Nathanael is a one-of-a-kind sort of kid. I thought I had parenting figured out and then I got Nathanael. He is so different, in every way, from Sam. He always has been, from day one. Every day is an adventure with Nathanael. The boy loves to have a good time.
While most 4-year-olds have long outgrown their afternoon naps, I can usually still get one out of Nathanael. And boy can you tell it when he doesn't get one! Most days, he begs not to take his nap until after we pick Sam up from school. Or not to take it at all, because "big boys don't take naps". But, generally, once he's settled in his bed with ALL his babies (which has now grown to include not only blue bear, Rudolph, and little black puppy, but also a little lamb and Rexy the dino) and he has given me not just one hug and kiss goodnight and hidden under his blanket at least twice for me to find him, it's not long before he is snoozing peacefully. I live for those breaks.
Nathanael is hilarious; I send Paul messages throughout the day of random things Nathanael says. He peppers me with questions, random observations and insights, details about his day, and loads of compliments all day long. He always tells me "momma, you're so beautiful and pretty" and "momma, I love you" many times during the day. He sings me songs in his most precious baby voice. And he tells me how cute and precious and beautiful Claire is, too, and that she makes him smile. But I'm not gonna lie; that kid also takes me to the brink of insanity daily. He's got whining and nonsensical chatter down to a science. He is a button-pusher, always looking to get Sam's goat. "Hey Sam, look what I've got. And you didn't get one." "Sam, I'm breaking your favorite toy." "Oh, whoops, was this bookmark holding your place? I didn't mean to take it out." Nathanael lies like a teenager. He's cunning and crafty, and I can never tell when he's telling the truth. The kid is crazy, in an always-up-to-something, mischievous way.
Lately, he has started to pick out his own pajamas. This resulted from many nights in a row of him removing the matching pajamas he had on, right as he was being tucked into bed, and insisting upon receiving another shirt or pants. So, I started letting him choose his own so we could eliminate this latest addition to our nightly routine. Now he always picks the most bizarre combination, never matching. And, even though it has gotten plenty warm outside, he still insists on sleeping in his warmest pajamas, usually fleece ones.
Recently, Nathanael finally got his chance to start playing sports. We signed him up to play soccer at the YMCA with his cousin, Jillian. But, by some stroke of luck, he ended up being on a team with not only her, but also two of his best buddies, Aidan and Benjamin. I think he has been enjoying having an activity that is his, but I'm not sure he really loves soccer.
Last week we took our annual strawberry picking trip. Nathanael has always loved fruit and I was looking forward to letting him eat freely of the fresh strawberries while I filled our baskets. However, he insisted on attempting the fill his own basket and didn't actually spend a lot of time eating them. His picks weren't the ripest strawberries in the field, and eventually I was able to confiscate his basket and fill it myself. He and Max mainly just meandered the rows and got muddy. But he sure has put down some strawberries since then!
At the end of last week, I got to attend a special Mother's Day program at Nathanael's school and finally hear him preform the songs he's been singing in bits and pieces at home. The moms got to dine on a yummy lunch of salad, tomato basil tarts, and margarita pie while listening to the sweet children sing. It is my favorite program that they do at the preschool. I'll miss it next year when he switches schools.
