Joshua Tree

(no subject)

"Mommy, amember when Leyah and Disdan said I were a monster? And wan away? Mommy I agot to dell I not a monster, I a little boy. My mommy calls me William."

Like. OMG MY HEEEAART. Leah and Tristan were just playing, at playgroup, running away from random other kids like "There's the monster! Run!" and taking off. The other kid would either ignore them, or chase them. I didn't see them do it to William, but when they did he must have really taken it to heart.

So I tried to explain they were just pretending, to play with him, and he can either pretend to be the monster and chase them or say "I don't like that. Stop." He said he "forgot" to tell them he's not a monster which I think means it didn't occur to him. He freezes up in situations like that and he's really sensitive.

I've seen it before with friends from school they'll all be playing happily and then I'll hear William's tear-choked voice "I not acryin. I just happy." and I'll come and he'll cuddle in my arms sobbing. With his cousin in LA, the cousin kept hugging him and knocking him down accidentally with this, like, super!exuberant hug and William refused to say "stop that, I don't like it." He'll just let his little heart break and I mean.

He's 3. His friends are 3. 3 year olds are not going to pick up on William's subtle discomfort when they do things like that.

I guess the only thing to do is keep an eye out? I mean I don't even know.
Joshua Tree

William says

There is a big post in my head I kept wanting to do about William and language - not his speech but his slow mastering of the English language. Grammar and idioms and vocab and how his baby-mistakes reflect general logical language patterns from a linguistic perspective. PLUS IT'S ADORABLE. ("I do'ed it!" "Are you remember when we seed the car?" "Band-aid will feel my boo-boo better")

But I don't have time now (eventually!) just wanted to note that today I pointed out some deer in someone's yard.

"Look, Will deer!"
"Yes. There are... one... two...three...four..."
"Good counting! Four! Four deer!"
"... no mommy. Four deerS."
Joshua Tree

This conversation actually happened

Me: Remember (the Old Saybrook Train station)?
William: Yes. I saw three electric trains go by. Two stopped and one didn't.
Me: The one that didn't stop was going really fast wasn't it?
William: Yes, very fast! Is it an electric train?
Me: Yes, it's an electric train and it's called The Acela. It goes very fast, like your shinkansen does.
William: Ooooh. What was the blue train called?
Me: Metro North.
William: and what was the dirty train called?
Me: Amtrack.
Joshua Tree

(no subject)

William has this eraser (only marketed by an American company so sans the Japanese-import-costs). He loves it, and takes it everywhere and the thing is the size of a quarter so it gets lost easily.

He also figured out how to take the head off (it's a puzzle) and sometimes that's the only part he looses.

So I come in to get him after his nap one day and he holds up the piggy-body and says, "Mommy I can't find the piggy's head!" he's looking around his bed. "can you help me find it?"

Then he goes: "I thought I found it, but it was my toe."

I thought I found it. But it was my toe.

I laughed for like five minutes it was just the cutest thing ever. His toes do look like tiny pink piggy heads.

(Anyway, eventually we found the pig's head if you care)
Joshua Tree

(no subject)

William has started crying when I leave him at school, he is also suddenly afraid of the dark (thanks to today's Curious George episode. Damn you, PBS).