Yes, the weather has not been as hot and sunny as it was last summer, but we've still managed to get out and about, albeit nowhere too busy or populated.
J loves to be outside, whether it be in the garden, the beach, the woods, or the park.
Today's walk was in our local 'flower' park (so named by us as it has lots of flowers!). The dogs were off meeting their friends and having a play, and I was chatting to the other owners, whilst my youngest son, W, was stroking an 11 week old puppy who was absolutely gorgeous.
I always span the area my children are playing with, even if I'm deep in conversation, and upon one of my glances around, I spot J in the middle of one of the grassy areas, doing movements I think are related to the yoga he has been learning at school.
I captured several movements he made. He would hold the pose for a few seconds, then change. He adores being in nature, and now it appears yoga is a part of this too.
Changing direction, we had a rather odd encounter with a stranger the other day. I had parked the car in a car park, and J was sitting in the back eating some lunch. I looked round at him, to talk, and noticed a woman in her 40's, parked right next to us, staring at J from her driving seat. She had a teenage son sitting next to her, and a younger child in the back. I suddenly realised she was mocking J and his eating. She thought she was hilarious. I noticed her children (I presume they were hers as they had a look of sheer boredom on their faces) were not participating in her charade, and were not really bothered by her impressions as they were not laughing or looking at J. She then spies myself, and knows I have seen her, and then proceeds to mock him some more, make faces akin to what children do in the playground when someone makes a mistake (that kind of gurn expression) and pull fake smiles at me and waving.
A very odd and strange woman!
But back to a positive......
J said he "love mummy" the other day. Totally out of the blue. The first time he's ever said it without being echolalic or prompted. He made it in reference to being told I would be back soon. My other sons always say they love me, and vice versa, when I am going out without them, or dropping them off somewhere, and I believe J has learnt this from them. A very simplistic thing, but one that has such gravitas for me. It's only taken 13 years and 3 months for me to hear him say it off his own back, and oh my goodness it means so much to me.
