Little Shopper

It doesn't really occur to me to do too much on school days. The mums I meet at the schools often think of the time as being great to catch up on running errands, but ironically we often stay to watch the kids in the observation rooms whom we're precisely getting a break from caring for. But today was different. Rather than sit in the parent room at Step by Step watching Reu on the TV screens with Callum in tow, we instead headed over to Whole Foods, filled our senses with tasters of culinary treats, bought the raw materials for vegetable fajitas, fruits and natural cleansers for the home and body. I love here how I don't have to read labels to search for HFCS in my food or SLS (also used for cleaning garage floors) in my toiletries.

Spotting a younger little boy in one of these shopping cars, Callum slunk in next to him and the two became instant friends. Callum and Callen. Yep. Callum's very sociable with other kids and his job as peer role model at the UCLA special ed early intervention programme has been a blessing. Stepping out of the car, his new friend started to cry and was already missing Callum's company, but I smiled when I saw Callum step over to one of the displays, pick up two wooden tigers and bring one back for his new friend. That lovely gift of sharing that's characteristic in my boys and which always warms my heart and it goes back to the days when Reuben would bring two toys for chewing and always hand Callum his first. I didn't teach him that. He would even share his hearing aid and glasses with Callum as teething rings. Bless. A half hour later watching our boys just like this and another two hours pottering with Callum in the store! Reuben was ready for pick up.

So I need a new objective: get out of the observation rooms, at both schools, and start observing something else. It'll be good for me on the days both boys are in school. The temptation is always to stay and talk to the new families coming into the schools or those I've known for a while, but right now, I really need to discover something new myself to keep me out of The Funk.

Callum's latest milestone - running up to me with two cards saying "same" and stepping out of his comfort zone and signing "same" too. Actually, come to think of it: since I said he only communicates in American Sign Language receptively, translating what I'm saying in sign, he's started expressively signing too.

PS: It isn't my style to crop as I insist on getting it right in camera, and especially here since the car-cart was below him (he had by now tired of actually driving the car-cart), but I couldn't resist a closer look at his sweet face.

PPS: Waiting for the mail man's goodie...Watch this space.