Project 365: Day 84 - Sun, August 9th, 2009

Will today be the day that Cody learns how to ride a bike??????

If I would have answered this question at about 10 am I would have said NO!!!!! I was ready to take the bike back to Walmart and give up on the whole idea. I had no patience for Cody's clingy behavior and irrational fear. You would have thought that he was about to plummet off a 100 foot cliff rather than lean two inches to catch himself with his own foot.

Histrionic is a word I often use to describe Cody - overly dramatic. My son has a place in the theatre that is for sure....but after a break and the realization that he wasn't going to watch any movies until I felt like he had tried his very best to ride that bike, he came to me and asked to try again. Smiling inwardly at my tactics - not always so sure they will work while I'm making them up - we once again headed out to the backyard.

I had of course Googled "how to teach a child to ride a bike" and found some useful information. I was absolutely not supposed to touch the handle bars or the seat. I needed to hold onto Cody's shoulders and try to keep from becoming entangled with the bike. Due to the training wheel bars jetting out from both sides of the back wheel, I was fearful of who would end up bleeding before the escapade was over. So I went back to my brother-in-laws advice and kept Cody balanced by holding onto his neck. Because Cody had calmed down and had made the mental decision that he was going to have to actually try, we made headway. There were actual seconds in a row that I was barely touching him. I felt great to no longer be doing all the work and Cody was steering and balancing as we slowly went up and down Mott Avenue several times. I think that in another day or two I will have a full-fledged bike rider on my hands.

And then maybe Cody and I will have something physical that we can both do together....

Project 365: Day 83 - Sat. August 8th, 2009

A weekend with nothing to do???????

What will the day bring......

Mowed the grass
hit Facebook
went for a walk
hit Facebook
drove to pick up Cody
went to the Humane Society to check on Jayden the cat who might come home with us

got a new high score on Typing Maniac

made some spaghetti

hit Facebook

bought Cody a bike at Walmart

practiced in the dark

read this great new book called Planet Earth - an Encyclopedia. The photos are amazing and at the age of 41 I'm learning science again!

wrote in my blog

Project 365: Day 77 - Sun. August 2nd, 2009

My Cody Lee is home!

I don't know what I missed more, the sounds of battle, the toy soldiers set up with precision all over my house, or just the sound of him calling my name when he wants to make sure where I am.

I hugged him until he said OUCH! It was reassuring to know he and his father had just made it through a week together without incident. In fact Cody got a little misty eyed a few times during the day - he missed the dogs - especially Laila, the pincher. Being the dog lover I am, I understood his feelings. I used to miss my two golden retrievers more than my own ex-husband. But as wrong as that is to say..........there is something to be said for the unconditional love only an animal can give .....

So I think it's time Cody and I get a pet to add to our Hampstead Haven. I would LOVE a dog but it wouldn't be fair - we don't get home early often enough. Plus the busy road we live on would just be a recipe for disaster. No at this stage in our lives I'm thinking that a cat would be best. I wouldn't have to rush home to let it out....we could rescue one that is already litter box trained and we could let that animal's unconditional love just fill us both up when we feel empty. I never thought I was a cat person but I have faith that there is a cat out there that would bring me simply joy and easy company when Cody isn't around. I hope the cat would also make Cody feel like he has more than just me to come home to. Am I trying to outdo Edwin? No - I've wanted an animal for a really long time and have been seriously considering a cat since I spent time with my sister's cat Pumpkin over Christmas. I think it would help add some responsibility to Cody's plate as well.

And now that that's settled, tomorrow we'll stop by the Humane Society on our way home.........

Project 365: Day 57 - Mon. July 13th, 2009

This is Cody. This is Cody's brain on one and 1/2 cups of iced coffee at 8:00 pm at night...

I wanted to kill him but I decided to save his life since it gave me something to blog about.

So here's the story before you call Social Services on me...I have a seminar on Monday nights for my online course. I always warn Cody when I'm either tutoring or in seminar so that he won't interrupt me too much. Well he called up in the middle of it asking if he could have a sip of my iced coffee. I wasn't really listening (there's a typical mom for ya) and just sent down a loud "YES" so the questions wouldn't keep coming...

Later when he came bounding up the steps talking a mile a minute I smelled a faint odor of something fishy...

"Cody - what have you been doing?"

"Just reenacting the Monocacy Battle"

"Did you eat a bunch of candy or popsicles while I was in seminar?"

"No - I just had a drink of your ice coffee"

"Cody - go get me my cup please"

Off he leaps and seconds later he is holding the evidence before me ... I didn't know whether to laugh or yell or just go drink 2 cups to catch up with him.

"Cody do you know what a sip is versus a drink?! You, my little friend, did more than sip or drink - you emptied more than half of this cup - which means that you drank over a cup and a half of coffee! You are 8 and it is 8:00 at night! What were you thinking?!"

"But it tastes like chocolate Mama - I just love it! It's ... it's just so GOOD!"

Well I couldn't argue there - he may not look like me but he is his mother's son.

Project 365: Day 43 - Mon. June 29th, 2009

I wish instead of taking a picture of Cody I would have been videotaping him. The conversation he had outloud as he pretended to use his new quill and ink set from the Colonial time period was precious. He was writing as if he was going off to battle... "if I should die in battle tomorrow, please give this letter to my mama. I am a little scared but not too much. I am ready to face the British...."

Later after I mixed the ink, he actually wrote a letter. He wrote this one to his soldiers as if he was George Washington. I am so excited to see him use his imagination and take such joy in learning about history. I can say it has helped me take a new interest in it as well. I look forward to our day at Fort McHenry on Saturday where they are celebrating an old fashioned 4th of July. I am certain he will enjoy the firing of cannons and the rifle salute to 18 states.

Project 365: Day 42 - Sun. June 28th, 2009

Today I had to say good-bye to my Mom and Grandma. They are on their last leg of a very long journey. Hopefully they will not hit traffic and will get some much needed rest from their vacation! :)

After they left I was completely unmotivated to unpack and clean up. So I went up to Cody's room, crawled back in his bed and read the last few chapters of John Grisham's The Last Juror. I am trying to devour as many books as I can before I start teaching summer school and my next online graduate course. It wasn't long before Cody arrived. He immediately asked for the bag from the gift shop where his Nannie had spoiled him for his birthday. It wasn't long before he was reenacting yet another battle in our backyard--this time with new revolutionary gadgets. With compass in hand, gunpowder flask over his shoulder, and his trusty patriot hat and rifle, he was ready to find and fight the British.

Project 365: Day 36 - Mon. June 22nd, 2009

I am trying to keep record of how much Cody grows in a year. So today we measured Cody on our growth chart. He has grown another 3 inches since his 7th birthday. I think I need to get the records from his pediatrician to record how tall he was when he was 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1. But here he is .... all 50.5 inches of him!

Project 365: Day 32 - Thurs. June 18th, 2009

Isn't it GREAT?! Cody Lee is 8!

Here we have Cody and Brady in front of his morning surprise. I couldn't decorate a cake so I decorated the door of our room at The Great Wolf Lodge. It was a big hit. After seeing all the pictures and videos, my nephew Zach is convinced that his birthday must be celebrated at The Lodge as well. Could be a great new family tradition.

The gang's all here! All 8 of the kids are in the bunk but I think baby Camden has crawled out of view. This is why Cody is such a blessed boy - he had family and friends share in our birthday get-away.

I love this photo of the three mamas - me, Cristina and Desiree--we had as much (maybe more) fun as the kids. We were teachers first, friends second, mamas third. I posted this picture instead of the ones of us in the hallway acting like teenagers ... you can thank me later! Viva la ya-yas!

My little man is 8 years old today and while he is having the time of his life, I am having a moment. If the next 8 years go as fast as the last 8 years we will be celebrating his 16th birthday before I know it. It is moments like these that need to be cherished and recorded. It makes me appreciate this photo blog even more. Because while 8th birthdays are really important, sometimes the biggest moments happen when we aren't looking for them.

Today Cody's life was celebrated in grandeur. We had three other families join us in our VA adventure and fun was had by all. I feel blessed beyond measure to have such loving friends to share all of this with. After we left The Lodge we headed back to my timeshare for cupcakes. After the singing and candle blowing Cody said it best. "Excuse me! I have an announcement! Thank you for coming to The Great Wolf Lodge with us. That was the best birthday ever!" Everyone clapped and cheered and I got a little misty. My baby is all grown up.

Project 365: Day 30 - Tues. June 16th, 2009

12:30 pm: Cody has read a chapter from his John Adams early biography and is now sitting at my computer in our Williamsburg time share writing and downloading his photo blog. I am realizing that I can't sit with him when he does it - I interject too much. I want this to be his - I am simply trying to ask questions to give him more to write about. Today he is writing about his new American Revolution toy soldier set. He sets them up and knocks them down about five times a day - along with all the sounds of war...

The picture doesn't show it but he was actually trying to type with two hands. I wonder if there is a website that can help teach kids typing skills. It is, after all, the most valuable skill I learned in high school. But in today's world high school is too late to learn that skill.

We are waiting for our friends to arrive and then its a day of fun in Williamsburg!...

Project 365: Day 25 - Thurs. June 11th, 2009

1:30 - My girl is home!

4:30 - Cody's belt test!

Project 365: Day 10 - Wed. May 27th, 2009

It's a 100% repeat!

Today Cody brought home two math assessments that were 100%!! :) One dealt with money and the other measurement. Mrs. Zucker, the BEST 1st grade teacher ever, told me he was really good in math and here was the proof. And even better than the score was the comment that came along with it as Cody and I looked over the tests together. "And Mama," he said, "These tests were so easy! I didn't even have to use the dot strategy!". The dot strategy!?! That was a few days after he told me how he had helped Paul use his "coping strategies" when he was crying in class. Coping strategies? I think I need to sit in first grade and learn some of Mrs. Zucker's coping strategies and then pass them on to my ninth, tenth, eleventh, and twelth graders! But these two tests stand as a huge milestone in my little man's life ...

Because not too long ago I was very concerned about how well Cody would do in school. His pre-school teacher used to send home negative reports everyday. She wrote such horrible things ... my heart ached when I read them. Soon it become apparent that Cody was in a negative environment that was affecting him. He cried every morning - begging me not to have to go to school. I talked with the teacher and after five minutes of conversation I knew what I had to do - find a new pre-school. When I took Cody to a pre-school in Owings Mills I showed the director the notes the teacher was sending home. She took one look at them and threw them down on her desk in disgust. I knew at that moment that My Second Home was going to be exactly that - Cody's second home. That decision was easy compared to the others that would follow ... the recommendation to see a child psychologist, the kindergarten teacher's recommendation to have him evaluated for an IEP, and then finally the suggestion he repeat kindergarten. The psychologist said he was having normal transitional anxieties after two sessions. The IEP meetings turned out to precautionary and not necessary. The extra year of kindergarten was, and still is, at this point in my life, the best decision I have ever made as a mother.

He has grown emotionally, physically and mentally. He would have been OK had he gone on to 1st grade that year but now instead of being OK - he is excelling. So many people told me, "Boys just mature at slower rates" and my Cody Lee is the poster child for that slogan. Not long ago I had to pick Cody up from school early and ran into Mrs. Clarke, the school principal. She said, looking at Cody with a smile, "All he needed was the gift of time. He has come so far! I'm sure you questioned your decision but I wish you could talk to all the parents who think that repeating Kindergarten is sentencing the child to failure. I wish all parents could see past the stigma and do what is best for the child." I told her, "I never questioned it - I promised myself that once I made the decision I would never look back and hopefully, neither would Cody." For it was Cody who actually reminded me that there was no need to look back. It was Back to School Night and a student who went on to first grade saw Cody and asked why he was still in Kindergarten. Cody's answer was simply, "Cause I haven't learned everything yet." And he walked away, self-esteem in tact, head held high. My little man just sailed through one of life's defining moments. I was proud. I was humbled. I was giving God thanks.

Project 365: Day 8 - Mon. May 25th, 2009

Memorial Day...
Today while I made breakfast and folded laundry, Cody watched Flyboys for perhaps the 100th time. And as you can see from the photo, for Cody, watching movies is not a sedentary activity. His imagination is alive as he reenacts what he sees, and today he was bombing Germans. Flyboys, you see, is a movie based on a true story about Americans who went to France during WWI to learn how to fly in order to help fight against the Germans. It is also the official movie that turned Cody into a history buff. We have since then spent many hours looking in books, walking through museums and visiting battlefields on our never ending quest for history. He reminds me every so often that we must go to France in order to see the battlefields of WWI. Funny where a passion will lead you if you let it! But today, I am especially reminded of the immense and ultimate sacrifice made by so many soldiers and civilians around the world in the quest for freedom and justice. Today, on this Memorial Day, I give my humble thanks.