5 random things

Time for 5 more random things about Zach:

Zach has seen the show The Wonder Pets only few times, but for some reason really likes it. It has one of those theme songs that sticks in your head, so he sings it often. Part of the song is to name the Wonder Pets, who are Winnie, Tuck, and Ming-Ming. However, Zach pronounces the little turtle's name as "Suck". We were already trying not to laugh, since it sounded hilarious coming out of his little mouth. And then, he started singing the name game... Suck suck bo Buck... you can see where this is going. I think we both had to leave the room.

Zach has been interested in my driving for quite a while now, telling me to stop at red lights and stop signs, asking if we're turning right or left, etc. But now he's added a new dimension - encouraging me to win. Apparently the movie Cars has had yet another influence on him: racing. He'll say things like "mom, there are three cars in front of you. So if you pass them, then you'll win!" We've had all sorts of conversations about how driving is not a race, that we need to be safe. So now he says "mama, you're winning, even though it's not a race!"

Scott's mom got Zach a little Cars laptop while his leg was broken. And while he played with it occasionally while immobile, that was nothing compared to now (of course). It's labeled as 3+, but he's figured out several of the games, knows what buttons to push to get to them, and can play them himself. One is a counting game, and the other two are spelling-related. The laptop has a regular QWERTY keyboard, so he's already learning where the letters are (I'm guessing this is a requirement for kindergarten these days)! But the funniest part is what he says about it: I gotta go do some work on my computer.

Zach got his first "big brother" gift a little while ago, a book about what it's like to have a new baby (thanks again Neudecks!). We've read it a few times, and apparently he's learned something, since now he's educating me. The other day something prompted me to ask him if he'd play that game with the baby when it came, and his response was: "no mama, babies don't like to play, they just like to be cozy and sleep."

And a not-so-random update, since I've realized I haven't mentioned Zach's recovery lately. He's had the cast off for 3 weeks (and one day!) and has been walking for almost two weeks. He really has come a long way, we're getting very close to "normal" again. He climbs up on his various stools to wash his hands or eat at the kitchen island, up on to his chair at the table, and can go up and down the stairs independently. He's even jumped a few times. But there is still a limp - he's not completely recovered. And while he can move pretty darn quickly, he's not running yet. When he walks, his left foot is usually pointed outward; we're keeping an eye on that, wondering if it's because his leg is still stiff/sore, or if he's just getting into the habit of walking like that. We'll give it a few more days before we call the doctor to check what they think. Since we've been told and have read that all kids heal and recover differently, it's hard to know what to worry about and what's "normal"!


*photos are from the Bell Museum of Natural History at the U of M campus. The second one is Zach thinking. :)