June 6, 2006

I really just need to post every couple of days, when I don't, I forget things!

A couple of days ago I picked up Cakes (maddie-cakes), and she patted me on the shoulder (which she often does when you pick her up, as if to say, "oh, thank you...") and said "Mama." And I said, "Yes, Maddie." It made me so happy. She did it again the next day. "Mama." "Yes, baby." sigh. A sweet sound indeed.
This morning as I was getting ready for work she turned away from the coffee table, and just stood there, not holding on to anything, not going anywhere, just stood there. I of course told her that she must be very proud of herself. She was, if her grin was any indication.
It's funny how much like Trevelyn she is. I expected to have two completely different children, (you would think with only two you would get a variety) but they really are very similar. She is more social than he, likes to be around people, but she is just as daring, busy, and explorative. Not satisfied to sit and do nothing, gotta get going to check out that thing over there. It's curious, Trev is a sensitive, caring child, and Maddie is going to be a go get 'em, do as she pleases girl. So they both have traits that are sometimes characteristically assigned to the opposite sex. Maybe that's why they seem so like each other.

Trevelyn is coming along very, very well on reading. I have not gotten out any books in the last few days, though we have checked out a few words from the letters on the fridge, but all of a sudden he has gotten it.
Several months ago, we started doing this game, in the car, the grocery store, where ever, I would say, "I am thinking of an animal that starts with the sound 'p', can you guess what it is?" And he would get stuck, or get one, etc, eventually he got pretty good at it with dinosaurs.
The second part of this game (getting ready for reading) is breaking up a word, with three sounds, and having them put the word together. For instance, c. a. t. What word is that? Very difficult for a long time, and difficult for children in general, it's hard to get the concept of blending the sounds. Yesterday I started asking him, and he got it. All of them. r. u. n. Run! d. o. g. Dog! c. o. p. Cop! (A funny sidenote about this, if someone knocks on the door, or rings the doorbell, Trev automatically says "Is it the cops?!?" As if we are bank robbers, or something. It's the funniest damn thing. I have no idea where or whence that came. Makes me laugh, though.
Anyway, my beloved son is now on his way to reading, Giant Step #2. Yay!

Even though I whole-heartedly believe in unschooling, it is still nice to know that it will even work for my children, that they are not the only ones on the planet that simply will not learn things. That they are capable, driven, and bright enough to seek knowledge and information. To see them expore their world, to make meaning of it, and ultimately to find their place in it. To do it on their own will hopefully show them that they can do anything, as they have already done so.
Now if their mother can just get the hell outta the way....