considering that he has never gone to daycare or anywhere but here or Charlottes (making excuses, see). Judy's answer was so cute: "We broke the first three in, we'll break this one in too!" And Max, bless her heart, asked the children if they have kitties at home too.

So then after I had spent 2 hours at preschool with a damn cat, we got in the car to go home, and the cat says "Mommy, we should go to the bakery to get a cookie. It will be dark in there but I can turn the light on."

The cat went to the bakery for a cookie.

My favorite part of the entire experience was the leaving home and the arriving back. When we were getting our coats on to go, the 'big kids" came one by one to tell him to have a good time at preschool and to give him insider tips ("There's good trucks there" from Lij). Best of all, when we arrived home, we walked in the door and William grandly announced "GUYS! IM BACK!" (and they came running, too!)
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Story from this morning. It was realllly cold at the bus stop for the 3 big kids. The bus was late and they were getting too cold standing there so they democratically decided that Benjamin, being the fastest runner, would run back to the house and get daddy to come in the truck so they could be warm. Mission was accomplished with blazing speed.

And news you can use: Lij told me that if he burps with his mouth closed he can still hear it. Such talent! Such class! That's my boy!

What would we do without these little guys to keep us entertained?

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I also want to comment on the passing of a very specia deaf guy named Malcom. He was a very unique and funny dog who belonged to my friend Trudy and her husband Randy. I never actually met Mal, but I've heard about him for years; when I sent pictures of the kids I got Mal back :) He became a big brother for the first time just a few weeks before his death and now his mom and dad have baby Eavan to help them feel better. So, Trudy, here's a tribute to your special guy! I won't forget him.

One more thing. Mom's cousin Jan (one of the 200 gazillion, but one of the closer ones) is down to her final hours. She was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer just before Christmas and her time has already come. Her mom, who was my grandpa's sister, died of it when I was in college. It's a horrible, nasty, disease and she is leaving behind a family that loves her very much. She features prominently in my earliest memories (otherwise known as "the Lewis Days"). If you're the praying kind, send a prayer that her passing will be peaceful, as this kind of death is physically torturous and it's becoming very difficult for her family to watch as she was a vibrant and strong person. If you want to see her Caring Bridge site, the address is www.caringbridge.com/visit/jankurkowski