Avi-isms

Avi has been more and more independent lately. Last night he emerged from behind his post-bedtime closed door to let us know he was having a hard time going to bed. One reason was because Aba had forgotten to turn on night-light number two--happens to the best of us, plus, Avi had had a big weekend--a night spent in Monterey, a birthday party, a rendevous with Mommy in Sausalito--he could be heard in the back seat saying, "We went from Berkeley, to Monterey, to El Cerrito, to Salsarito!"

Upon settling in on the couch with Leeor and me, he said he liked having extra time with the grown ups. I talked to him about how being with the grown ups helps kids feel safe, and that feeling safe helps us relax and go to sleep. Leeor flipped on the second nightlight. "Well, goodnight!" Avi announced as he headed back to his room. "Um, need one of us to close the door for you?" I asked hopefully. But he declined and made his own way into his room, shut the door, and, presumably, knocked out, because we didn't see him again until just before 7am this morning.

Unfortunately, I was up at 4:30, post vivid dreams and with a full bladder, so his appearance bedside was met with blurry eyes and wishes that Aba be the preferred breakfast-maker.

As he continues down the road of development, we are seeing themes of separation/individuation evolve, and it's probably only painful for us. Like when we dropped him off at school this morning, and he informed me that another mama would pick him up. He was so nonchalant about the plan--we hadn't firmed it up, so I reminded him it would be me or Amitai's mama picking him up, "Yeah," he acquiesced, "or maybe Lila's mom. Someone's mom will get me," he asserted before he sauntered out of the car and into school, my mouth hanging open in his 4 year old wake, my sweet Lilit turning the pages of her board book in the backseat like a quiet reminder of how things change.

***

Tonight, Avi said to Leeor during bedtime, "Aba, when the tower was hanging there, it made a big shadow on the wall, and it was kinda scary (I bought and ill-hanged a cheap IKEA mesh thing to store each kids' copious amount of stuffies. Lilit's fell out of the ceiling, while Avi's was removed by Leeor, who decided it was in a bad place. Apparently, he wasn't the only one who thought so). Also, when we were in Israel," Avi continued, "there was a shadow that looked like a racoon (at Ella and Moshe's), and that was kinda scary." Good to know for future reference, I guess.