Preserving Arts and Craps

I've been feeling nostalgic since Johnny finished Kindergarten last week, and have been thinking about all the things I'm going to miss as he gets older. 

I'm not sure why it is hitting me so hard, I never felt this way with James.  It could be (and I really hope this is not the case) that a lot of the cute things James did got lost in our memories b/c we were so focused on his progress and therapies, or maybe because Kindergarten lasted 2 years and we were emotionally ready for 1st grade by that point.

It might be that because James didn't speak until later on, and then couldn't verbalize thoughts or ideas at that age, so these Johnny-isms seemed the funniest things we had ever heard. It could be that I wasn't on Facebook and didn't keep a journal (which I totally regret!), so I didn't have the chance to look back and relive those moments.

Or, it could just be that I know I'll never have another Kindergartner in the house (unless he is left on our doorstep!).

Whatever the reason, I keep going back to some images and reminders of things Johnny has said and done, trying to preserve them clearly so I don't lose them like I lose everything else in that black hole I call my memory.

So, more for me than you, here are some of my favorite comments and status updates from the past 2 years:

Favorite Johnny-isms

 "Coughateria", "Chopped lips", "Arts and Craps" and things that "blow in the dark".

Fluffy and Kitty School Moments
- Playing Candyland w/ Johnny and his stuffed kitty. Fluffy is winning.


Fluffy at Kitty School



Kitty school is growing.
Each student has a desk, chair, pencil and eraser.

- It's Dance Party hour at kitty school. Johnny started a "Justin Beaver" chant. 

-There are about 25 stuffed animals in line to see the Vet. I think we have a kitty flu outbreak over here...

Johnny being Johnny

- Johnny: "Mom, how do you spell right?" me: "you mean like take a right at the light?" Johnny: "no, like when you tell your mommy something new that she's never heard of before, ever, and your mommy looks at you and says 'you know, you're right and you are very smart to think that' "



Johnny Multi-tasking

- Johnny just wrote his name in Australian. It is upside down...

- Teacher asked Johnny this morning what he wants to do when he grows up. His response: "I want to do everything, except be a priest".

- My favorite part of today was Johnny sitting down on the steps of the State House and singing "I'm just a Bill, yeah, I'm only a Bill, and I'm sittin here on Capitol Hill" (From the day we went to the State House to support the Autism Insurance Reform Act)

- Johnny Drama just came in the kitchen crying that he really hurt his leg. "What happened?" "I fell! ouch! It hurts!" "what did you fall off of? The couch?"
"NO! OUCH! The FLOOR!"

- Johnny started crying while changing into his pajamas. "Johnny, what's wrong, are you OK?" I yelled running from the kitchen.  "NO!  I got a rug burn putting the pajama pants over my knee!"

-Overheard Johnny talking to his new friend on the playground --
Johnny (in excited, squeaky voice): "Greg! We have exactly the same stuffed animal!"
Greg (confused): "You have a stuffed butterfly too?"
Johnny: "No, I have a gray kitty. But Greg (now using his serious teacher voice) you know why I said we have the exact same animal? Greg, wait. Do you LOVE your butterfly VERY MUCH?"
Greg: "YES!"
Johnny (excited again): "I LOVE my Fluffy VERY MUCH TOO! That is why I said we have the exact same stuffed animal!!"

-OMG, I just looked in the living room and Johnny is dancing to "DJ got us Falling in Love" - on roller skates!

 - Johnny saw something about Cupid and asked who he was, I told him that there was a story that people who got hit with Cupid's arrow fell in love with the person they were with. he said " OH, That is what happened! I got hit with Cupid's arrow when I met Kaydence!" (a girl he became good friends with in his pre-school class 2 yrs ago ;)

Johnny to James on the way to swimming lessons. "Wait, did you say "heart" or "hard"? Was it "heart" like "she stole my heart?"

- Johnny told Tony tonight he believes in God. And Fairies.
Religious Education successfully completed in the Macchi household.

- Johnny: "MOM! There is a BULLY on bus 3-5-9! We don't have a bully on our bus. The cooties come every few weeks though, so that is bad!"


Johnny's been playing with his new file cabinet all day.
I'm waiting for him to start calling the keys "my precious"...



- kids are playing fetch. Johnny is the dog as usual.

James: "someone said the 'S' word on the bus today."
Johnny: "was it the 'upid' or the 'uck' one?

- Umm, Johnny just told me he hears voices in his head that nobody else can hear. I'm wondering if I should take the File Cabinet of Fun story more seriously...;)

- Johnny just said "Mom, life keeps getting gooder".

And the moment that makes me appreciate "Johnny being Johnny" more than any other and realize I have a lifetime of these to come:
- Just watched Johnny lead James all the way around the pool club by the hand to show him where our chairs were. Possibly the sweetest thing I've ever seen.

Typical Insanity

I woke this morning to my 6 yr old standing next to my bed.

"Mommy, will you bring my file cabinet downstairs so I can play with it?"

Ugh. Sunday morning, during my hour of peace. We are finally at a place where the boys can get up and entertain themselves and we can sleep in a bit, except for the every 15 minute snooze alarm that sounds oddly like a squeaky Sheldon Cooper. 

"Mommy?Mommy?Mommy?" 

I swear I'm going to get James's IEP to include that his ABA therapist must sleep over Saturday nights just to work on that.  So a normal Sunday morning has one of us getting up to complete some absolutely unnecessarily necessary task, then coming back to bed and falling alseep for 10 more minutes until the next Sheldon-esque call. 

The typical 6 yr old usually lets us sleep. But not today. 

Today Johnny had a new toy.  The 1970's metal file cabinet he bought with his own money at the neighbor's yard sale yesterday.  He played with it all day, locking and unlocking it, putting his animals inside.  He dragged it around the walkway and the living room on its metal wheels, propping it in front of him and making up songs about it to sing to his animals.

He had us bring it upstairs at bedtime and turned it into his nightstand. 
There, I thought.  Now it will just be a table and he can put stuff in it. 
And he'll go back to playing with his real toys.

But then this morning I heard in my drowsy state: "Fluffy, do you want to go into the File Cabinet of Fun?" and I felt the same little creepy chill I got when he told me he wanted to drive an ice cream truck when he got older.

I fell back to sleep and dreamed of scary clowns and freaky dolls, and when I opened my eyes, he was standing right in front of me. 

"REDRUM!" 

Actually, he probably said "Mommy" but it wouldn't have made any difference since this is the child I saw in front of me:

"You promised.  PLEASE?" 

I know, I know.   I'm coming.  Just go out in the hallway for a few minutes, you are starting to freak me out.

So I brought the file cabinet downstairs, and Johnny picked up where he left off, playing with his new cabinet. 

I looked over at James, running laps around us and singing another made up song to the same tune as Johnny's Fun House File Cabinet ditty, and started to laugh.  Then I wondered if Tony and I could combine efforts and write a comic strip about a quirky little kid, who is daily becoming more quirky than the one with the Dr's label stating that he is, in fact, medically quirky, and that kid's best friend, File Cabinet of Fun.