46

So, I don't know if you know, but my kid thinks he is a lion. No, seriously. He really does. He roars all day long. He crawls along. He talks to me in a growly voice "Nooo(roar), Mama, I don't want to take a bath (Roar)."

At first we thought it was cute.

Then, we thought it was a little strange. I mean he thought he was a lion for pete's sake. He'd growl at bugs and kittens and well, everyone. For a while he was Scar. He was the mean lion from the Lion King. He liked Scar. It's OK to like the villain, right? My dad always like the villains in movies. Cruella Deville, The Grinch, I can't even think of anyone else. I just assumed Jack was taking after Ga. It wouldn't be the first time.

He would be a lion at school. But he was too violent. He'd try to replay the final scene when Simba and Scar are fighting over the cliff. He'd take his action figured and make them "falled." ("Mama, Lion King falled. Mama! Scar falled.")

It was when he tried to take down my mom that I thought it was enough. We took the Lion King away from him... along with 1 1/2, and 2. No more Lion King! But he didn't let it go. We tried everything. Shrek, Sesame Street, Thomas the Choo-Choo Train, Curious George. Sure, he liked them OK. But not with the same passion. We deflated him. So we brought in movies that had Lions but weren't the Lion King like Madagascar.

Anything with a Lion, and sometimes Tigers, he wanted. Action figures, movies, T-shirts, a zip-up sweatshirt. He had super hero-like powers when it came to finding a Lion. We'd be in the car and he'd see a billboard with a small picture of a lion and he'd scream, "MAMA!!!!! LION KING!!!!" Some kid would have a lion on their shirt and he'd point it out. He couldn't stop his love for Lions.

So, I sat him down. I told him I would give him the Lion King back but no Lion King at school. He had to be the nice Lion. He had to be King Mufasa. It seems to have worked.

Everyday I pick him up he comes running to me saying, "No Lion King, Mama. No Lion King." And then I talk to his teacher and she tells me he was the Lion King but he was nice about it. Yesterday, he was assigning animals to other kids. He made Go-Go be a monkey. Devin was a Giraffe.

So now we are about a month away from Halloween. Last year, I had him dress up as a frog. He looked sooo cute. Husband and I have been debating about letting him be a lion. Sometimes he forgets his manners when he transforms into the King of the Jungle. Initially, my parents were against it.

But last weekend, Jack was staying at their house so I could go to the Notre Dame disaster. My mom was showing him the book I made her of my JWJ blog. She showed him the picture of him dressed in a frog suit. She explained Halloween and pointed out that he was dressed as a frog.

Apparently, he was disgusted. He made a face. "No Frog, Ma. Lion King. Jack Lion King."

So, that settled it. We all agreed he'd have nothing to do with any other costume -- not even the cute clown suit my mom had made for my brother when he was a toddler. And he would be devastated if anyone else showed up as a Lion and he was a purple clown.

The suit came today. It's fantastic. I can't wait to show him. He may lose his mind. He may never, ever take it off.

45

So Jack has his first girlfriend. So far, I've taken it pretty well.

She's super cute and loves my kid. They follow each other around and seem to almost speak their own baby language. I think Jack may talk more than she does but apparently they're inseparable from the moment Jack arrives for lunch until I pick him up.

Often times when Husband drops him off, she's waiting by the fence on the parking lot or running to the doorway of his classroom yelling and waving for "Ack!!" As soon as I walk in, she runs up to me to give me a pat or to yell, "Ack's Mama, Ack's Mama!" Yesterday, she showed me her boo-boo. But the thing that strikes me most about this budding relationship is the fact that neither child seems to notice they look nothing alike. She's a gorgeous African American child with "pretty hair" as Jack says. He's the whitest-looking white kid with screaming blond hair and flashy blue eyes.

It's proof that racism is learned.

Together they have this friendship that grows more and more each day. Jack picks up her colorful barrettes when they fall out of her braids and makes funny faces at her when she cries. She holds his hand when they go outside and patiently lets him play Lion King. She holds the best riding toys for him on the playground. They make a great pair. And if you ask him about her, all he'll say is, "She's pretty" and smile. I'll ask him if he played with her and he'll say "Yes, she's pretty" and smile. I will ask him if he wants to go to school and he'll cheerily call out her name.

It's not like my kid likes all of his classmates at the center -- he doesn't. He has no tolerance for the one kid who never participates and is always getting into trouble. He yells at him as much as any of the teachers. I've seen it -- he's a big of a narc really. He has no tolerance for the dirty kid. You know the kid, everyone grew up with one. It never fails, that kid is always dirty with a weird ring around his mouth. Plus, he's a mush mouth. I have seen him talk to Jack, Jack just kinda stare at him for a second and walk away. And then there's the cry baby. Jack don't play that. That kid is his least favorite of all. Anyone who knows me can attest I am the same way with people who I don't click with... my theory? Why waste your time?

I know Jack likes her to the core. He doesn't notice that she looks different than he does. He just notices that she speaks audibly. She's easy to play with, and she's cute. I hope he holds onto that. As adults, we fall into our own "comfort zones" of like people. Most often than not that means being around people who look like us. For Jack it's still simple. He plays with the person he likes most. And besides, he's always liked pretty girls.

44

Happy 4th Anniversary to us!

Big plans you ask? Big for us. Dinner @ PF Changs and then ... season premiere of Grey's!! (Can you guess who planned the itinerary?)

We got a babysitter (sorry Jack!) so we may also stop at Walmart to get stuff for the impending Notre Dame weekend. This weekend? Nine visitors overnight. Yup, that's what I said, NINE.

Next year we head to New Orleans for the nickel celebration. It will be a repeat of our honeymoon minus a hurricane (hopefully) and adding more turtle soup from Brennan's.

43

Happy Birthday Tishy!

42

Jack's college fund?
Braces?
A car to beat up @ 16?

It's all depending on this:

http://btobsearch.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?z=y&btob=Y&endeca=1&isbn=0762740272&itm=9

Order now and support Jack's future.

(Pretty shameful, don't you think?)

I don't think the book has hit stores yet but I do know Husband will be having a book signing soon enough. Anyone interested?

41

Jack's sick. I guess now that the weather has turned cold, I should have expected it. It has just been so long.

Friday night he threw up all over me, the leather couch and then later his pops. After letting loose, he acted like a whole new kid. We hoped he'd just eaten something that didn't agree with him.

Saturday afternoon he and I went shopping with the G-rents. He was a nightmare. Extremely clingy, irrational and just bad. This is not totally uncommon being 2 and all but the three of us were not surprised when I took his temperature and it registered a 101.9.

Sunday he laid around all day. And took two naps. Two naps are insane considering he rarely takes one. He tossed and turned all night. Now I am home with him (after being at work this morning) so Husband can go to work for two hours. @ 1 we'll take him to the doctor. I will head back to work and he will go home with Daddy.

Another day where I wish I was a stay@home mom.

40

Another Labor Day, another Summer gone.

Seriously, where did the time go? I sound like the 'rents.

Last weekend we went to a MSU game -- barely won -- and a Tigers game -- big L. Husband's family was in town and after too much razzing, I don't think the boyfriend will ever return.

Ahhh, meeting the in-laws (the entire clan, mind you) is quite overwhelming. My first visit with his family was interesting to say the least. Husband didn't tell me it was a "jeans and beer" kind of engagement and I wore a skirt. They must have thought I was out of control. I met his 2.5-year-old cousin and she hated me because she thought Husband was her boyfriend. And then there was his brother. Within a hour or so of meeting me, he called me a name. Not a nice name. We were playing euchre and he didn't like my strategy. Of course now, almost seven years later everything is different... Although Husband's brother still can be a little hardcore playing games.

I should have remembered all these stories to make him feel better. When they had him cornered and demanded to know when he was going to propose to Husband's sister, I should have shouted out in sympathy. "Hey, Buddy! It will be OK!"

But no, not me. Instead, I joined in. As a legal member of the family I technically had a right to the teasing. I reminded him how wonderful Auntie is and gently let him know she could do better. OK, so not so gently. I just said: "You know, she could do better." It was a joke ... Still better than when Husband asked him when he was going to make her an honest women in front of a bunch of older relatives, right?!

Yup, the pseudo-Uncle will definitely never return. (See, he's not technically Jack's uncle because he hasn't married Husband's sister. Catchy name, eh? Not sure which one of us morons made that one up.)

The thing is they brought Jackie a toy: a mini professional soccer ball. You'd think we'd be nicer. Of course, he knows Husband hates soccer. So that's a little sassy too. Right? And he calls Husband "Bag of Donuts" so that's pretty smartarse... wouldn't you say?

The truth is, I do feel bad -- I am sure he'd be glad to know I talked about it here. Good thing the pair doesn't read this blog. I may just get away with it again.

P.S. Jack will never go to another football game until he is at least 12 years old. He was the worst monster I have seen. And his diaper leaked all over my leg. He wasn't impressed in the "football Spartan" game or the band. He and I left during the halftime show. Someday he'll regret it.