I don't think I'll ever get used to Leelo thumping on me. I am amazed by how frequently his blows really hurt, compared to how infrequently they leave marks. Particularly painful are the open-handed whacks to the nose, and the repeated skull-rams to the lower spine. This knowledge makes me wonder how many imperceptibly abused people I encounter every day. Not a cheery thought.
Sometimes, though, Leelo grabs my arms and either gives them a nice long gouge, or a twist/pinch which leaves tiny scabs and scars around the insides of my elbow. The latter technique makes me look like a really inept junkie who doesn't know where her veins are, or like I've gotten used to living in with a really bad flea infestation. Lovely, eh?
Leelo had actually been really mellow for several weeks until yesterday, when he flew at me while we doing our usual waiting in line at the local coffee shop. He took me out with such force and surprise that I burst into tears, grabbed his hand, and fled the place *without my coffee*. Thankfully my dear darling partner showed up at the shop afterwards, heard from the owner that I had left without my drink, picked his jaw up off the ground, and came all the way home to bring me a double latte so that I could face the day properly caffeinated.
Today there was a lot of me yelling that "Hitting Mommy is all done!," but there was also some really concrete evidence that Leelo is getting a cold and probably has a lot of sinus pain. That explains everything. Poor boy. Poor mommy, poor anyone else who lets down their guard around him until he gets better.
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I forgot to mention that Leelo had his first-ever poop in a school potty yesterday. I forgot to mention that Seymour got Mali to sleep in her own damn bed (even if it is in our room) last night. In fact, I haven't even gotten around to the "new school year routine" entries for this year. Will try to write them out this week.
One final, pleasing thought for the night: Iz has resumed individual sessions with Maestra L, the Spanish tutor who helped her catch up when she entered Esperanza dual immersion school in first grade rather than in kinder like all the other kids. Maestra L says our girl's still got it; that she's retained almost all of her Spanish, and acquires more at light speed. Nice to hear.
But even more pleasing were Maestra L's comments on Leelo. She hadn't seen him for two-and-a-half years; she says the difference in him, in his attentiveness, lack of hyperactivity, and language, is absolutely remarkable. She says he's not even the same boy. What a wonderful way to shake off my recent fears about his progress! And the fact that she could say that on a crappy behavioral day like today. Guess I'll have to go find something else to be depressed about, damn it all.
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