learning my kid.

so, i recently had an epiphany.
i'm not going back to teaching right now. which was kind of killing me. this is normally my most favorite time: decorating the classroom, buying school supplies, not sleeping because i'm so excited about fun lesson plans and meeting and loving new students.

but not right now... right now, i just have one child (and one growing baby!) to think about...

and my child is no longer a baby.
i am no longer just providing for his physical needs.
and it's so exciting.

now, i get to do the part i've really been waiting for... learn who he is!
try to help/guide him to become a man of God.
try to figure out how to discipline him in a way that helps him learn and understand.
all while raising a toddler. who threw himself on the ground in meijer today. because he only got to ride the horse twice.

man alive. it's terrifying.
you could mess up in a lot of ways.

but SO exciting! so, here's what i've been learning/inwardly laughing at about micah, and if you don't care about micah, skip it... you'll fall asleep while i get gushy for a minute:

1. he is always listening. to my phone calls, to what i say to matt. he will repeat things i say about him back to me... already. like today, i told my mom on the phone about how he had a plastic bat and started saying, "hit mommy. hit baby." and then hit my belly (obviously, disciplined...). when i got off the phone, he started telling me how "micah mommy sad. micah hit mommy. micah hit baby."

2. he LOVES learning. truly a geek. knows all uppercase and lowercase letters, all colors, counts to 20, recognizes to 12, knows the written words from one-ten, knows his shapes, animals and animal sounds, and is always shocking me with all the names he knows, songs he knows, places he knows. one of his favorite activities is flashcards. really.

3. he is very attentive to feelings. when he has a fit, he'll say, "micah crying!" or "micah whining." when we're at somewhere fun, he'll say, "micah happy!" "micah SO excited!" emotions are so interesting, learning sad and mad and happy.

4. he thinks he understands about God. it's adorable. he has a Noah's ark set, and calls the people, "Noah and Abraham," when they're really Noah and his wife.  He wants to pray to Jesus and then to God before meals and bed.  today, he did his first prayer totally on his own, saying, "thank you Jesus food, mommy, micah, bailey, daddy. thank you God. amen."

5. he comprehends way more than i give him credit for. without discussing, he'll explain an entire book or episode of daniel tiger... and he'll continue to rehash situations or random events for weeks after them.  case and point, he's repeatedly talked about going to the park with daddy (two weeks ago), "rocks in the water. eeew duck. goose. ducks. baby duck. eat bagel. bagel gone!"

6. he has to be clean. he'll clean his hands and the table about 20 times during a meal. he won't climb on the couch if he sees crumbs. he'll pick trash up everywhere and find trashcans. he'll freak out if his hands get dirty.

7. he's very loving... when he wants to be. he kisses a mole on my arm every day, thinking it's a booboo. when the barney song, "i love you" comes on, he runs over to kiss and hug and cuddle.

meanwhile, we're constantly on the edge of a meltdown in one way or another, always trying to learn how to handle meltdowns and tantrums and feeling like i should start reading parenting books. so, so stubborn. 

i may not be teaching in school this year, but i'm pretty excited to get to teach him new things every day... and selfishly love that he loves the ridiculous things i come up with.

like this! inspired by pinterest, but using the supplies i had and adding a bit to it... super simple, but entertaining and easy for a pregnant mom :)

basically, the muffin tin has a different uppercase letter written in each cupcake liner. the eggs have matching lowercase letters written on the inside of them. i put the egg together, throw it... he runs to get it, opens it, tells me what letter it is, then finds the matching cupcake liner and puts it in the spot. 

works on gross motor (running), fine motor (opening the egg), and uppercase and lowercase letters. and he loved it!

andddd end micah-obsessed post.