Roots

When we were at the lake this summer, Jeff (not our Jeff, but Jeff Scheule) sat and talked Addison through adding "big numbers". It was not a long drawn out lesson. He simply showed Addison how to put who double digit numbers on top of each other and add down. Well, little did he know that this would start math-fest-2008. A few weeks after we got back, Addison had mastered adding two and three digit numbers that didn't require "carrying". He could add three of them. Recently, we introduced carrying and much to my surprise, he had it down in under an hour. Asa, although not as interested in math problems as a fun entertainment activity, has followed right behind Addison by a single step. I was floored.

For my doctor appointments, I print out worksheets, mazes, coloring pages, and now Addison requests pages of math problems. Thankfully, you can find these online in 2-digit, 3-digit, with or without "regrouping". Now, he has a heck of a time sounding out words, but he can add 456 and 692. As we enter Kindergarten (which starts in a week), I know that they will be adding 4 apples plus 4 apples. Luckily, the boys will be staying in the same private program that they were in last year. Fourteen students, two teachers who already know the boys. I feel very confident that they will keep him interested. Plus, if he is bored by the math he can always spend some extra time trying to figure out what sound "bus" starts with. As interested as he is in Math, he is equally as uninterested in taking the time to sound things out!

At Shelby's birthday party the other weekend, Addison, Asa and Shelby sat at a small picnic table to eat. Shelby, being two, stuck her bread into her mouth only to realize that it wasn't quite what she wanted. She pulled the bread back out... sending Addison to carry his plate to sit on the cooler. This child has one incredibly weak stomach. Later on, he was standing beside me with the grown-ups when Shelby came up to the table with a very runny little nose. Maria went to wipe it and Addison started to heave. I mean, heave. Now, this is nothing out of the ordinary for my little boy. He actually gags and heaves when he sees someone else eating something that he doesn't like. He has lost his lunch over having to taste a grape (he hates fruit, except bananas and applesauce). Recently, he told me that he was giving my belly all these kisses because when the baby comes it'll be slobbery, so he won't want to kiss him or her then.

Some might think this is totally bizarre, but I grew up with my brother. Hal could vomit and the sheer thought of something gross. To this day, he can't eat at the same table as a baby. Once, mom made tuna with relish in it. Hal didn't like pickles in his tuna, but mom made him at least try it. He swore he would throw up. But, she argued, how did he know he didn't like it if he didn't try it? After a fight, he gave in... and sure enough he threw up all over. It's not a weak stomach, it's a stomach with an overactive eject button.

Another amazing similarity between the two is their overwhelming appreciation for their own intelligence. Addison, for example, loves to answer questions, loves to talk about things he knows, and loves to be right. Often, his love for being right and love to talk are at odds- as he can't seem to be quiet long enough to listen to the question. Hal and Addison both seem to have a double helping of self-esteem.

The combination of Addison's attraction to numbers, his healthy ego, and his overactive gag reflex has made me realize how alike he and Hal truly are. They both really love sports. Addison is incredibly competitive and driven. Hal was a puzzle addicted kid, just like Addison. I remember Hal sitting for hours in his room at a very young age. We would go in and he had put together every puzzle we had on his floor. Addison puts puzzles together before I wake up in the morning. The 100 piece ones are a bit too easy for him. I have been looking for some 200 piece ones. Hal bought him a 1000+ piece puzzle for his birthday and although we have worked diligently on it, we aren't quite finished yet.

Although I don't remember Hal being particularly into cards (Addison plays solitaire constantly), I do know that he had a strong interest in board games. Hal was more into Monopoly, Addison is into chess and checkers. However, video games served as the center of Hal's young universe much as they do Addison's. Addison would play video or computer games all day every day if we let him. He does get to play, in limited amounts. He does not get to play every day. But, even when he isn't playing them he is thinking about the games. He talks about what he can try next time, he creates his own games, his own boards, in his head. If we didn't have a tight rein on him, he would be lost in an electronic oblivion. Heck, while on a recent ban of t.v. and video games (which was not for a punishment but just as a "break"), Jeff caught Addison staring for a very long time at our screen saver! Jeff said something to him and Addison replied in a dazed voice, "Daddy, it looks like it's coming AT me." Hal would get up at 5am so that he could play Mario Bros before school. He was equally in love with video games. Yes, he would even break down into tears when he would lose... just like Addison.

The good news? Even with all his quirks, Hal turned out to be a fully functional, social, happy adult. With this, I can take a sigh of relief. Maybe like Hal, Addison will eventually learn that you appear smarter when you stop talking so darn much. As of the moment, Addison prefers to talk without ceasing every minute that he is not asleep. Maybe one day Addison's body shape will change and his pants will stay up, like Hal's eventually did. Both of those boys had/have no hips and would walk straight out of any pair of any pair of pants no matter how tight the belt. Addison is currently in a 24 month bathing suit and still can't get out of the pool without showing his crack. Luckily, puberty helped Hal in that department and I haven't seen him showing off his crack in many many years. There is hope.

Now, this may be an all-about-Addison post, but don't get me wrong, I am constantly just as amazed by Asa's abilities, his love of all that is art, his focus on projects and details, his jaw-dropping Lego creations, and his fascination with science. Over the course of the summer, I have witnessed both of these boys blossom into big smart five year old boys... and soon to be big brothers. I know that the future holds absolutely no guarantees, but I know that these kids have such amazing potential and I am so proud to be their mom and their teacher. I hope that they will keep this interest in learning for as long as possible. I promise to keep googling all the answers that I don't know...

or I'll keep calling uncle Hal.