Category: Alex

“Stickers”, Abd

Alex / / Alex, Mago Elf Liam, Nem Nem Niamh

Tia sent me this IM on behalf of Mago:

Yesterday morning Nem-nem spotted a fat robin on the front lawn and pointed to it. (Tia notices birds too. We’ll be driving on the freeway and she’ll tell me there was a hawk or some other bird of prey – and it’s past too soon and I don’t see it.) I pointed to the bird also, said “Bird” and signed it to her, by moving my fingers like a bird’s beak. (I forgot the beak goes on your chin when you sign this.) Nem-nem tried to say the word:

Abd. AAbd. Aadb.

– and imitated the sign. A while later from downstairs she ventured upstairs (I stayed behind her to keep her safe) and to the front door, to go back outside. I picked her up and we waited in the front yard. She signed bird – she wants to see it again. In a long while the bird emerged from the bushes again, hunting for worms. “Aabd, aabd” she repeated and signed. We watched it listen to the ground and then peck – finally it tugged a really big worm with a lot of tugs out of the ground and chewed it apart in pecks until swallowing it whole and flying off to prevent an arriving bluejay from stealing it.

I hope those last grisly details really helped you appreciate this whole entry more.

Tia reports that Nem-nem picked a tissue up the other day, held it to her face and blew several times – just blowing, not any effective nose-blowing – just imitating.

From the Mouth of Babes, etc.

Alex / / Alex, Mago Elf Liam, Nem Nem Niamh

Mago tends to like old-style “chiptune” Nintendo music. This is pleasing to his father. I played for him my mp3 album ripped from the game Legacy of the Wizard – explaining to him that this title more or less means “remember the wizard” – whatever that is supposed to mean, ha! – and he liked it. Here’s an exemplary track to accompany your blog reading.

[audio:08 Shop.mp3]

(download .mp3, ~1.2 MB)

I also explained to Mago that this is from a game I played as a kid. On the same drive (this was all quite a while ago – but every now and then he’ll ask me to play it again) a song from my collection came on entitled ShadowFire –

[audio:02 ShadowFire – tr 02.mp3]

(download .mp3, ~2.2 MB)

– a Commodore 64 tune I found and burned. After he learned this was from a game I hadn’t played, Mago said:

I played ShadowFire! when I was a kid.

– which he reminds me every time the song is played.  On a different occasion while I was playing with him before bed, he said:

Daddy, I want to come live with you at work.

Whoops.

There’s a wall in the bathroom without an if-I-knew-the-name-of-it-it-would-probably-be-there thing that would keep water from spilling into the wall, and spiders from coming out of the wall – though we haven’t seen but very few spiders (as opposed to dozens) since politely asking them to find somewhere else to live – if you have faith, this works! – but by those spiders he has seen coming out from under that wall, he has dubbed it “The bug wall”.

Nem-nem has started waving “hello.”

Humming at her shadow, Eglor, more answers

Alex / / Alex, Mago Elf Liam, Nem Nem Niamh, Tia

Two evenings ago as I was holding Nem-nem she saw her shadow on a curtain in front of me, and was delighted – as if something alive were in front of her – and she started humming at it and waving her arm. I never capture the best of this stuff (by the time I get my recorder the best has passed), but I did get some of it:

[audio:2008-04-04_Nem-nem_hums_at_her_shadow.mp3]

(Download mp3, ~33KB)

A few days ago Mago explained to me about a movie he watched. Here is that:

[audio:2008-04_Mago_explains_Eglor.mp3]

(Download mp3, ~780KB)

[Note: it turns out these are at a MHz rate not always playable by the Adobe Flash player (I’m guessing older versions of the plugin). If these sound funny from the player here, you may download the mp3 and listen to it in any other player.]

Tia has clarified for me that “Eglor” is his way of saying what they called Bilbo – a burglar. She also said he absolutely loved it – this was the cartoon rendition of The Hobbit done I think in the 70’s (that rendition was awful – my opinion – but you can’t keep the magic of these stories out of any rendition – it’s the stuff of magic). He watched it twice.

“Eglor” sounds so much like a name for a character you would find in these series that as Mago related this to me I wondered if I’d simply forgotten about some character. I’ve heard it said that good writing is remembering things wrong – so here’s to the tale of Eglor.

This morning around 3 AM Tia nudged me to go to Mago, who came out of his room for some reason. I opened the door and he stood there, and seeing me, he started whining and throwing a tantrum – he wants to see mommy, not me. Sorry, friend. I took him back in his room and his tantrum mounted; finally I got out of him that he’s looking for Snowman (his plush toy). I searched around the house (I wouldn’t but he’d been searching and asked for help). I came back and found Snowman at the foot of his bed. I started putting Mago’s dinosaur blanket back on him to meet another tantrum from him; he insisted I have to be in the chair, like mom, not beside his bed, to put the blanket on. I’d indulge this if he weren’t throwing a tantrum, and I prompted him that I respond to a big boy voice. He kept his tantrum up so I simply put the blanket on, and he was relieved to see it can go properly on from beside the bed (as well as the chair). I thought I’d capitalize on the learning opportunity:

Did daddy put the blanket on you from beside the bed?
Yeah.
Did he put the blanket on right?
Yeah.
What did you learn from that?
Stop hitting.
Okay.

I gave him a hug.

Do you want another idea?
Yeah.
Did you learn that daddy can put the blanket on right from beside the bed?
Yeah.

I snuggled him for a while.

Did you look for mom?
Yeah?
Who came?
Daddy.
Did daddy help you?
Yeah.
What did you learn from that?
Loving Jesus.
Okay.

I can see as I’m writing this it’d be better to prompt him for details of events – he’d put it together more, he’d be doing more thinking. I’m doing better with this though.

Audio recordings Copyright 2008 Richard Alexander Hall all rights reserved.

Dream Interpretation

Alex / / Alex, Mago Elf Liam

Just after 6 AM Mago awoke loudly whining (almost howling) and I went into his room to learn what was the matter. He charged me like a linebacker to push me out of the room, crying:

No, I wanted mommy!

I know better than to argue with that, but at the same time Tia was still sleeping and I’m not going to leave and get her. I tried to hold him and tell him it made me sad he didn’t want me (how permanent that sounds – better to say I’m sad he doesn’t want my help – most mornings he’ll give me a long hug). He wouldn’t have any of it, and kept crying –

Mommy didn’t put on my shoes!

– and in some moments he went back to his bed. I paused, standing at his door trying to sort out where this complaint was coming from.

Did you have a dream?
Yeah.
What happened in the dream?
A picture frame fell.
Then what happened?

He didn’t have any further answer, so I went to his bed side. I didn’t know what to do with this. I wondered what connection this had with shoes in a dream or real life. Maybe I asked the wrong question next.

What did you learn from that?
Stop hitting.
.. I don’t know that that has anything to do with that, but okay.

How would I more carefully say I don’t see a connection while acklowledging he may? .. maybe just like that. Or is this just a default answer? It both tickles me and makes me sad. He’s reflecting to us our Old Testament treatment – do not, do not. Let’s turn that around to “Be gentle.” I guess “Don’t” is a good starting place.

So a picture frame fell – of what picture? – that could be sad symbolism in itself – and mom wouldn’t put on your shoes.. and maybe you want to hit people because of these things, but you don’t. That’s good. If I’m understanding this right.

It eased him, anyway, and he slept for another hour and a half.

Happy 3rd Birthday Mago!

Alex / / Alex, Mago Elf Liam

Conversation with him this morning as we “played” (switched on and listened to the demo music of) METROID PRIME on the Nintendo Game Cube:

I’m so glad that Heavenly Father sent you to me. You’ve been with me for three years now, and I’m glad.

What do I have?

What do you have? You have gifts, and talents, and you’re smart, but even better than all that, you’re good.

What do I have?

You have blessings.

No – no – I have toys. In the living room.

Affirmations and phone conversations

Alex / / Alex, Mago Elf Liam

These past two mornings, first thing Mago says when emerging from his room to see me:

I promise not to take naps anymore.

These affirmations come between his daytime efforts to abandon naps, often ending, Tia tells me, in his nodding off in the early evening and consequently going to bed later – and thus the cycle repeats itself.

This morning he had a time out for talking loudly near Nem-nem’s room and waking her up, in which time out he struck me in his futile but aggressive way in frustration. I said to him very pitifully “Oh, son..” and told him I’d have to take some stuffed animals and keep them until I come home from work, and he should work on being gentle with Tia and Nem-nem until then. (He adores Nem-nem. When his adoration isn’t expressed in wrestling or otherwise hurting her. Tia is exasperated some days, and I think our loving disciplining is tapering off his uncontrollability/aggression?) This saddened and angered him a great deal, and he lovingly stroked my face in between fits to show his effort to be gentle. I told him that’s great, and he needs to do that all day until I come home and give his stuffed animals back. (Y’all are getting pictures of me towing a ton of kids’ stuffed animals away in my car and bringing them into work. That would be fun – but I just hid them in the house.)

In the late morning I called him, and he answered the phone, and I asked him how he was doing with being gentle. His answer was:

“So you can give me my stuffed animals back.”

Okay. That’s not an answer, but he’s clearly got the concept. After this, I asked him to let me talk to Tia, to go give the phone to Tia, and he said:

“Why are you going to work.. you are going to work.. okay come home. I love you.” (click.)

I hang up and get another dial tone and call again.

“Hi.”
“Hi. Will you get mom?”
“Who is this?”
“This is dad.”
“Oh. Alex. Okay. Come home. I love you.” (click.)

He’s left the phone again. Okay. I’ll leave this alone.

Tia tells me later in the day he’s had a few bouts of aggression. I think that’s better than all day, so he’s getting some stuffed animals back.

Aliens

Alex / / Alex, Art, Mago Elf Liam, Nem Nem Niamh

This morning I was listening to the finale music for the film SIGNS (a very favorite film, also featuring this very favorite music), and Mago asked me what it was. I told him it was from a scary movie with aliens where the people are in danger, but they (SPOILER if you haven’t seen it!) [spoiler]beat up the aliens[/spoiler]

Naturally, he said he wants to see the film, and I told him I’ll let him.. in many years. But I held him tight as the music progressed, as if we were endangered (as the music so well conveys).

In a while Nem-nem awoke and I sat with her and listened to the same music continuing. Mago looked at her admiringly and said:

Heh. She’s scared of the aliens. She’s like, I want to see the scary aliens!

I don’t know where he picked up that idiom, but it tickles me. He’s three years old on Monday.

Mago wanted to draw the aliens (which I explained to him are scary pretend monsters), and he did so. Here are three drawings of them. These are done with his left hand – he’s a southpaw like his dad – and like his uncle who shares his middle (real) name 🙂

You can right-click (on Windows – I dunno fer Mac, sorry) to see an option to view in a new window – larger. I don’t know why the first isn’t showing as large as the others – I like the first best.

svgallery=Mago_Aliens

Smiley, Ma-ma, They won’t let us give up

Alex / / Alex, Mago Elf Liam, Nem Nem Niamh, Religion, Tia

Last night as I read a book to Mago for bed time he noticed a small smiley-face sticker I had put in the center of the face of my watch. I’d put that sticker there as a reminding device a week or so ago because it came as sudden inspiration to the question: how can I keep myself on track, on duty, and remember what I’m supposed to do? (I can be quite distracted, and even my very simple daily list gets neglected).

Mago: You have a smiley face on your watch.

Me: That’s to remind me to be nice to you, because when I’m nice to you, I’m really being nice to Heavenly Father, because he wants me to be nice to you.

Mago: And when it’s frowning, you’re mean.

Nem-nem started a few days ago to clearly say “Oomm-a, ma-ma, ma-ma, ma-ma, ma, ma-ma..”. And it refers to Tia. One evening Tia left Nem-nem in the crib to go to sleep, and left the room, but Nem-nem didn’t sleep, and pulled herself standing up beside the rail and called:

“Ma-ma, ma-ma, ma-ma, ma-ma, ma-ma..”

Reports Tia – I copy this from a web site for her siblings to keep in touch with Tia’s parents on a mission:

..the other day as [Mago] was giving me a hard time, I whined and crawled into his bed and complained,

“[Mago], I give up, I don’t want to be a mommy any more. I just want to be Tia and have friends, and go shopping, and do my own thing!”

And he said in a very sympathetic tone,

“Mommy, you can’t give up. You don’t have friends, you just have a boy and a girl!”

He helped me make biscuit dough and tasted it, and said “Ick, it tastes like grownup skin!”

A little bland and salty? And this is an apparent contrast with baby skin, which evidently does not have an unpleasant taste.

I didn’t want him to watch a video segment on insects because it was so gross I was afraid it would give him nightmares, and he said “Mom, put it on and don’t say ew!”

Tia’s sister Janae related having the same experience that same day:

…Just tonight I [said] i was about to give up being a mom.

“I have no more Mom energy…i think i’m just going to quit.”

[My boy] gave me a kiss on the cheek and said,

“Please keep trying…you have to be a mom …because you ARE a mom!”

He’s right; It’s a job you just can’t get out of. Hang in there, little Mommy… We’re all in it together!

Kids update, bad guys revisited

Alex / / Alex, Mago Elf Liam, Nem Nem Niamh, Religion, Songs, Tia

Tia reports that last night getting Nem-nem ready for bed, while Nem-nem was fussing and hungry she cried her own nickname (Nem-nem) – I guess again in self-pity as she had done when on an earlier day she cried her own first name. I thought I’d reported that last here, but it was in an email, so I’ll back-post that (link). I wish I’d heard it – I was putting Mago to bed.

Nem-nem is crawling quite a bit now. And still smiling a lot. I play a game with her and Mago where I hold her facing away, and slowly rotate her toward him, saying “Nem-nem-nem-nem-nem-nem-nem-nem..” until she fully faces him, at which point I brightly exclaim “Hallo!” – which makes them both smile and giggle.

Mago has learned from me to tickle Nem-nem’s belly by digging his forehead into it, which makes her squeal and laugh.

I’m fascinated by how Nem-nem explores objects with her hands – the other day she was weaving a ribbon through her fingers and tugging at it from either hand, and tugging at my necklace – and the whole time she does this she watches other things, such as Mago running back and forth setting the table.

We are guilty of the error of parents who more take for granted (ignore) the marvels of life and growing that they first discharged on, well, their firstborn. I’ve read about second children who grow up to resent that there are virtually no early photographs or videos of them in family albums. I’m proud that we’re at least resisting that error (I may want to say travesty) to a degree, and writing some things from her down, and so far she has some photographs of herself from birth to her current age of –

I’m sorry, she’s almost three-fourths of a year old? And Mago is 3 years old in two months? It just isn’t right. Stages of Eden should crawl longer. Except for the days when Tia feels stuck at home with nothing to do but care for wild children who rob her of sleep at night and whose day time naps very seldom synchronize (to allow her a nap).

I plan to get photos of the kids back-posted here and will send links when I do (if you’re signed up for notices, that is). There are several recent videos of them playing with each other or me or Tia (and many other videos we’ve never posted), and I’d describe them but I’m planning tommorrow morning to work at least toward getting the most recent few ready to post 🙂

And now for something completely different..

The Lord Commanded Nephi to cut off Laban’s head
Nephi didn’t want to, ‘cuz Laban would be dead
Laman and Lemuel said go ahead and try
The sword was lifted high and blood began to fly

I will go, I will do the things the Lord commands
I know the Lord provides a way: He wants me to obey
I will go, I will do the things the Lord commands
I know the Lord provides a way: He wants me to obey

My siblings wrote this verse revision or addition to the song “Nephi’s Courage” from the LDS Children’s songbook when I was a kid. I particularly appreciate its emphatic goriness and stupid glibness. Yes, Laban would be dead, indeed. And Laman and Lemeul are urging Nephi to kill Laban. That isn’t in the scripture – they were very cowardly when it came to Laban (or anything) and weren’t with him then, but it works in a stupidly funny way, so beyond that I digress.

Among the variety of music I’m constantly collecting I’ve ripped some CDs we have of the LDS Children’s songbook rendered by a small orchestral and singing children ensemble. (They also have recordings without singing and I prefer it either way depending.) Recently I came accross this one, Nephi’s Courage, while working, and as the familiar music began I fully expected to hear children start singing the above verse. I had to shake myself from it. No, that’s not a real verse. They aren’t going to sing that. It still happens any time I play the song again.

Mago will appreciate the revelation of this verse (as he does the relation from the very scripture) when he’s old enough to memorize and sing music. He’ll sometimes bellow and babble along to music – this is fun with musical theatre – and he can match a pitch.

Bad guys, More greetings, The Love of God revisited

Alex / / Alex, Mago Elf Liam, Nem Nem Niamh, Religion, Tia

Yesterday Tia reported that, while listening to a kid’s tape (recorded by and featuring my brother-in-law Marvin) dramatizing principles etc. from the Book of Mormon, Mago asked her about Nephi and what the name of the bad guys was again. Laman and Lemuel, she repeated to him. Referring to a thick foam fencing sword he got for Christmas (which he had begged for some time before Christmas to have), he said:

“When they come to our house, I’m going to whack them with my sword!”

As Tia explained last night to Mago that Nephi didn’t kill Laman and Lemeul (and Mago raised the sad point that these mean men were Nephi’s brothers), but Nephi did kill Laban by cutting off his head (and Mago understood the reasons offered for all of this) , Mago then said of Laban, speaking as pretending (he knows these people aren’t around), he said –

“And I’ll whack off his head!”

I believe the Lord placed these stories at the front of the Book of Mormon because they make for the most dramatic and interesting family discussions (let alone entertaining).

On a recent morning Mago came into the bedroom where Tia and Nem-nem had just awakened for the morning, and Mago climbed into the bed to greet Nemmy. In chorus, at the very same time, Mago and Nemmy gave each other friendly greetings:

“Hiiiiiiiii.”

A week or so ago I picked up Nem-nem from the bed where, with Tia, she was asleep, to put Nem-nem in her crib. I cradled and rocked her in my arms while she slept, and lingered a long while – it is very rare that I get to hold her while she sleeps, because she is much harder to soothe than Mago was (and Tia has more of a gift for soothing Nemmy – I had more of a gift for soothing Mago). I looked at this little girl and thought of my family, these ties that are the Kingdom. I thought of my slacking in tending to my family – though I have improved a lot since Mago was a baby – and heartbroken for the wants of this little one I began praying for the charity to tend more to them. As soon as I had begun this prayer, she momentarily gave a great smile in her sleep. My prayer was in her dream, I knew it, and in an instant I was back to just a brief year ago holding Mago in his sleep, praying for charity, and in the moment I prayed for this he laughed, my prayer in his dream.

And he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers. – D&C 2:2

Greetings, Rewrites

Alex / / Alex, Mago Elf Liam, Nem Nem Niamh, Tia

This morning I was at our main computer transferring stuff to set up my new writer’s validation toy, and I hear from behind me and to the left –

“Hiiiiii.”

– in a small but confident voice so mild and sweet it is disarming, and doubly so because as I turn to see the source of the sound, there is Nem-nem, sitting up on the bed with Tia’s assistance, smiling affectionately at me.

She will slay the young men when she is a young woman.

Mago did the same thing as an infant. He also did her greeting yell of sorts. I wish I remembered the sound now, but I’m glad I wrote down that he made it – at that entry he was a month and a half old. He was about 4 months old when I wrote down he’d said “Hiiii.” I’m still in denial of the little tiny baby not being around, and maybe I always will be, but how I enjoy his company now, and I’m sure that will continue. Nem-nem a.k.a. Nemmy a.k.a. Milkbarf a.k.a. McCuddles is about 5 months now. I also wrote down Mago saying “Hiiii” to mama and dada by their proper names at 1 year.

Mago woke up twice early in the morning to go to the bathroom and I put him back to bed both times, informing him it was still “sleepy time”. Shortly after Nem-nem’s greeting this morning, we heard Mago in his room through our monitor, revising one of these encounters:

“No, it’s night time.”
“No it isn’t, it’s morning time.”
“Oh, okay.”

Gotta have the happy ending.

More stories, the Time out Guard

Alex / / Alex, Mago Elf Liam, Nem Nem Niamh, Tia

Mago has this word he’s come up with, which he will use as an exclamation meaning nothing other than that “I am exclaiming this word.” He seems to have transformed it into a noun though, or we just never knew it was. .. seems like it might be used as a verb too, though I’m foggy on that.

This word is “Paamp!”

I was teaching him to pray at bed time one night, kneeling with him at the head of his bed:

Me: What do you want to say thank you for?
Mago: Thank you far PAamp.. .. and thank you for kaank.
Me: .. Thank you for silly words?
Mago: And thank you for baamp.

Now probably many weeks ago I took him for a morning walk, carrying him wrapped up in blankets (I don’t believe it was yet very cold – just starting to get cold). I told him some story I made up and don’t remember, and asked him if he wanted to tell me a story. He did, and at each turn of it I prompted him with “Then what?” –

Mago: Once there was a little Paamp. And there was a big lion. And the lion ate the little Paamp. And the Paamp died. And the lion hung him up on a tree. And the lion hung him up on a hanger.

I’d forgotten all about this for a week or so until at bed time one evening he spontaneously relayed exactly the same story, without variation, to Tia. This called for a line from this Love and Logic audiobook series that I’ve learned.

Me: I noticed you like to tell stories.

This audiobook said that kids will light up when you notice they like doing something, because it brings awareness to themselves that in fact they do like something, and gives them a place to consciously choose whether to pursue that. Mago did light up – his eyes grew wide and his face almost frantic with eagerness. He quickly retold and elaborated on the story, listing everything he could see in the closet in his room.

Mago: Once there was a little Paamp. And there was a big lion. And the lion ate the little Paamp. And the Paamp died. And the lion hung him up on a tree. And the lion hung him up on a hanger. And the lion hung him up on a clothes. And the lion hung him up on a shelf. And the lion hung him up on a box..

I don’t remember everywhere he went with it.

A few weeks ago he climbed up on the table while I was getting him dinner alone (Tia was probably getting Nem-nem to sleep). I asked him to get down; he ignored me. I headed into the room to take him off the table and set him on a chair for time out, and let him know it’s sad – don’t warn, just set the limit once and then take action, this audiobook says (I want to emphasize, if this isn’t obvious by now, that I find the advice of this audiobook very useful – I think it is a must read and can save so many headaches and needless pain for parents and kids – I’m only starting to learn it.) He knew when he saw me coming that I wasn’t going to let him push this limit (he’s not always so compliant – I’m still figuring out how to lovingly enforce limits), so he hastily got down. I let off – he’s going to comply – and I went back into the kitchen to keep fixing his meal. I think he asked me if he was in time out, and I think I replied no, but maybe I should put him in time out for not listening when I first asked him to get off the table. He came in to the room with a very conscious, deliberate scowl, looking up at me.

Mago: But you can’t put me in time out. Because I’m angry.

At this I just laughed – what else can I do? This is hilarious. I told him maybe he needs a time out anyway if he’s angry at me, but by this time he was laughing too, and very deliberately scowling at me even though he no longer felt any trace of the only trace of anger he had been mostly mocking up anyway (though I think some of it was genuine) – so I figured he didn’t need any time out at all.

Nem-Nem Niamh (recordings)

Alex / / Alex, Audio, Mago Elf Liam, Nem Nem Niamh, Tia

Here are four recordings of Nem-nem, talking with us in her way, and laughing. If you listen only to one listen to the fourth – it is a scream in every sense.

[Audio:2007_Oct__Nem_Nem_Niamh_and_mommy__edited.mp3]

Nem-nem and mommy, Oct 2007 (1:19, 792K, download mp3)

[Audio:2007_Nov__Nem_Nem_Niamh_and_Mago_Elf_Liam__edited.mp3]

Nem-nem and Mago, Nov 2007 (1:53, 1.1MB, download mp3)

[Audio:2007_Nov_Nem_Nem_Niamh_and_daddy__edited.mp3]

Nem-nem and daddy, Nov 2007 (1:38, 1MB, download mp3)

[Audio:2007_Nov__Nem_Nem_Niamh_and_mommy__edited.mp3]

Nem-nem and mommy, Nov 2007 (3:17, 1.9MB, download mp3)

One day I thought I’d see what would happen if I brought her to hover over Mago, then pulled her away at a distance, than abruptly brought her close to hover again, etc. – while she is looking at him – a sort of form of “boo!” I guess. What happened was that she started emitting these greeting screams and squeals at him, to his entertainment, and this is going on in the second recording. She does it for other people too sometimes.

Recordings Copyright 2007 Richard Alexander Hall, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States (see). Attribute the recording to me in any public use.