Buzz...and I don't mean Lightyear

For those that may not be aware, my father is starting his first round of chemo tomorrow to combat the prostate cancer he has been battling for years. He's doing great, but there are signs that the cancer has kicked up a notch, so a round of chemo has been recommended.

I sat with the research nurse as she explained all of the side effects of the drug to my parents. One of the things she told them to expect was that his hair would fall out approximately 14 days after the first dose of chemo.

My dad still has a decent head of hair in a beautiful shade of gray. While it has thinned a bit over the years, its still fairly full. I imagine it might be difficult for both of them to watch this fall out in clumps. So, after a bit of discussion, it was decided to go ahead and get a buzz cut to make the whole process a bit easier to cope with in the next few weeks.

Henry decided that in support of Papa, he too, would get a buzz cut. So, they decided to set off today to accomplish this (only to find out that most barbers are closed on Mondays). Alas, they found a place where they could get their hairs cut.

Here they are:

The before shot....


Henry is done, and is reassuring Papa that it will be painless


A little bit of brown, a little bit of gray


And the final result...look Ma, no hair!

They both seem to like their new haircuts. I'm proud of Henry for being willing to step up and do this to support his Papa. In turn, what might have been emotionally difficult ended up being a fun, family event.

What I've learned so far in First Grade

First Grade in public school has been an interesting learning experience. After the newness of a different school and schedule settled in, I started meeting Henry for lunch every Friday. I think we both look forward to this lunch date every week. And it's given me a peek into Henry's day that I would typically be clueless about. His school doesn't seem to be big on parents helping out in the classrooms so I don't have an excuse to go and hang out there during the day (beside which, I don't think my employer would be happy about that).

It's interesting to watch the dynamics between Henry and the rest of the kids. He definitely has some kids that he considers friends. And then other kids, he doesn't even know their name yet. Since he packs his lunch most days, he ends up sitting next to the same group of kids. They have pretty strict rules in the lunch room. You're not allowed to save seats and you have to sit next to whoever you are in line with. The kids that pack their lunch come in, grab their lunch box, and then sit down. Each class sits down one side of a long stretch of tables. If you are buying your lunch, you have to go and get in line and those kids end up at the other end of the table. If parents or grand-parents are visiting, they sit across on the other side of the table.

Henry attends school with a very diverse group. As a matter of fact, he is the minority and may be the only Caucasian student in his classroom. This was the case in his last school, as well. So Henry does quite will with the diverse types of names his classmates have, such as Mohammed, Aban, Monsie, Abdul, and other assorted names. He doesn't think they are strange or different. So far, Henry doesn't see skin color or ethnicity as a way of identifying people. While conversations at home include references to people being Asian or Middle Eastern or African American, Henry just hasn't seemed to make that connection yet. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing, but for now, it is what it is.

The other interesting thing is the terms and phrases that they use. Here are a few that I've picked up on:

• Our voices are off; our lips are closed; our volume is zero: these are all ways of saying that the kids are expected to be totally quiet.
• Our seatbelts are on: this means that the students are walking with their hands grasped behind their backs while they are walking down the hall
• High five: this is a way to get the kids attention...when they hear this, they are to stop what they are doing and raise one of their hands to show that they are paying attention
• Check Yourself, Check Yourself, Foul: This is a communication between students. If one student is doing something that another finds irritating or offensive, they do a hand sign and say "check yourself" as a way to ask the other student to stop. They give two warnings and then call foul, which means they tell the teacher.

We've had our struggles with First Grade. But it seems we're moving in the right direction. Henry's teacher has been absolutely fabulous in working with me on some very specific strategies and goals that have proven to be very successful. I daresay that we've had the best week of school this week. Henry and I agreed on some very specific long-term and short-term goals for him for the last two weeks. He earned two of the three rewards that were put out there and it has left him feeling quite proud of himself. We'll be heading to Target tomorrow for some new Star Wars gear!

About the time I get first grade down pat, he'll be in second grade!



PS: I also learned that Junie B. Jones is not just for girls. Henry absolutely loves the book series. I tend to agree that Barbara Park has done a great job at capturing the spirit of first graders!!

Happy Ending...

It tickles me to see the way that Henry's brain works.

This morning, on our way to school, I was griping about the car that cut in front of me right before the light. Since I was hoping to turn right on red, I wasn't too happy this car cut over since he was going straight and kept me from turning until the light actually turned green. Then, immediately after we turned right, we have to make a left turn across three lanes of oncoming traffic onto the street his school is on with no light. My griping was "tame" in nature, but Henry decided I needed encouragement to have a better attitude about it. Here is the conversation that ensued:

H: Mom, you could have turned right on red.
M: Yes, I know. But this guy pulled in front of me and he is going straight.
H: But that's okay if he wants to go straight.
M: Yes, but now I can't turn until the light turns green. And now I have to wait for all of this traffic.
H: But Mom, see right up there? There is a clear spot and you will be able to cross there.
M: You're right. I will wait for that clear spot and then turn, just to make sure we're safe.
H: See Mom, Happy Ending. Just like in the stories, Happy Ending.
M: Do the stories all have happy endings?
H: Yes, the princess gets married, or they have a baby, and then, that's it: Happy Ending.
M: So getting married or having a baby is a happy ending? Just like when you came into my life, happy ending?
H: Yes, and just like in Robin Hood. Robin Hood and his wife (because I don't remember her name, so I'll just call her "his wife" {and this is exactly quoting Henry}) got married at the end of the movie. And then they had a baby. And they named the baby Henry. And that's me. Happy Ending!

Okay, I have no idea where the Robin Hood connection came from. He hasn't watched Robin Hood in months. But it was interesting to see his concept of happy endings.