the jeremy chronicles part i the first ten years

8/14/2019 The Jeremy Chronicles Part I the First Ten Years

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Like a BullLike a Bull

In aIn a

China ShopChina ShopTheThe JeremyJeremy

C h r o n i c l e sC h r o n i c l e sPart I: T H E F I R S T T E N Y E A R S

This running essay is being written by

Margie Jimenez (Jeremys Mom)


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LIKE A BULL ..........................................................................................................................................1

IN A ............................................................................................................................................................1

CHINA SHOP ...........................................................................................................................................1

C H R O N I C L E S ..................................................................................................................................1

Chapter 1 Who knew? ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ........ 3

................................................................................................................................................................................. .4

Chapter 2 - 2001 and hes off!

................................................................................................................................................................................. .5

Chapter 3 - Spring, 2001- 3rd Birthday ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ ............ .... 7

Chapter 6 - Summer, 2002 Four years old already? .................................................................... ............. ......11

Chapter 7 - Winter, 2002 Hyperactive??? ..................................................................................... ............. .....14

Chapter 8 - Winter/Early Spring, 2003- I can read! .................................................................................... ......16

Chapter 9 - Spring 2003- Preparing for school ................................................................................ ..............17

Chapter 10 - Fall, 2003First Day of School .............................................................................. .............. ........18

Chapter 11 - Fall, 2003 School Days! .............................................................................................. ............... ..19

Chapter 12 - Winter, 2003-4 Brrrrrr! ................................................................................................ ..............21

Chapter 13 - June, 2004 School Year Over Already?! ................................................................. .............. .....22

Chapter 14 - July, 2004 Summer Vacation! ........................................................................................... ..........23

Chapter 15 School Year, 2004 2005 ............................................................................................. ............. .....25

Family Crisis Spring 2005 ........................................................................................................ ............... .........25

Chapter 16 2nd grade already? ........................................................................................................... ...........28

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Chapter 1 Who knew?

Children are the most precious gifts one received from above. They fill our

lives with unspeakable joy. They truly are wonderful and our lives areenriched because of them. However there is one thing that is amazing to meas a parent of two kidshow truly different they can be!

Why do I say this? Well, I draw my comparisons of how they were and are inthe stage of Toddlerhood. My daughter, Rebekah, is now six and my sonJeremy is 18 months old. Now I may be nearing 40 but I dont think memoryloss starts this early in life and as I recall at 18 months of age Rebekah wasstill sugar and spice and everything nice. At this same age, Jeremy is, well,

like a bull in a china shop to say the least.

I dont recall seeing Rebekah take my pots and pans out of the cabinets anddragging them across the kitchen floor. She never threw my flatware in thetrashcan or hid my vegetables under the sofa. She certainly didnt spill ordisperse everything and anything all over the place. Thank God for spill-proof cups! Im not saying she was a perfect toddler but clearly if she haddone any of these things in the magnitude that Im experiencing them now Icertainly would not have forgotten it.

Jeremy has done all these things and more. At one year of age, he washolding Mommys hand as he still had difficulty walking. In less than a monthafter his birthday, 13 months or less to be approximate, before ourastonished eyes he became a cross between The Roadrunner and Dennisthe Menace. Ive found crayons in my VCR. He likes turning the TV on andoff repeatedly. Apparently the word No! doesnt register with him yet. Hesits himself in front of our computer, and begins to type and move the mousearound like a pro. When I check the monitor to see what damage hes

causing, I find the screen has been adjusted in a way that looks like themirrors in a funhouse. Hes written on my walls and on my wood floors withcrayon, pencil, marker, you name it, hes used it as a writing tool. He evenmanaged to turn on the dishwasher, which for the life of me I havent beenable to figure out how to use in five years!

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Hes become quite a climber too. He has figured out that if you throw thetrashcan on the floor and stand on it, it serves as a great step to climb ontothe high chair. Once in the high chair those previously unreachable objectsare no longer inaccessible. Imagine my near heart attacks from finding him

ready to topple over from his newfound heights. Ive found him on thekitchen table, on the desk, and attempting to jump on the bed like anacrobat.

Where does an 18-month-old find the wits, wherewithal and oomph toattempt these maneuvers? You got me! But one thing I can say, nothing issafe around here any longer, not when Jeremy a.k.a. The Bull is running thehousehold. Oops! I mean, running around the house.

Now if I can just prevent him from figuring out how to open therefrigerator

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Chapter 2 - 2001 and hes off!

Well, hes now 31 months old and yes, he figured out how to open the

refrigerator a while ago. When he wants something, he heads to the kitchenso that I can give him what he wants. Sometimes he likes to sit in the fridge.Dangerous! For what reason? I dont know. I dont think its for coolingpurposes.

His major accomplishments thus far are as follows: He counts to 20 (okay, sohe omits the number 12 and some of the teens but he tries!); he knows hisABCs and most of the shapes. I think Sesame Street, the ultimate toddlerschool of learning has been a big help with this. Rebekah knew a lot of things

when she was two but (shhhdont tell her!) she didnt do these things atthat age.

Were teaching him to pray before each meal, which he does, even if it onlyconsists of Thank you Jesus! He likes to sing and dance and breaks outsinging each time he hears his favorite song, Bye, Bye, Bye from NSync.He can listen to it repeatedly and he does when we give in to his whining.Thank God for the repeat button on the CD player!

Is he still rambunctious? Is he still a bull in a china shop? You bet he is!Hes got boundless energy! Just ask my mom, who says he drives up her bloodpressure every time hes over there. We moved into a new apartment rightafter his second birthday. As we were moving the boxes into the residence,he somehow got his little hands on a permanent marker. The little Picassocreated a masterpiece on my freshly painted wall. We hadnt even begunliving in our new home and he was up to his old tricks. It was a nightmare toremove that work of art from the wall and if you angle your head a certainway you can still see traces of it. Ive since put away all the permanentmarkers but at least once a month, I find myself scrubbing the walls toremove crayon or pencil scribble.

Hes like a whirlwind whenever hes awake. When hes playing every toy comesout of the toy box and is thrown on the floor. Then he feels the need topush them all in one fell swoop to all corners of the room, like the cue ballson a pool table. This in turn annoys Becky to no end and she begins to scream

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like a banshee, MOM!!! Thus begins the vicious cycle of Mom, Im notcleaning this up! I didnt make this mess! (Becky). Yes, you are. This is yourroom and its your responsibility. (Mom) No way! Thats not fair! You alwayslet him get away with everything! (Becky) What are you talking about? Hes

only two years old! (Mom) and so on and so on and so on

Now hes at that potty training stage but apparently no one can convince himof that. You see he likes to be in the bathroom, if only to wash his hands atthe sink, brush his teeth or perhaps throw small objects in the toilet. But toget him to actually sit on the potty is another story altogether! Ask him ifhe wants to use the potty and he runs away faster than Olympian tracksuperstar Michael Johnson. I guess hell master track and field before toilethabits.

Although this all sounds like complaining, it really isnt. My son has given myentire family and me so much joy and adventure in his two, almost threeshort years of life that we wouldnt trade it for anything in the world.Children truly are a blessing from the Lord and Im thankful every day thatJeremy is healthy and able to do the things he does, whether pleasant ornot.

This story is not over. Jeremy is fast approaching his third year of life. Im

sure more adventures are on the way. Hmm, I cant wait

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Chapter 3 - Spring, 2001- 3rd Birthday

Jeremys birthday will soon be upon us. On June 9th, 2001, hell be turningthree.

What has he been up to lately, you may be asking? Well, hes become quitethe boxer. For Christmas my friend of mine from work, Cris, gifted him witha set of boxing gloves complete with punching bag that emits realistic soundsof breaking glass when you hit it. The first thing Jeremy did when he putthe gloves on was to punch his dad in the stomachand I got it all on video!Now he loves his boxing gloves and wants to box with everyone. Never mindthat the gloves are meant for tiny hands and you can only put your handshalfway in. Once he sees youve put them on then the game in on and hesrunning you ragged with relentless punches to your body. The only reason hedoesnt hit you in the face is that I sternly warned him against it but hestried. Im a little concerned though because he seems to like punching verymuch and not just the bag, mind you, but anything or anyone! Its to the pointwhere I have to warn others when I see him put the gloves on. Weve gotsome of my husbands family visiting from Honduras and the first thing wedid was forewarn them that Jeremy, rambunctious and energetic tyke thathe is, may at any moment strike one of them without warning. And yes, I amtrying to correct this behavior in him but its not easy. Believe me I dont

want to send him to school fearful that Im sending the next extremelyfeatherweight Macho Camacho to kindergarten.

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Chapter 4 Winter, 2001 Computer whiz

Jeremy is now three and a half years old. When he became a computer whizI have no idea but hes become quite adept at going online and finding the

sites he wants to visit. Dont ask me how he does it but he can go toFavorites and know exactly which one says Cartoon Network vs. ZoogDisney. He knows how to reboot the computer when it freezes by pressingAlt, Ctrl and Delete. He runs in the door each night to play on his puter, isselfish and doesnt want to share.

When hes not online, hes either watching videos like Toy Story or Jamesand the Giant Peach for the gazillionth time! Well, Toy Story no moresince he wore out the ribbon and it broke in two. Now hes discovered Space

Jam and is trying to play basketball a la Michael Jordan in his Nanas house.The poor woman is being subjected to endless viewings of Space Jam. Praytell, how much more can she take?

Nana is a wonderful woman. Shes been Jeremys caregiver since he wasthree months old and she adores him. In her eyes he can do no wrong. Shesloving and kind and extremely patient with my son. I know I hit the jackpotwith her. Shes been a big help in this whole potty training experience eventhough my son is still giving both of us a hard time about it. Hell wear the

big boy underwear but then will proceed to sit on the potty for what seemslike hours at a time and wont get up until you put the Pamper back on. Ithink hes afraid to have an accident so he just prefers to sit and wait. Dontask me why he does this. I have no idea. Wait until he sees whats in storefor him come January 2002. Pull ups, I say, ... and Pampers no more!

Hes becoming quite a talker now too. You can actually understand most ofwhat he says where as before 90% of his speech was pure gibberish. Hesalso picked up an annoying bad habit from my mom. Hes becoming a screamer

just like her. Yikes, just what I didnt need. It freaks his father out becauseRony is not a yeller at all. In fact hes very soft-spoken and laid-back. I say,Well, thats the boricua in him. Sad, but true. Well, thats all for now. Moreadventures to follow, of that I am certain.

Till next time America

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Chapter 5 -Winter, 2002 The Potty and

other things

Well, here we are in March of 2002 and Jeremy is finally learning to use thepotty. Seems like Im obsessed with this subject, isnt it? Well, you wouldbe too if you had your grandmothers acquaintances telling you they potty-trained their children on their 1st birthday. YeahRIGHT!!! Like Imsupposed to believe that? They tell their parenting stories with suchhaughtiness and disdain, as if to say youre not a good parent because yourkid is still in diapers at age 6. Nah, Jeremys only 3 (Soon to be 4). Okayso the process has been prolonged. I see a light at the end of the tunnel,

though! Hes at least wearing his big boy underwear during the day and hedoes pee-peesitting on the potty. Not my fault that he doesnt stand likea man is supposed to. Its my husbands fault. Hes the one who should betraining his son. Ill let you know how it goes, (not that anyone is asinterested in this subject as I am!) Let me change the subject then

The computer is still Jeremys obsession. We have an application called RealGames that allow us to download demos of different computer games andplay them. Well, Ive caught him various times downloading an assortment of

games. Ive been wondering why the computer has been so slow lately. Itschockfull of massive files that take up so much memory and storage, allbecause of Jeremys downloading activities.

Hes discovered Jurassic Park, all 3 movies. He wont watch them alone,though. I had to buy the DVD collection because he was driving us nuts withthe dinosaur movie chant he had developed. My mom says Im too soft withhim and I shouldnt let him watch those movies. Too late! Its not like hesees them everyday. Besides we only have one DVD player so his viewing is

limited. Thank goodness!

Another thing before I close this segment. Parents of Pre-Schoolers,beware of Dr. Seuss Green Eggs and Ham. For some reason, children thisage request continuous readings of this classic until you literally want to pull

your hair out. I had to hide our copy when I found myself repeating it at

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work. Didnt even realize I had memorized it! That Sam-I-Am! That Sam-I-Am! I do not like that Sam-I-Am! I do not like them, Sam-I-Am; I do notlike Green Eggs and Ham!

Hasta luego.

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Chapter 6 - Summer, 2002 Four years old

already?

Jeremy is now four years old. Okay, this is the last mention on this grosssubject but I must let you know the outcome Jeremy is finally potty-trained, although hes too lazy to pull up his underwear when hes through.He makes me laugh. When he has to go, hell announce it as hes running tothe bathroom and begins to gag even before he reaches the toilet. He hasnteven sat down and hes nauseous. Then he banishes you from the bathroomuntil hes done. At that point, he yells loudly, Im finished! and thenproceeds to run off the toilet and into the bedroom with dirty butt. I keeptelling him, You have to stay on the bowl till we clean your butt! Someday,hell learn and when he does learn to clean himself, Im sure well be in foranother round of the cocoa stains on the underwear phase. Cest la vie.

I dont want to be boastful by saying this but Jeremys truly a smart kid forhis age. How smart I dont know yet but I can tell you that he can spell, readand write his first name as well as various words M-O-M-M-Y, M-O-O-Nand others. He knows how to read words like Exit, Stop, and Dont go onthe tracks! (from the subway), little words and phrases like that, he readily

identifies and reads. He seems to have a knack for learning but I cant proveit because he wont stay still long enough to do any significant pre-schoolactivities. He knows how to type his password on AOL and Clever Island, anonline kids site. He loves to play computer and video games, especiallydriving ones. Ive had to watch him carefully because I continue to catch himattempting to download various games on the computer. Its already crashedonce before so hes been forbidden to download ANYTHING! Not that helistens.

Hes very safety conscious too. He doesnt allow you to cross the street ifthe streetlight says Dont Walk. You could be on a small, side street wherecars rarely pass and he will make you stand there until the sign changes. Beprepared for a reprimand should you disobey the command, cross at thegreen, not in-between!

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Now for a classic tale of child mischief. In the midst of Summer 2002, wenoticed that certain household items were disappearing and wondered ifperchance Jeremy had something to do with that. We live in a third floorapartment with a balcony that oversees a group of trees on top of a small hill

overlooking the buildings parking lot. In the spring and summer, these treesbloom so much that you can barely see anything through the abundantfoliage. It so happens that one Sunday afternoon while getting ready to goto church, I placed a rather large umbrella next to the door so I wouldntforget it on our way out. I proceeded to go into the bedroom to finishprepping and when I returned to the foyer area, the umbrella was gone. Asit was not mine to begin with I panicked a little and began asking my husbandas well as my daughter, Where did the umbrella go? They had no ideawhere it was so the only one left to ask was Jeremy. At first he vigorously

denied knowing where it was but after persistent questioning, he admittedthat he had tossed it off the balcony. In a state of disbelief, I ran to thebalcony and as I peered over the edge of the railing, I not only saw myumbrella, I saw a small steel waste-basket belonging to my husband, a pillowthat was seemingly floating between two branches and other assortedparaphernalia. We proceeded to run down to that area of the parking lotand lo and behold, there were all our missing household items. It seems thatour little wily boy had been secretly throwing things over the balcony for awhile now. We returned to our apartment with arms loaded with the missingstuff and looks of chagrin on our faces. How my husband and I had notnoticed this activity earlier, I just dont know! Needless to say, Jeremy isbanned from the balcony. Just one other little balcony tidbit, before hisbanishment, I did catch him urinating into the trees once. Oy vey! ThankGod no one saw that but me!

There is a little something I am concerned about with Jeremy. At first Ithought he was just in the classic Oedipal stage of life but he seems to beoverly attached to me and Im worried that on the first day of kindergarten,

(tentatively scheduled for Fall, 2003) that he will have a severe case ofseparation anxiety. As it is, he still wont sleep by himself although we havebeen working on weaning him from this for over two years. In the presenceof strangers, he becomes almost mute. He will likely not say a word orrespond to anyone who asks him a question. I took him for his fourth yearcheck-up and he would not answer one question posed by his pediatrician.The same thing happened when they attempted to do a vision screening. The

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woman brings out a big poster-board of shapes. She points to a square andasks him, Jeremy, what is this? At no point, would Jeremy look at her oranswer her question. He did, catch a quick look, because after the fact, hetold me it was a square. Too late! The test was over and his vision screening

was incomplete. He keeps saying hell answer the doctors questions but Imwary of his response because he hasnt done so yet. All the time, I spent atthe doctors office, he sat on my lap, still as a mouse while I was explainingto the doctor about how energetic he was all the time and how I wondered ifhe was hyperactive. The doctor chuckled at this seemingly paradoxicalsituation.

Well, Jeremy continues to grow and we continue to be awestruck at thethings he does. I love that God gave me this privilege, to be this childs

mother. Hes a wonder and a blessing rolled into one.

To be continued Im sure!

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Chapter 7 - Winter, 2002 Hyperactive???

Well, at the suggestion of Jeremys medical doctor, I took him for an

evaluation in late August to try and allay my concerns about whether or nothe was hyper-active. The results were inconclusive since theres no way totell until hes actually in school; however, he was diagnosed with separationanxiety disorder and they told him he was a selective mute meaning he justchooses not to speak not that he cant.

After speaking to the doctor who was performing the evaluation, I becamekeenly aware that Jeremy has spent the last four years of his life in asheltered environment. I realized that we had never exposed him to

unfamiliar situations so as of this point, he is unaccustomed to being awayfrom his family or his Nana. The consequence of this is that he is not usedto being in strange and unfamiliar surroundings and acts with fear andtrepidation, manifested by his crying jags and bouts of apprehension andanxiety.

This also means that my feeling of a difficult first day of kindergarten islikely to occur. After hearing this, I decided that the best thing to do wasto continue to pray and seek Gods guidance. After all, who knows Jeremybetter than the Lord? I know Ive placed my children in His care and I amconfident God will see us through this difficult transition in Jeremys life asit occurs. It was suggested that I place him in pre-school which was notpossible due to lack of space in the public school system and finding aprivate school was prohibitive due to financial constraints. I decided thatthe next best thing was to take him to Kiddie Church, which is the pre-school Bible class at our church each Sunday. Well, as of this writing it has

yet to occur. I did take him once or twice but both times he was returnedto me in the Sanctuary practically hyperventilating from all the crying andfussing that he did. I am still determined to find a way to smooth histransition to school but it can be wholly frustrating, as any parent does notwish to see their children suffer. My heart breaks each time I see or hearhim crying because I know how difficult it is for him to be away from us. Iknow I have to grin and bear it for his benefit so I will press on in thisendeavor. I know it will work out in the end.

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Now on to other news of his pre-academic achievements. I bought himJumpstart Kindergarten, a computer application with Kindergarten subjectwork and activities. It was too easy. He breezed right through it.

Presently Im working with him using Hooked on Phonics, a Learn to Readprogram, given to me by a friend who had purchased it for her son. Heslearning more and more each day and amazes me with the facility with whichhe now reads books like Hop on Pop and The B Book. I am confident hewill enter kindergarten (albeit kicking and screaming!), with reading andwriting skills.

I am sure there will be many more adventures to report on this amazingchild. Im sure every parent says their child is amazing and that is likely so

but this is the continuing story of just one of those remarkable children.

To be continued

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Chapter 8 - Winter/Early Spring, 2003- I

can read!

Well, Jeremy is reading like a pro now. He reads absolutely everything hesees. If he doesnt know what it says, hell ask me, Mom, whats that say?in the loudest voice possible. And every other statement begins with Why?Mom, why do we have to brush our teeth? Mom, why do I have to take abath? and so on and so on and so on. Discerning minds want to know but itcan be quite annoying at times. I know I should be glad hes so inquisitive butdoes he have to know absolutely everythingat the age of four? Still I thinkI need to brush up on my factoids so my answers wont always be, UhIdont know

Hes a bundle of never-ending energy running around all the time like a littleTasmanian devil, leaving a trail of dust wherever he passes. Well, my nextupdate will talk of my attempts to register him for kindergarten. That willbe occurring very soon.

Stay tuned...

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Chapter 9 - Spring 2003- Preparing for

school

Well, I tried to register him for Kindergarten at Rebekahs school and wentaway with very little assurance that he would be permitted to attend due tozoning preferences and space issues for the fall. I contacted the supervisorat the school who did little to allay my fears that come September my sonwould be left with no school to go to. She says Ill have to wait until Junebefore they can tell me whether or not hell be attending P.S. 192. It just sohappens this is not the best school in the district but its certainly betterthan the two closest schools in the neighborhood, which, unfortunately havebeen branded as failing schools. Rebekah has received a good education

there and I have no qualms that with Jeremy it would be the same if only Ican get him in there. Well, cest la vie. Whatever happens - happens. Itotally believe in Divine providence and that God knows our needs so He willmake a way. Of that I am sure.

Well, Jeremys reading skills continue to grow by leaps and bounds. Ittotally amazes me with what ease he reads. He has read chapter books aswell as the easier Dr. Seuss books in their entirety. He may not know all thewords but he will pronounce them phonetically as he has learned this skill

with Hooked on Phonics. Thanks to my friend and co-worker, Fanny Hicks,who generously gave me these tools for my son.

Jeremy will be 5 years old on June 9th and we eagerly await this importantmilestone in his young life. It marks a big transition in his life from my littlebaby, toddler, and pre-schooler to my little big boy almost off to school, inlove with life, hopefully breaking out of his shell (there are signs that isoccurring) and providing us with much joy and laughter.

P.S. In mid-June, I spoke to Ms. Payne, an Assistant Principal at the schooland guess what? Hes in! Hell be attending Kindergarten at P.S. 192 in theFall. Hallelujah!

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Chapter 10 - Fall, 2003First Day of School

Well, the big day has arrived and I must say, it was totally anti-climatic.

Jeremy did not act at all as I expected. He did not kick, scream, fuss ormake a scene. The doctors were wrong, thank God! Now as for thehyperactivity diagnosis that Im not so sure of yet. Word on the street ishe doesnt stay still. I hope his new teacher, Ms. Fontnel will be patientwith him and give him time to adjust to his new and unfamiliar surroundings.I am still working to smooth his transition by speaking to him at home aboutexpected behaviors and such. Hopefully, it wont be too difficult and he willsettle into a routine of growth and learning.

As for Rebekah, as always, hers was a smooth first day. She has no qualmsabout school and teachers. Rebekah was an excellent teacher for herbrother this past summer as she spent lots of time reading, writing, teachinghim numbers, etc. She is so good with him and Im eternally grateful for thelove and care she demonstrates each day towards her sibling.

Before I close this brief chapter, I just want to say, Thank You, JESUS!for answering my prayers!

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Chapter 11 - Fall, 2003 School Days!

Its been two months since school started and I must say Jeremy has leftme with a sense of amazement and wondermentagain! He has totally

adjusted to the school experience. His fidgeting went away with time andwith some gentle reprimands from the teacher as they occurred. He nowsits still (most of the time) and has even become somewhat of a teacherspet. Everyday when I ask him how school was, he responds by saying,GREAT! He tells me hes been chosen to be a book monitor and a doormonitor and was even special student of the day once.

My only concern with Kindergarten thus far has been that they are teaching

the kids the ABCs (phonics) as if they never knew them at all. It amazes methat some parents would send their kids to school without even a basicunderstanding of the alphabet. Their schoolwork consists of This is theletter F. This is how it sounds. Jeremys homework is two pages of circleall the pictures that begin with the letter F or trace the letter fivetimes. He takes his homework out each day and completes it in less than 2minutes. Academically, he is way ahead of his class and the teacher hasnoticed it. Shes told me she thinks hes gifted. She tells me he seems boredduring their reading time and is trying to get permission to take him to afirst grade reading group during that period so he can continue hisdevelopment in this area. I would not want to skip him to a first grade classat this point because I think he is developing his social skills here and hasbegun friendships with his school companions that I would not want tointerfere with. Plus he needs to develop his writing skills somewhat and Imworking with him at home on that area. As for friendships, he tells meeverybody in his class is his friend except for one little girl. I dont why shedoesnt qualify but suffice to say, hes Mr. Popularity and we go home to thesounds of Bye JeremyBye JeremyBye Jeremy

At home he continues to read voraciously. Each and every night before hesput to bed, he will go to his bookcase and grab two or three books,sometimes a Dr. Seuss title, sometimes a small chapter book and he will readand re-read them before he falls asleep. It has become his nightly practiceand I see how it is helping him not only read better but his pronunciation, hisvocabulary and even his rate of reading have increased by leaps and bounds.

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He will attempt to read everything that is placed before him, even if hedoesnt know the word, he will look at it phonetically and attempt topronounce it. Hes now asking me how you say certain things in Spanish soIve asked his Nana to work with him in that and teach him the language of

his ancestors. Hell need this language skill for when he visits his relatives inHonduras.

One last thing before I close this most recent chapter of events in Jeremyslife. Lately, hes been dancing up a storm. Its like hes broken out of a shellor something. Hes especially fond of break-dancing and just the other day,my family and I were in tears from laughing so hard at how he throwshimself on the floor, lifts his leg up and attempts to spin and turn all to thebeat of the music. He danced so much, he broke a sweat and I had to stop

him because he was turning red from all the activity. I have to videotapehim. Hell never believe me when I tell him he used to do this when he getsolder.

Well thats it for now. Till next time America.

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Chapter 12 - Winter, 2003-4 Brrrrrr!

Its been a really cold winter season thus far. Ive had to send my kids toschool like empanadas almost every morning. This cold wave is relentless

and were all feeling like we could a use a little Spring right now. Jeremy isdoing great in school. As a matter of fact I ask him everyday, How wasschool? and inevitably his response will be Great! When I mentioned tohim that he always says school is great, the next time I asked, he respondedby saying Fine.

I went to Jeremys first Parent-Teachers Conference in Mid-November andreceived a good report about him from his teacher. I know he has the

highest respect for her and Jeremy has told me that Ms. Fontnel calls himSweetie. She says that since hes so well advanced in his reading skill shestaking the time to work one on one with him on comprehension so that hewont lose interest. She says he always looks bored so shes diligently tryingto pique his interest.

Everyone in the class is Jeremys friend. Yet when he arrives everymorning he wont even acknowledge them. I know its his timidity that makeshim like that but its annoying when they say hello and he tries to hide his

face in his coat. In the afternoon, its a different story. He leaves tochants of Bye Jeremy!, Bye Jeremy! and so on and so on. Its like hes asuperstar or something.

I got him and Becky a Game Boy Advance for Christmas. What a mistake! Ididnt realize how addicting that thing is. Its the first thing he reaches forin the mornings and the last thing he puts under the pillow at night. He getsso excited when he wins a race or gets to the next level. He acts as if hewon the lottery or something hollering and jumping around like a maniac!

Well, Im sure hell tire of it eventually. He always does.

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Chapter 13 - June, 2004 School Year Over

Already?!

Wow, I cant believe the school year is over already! Well, I must say itcertainly was eventful. Lets see if I can wrap up major happenings from this

year.

Jeremy aced Kindergarten and thats not just me saying so. His reading,math, writing and language skills grew exponentially. He performed so wellon end-of-year assessments that the teacher conducting his evaluation andhis Kindergarten teacher are convinced he belongs in a gifted and talentedprogram. Unfortunately, I was told this bit of good news too late in the

current school year to find him any programs for the upcoming school yearbut you can bet Im calling again come September.

His teacher, Ms. Fontnel was truly a Godsend. She facilitated Jeremystransition to school by being stern but not severe, strict but never harsh, adisciplinarian but not an authoritarian. Through all of this she somehow alsosuccessfully gave her students an abundance of knowledge, love and caringthat the children responded to positively. Ms. Fontnels word was gold toJeremy. Everything she said was gospel truth and God forbid, you should tryto refute one of Ms. Fontnels declarations. For example, while dressingJeremy for school one morning, he asked me if today was Thursday? It

just happened to be Wednesday and so I told him so. He told me that itcould not be Wednesday because yesterday was Wednesday. The teachersaid so. I told him, Perhaps your teacher confused the day. Maybe shethought it was Wednesday when it was actually Tuesday. No, Mommy!Jeremy replied. Ms. Fontnel said it was Wednesday yesterday so today isThursday! Well, you can imagine going back and forth with that argument.I wisely let it drop. It was too early in the morning to engage in a verbalbattle with a 6 year-old.

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Chapter 14 - July, 2004 Summer Vacation!

Wow, talk about a family vacation! Becky, Jeremy and cousin, Gina and I

took a trip to visit Grandpa John in sunny Florida North Miami Beach to beprecise. It was Jeremys first airplane ride and we flew on Jet Blue. It wasawesome and what I presumed would be an exciting experience for Jeremysince he had never flown on an airplane before. Well, Jeremy sat there theentire trip like if this was no big deal. It was a bit disappointing because Ireally, really thought hed be a bit more enthusiastic about it. I guess thoselittle DirecTVs behind the seats really do what theyre supposed to do take your mind off the fact that youre flying thousands of feet over landand sea. No worries and we arrived safely and on time by the grace of God.

Once we arrived in Miami, we were met by my Dad and his significant other,Nydia. The first thing the girls did upon arriving at the Condo was throw thesuitcases in a corner, pull out the bathing suits and run to the pool wherethey remained till evening. Jeremy had never really been in a pool this big soI had purchased all the gear to ensure hed be safe in the water. Goggles,nose clip, earplugs, safety vest, the works. By the time we got him to thepool he looked as though he were going deep sea diving instead of swimming.At first he remained very close to the steps that lead out of the swimmingpool and waded in the shallowest part. But as the days progressed, hebecame bolder and finally learned to swim a little. He still has a ways to gobut he did great and reacted with little fear or trepidation.

We had a great time in Florida. We went to Disney World where we got onrides and visited the attractions. We went to the Miami Seaquarium and sawshows with Orcas and dolphins. We all came back many shades darker thanusual. Even Jeremy who has the palest skin of us all managed to get some

color.

The best thing about all this is that he behaved and I was very proud of thatfact. See my dad is not accustomed to being around small children andreacts with annoyance when kids act like kids. I went down there indefensive mode because we all act that way around our dad when hes around

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our children but Dad behaved too and all in all it was a good trip.

Now comes 1stgrade. We shall see what happens next.

Till next time

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Chapter 15 School Year, 2004 2005

Well, Jeremy began first grade in early September. As usual the schoolyard was chaotic, unruly and unorganized and it took me a bit of time to find

his class 1-101. My first impression of his 1st grade teacher, Ms. Mendezwas, well, a bit disappointing. As beautiful and stylish as she looked standingthere before her class, her countenance spoke volumes. The look on herface as she faced that group of first graders for the first time seemed tosay, How did I end up here? Truly she looked as if shed been sentenced toa year of hard labor in the Gulag and her punishment was teaching. Im notsaying shes a bad teacher but there was absolutely no enthusiasm in herface or in her body language. I cannot recall one day during the school yearwhere I saw her look truly happy as she came to the school yard each

morning to pick up the kids and take them to class. Its unfortunate becauseshe seems to be a good teacher. After all, my son did learn some things in 1st

grade.

This year I also tried to get in touch with the Gifted and Talented programat the NYC Department of Education and had very little success. There aretoo few of these programs in the school system and very little informationgiven to parents on how to find one for their children. After finally speakingto someone in the district about this, I found out the deadline had passedand I would have to wait until next year. It was a bummer to say the least.Jeremys kindergarten teacher had him assessed and a professional hadrecommended that he be referred to this program but it was too late in the

year to begin the process then and I missed the deadlines again on my firstattempt. I know Jeremy is smart, probably a bit smarter than most of hisclassmates, but if I cant find an appropriate school for him, then well justtough it out. Besides hes got automatic entry into KIPP:Star College PrepCharter School beginning in fifth grade. Thats because his sister is astudent there and siblings have automatic entry in this specialized middleschool. I hope hell be challenged there.

Family Crisis Spring 2005

In March of 2005, Jeremys grandmother, Norma suffered a brainhemorrhage and was hospitalized in intensive care for over six weeks. She

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began to recover slowly and ended up going to an acute rehab facility foranother six weeks and then was sent to a rehabilitation center/nursingfacility where she unfortunately passed away in late June 2005. This was adifficult time for all of us but especially for the kids. Jeremy was

accustomed to seeing his grandmother almost on a daily basis. Our afterschool routine always included a visit to Grandmas to pick up big sister.Jeremy and Rebekah and their other cousin, Jordan were my mothersgreatest joy in life and her illness and subsequent passing affected themdeeply.

Jeremy did not want to see her when she was in intensive care. He wasafraid of the hospital, of all the machinery in that room so we did notpressure him to visit her during this time. Once she was out of intensive

care, her recovery proved slow and her mental capacities were not all thereso although she looked like Grandma a little, she didnt act like her old selfand I think it frightened Jeremy even more. We took him to see her acouple of times before she died and he was ill at ease both times.

After she died he didnt want to talk about it much and the day of theburial, we dressed him up in a navy blue suit and he watched as we laid her inthe ground. I dont know what he was thinking or if he even understood thefinality of it all. A few weeks later, I was putting him to bed and he said to

me, Mom, I miss Grandma. I wish I could see her again. It broke my heartbut it helped me to see that he too was grieving but in his own way.Whenever he saw me sad or on the verge of tears during this time of grief,he would come over and console me and proceed to tell me, Mom, I dontwant you to die. I explained that his grandma was ill and she was elderlyand it was her time to go but that hopefully, I would not be going anywherefor a good long time so he shouldnt worry. Plus I said wed see her againsince we believe we shall all have a heavenly reunion.

This truly was a difficult time but our faith in God saw us through. I believemy mom left wonderful memories for my children and they will never forgether. Jeremy will always be a palpable reminder of her because hes thegrandchild that resembled her the most. He shares her green eyes and fairskin.

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Now its time to make new memories, especially around holiday time since ourcustom was always to go to Grandmas house. Im sure well get through it.

Lets see what tomorrow brings

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Chapter 16 2nd grade already?

September 2005 and another school year is upon us. Lets see what I can

share thus far. Hes now in a new school due to a restructuring of his oldschool which was literally split in half. Hes a student of P.S. 325 and histeacher is Ms. Heather Wachter. Ms. Wachter is young and very pretty andJeremy likes hera lot. Shes motivated and enthusiastic about teachingthese kids and I am very happy about that. She sends notes home to theparents each week updating on whats being taught and whats happening thusfar. That is a great thing to do and I appreciate it very much.

Alas, I must share a couple of incidents that have occurred all within theperiod of the first month of the school year involving Jeremy. The firstincident occurred when Jeremy asked me for a rubber band. I wasnt surewhat he wanted it for so I gave it to him. Now he has an old issue of Playstation magazine given to him by Cesar, who is Nanas son. Hes had thatissue for months and whenever I attempt to discard the magazine itmiraculously reappears. Anyway he had taken it with him to school beforebut imagine my shock when I find out he took it to school one day, rolled itup, put the rubber band around it and proceeded to smack a classmate onthe head with it during recess. Then to add to my horror, I find out it was a

little girl named Yvonne who was the victim of this act. Thankfully, itdoesnt seem to have caused any injuries and there were little repercussionsfrom it but I was livid and let him know that behavior was unacceptable. Hewas made to write a letter of apology to Yvonne and to Ms. Wachter.Hopefully this wont happen again. Im actually surprised this happened at allbecause until now Jeremy has been so well-behaved in school. My theory isthat hes easily influenced by his friends and likes to play follow theleader much to my dismay. Ill have to keep an eye on this.

The second incident occurred just recently when I went to pick him up andwas handed his PSP (Playstation Portable video game player) by his teacher.I was so embarrassed and angry that he would take that to school when hesbeen told repeatedly that those things are not to be taken out of the housewithout permission and certainly not to school. I punished him accordinglyby taking away his video game privileges, PS2 and PSP for a week. Hes been

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very very contrite and wrote his teacher a letter of apology for this as well.

One good thing that has happened this school year is that hes been readingup a storm. He discovered The Captain Underpants series of books and has

been voraciously reading them. Hes now on Book 7 (last in the series) and Iwill have to quickly find him another good series of books to keep him ontrack. Ms. Wachters reading log helps us keep track of what hes readingand Im pleasantly surprised at his pace in both reading and comprehension.

Well the school year has just begun and Im sure there will be many morestories to tell but for now, Im signing off.

Sayonara

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Chapter 17 2nd grade almost over!

Its been awhile since I provided an update. Well, the holidays were roughbut we got through them by the grace of God. It was the first holidayswithout Mom/Grandma. They were a bit solemn but we chose to celebrate ifonly to give my Grandmother an opportunity to be with family and try tobrighten her spirits. All in all, it went well.

Well, the 2nd half of the school year is upon us and Jeremy continues to dowell. Hes read many, many books this year including Louis Sachars WaysideSchool series, some of the A-Z Mysteries and he even attempted to readthe first book of A Series of Unfortunate Events, The Bad Beginning. He

got half-way and then picked up another book. Im hoping hell finish it soon.

His latest obsession now is all things military. For Christmas I bought him abig Army helicopter complete with GI Joe-type action figure dressed inmilitary camouflage. So then began the requests for camouflage apparel.He continued to ask for it until his dad went and purchased him somecamouflage pants along with some other apparel. Now hes got a camouflagehat and Converse sneakers. He says he looks cool! Im afraid only becausehes developed a taste for brand names like Fubu, Avirex and Ecko Red. I

blame his dad for buying him brand name apparel. Daddy will have to feedthat voracious appetite for brand name merchandise cause Im not spendingmega-bucks on clothing or shoes for an almost 8 year old boy!

One thing that I have noticed and that I find kind of funny is that Jeremy isbecoming more defiant when it comes to his sister. Rebekah is five yearsolder which means shell be thirteen this year. For years now shes beenbossing him around and he pretty much did everything she asked. Now herefuses someof her requests, albeit running away and hiding at the sametime but its good that hes not letting himself become a pushover. Shesbossy, demanding and can be harsh at times but shes also his biggestdefender. When theyre not fighting, theyre the best of friends and itwarms my heart to see how they take care of each other. I love to see theaffection they have for one another. I hope it never changes.

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One other thing before I close... my sister says that Jeremy appears to bein a prolonged Oedipal state. This means that he still loves me fiercely andhe shows it, albeit at home. Previously his displays of affection were moreovert but now theyre covert (only at home or when were alone) but still very

strong nonetheless. I have no complaints about this because I know thatonce he hits adolescence all this may change so Ill take the spontaneoushugs, passionate kisses and mommy-smothering as long as he wants to give itto me. Keep em coming!

Hasta la vista, baby!

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Chapter 18 8 years old, now what?

Jeremy turned 8 years old the other day. June 9th, 2006 to be exact. Heand I celebrated alone since Becky was away on a school trip and Dad had towork late that day. We went to the movies to see Cars and then picked updinner on the way home. I cant believe hes eight already. It seems like

yesterday I brought him home from NYU Medical Center. My how time flies!

Hes grown so much this past year. Hes gotten much taller and hes so thin,Ive taken to calling him Esquelito like the really skinny character in themovie, Nacho Libre. Basically it means skeleton in Spanish and with thoseprotruding ribs of his, he certainly fits the name. My mom would be having a

fit if she saw him this way. She would be accusing me of not feeding himenough when in reality he eats a lot but he burns everything off almostimmediately. I think hes probably got the quickest metabolism Ive everseen because he doesnt gain weight easily at all. My husband tells me not toworry since he was the same way at that age and look at him now, pot bellyand all. Jeremy is also looking a bit scruffy these days. His hair is long andhe doesnt want us to cut it. Hes looking like a little hippie with bangs andcurls gone wild. His father and I are at a crossroads with this and itsbecoming a huge debate. I want him to wear his hair short, his father

favors it long. Well see who ultimately wins this battle. My mom wouldveweighed in an opinion on this as well. She would have said, Margie, Losbarberos comen! which literally translated means, the barbers eat or asshe would want us to interpret it Barbers earn their living cutting hair sotake that kid for a haircut already!

Ive always said that Jeremy is a bit OCDish or a little obsessive compulsiveabout certain things. For instance, in the past hes gotten many anunnecessary item with his persistence and nagging. Thankfully hes not

asking for anything major these days as I try to remind him of my presentstate of unemployment but I can just imagine him waiting for the day I tellhim, I got a job! so he can explode forth his long list of wants and desires.Im sure a new video game is at the top of this list.

But getting back to his latest obsession, well it seems hes inherited

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something from his dearly departed grandmother, Norma. My mom alwayshad faith that someday she would win some sort of sweepstakes or milliondollar prize so she returned every piece of mail she ever received fromPublishers Clearing House usually with an order. She had a house full of

junk from Publishers Clearing House and spent a lot of her small meagerincome on these items she never used or needed. Jeremy, on the otherhand, is an Internet prize seeker. Hes been playing the Superman bottlecap game every time we buy a Pepsi. But alas were always foiled! He askedme the other day to buy him a scratch off game card from a C-Townsupermarket machine because it said we could win 3 million dollars. I tell himhis smarts will make him rich, he just has to bide his time.

As for his academic prowess, it continues unabated. His end of year school

assessments exceeded even my expectations. Ms. Wachter said not only didhe show skill sets well above a third grade level, they were hoping to testhim with a 4th grade test to see where his level of frustration begins. Itsgood news that he continues to do so well academically but not so good inthat the possibility of finding him a challenging academic environment at thispoint is probably nil. I asked his Principal about this and all he suggestedwas I speak to the Parent Coordinator so she could contact the district forme. Ive already done that and have hit a brick wall. I really do think wellneed to just be patient and wait it out until he reaches 5th grade and heads

to KIPP:Star. If skipping a grade were a possibility at this point, Id jump atthe chance. The sooner he gets out of elementary school, the better.

Well, this chapter ends here. Till next time

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Chapter 19 Hotwheels Cars and Sound Fx

What is it about boys, their little cars and those awesome soundeffects that must accompany each instance of play? My sister, Norma usedto tell me that her son, Jordan would lose himself each time he played withhis collection of Matchbox cars. She would hear him make a variety ofsounds as hed zoomed his cars across the linoleum. The sounds of a car goingfrom zero to sixty, reving er up or crashing and crashing badly! In myhumble observation, it seems not a learned behavior but an inherent one.Maybe part of the boy gene? I dont know. What I do know is that boys lovetheir fast little cars and my son was and is no exception. Just like hiscousin, he can get lost in his Hot Wheels cars. He cant help himself. Put oneofthose little critters in his hand and the sound effects automatically begin.Vrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! Zooom zoom zoooom! Its hard to put into words thesesounds because they are so unique and different each time but does he havea trove of them? He sure does!

Car racing video games are another way for him to get his car racing fix. Imamazed at how effortlessly he zooms through the screen while playing TestDrive on his Playstation. Its crazy because I try it and I cant keep the carstraight on the track. Hes starting to ask for more of these types of games.

Ill have to brush up on my knowledge and read the fine print on the back ofthese games so I can know what hes playing. Some games disguisethemselves as racing games but contain lots of violence and profanity. I hateprofanity. Its my pet peeve. Ill have to keep an eye on his burgeoningobsession with video games and ensure it doesnt affect his academics. Onlytime will tell.

Till next time, America.

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Chapter 20 Third Grade already? Wow!

Summer vacation was rather dull for Jeremy this year. He was full ofprotests because I decided to keep him busy and bought him a workbook tocomplete over the vacation. It was fourth grade level and he did well. Idont think there was subject in there he didnt understand. I also had himread Charlottes Web, which he didnt like because it had too many pages.He completely understood the book though and Im sure hell appreciate itlater on. He also began reading the Fudge books by Judy Blume. He readTales of a Fourth Grade Nothing and is currently reading Fudge-a-Mania.

Rebekah worked with him on his Times Tables and he began learning division.He understands how to do it but my only concern is that he doesnt like toshow his work. This was a problem last year. He would do the work in hishead and just write the answers down when he was done but he nevershowed his work. Well, with division, he gets up, runs around the table a fewtimes. When I ask him what hes doing he says Im figuring out the answer inmy head and sure enough, once he stops running he puts his answer down onpaper and its usually correct. However I am still trying to convince him thathis teachers will require him to show his work because its highly unlikely hellbe permitted to run around the room during Math period.

So Jeremy started third grade in September and his new teacher is Ms. YiYi Li. I like her already. Shes communicative and seems to like Jeremy alot. Thats a big plus. Ill guess Ill have to fill her in eventually on hiseccentric way of completing his Math problems. His methods may work forhim but Im sure shell eventually convince him to do it her way and show hiswork.

His best friend Jose The Train Ditren is not in his class this year. Jeremywas sorely disappointed. They were best buds last year in Ms. Wachtersclass and Jeremy was effusive when it came to talking about his friend Jose.Some of the kids from last year are with him, like Paula and Zaheer andJunior and Victor and he says hes already made new friends like Marcus andChris G. Ashley, the pencil stealer from first grade is back this year. She

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used to sit next to Jeremy in first grade and steal his pencils. I had to tellon her because he wouldnt snitch and then I just got her her own pencils forChristmas. Her parents were none too happy but I was just trying to benice. After all, if she has her own pencils, maybe she wont steal my sons?

Anyway, she seems rehabilitated of this bad habit so Im not worriedanymore.

Im sure theyll be lots more to write soon but third grade just started so Ineed to give him a chance to do all the things I love to record in thisdocument of remembrances.

Till next time

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Chapter 21 Super Mario Obsession!

Jeremy is obsessed with Super Mario! He discovered Nintendo DS whenhis older cousin Jordan bought himself one and has been asking for one ofhis own ever since. To mollify his obsession with the Super Mario game untilhe gets his own DS, hes resorted to playing endless games of Super Marioon a Gameboy he took away from his aunt Norma. Originally he had aGameboy which he never used so I sent it to his cousin in Honduras and I gothim a PSP instead. Now the PSP is gathering dust and he doesnt put downthe Gameboy. I told him the only way hell get a DS if he earns it and hellhave to wait till Christmas. Hes not happy about that at all. In themeantime, he talks about Super Mario constantly. He wakes up talking aboutSuper Mario comes home from school and the topic of his conversation isSuper Mario; he goes to bed at night and hes still talking about Super Mario.He surfs the Web looking for Super Mario videos. He goes onfreeonlinegames.com and downloads computer versions of Super Mario.Super Mario is driving me Super-Crazy! When will this all end?!?!?Socccccoooooorrrrrooooo! (This means Help! in Spanish). Thats all I cansay about that!

On a happier note, Jeremy continues to tell me that he loves me to infinityand beyond. One day we were having a conversation about when he grows upand I said, Jeremy, if you ever move away, like to California or something,

just prepare a room for me so I can come and visit you. Equip it with a nice,comfortable recliner and a big LCD TV so Mom can watch her shows. WhenI finished saying that, he looked at me for a minute with a confusedexpression on his face and he goes, Who said I was moving away from you!?Im staying close to you forever! So I said, But Jeremy if you want tomove away you can. Someday youll get married and your wife may want to

live somewhere else. Or what about if your wife doesnt like me? and hegoes, Then Ill dump her! Oh, the joys of this prolonged Oedipal stage butalas, I know it will not last forever. Im still enjoying as much of it aspossible. Those movie star kisses will get more and more infrequent so Ihave to take advantage now while theyre still being offered. Can you blameme for loving my son the way I do? Wouldnt you?

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So Jeremy and I were cuddling the other day as I was putting him to bedand I remarked to him, Jeremy, Im going to miss these times so much when

you grow up. Are you going to let me cuddle with you like this when youre agrown man? Of course, he said, yes but we all know better. In any event,

the conversation continued and before long we were talking about when hebecomes a billionaire. Hes always saying that when he becomes a billionairehes going to do this and that. That particular conversation was about thehouse hes going to build me next to his. I told him I wanted a pool so Icould go swimming to which he replied, No, Mom, youll be too old. Tooold?!? I replied, I wont be too old. Old people swim too. Dont youremember when we went to Grandpas in Florida and the old people thatswam in his pool? He replied, Mom, Im just worried that youll drown. If

you really want a pool then Ill have to get you a lifeguard too. He just wants

to keep me safe so how can I complain?

Till next time

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Chapter 22 The Naked Brothers Band

I know. It sounds bad but it really isnt. If youre a parent with a kidJeremys age then theres no need for an explanation but for those cluelessreaders, the Naked Brothers Band is a group of child musicians fromBrooklyn, New Yawk (Go, Brooklyn!) led by 11 year old Nat Wolff, a musicalprodigy who sings lead vocals, writes the songs for the band and plays thepiano in this band he created while still in pre-school. Nats 9 year oldbrother Alex plays drums and is the fashionista of the group. Alex with hisscruffy hair wears a collection of patriotic do-rags, baggy pants and raggedytees and sports a collection of faux tattoos.

The Naked Brothers Band movie premiered in February 2007 on Teen Nickand already Jeremy is obsessed. Hes already watched the movie repeatedlyas well as the shows reruns. Hes now asking me for a piano and a drum set.I dont think so! Hes been saving quarters and purchasing faux tattoos fromthe supermarket machines. Hes got three on his body right now and he cantstop talking about the show. So what does Mom do? She pre-orders theDVD and buys him a tee-shirt. Okay, so call me an enabler but hes my kidand I like to see him happy. Besides who knows if this new obsession willtruly inspire him to pursue music in some way. I hope so.

His teacher continues to e-mail me about how difficult it is for her to teachJeremy anything. She says he gets everything right away and while shestaking extra time to repeat the concepts to other children, Jeremy sitsthere patiently. She says she feels sorry for him because in as much asshed love to dedicate time to him and challenge him academically she justcant because shes pressed for time during the school day. I told her not toworry. Rebekah and I will keep him challenged although Im rapidly runningout of ideas. As for Math which happens to be his best subject, hes

learning geometry now and was doing fractions before. Im afraid I canthelp him with that. Math was my worse subject then and it still stumps menow. After the basics of Arithmetic, nothing else registers. I send him toRebekah if he has any questions. The other day I took him to the dentistwho proceeded to ask him what his best subject in school was and thenbegan to challenge Jeremy with difficult Math questions. The dentist sayshe couldnt stump Jeremy on any of them. He got them all right and he

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answered them in rapid time. That figures because thats what Jeremydoes. That and walk around using the word hypothetically in every othersentence.

Well, Jeremy continues to guard me zealously. I told him the other day Iwanted to go to Hawaii someday and he said, Absolutely not! Hawaii hasvolcanoes and earthquakes. You cant go there! Sheesh, he truly is hisMamas keeper. I guess if I really want to go there someday Ill have to justgo and then tell him once I get there. Then he wont be able to stop me.

Well, thats it for now. More to follow, Im sure. Sayonara!

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Chapter 23 Summer 2007

Well, the obsessions with The Naked Brothers Band and Super Mario havewaned. Thats predictable. Replaced by his newest obsession, a video gametitled Grand Theft Auto 4 due to hit stores in October 2007. Jeremyreplaces one obsession with another fairly quickly and I always expect thatto happen. Its as if Im sitting here with a sense of expectancy. He willeven admit to you that hes obsesses over things. He will persist in speakingof the object of his obsession and pester incessantly about it with the goalof obtaining it at some point in time. I told him very sternly that I did notwant to hear or view anymore videos about GTA because I have no intentionsof buying him this very violent and vulgar video game. He insisted to mysister that he will wear me down eventually because he knows how tomanipulate me. Can you believe that?! Im not budging on this one. No way!

Oh well, on to other matters Jeremy just turned 9 years old. Its amazingto me how time has flown! Hes extremely articulate and never ceases toamaze me with the things he says. There is one family trait which is veryapparent at this stage in his life and its his sarcasm. For some odd reason,it seems to run in the family. It began with us, the adults and now ourchildren possess this, what does one call it? Skillz? I dont know what youd

call it but its definitely evident in Jeremy now. The other day I mentionedthat I met someone named Jeremy and he goes, Oh, is his name JeremyJimenez? And was he born on June 9th 1998? and he says all this with anextremely sarcastic tone.

His other major thing that Im seeing big time is his dislike of dirtysurfaces. During the school year, he made it a point to tell me that I needto wipe down the bathroom sink and God forbid I should place histoothbrush on the surface of the sink before he goes in to brush his teeth.

Hell have a major attack about that! Omigod, I hope I dont have a miniHoward Hughes on my hands here!

One extremely important thing that happened this summer was that Jeremydiscovered The New York Public Library. They opened a brand new one closeto my job and I took him there a few times over the course of the summer.

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He read almost 20 books of which 95% of them were Goosebumps. Yep,Goosebumps and I just couldnt convince him to read anything else. But atleast he read and that was a good thing.

As for the rest of the summer, Id say it was pretty uneventful. Fourthgrade looms and Im sure hes looking forward to it. I know I am.

Till next time

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Chapter 24 Fourth Grade

This school year Jeremys teacher is Ms. Stephy Chung. She seems reallyyoung but she is extremely capable. I can tell already. I like that becausethats what always worries me every school year that hell get stuck with anincompetent teacher. Im finding that the younger teachers, thoseseemingly just coming out of school are still motivated and idealistic, whichis a good thing for my son. I dont want him taught by teachers who think oftheir role only as a job that pays the bills but instead they see it as alivelihood that makes a difference. I want my son challenged and impactedin his academic experience and thus far his teachers at 325 have fit the bill.I was very encouraged when I visited an open house early in the school yearand his teacher told me where he was in terms of reading level (5-7th gradelevel) and math ability (proficient in 4th grade at beginning of the school

year). I know hes really smart and I just desire challenges for him that willhelp him achieve even more. Im glad his teachers have recognized this andare willing to work with him in this regard.

One thing that Jeremy continues to exhibit even at this point in his life ishis sensitivity. A wonderful quality, yes, but not so much when he respondsto the general admonitions directed at his class in a personal way. He comes

home depressed and complaining that he just had the worst day of his lifebecause the other children misbehaved. He doesnt like it when the class isreprimanded but I told him sometimes its necessary, although not alwaysfair. I feel bad for him but I believe hell outgrow this at some point. Iknow he will.

He knows hes headed for KIPP:STAR next year and although he doesnt saymuch about it yet, he has stated to me that he hopes hes not as small as heis now when he gets there. I think thats my fault because Ive remarked to

him how tall or big some of his former and present classmates have gottenand I guess because I see him every day he seems the same to me. I knowhes grown but hes still on the small side because hes so thin and short still.I know hell have a growth spurt at some point. A few years ago, his cousinChristopher came to visit from New Orleans. He was 15 at the time, slim,tall and gangly and I couldnt get over how much he reminded me of Jeremy.They had so many physical similarities that I kept thinking this is what my

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son will look like in a few years. It was amazing! In any event, the other dayI saw a Kippster entering the subway station and he was even smaller thanJeremy is now, so I told him about it and said to him, No worries, son. Noworries!

My little boy is rapidly growing up and I know my Oedipal time with him iswinding down. Hes still extremely affectionate with me, albeit privately nowand Im very grateful for that. I keep asking him to promise me that hellnever be embarrassed to kiss or hug me in public but he wont commit tothat. He keeps telling me, Mom, No PDAs! No PDAs!, which means no morepublic displays of affection. I guess Ill take what I can get in the timethats left. I dont want him to be a Mamas boy but no matter what Jeremywill always be my baby.

Till next time

Update on Middle School situation: So its the last week of December 2007and in the last couple of months I decided that I would apply to Rebekahsschool, LREI. They have a middle school that begins in 5th grade and itswalking distance from my job so I thought, what the heck! Ill give it ashot! There are no guarantees but I figured it doesnt hurt to try. Thebest outcome will be that Jeremy is accepted to the 5th grade at LREI andthat we will be offered a full scholarship since tuition there is over $28k a

year. I truly want to believe that he will be entering LREI instead ofKIPP:STAR not because I think KIPP isnt a great place for him buteventually I wouldve have wanted him to attend LREI anyway. This would

just give him a head start. LREI is really awesome and I think Jeremy wouldthrive there. I want it more than anything for him and I hope my nextupdate will say, Yippppppeeeeeee! Hes going to LREI next school year!

As for Jeremy himself, these days hes saying he wants to become a videogame designer when he grows up. I have no idea what that entails but Iguess well figure it out along the way. Hes now so obsessed with videogames. Its been his longest obsession yet. He decides today he wants acertain game and hell pester to no end until he gets it. Right now its Sly 2,which he found as a used game on Gamestop.com selling for about $9.99.Thats fine I guess. When I have a chance Ill get it for him but hes going

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to have to earn these from now on. I noticed hes kind of lazy with someaspects of his school work, especially writing, which is distressing to hismom, the would-be writer. Its in the genes, boy! Comprende, MendeWere all writers in this clan and hes gotta get with the program. Im

talking to you, JEREMY JIMENEZ!

Its just after the New Year (2008) and it seems as though like a butterflyshed of its cocoon, Jeremy is in full flight. Just a few days ago as of thiswriting Jeremys teacher called me with some exciting news. ApparentlyJeremy scored so high on a Reading assessment test (90% greater than kidshis age nationwide), that through an organization called Carmel Hill, he hadearned a chance at a full scholarship to a summer camp called SIG. SIGstands for Summer Institute for the Gifted and whats exciting about this

opportunity is that he will get to spend three weeks in July at a Universitycampus, in his case, likely Vassar with other gifted children his age andolder. Right after I spoke to his teacher that day, I called Jeremy at hisNanas house. (Nana is Annie, Jeremys caregiver and shes been takingcare of Jeremy since he was three months old.) I said to Jeremy, Well Ihear you have some good news to share with me youve been given a chanceto go to a summer camp this year. And he said to me, Well, I dont want togo. It wasnt unexpected but I determined that I would try to convince himto consider it because opportunities like this dont come around that often.

When he arrived home that evening and I got a chance to review thematerials, I sat down with Jeremy and decided to speak to him about it. Atfirst, he was defiant no, absolutely not! He wasnt going away and that wasit. Then the tears began and he crawled on my lap and crawled into a fetalposition and through his tears, he tells me with all the sentiment he couldmuster, Mom, please! I can be away from you one day but three weeks!Mom, I cant do it. I wont survive! Now what was I supposed to say tothat? However flattering that sounds to me, the object of his affection, Ialso realized Ive created this situation by sheltering my son and making him

a true Mamas boy. Hes so attached to me that he tells me constantly thathe cant bear to me away from me. I feel conflicted because I love him somuch and the attention is awesome but I dont want to traumatize my childso I feel I need to convince him to go on this trip and then spend the nextfew months preparing him for it. The whole episode ended with me assuringhim he would never be forced to go but that I hoped he would consider it sothats where we were that evening. The next day, Jeremy came home from

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school and I asked him again and this time he said that he would consider itbecause his classmate, Richard, who was also selected told him he was goingto go. That was surprising but I know we still have a ways to go.

As part of this whole new and exciting experience, he was invited to join anafterschool Reading Club where he would get the chance to meet otherchildren also selected for the SIG camp. He was so apprehensive aboutattending this meeting. I left work early, picked him up at school, took himto Burger King in Harlem so hed be nice and fed and just as were finishingup our fries, he starts holding his tummy. I said, Whats wrong? Yourstomach hurts? No, Mom, he says, I just dont want to go. Well, ofcourse, we were a block away from the Carmel Hill office, so I just kind ofignored him and off we went. When we arrived about 15 minutes early,

Jeremy was the second child there. We met Sarah and Aaron, who workwith Carmel Hill in their lovely office in the lower floor of a renovatedHarlem brownstone. Beautiful offices, by the way, I was highly impressed.Anyway, back to Jeremy, we went in and met Joseph, another 4th grader likeJeremy, also gifted like Jeremy. I was happy to see Joseph, who was smallin stature like Jeremy. One of Jeremys concerns this past year has beenhow small is still here in comparison to some of his friends who have hadtremendous growth spurts this past year. I assure him as much as I canthat his time will come but it still worries him at times. It was refreshing to

see a child like Joseph whos the same age as Jeremy and about the samesize and stature. Im sure with time he and Joseph will become good friends.

The Reading Club was fun. I know because I stayed for the whole session.Now in retrospect I shouldnt have because I think I was distracting himfrom the activities. Hes so used to me helping him at home that I guess, byforce of habit he kept turning around and asking me questions but I reallywanted him to engage on his own. Eventually he did but it probably couldvebeen better had I not been there. Next time, Ill have someone else drop

him off and then Ill pick him up. I really enjoyed the session and I can seealready hes going to get a lot out of it. Sarah and Aaron tried really hard toengage the children and I think they succeeded and the session ended with agreat word game which the kids really got into to. That was refreshing.

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This school year thus far has been amazing for Jeremy. Hes been soblessed to have had teachers like Ms. Wachter, Ms. Li and Ms. Chung thesepast three years. Theyve all recognized his gifted abilities and have allcommitted to working him to reach beyond his academic potential. I cant

even put into words how grateful I am to all of them for the tremendoussupport and help theyve given my son these past few years. They are truly ahuge credit to their profession and a model for going above and beyond aspedagogues.

So Jeremy is turning ten this summer and so Ive decided that Part I of theJeremy Chronicles ends here. Part II will begin with what happened duringhis SIG adventure and his first year of middle school at KIPP:STAR CollegePrep Charter School, which will begin with a three week summer session in

July he is definitely not looking forward to.

Well, thanks to all those who have taken the time to read these entries.Originally they were meant to keep a record of Jeremys life for myself andfor my son. As embarrassing as that sounds for him right now Im sure yearsfrom now when he becomes a father to his own little rambunctious tyke, hellappreciate that I took the time to write this for him.

Well, stay tune for Part II coming soon. Bye yall!

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Appendix

Margaret Jimenez (Author)

Jimenez Family

1425 Amsterdam Avenue #3ONew York, NY 10027

Phone: 212-234-7990

Email: [email protected]

If you click on this link or type in this address in your

browser youll see pictures of Jeremy available on the Web @

http://community.webshots.com/album/17427068JevVBQtqAZ

Any questions or comments?

Write me or e-mail me at [email protected]
mailto:[email protected]://community.webshots.com/album/17427068JevVBQtqAZmailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://community.webshots.com/album/17427068JevVBQtqAZmailto:[email protected]

the jeremy chronicles part i the first ten years

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