Half a Decade
Leon is now half a decade old!
He had a Paw Patrol-themed party last weekend at an indoor playground near our house. He had been looking forward to it for months, and he was so excited I don’t think he stopped moving the entire duration of the party. I was pleasantly surprised by the turnout despite not getting RSVPs back from most of his classmates; I think we had about 13 kids total, and I ordered more than enough pizza for kids and parents to have an early lunch.
Minh is teaching Leon chess. So far Leon knows the names of the pieces and possible moves, but of course he doesn’t always notice a step or two ahead — but that doesn’t stop him from still asking to play! He also turns ordinary objects into chess pieces and explains the rules to me in earnest. Chess doesn’t work as well with playing cards, but that doesn’t stop him from trying…
And he’s kicking butt in speech therapy! Even though he doesn’t have all the sounds perfected, he’s so much more articulate than he was just a few months ago.
Along with addition and subtraction, he now understands the concept of multiplication and can even do basic multiplication equations. He tries to do division but we’re not quite there yet…
He loves being “‘sponsible,” and he is the most eager little helper. His chores include setting and clearing the dinner table, putting away the silverware, cleaning his room, and tidying his desk — but he also offers to help with cooking or laundry or whatever it may be. And I take him up on it!
He was a ring bearer in Minh’s family friend’s wedding a couple weeks ago. He took his job very seriously and was so proud of himself. I was proud of him too; we thought he’d get to sit with us after carrying up the rings, but they had him sit up front — and he sat through an entire Vietnamese Mass without fidgeting or talking.
AND… He just got his first dose of the COVID vaccine this afternoon — which feels monumental after waiting so long! He’s currently feeling very tired and is laying down in the living room watching Bluey (it’s very unusual for him to stay in a room by himself, especially after it gets dark).
