Gadget has started taking Jiu-Jitsu. He goes three times a week, which is great, and so far hubby and I have only missed the Wednesday classes for the most part. He did a week of trial classes, and unfortunately he was not as excited about it as we had hoped. In the middle of class he asked the teacher “if it was almost done.” But, he has learned a lot from the class. Subconsciously, he is training his muscles. The other day he was running and fell, but he fell exactly how he was taught to fall in class so as to avoid injury (it’s called a break fall). After we saw this, we decided he would finish the season even though he did not want to. As I mentioned in my Gadget update, he’s got some challenges when it comes to coordination, so we know this class will give him the physical discipline and training his body will quickly retain.

Overall, we are very pleased. The boys run around on the mat before class starts, in which even the Lion can participate. The others boys in the class and the teacher are great, and the instructor’s wife and two young daughters watch the class as well. Gadget is the youngest in the class by far. The next youngest child is six, and the instructor was initially worried that Gadget would only play and not pay attention, but Gadget has pleasantly surprised the instructor. Of course, he has had a day or two where he was more focused on drinking his Gatorade during breaks, but lately he has asked when is his next class. Yay for Gadget and learning something new, and yay for hubby finding the class and getting Gadget set up in his little Jiu-Jitsu gi (we have to roll the sleeves and pant legs and we dry it on high for extra shrink).

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He enjoys learning his letters and numbers, as he calls them. He goes to preschool once a week now, because he nagged us so much, and complained about not seeing his friends, that we made the financial sacrifice and I take him on Wednesdays. His development and education is well worth the price. Gadget is learning to read, and he is motivated because he would like to read to himself. At night he asks for story after story, and I can only read about Lightning McQueen so many times.

Gadget is extremely affectionate, and gives me unlimited amounts of affection on demand, unlike his brother who loves to say “no!” when I ask for sugar. When I get dressed up, Gadget tells me “mommy, you look like a princess!” He knows how to butter you up when he wants something. He also remembers everything contextually. If you promise him something before bed, as he opens his eyes the next morning the request comes out of his mouth before he’s fully awake.

Gadget’s heart is very large. When I took him to Rite Aid to pick up a prescription, he asked to get a police car from the toy conveniently placed right next to the register. He immediately, took two cars and said the black car was for him and the blue car was for his brother. He thinks about him a lot, and can interpret his younger brother’s language very effectively. They love to ride on each others backs, but I have to remind Gadget that he’s bigger and cannot sit on the Lion’s spine.

Gadget loves puzzles and watching cartoons. In fact, he loves TV so much that he cannot hear us speaking to him while he watches it. He forgets to eat, and for this reason we no longer have a cable subscription. He would wake up in the morning and come into the living room and turn on the TV before we even awoke. Another funny thing about him is that he has absolutely no rhythm. This hurts my heart so much because I think I had rhythm the moment I was conceived. Have you ever seen this boy dance? I hope he grows out of this!!

Gadget is full of life, and asks questions at every turn. He loves his family and thinks of them often. When we bought a pack of swimming goggles from Costco, he said that one pair was for mommy, one for the Lion, one for him, one for Daddy, one for Grandpa Early and one for the grandpa in Minnesota. He is so very thoughtful. I look forward to learning more about his preferences as we expose him to more. Ultimately, it is awesome to watch him grow and mature as a big brother, and as my son.

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