Halloween 2011

The good thing about Halloween parties is that you can try out many costumes. This year Mason said he wanted to be a witch, then a pumpkin, then a pirate. He ended up being Elmo, a hunter, and then for the real day, BATMAN! His little legs couldn't carry him from house to house fast enough. We went around the neighborhood (especially striking it rich at Vickey's), visiting Aunt Janett, and then went to a party at the Heaton's.

 Mason loves scary stories and likes to be told them at night time before bed. To decrease the chance of nightmares we try to make them funny and light. He really likes ones about bats, wicked witches, and anything that features him being brave. He has spent the past two weeks saying "It's a scaaaaaaaary night".

The tail of two puppies

Mason has always really loved stuffed animals. We've been given a lot of them, so that's a lot of love. He used to always have two that he'd play with, any two. The two lucky ones would change from day to day. Recently he started favoring just one. For a while it was a monkey, then an owl, then Harry the penguin. Then Yellow Puppy. Yes, that's his name. Mason is funny about names. He knows I love the name Sam so everything is named Sam or Sammy. Other than Sam, Mason just names them what they are. Like Yellow Puppy. Or Different Bear (the one that replaced Bear Bear).

Mason and Yellow Puppy have become exclusive. He's the animal of choice. He goes everywhere Mason goes. This means he gets lost everywhere Mason has been. We spend a lot of time searching for Yellow Puppy. I'm usually more blunt with natural consequences. As in "you didn't take care of your toy and now he's lost, good luck with that" but I can't be mean about Yellow Puppy. When Mason realizes he doesn't know where the dog is, he'll start into this long sad dialogue that doesn't cease until the limp raggedy dog is back in his arms.
It goes like this:

I don't know where Yellow Puppy is. Mom, where is Yellow Puppy? I can't find him and that makes me feel sad. I'm so sad and I miss my Yellow Puppy. I looked on my bed and he wasn't there.Yellow Puppy? My dog is lost and I'm so sad in my heart. Yellow Puppy is my best friend and I don't know where he is!

Mason goes on and on and he's sure the world is about to end. We'll find the dog and he perks right up. We repeat this at least a few times a day.

Today we thought Yellow Puppy was really lost. We looked everywhere. We texted Jason, called "Shama Heaton", and asked our neighbors. I even checked the laundry baskets and trash cans. Mason was so upset. We went to play in the backyard, hoping it would distract him from his woes. Mason went in a brought out a big basket of animals and started questioning them. Have you seen Yellow Puppy? He got to a black and white dog named Ding Dong that he passed down to Eli. Apparently the dog was acting suspicious and Mason was sure that Ding Dong knew where Yellow Puppy was and just wasn't telling him. He got on the phone in his toy jeep and was yelling at someone about the dogs and the conspiracy. I couldn't understand a lot of what he was saying. But he was mad.

Fast forward an hour or so. Mason went inside and came out with glitter (no, you can't play with that) in one hand and Yellow Puppy in the other. I yelped in surprise and asked him where he found him. Mason looked down and seemed equally surprised to see the missing pup in his hand. I think he must have found him downstairs and tucked him under his arm without thinking about it. I still don't know where he found Yellow Puppy. And Mason still won't apologize to Ding Dong for falsely accusing him.

Of course Yellow Puppy went missing right before bed and we had to search him down again. Mason sure loves that dog. Here's my funny little man, fast asleep, with Yellow Puppy. He also has a moose and a penguin in there.

All about Mason

{I went to Europe and left some instructions behind for those helping with the kids. Here's Mason's info}

All About Mason

Mason doesn’t have a schedule and doesn’t take naps. Some mornings I have to wake him up to get him on the bus, other times he’s up early wanting to cuddle or watch cartoons. He likes cereal, eggs, or muffins for breakfast. Some mornings he throws fits about “not enough cereal” but I think he’ll be better behaved for you. He needs to go to the bathroom first thing in the morning and last thing at night. If he doesn’t want to try, remind him sometimes our body surprises us.  He likes to get dressed right away, and doesn’t like wear shoes inside.

School mornings:

Routine: I wake him up by 8am if he’s not already up. He eats cereal or eggs, gets dressed, brushes his teeth, and washes his face. I open the front door at 8:15 so we can hear the bus if it’s early. If Mason gets ready and has time to kill we either read or he rides his bike out front. I walk him to the bus and help him up the first step. The aide helps him to his seat and buckles him in. I stand out front and wave until they are off. 

He is a perfectionist and gets discouraged if he can’t do something right. He gets frustrated if something (like putting on shoes) is harder than normal. Watch for flying shoes.  We’ve been working on taking deep breaths when he’s building up getting ready to explode. I’ll say “let me hear you breathe a couple times and then we’ll try again”. Because he wants to do everything just right, he’s also a genius. He’s become very talented at coloring in the lines and writing. Give him time to do things his way and you’ll be astonished at what he can do. Lisa recently introduced him to mazes and his abilities are amazing. 

He plays well with Eli…most of the time. He’s often a big rough and still has that strange obsession with Eli’s hands and feet. He’s sneaky about it too. Eli puts up with it pretty well and will let you know when he’s had enough and needs rescuing. 

Mason loves to help. From making dinner and feeding Eli, to helping with laundry and taking out the trash- it makes him feel important and he’s a good little helper. 

His favorite things to play are: pretend he’s a puppy, play kitchen outside (making salads out of grass), make huts or puppy houses, color, puzzles, and any games. 

On school days I try to be very aware of how he’s feeling when he gets home. Some days  he needs a break to unwind and calm down. Some days he’s very tired and sensitive. Ask him how his day was and he’ll say “Well” and launch into his description. 

If you can’t understand what Mason is saying, try these tips. Tell him you didn’t hear and ask him to repeat it. Ask him to look at you when he talks. Ask him to show you with his hands. Ask him to show you what he’s talking about.  He gets very sad when people don’t understand him and if not treated patiently will give up and feel upset.

To help Mason out I always let him know what to expect. For example you could say “Time to get ready for school. Step one, eat breakfast. Step two, get dressed. Step Three, brush your teeth”. Or “First I’ll come pick you up at school. Then we’ll go the store, and then we’ll play a game.” This may be a hard week for him so I think it’s important to let him know what is going on,  when he’ll be going to the lake, and when Mom will be home. I have a calendar for him he can look at and it’s already been helpful . 

Mason loves to  be told stories, to be held close, and tickled. Make sure he knows I love him to the moon and back and will be back soon.