Questions

From out  of the blue: "Daddy, why do some languages have similar pronunciation?" You are 4 years and 4 months old.

First day at school

The new school is open, although work is still going on, and some kids have been there for a few days. You went in and saw familiar faces and were perfectly happy. When we entered the classroom, first you got a pen and drew a picture, signing it, then you wrote "Welcome to King's Cross Academy" on a small chalk board. The head saw it and said he should have got you to do some signs since they had none for the front of the school. He didn't need to ask twice - but he didn't realise you'd take him at his word. You wrote a couple of signs on A4, then asked one of the staff - Christine - to give them to him. (He was gone.)
You had folded them up and she didn't know what they were. Luckily, he came back and you gave them to him yourself. Because you had written on the outside of the folded paper too, he thought they were small paper so had to be encouraged to open them up. When mummy and daddy left the building not long afterwards, they were already on the reception desk. When we picked you up, we got a snap of you and one of your signs. (You have history, with signs all over your nursery too.)

Rock Trumps

We play games every day. Junior versions of Scrabble and Cluedo, Uno and more. You've enjoyed "top trumps" since we got our first pack - "toff trumps" a marketing gift from a company - and then I bought "wonders of the world", "London", "tallest buildings" and now we have about 15 or 20 packs. You asked about tree ones a while ago and I couldn't find any.

After we bought a 'modern artists' pack at the Tate, we made an individual card with you as an artist to go in it. Yesterday you suggested we should make a pack.

You have given me a little family business idea, son.

Party!

 
Your 4th birthday party was a success by any standard. It came a day after your 'graduation' from nursery on Friday 17th July.







Lots of your friends came - Lily, Pearl, Elliot, Michael and Sasha were all there - and your nanny, granddad, great aunt Rosemary, great uncles Mike and Redmond and cousin Kasey were there too.

We had a bouncy castle that you enjoyed and there were egg-and-spoon, sack, and beanbag races.






Your mum cooked lots of food and you helped me buy some food and drink at Sainsbury's bouncing all the way to the supermarket with excitement. I feared you were so excited that you'd crash and cry at some point but it never happened: you are generally so strong and happy. In turn it makes me so happy to have such a son.

The following day was a picnic with the opportunity to meet some of the other children, teachers, staff and parents from your new school, King's Cross Academy. We are very optimistic about the quality of the school and hope we have chosen well for you, son.

Mr Wonderful

You had a fun three weeks in Xian and Chengdu, where we saw pandas. Your grandparents, cousin and aunt all gave you presents and your Mandarin got a boost.

You are a funny little boy. This year, you've been into Paddington and Horrid Henry and enjoy games: top trumps and chess (you just got your own account on stansnetchess).

We got you into King's Cross Academy and are hoping that it'll be a great school for you. We are talking about your mum becoming a teaching assistant there. We love you so much, son.

V for...

We were at Air and Rod's house on Saturday, about 18 days after your third birthday. You picked up one of their coasters and said "water lily pond". Jan saw the coaster and was half-amazed, thinking you'd stumbled across the name of the piece of art it showed by dint of knowing the plant name. I asked you who painted it. "Monet" you said, confidently. This caused quite a reaction.

Jan asked you who'd painted another of the coasters. It was a self-portrait by Van Gogh, but not the one "~with a bandaged ear" that you know. I tried to help out by giving you the first sound, "və".

"Vermeer," you guessed. I think this caused more of a reaction than getting the answer right would have done.

Later you identified a painting (Primavera) on a cup as by Boticelli and The Great Wave on another cup as by Hokusai. Jan thought it was Horoshige. 

Tee hee, you clever little boy.

Love my life

I don't write about you as much as I intended too. I love you so much and the time we have together is great. You always have some new way to surprise me. It is often a sudden flourish of chat but can be your climbing and jumping skills. Today, when you got back from the London Transport Museum ,you told me that you "walked, jumped, drove a train, walked some more, got in a bus and did some more walking". It was so cute, my nearly-three-year-old son, that writing it down cannot do it justice.

Later you went up onto the back of the armchair and jumped down in a continuous cycle. Your mother's heart stops often, but I love it.