The Latest With Me

I haven't posted in a very long time, so here I am!!!

It's finally Summer Break and I get to stay at home a lot with Mommy and my brothers and sister. This morning I got ready to go to work with Daddy. I love going to work with him when he has to go to court. He's a lawyer and I love sitting in court while he talks to judges, watching all the different people. When I got dressed I tried putting on an oxford shirt tucked into my pants (like Daddy does), but my mom has sewn in the waist to all my pants, so it looked silly. Instead, I had to wear my shirt tucked out and I was disappointed. I don't understand why I can't dress like Daddy now, when I'm nine years old. I want to be just like him, and I tell him that all the time. I want so badly to be a grown-up.

A week from Monday I'll start Summer school and I'm nervous about that. But what I'm most nervous about is my baby sister coming home from Ethiopia. Mommy must know about this because she smiled at me at the dinner table last night and said "You'll always have my attention, Andrew." We were sitting alone together. I couldn't figure out why she said that, so I asked her about it. She said "You know, when Amelie comes home I'm still going to give you a lot of attention." I don't know how she knew, but she knew I've been feeling scared. Scared of becoming less important or invisible. She also told me I'm very, very special to her, and always will be. She said I'm her one and only Andy-Roo, and that Amelie won't be her Andy. It made me feel all warm and fuzzy in my belly, and we held hands after that. Maybe Amelie will be cool to have around after all.

Finally, School Progress

My mom was in tears last night when she tucked me in bed because I recited math to her. When I first started the 2nd grade I couldn't do my long addition very well, and even had trouble understanding short addition and subtraction. Last night I laid there telling her all my math answers that I worked out in my head. She couldn't believe it.... I have been concentrating better at school lately with my new medicine, and I think I'm learning more. My teacher says I'm learning much faster now. I felt very proud of myself last night and am excited about school again today :)

Nicknames

I have been complaining for a while about how Sky has the nickname "Bear", and have asked Mommy and Daddy to call me an animal name, too. For two years they have called me Andy Roo instead of Andrew, so that has been my nickname. Mommy finally said "I know, Andrew! You are a Kanga Roo, Andy Roo!" It makes sense because I am tall, very strong and like to jump around a lot. I told Mommy that I want to be a kangaroo for Halloween because I can put all the candy in my tummy pouch instead of a bag! Anyway, keep calling me Andy Roo because I am a kangaroo!

My Pictures

Mommy smiling at me

My dad makes a funny face before going to work

My brother, Sky

Me

Our cat, Dooby

I took all these pictures with my very own camera!

My Chicago Trip

Here I am at my Stephanie Auntie's house in Chicago last week. I was dressed as a witchy Hannah Montana. I loved spending time at her house with my cousins, Jonah and Zoe. Except sometimes I felt like I missed my brother, Sky....he was playing so much with Zoe that I thought she'd stolen him! It's taking me time to realize how permanent my family members are and that we can't exchange them out or have them stolen by anyone.

My 12 year old cousin, Jonah, had an awesome bug vacuum gun that I loved using. I think I caught 4-5 small bugs around the house with it, and I was able to release them outside. I'm begging my mom for one of those now!

Zoe let me play on her keyboard. She takes piano lessons...I had fun using my fiddly fingers to play around with all the buttons.

Ragini and I had fun with lots of other kids at the Bal Vikas reunion last weekend. I loved seeing everyone.

I was especially surprised to see Dharmik. I really love him and have missed him for a long time (he was my cute buddy at Bal Vikas). When we saw each other we hugged right away.

A nice lady named Deb painted my palms with Henna Mendhi designs...now I'm asking my mom to buy some for home. I loved the reunion and hope I get to go to more and more and more!

Oh, and my mom's friend from India says that yellow shirt with the Sanskrit writing and beads makes me look like I'm in an Indian Sadhu clan! ha ha! I think Sadhus are weird, but cool because they are nice people in India who give love and try to find God and nothing else, so I don't mind looking that way sometimes.

My Inner Oink

I'm thinking about food a lot lately. Mommy says I'm starting to act more like my brother, Sky, about food. I used to have parasites in my tummy when I came home from India and I wouldn't eat food very well for over a year. Whenever it was dinner time I felt like it was hard work, and I dreaded it. It always took me over an hour to finish my plate. Since taking strong antibiotics I'm doing much better. Now I can't wait for meals, and I ask for food in between meals, and I eat fast.

When I walked into the grocery store with my parents on Sunday I ran up to an angel food cake and smelled it, talking about how delicious it looks and smelling through the package. Last night I started telling Mommy a memory of how I ate at Bal Vikas. I said "They used to make the food, but it wasn't like the food here. Their kitchen was different. It didn't taste very good and they stuck in into my mouth with their hands like this." I showed her how they shoved the food into my mouth with their fingers. I told her that I didn't like that and how they were cranky with all the kids. A lot of times I walked away and just didn't eat anything.
I am starting to love American food, especially cheese. When I first came home I hated all cheeses, then I only liked white cheeses and now I want all cheeses! I ate a bowl of shredded cheese last weekend and then went running on the track....that wasn't a good idea because I complained about having a sticky mouth while jogging. Cheese makes my mouth sticky. I always ask Mommy what is for lunch and dinner, and always ask her for snacks. I ate a vegetarian sloppy joe last week (which I used to hate) and loved it! I was moaning the whole time "mmmmmmmm" and ate it super fast....maybe I will start gaining weight soon. I grew a whole inch since May 9! Mommy calls me her tall, dark and handsome boy :-)

I'd better go eat some more.

When I Grow Up......

My mom went to a teacher's supply store yesterday and got me some things that are so fun! I can pretend to be a teacher with both Boy's & Girl's Bathroom passes :-) and she got me some things teachers hang on the wall, like letters, pictures, and a Welcome to my class sign. I also got some lined cards to put kids names on so they know where to sit. My bedroom is almost always a classroom to me, and I love reading the kids stories, and having them line up for recess. I think it will help me be a good teacher some day, but I'm also thinking about being a nurse. My mom and dad say that I get to decide, and as long as it gives me a lot of happiness and I work very hard I can do it. The other day I talked about being a police man, but I didn't like the idea of having to carry a gun, so I decided not to do that. Maybe I will make ladies shoes....I'm still thinking about that, too.