these days, this boy

Oh, to be dealing with a bipolar.... I mean, a three and a half year old. Truly, there are days when I am completely emptied of patience and tolerance and explanations and energy. Other days, we sail blissfully through the day, all smiles and love and cuddles. It's a complete roller coaster dealing with this age, not to mention dealing with myself through it all as well. 

I must say, I've gone back to meditating. Ten minutes is a real refresher. Also, some mantras that I read in my daily Buddhist meditations book. 

:: May I be filled with loving kindness.
:: May I be well.
:: May I be patient and at ease.
:: May I be happy. 

For me, as I breathe into each one of these and really feel its meaning and impact throughout my body, I enter a much better space to deal with.... pretty much everything. 

As for the boy himself, he's pretty interesting these days. The things this kid thinks about... I tell you. Here are some of the lighter and heavier comments I get on any given day.

-- I don't want Muenster cheese. I want some of those Asian slices. (He meant American slices).

-- Who is the author of this hot dog? (He means who makes it)

-- One day, we're sitting at the table eating, talking about how much we love each other. He likes to mimic the book How Much I Love You. 
J: I love you all the way up to the moon and then Venus and back.
M: I love you all the way up to the moon and Saturn and back.
J: Let's talk about sadness. If you died, I would be sad up to the moon and out to Mars and back.

-- Mommy, let's go I.P.U.S.T. today. That spells putt-putt.

-- In the car one day -
J: How was I made?
M: (mind you, he knows some of this already) Well, there was a sperm from Daddy and an egg from Mommy and inside each of them was information about how to make you. So when they came together they told all your body parts where to go; your head to go on top and your middle to go in the middle and your legs to go on the bottom. That made you.
J: What part did God make?
M: Well, maybe God put the information inside the egg and the sperm so that when they came together they would make you. 

-- We were playing "the pie game" which is Trivial Pursuit and all we do is go around with the die and collect pies and as Jacob is looking to move off a pie "square" both "squares" that he would be able to land on were the same colour. "That's symmetric. Daddy told me that." 

-- At dinner,
D: Do you like that soup?
J: Yes, apparently.

-- We were nearby Michaels the other day and Jacob asks me, "Can we go to that store, Michaels, and look around for some craft project stuff?" A boy after my own heart. We did and found some fun glitter on sale. We had to do a craft project as soon as possible. While we were making our glittery card, some glitter got on Jacob's hands. "Look, my hands are getting all craft projecty."

-- J: Mom, why do girls have vaginas?
    M: Well, that's how we're made.
     J: It's so the baby can come out. 

-- I picked Jacob up from the gym's childcare yesterday and the girls say, "Jacob tells us he's getting a baby sister." I say, "Well, I'd like that too. Unless he knows something I don't, there's nothing yet." They say, "Yeah, he told us that Mommy and Daddy were working on it." Warning: at this point, nothing you talk about with your child can be expected to be kept to himself.

We definitely seem to be dealing with the reproductive system these days. At the library today, Jacob picked out a book called It's So Amazing! that is all about how babies are made. Because "I'm just interested in how babies are made". It's for kids ages 7 and up. I skimmed it during his nap time so I would know which parts to avoid. There are things even I think are too much for my kid at this point. Overall, though, it covers a lot of stuff that he already knows about. I didn't even know if he's make it through the whole thing without being bored. But, sure enough, after nap he gets it out and we go over (almost) the entire thing. Whew! I am sure some day I will get a note from a teacher because Jacob's telling everyone where babies come from.... probably his kindergarten teacher.