Willisms & Ellieisms (& a "R"ism)

While describing to Daddy a preschool we visited recently, Will said, "We had to visualize it, Daddy.  We have to use our imaginations." (as regards the lack of children in the classrooms due to summer vacation.)
R responded, "Wow, Will.  "Visualize" is a really grown up word."
Will:  "It's okay, Daddy.  I can say it even though I'm not a grown up.  Visualize.  See?"

"Mom!  Let's play superheroes!  All the superheroes can be here - Flash, Batman, Green Lantern, Superman, Spiderman,  Robin, Aquaman, & even God!"

"Mommy, do you think since I am about four that I can start getting out of bed by myself in the morning and after my nap, please?"  I loved his independence here and how he had obviously been considering this request and worded it so politely.  Our rule has always been that we get him out of bed - mostly for safety so that he didn't hurt himself or climb the pantry walls in the morning while we were in bed.  Also, we didn't want him climbing in and out of bed to play when he is supposed to be asleep... but he is almost four.  So I said yes.  And it's actually been really nice.

"Dear God, do you have hands?  Do you have arms?  How many do you have because you can do everything?  Ok, bye bye."

"Dear God, is the big fish that ate Jonah in Heaven?"

While playing smurfs with his Lovie, he had one smurf ask the girl smurf to marry him.  Then he said, "we can get married at the trash place."  How romantic.

He told his Lovie today, "Lovie, my mom doesn't know where McDonald's is. Will you tell her?"  Score!  So glad my kid thinks I don't know the location of McDonald's!

Sunday morning, early - too early to be bright and early, Ellie decided to become an insomniac.  Normally, she sleeps til at least 8.  Sunday, she was awake and bright eyed at 5 am.  Nothing I could do was getting her to go back to sleep.  I even begged R to wake up and try.  Finally, we pulled her into our bed where she fell fast asleep.  (We don't normally co-sleep but for dozing it sure is lovely, I must admit!)  A few hours later, we had both slept through our alarms for church (& somehow still managed to make it.)  Suddenly, Will came into our room and climbed up with us.  What a wonderful way to start a day - cuddling with our sweet babies.  But then I noticed Will was holding out his hands & "showing" them to Ellie.  He does this with curious kids sometimes - I think to just show them what they look like in an effort to move things along so they can play.  But, Ellie was oblivious and I asked him why he was doing that.  He said he was wanted to show her his hands because they are different than his and then he said he can't do things with them and that he doesn't like the way God made him.
I grabbed him close to me and I remembered the email I received this week from an amputee who read this blog and encouraged me to empower Will during these conversations.  I shared with him all the amazing things he can do with his hands.  I reminded him how very able he is.  I shared with him how much we love and adore his hands.  I told him I love the way God made him.  But I also want to allow him to have his feelings - to not feel like he is not allowed to have any "negative" feelings or to think he has to hide these.  It's a hard line to walk sometimes.  And thankfully, R was here so he pulled Will to him and reaffirmed some things I had said and added some of his own thoughts.  Usually, R isn't here when these kinds of conversations occur - I was thankful for his perspective as a man with Will.  This isn't really a Willism I guess - just another conversation and then we quickly rolled out of bed and considered skipping church except that our three year old was chanting the name of the church we've been attending while at breakfast so we all got ready super fast!
But, all day, R and I kept reflecting on our conversation.  Did we say the right things?  Are we allowing him to have all his emotions?  There's no book that tells us how to handle these sort of talks.  We are keeping up our relationship with the man we located who has the same syndrome as Will - we skype once a month and just skyped on Saturday.  Will was very silly with him but did repeatedly ask him to high five him.  I think he loves seeing someone with similar hands as him.  Last month, Will told him he loves him.  Precious.
And then I worry as to whether I focus too much on reaffirming all Will can "do" with his hands.  Ellie, though she has hands, has limited range of motion and low muscle tone, and will likely have some struggles with her hands & what she wants to accomplish.  By focusing on what Will can do will I somehow hurt her someday by inadvertently highlighting all he can do & she may infer that she "can't" (not a word we allow in our home, by the way.)  And maybe I'm overthinking the whole thing.  But this was a Willism this week.

Back to my originally lighthearted post...

I had to hide my laughter on this one:
"Mommy, what was Mimi's (one of his great-grandmothers) mommy's named?
Her name was Mary.
"Mary was Jesus' mommy.
WAIT!  (his eyes growing huge)
Is Mimi Jesus???"

"Mommy!  I see a full moon!  What do you think that moon ate to get so full?"

Ellie said a new word too last week!  At dinner, we've been having our first sign of discipline issues - food dropping.  She dropped all her food off of her tray & then squealed loudly with a big smile, "All done!"

Will told her that if she would say his name, he will get her out of her crib!

And then my love, R said this the other morning, "Do we have to get Ellie a toy for her birthday or would it be okay if I got her a special father/daughter gift... something she can also use on her wedding day."  And he had ideas.  And he had checked things out at a jewelry store.
Excuse me - I must pick my swooning self up off the floor.  I fell in love all over again.
Somebody is a Daddy's girl, I do believe.

(And, if you happened to be reading this time last year while we were pregnant with Ellie, can I just tell you how lovely it is to have conversations like this - conversations where we can talk about her first birthday with happy tears - because she is here and alive and well!  And dreaming about her wedding day someday - because we believe it will happen someday and she is alive!  How thankful we are!

And one final Willism:
While swimming the other evening, he began to sing, "Oh my happy, happy life!"
It is a happy, happy life!