Rock Music c'est "Bon"

It started innocently enough. "American Idol" is good clean family fun, and Jonathan got a kick out of watching Sanjaya and Blake last summer. Their performances lived on in You Tube videos, so it got to the point where Jonathan could sing all of "You Give Love a Bad Name" by heart, as well as imitate the dance moves.

However, last week at the Children's Museum, Jonathan saw a poster of Einstein, with the crazy hair, and shouted out "Look Mommy, Sanjaya!" We had to do something. Jonathan rejects any new video at first - there has to be a link to something familiar before he'll give it a try. So, one night, when he was begging for "Shot through heart - with Blake!" I pulled up the 1984 Bon Jovi original version.

Oh my goodness - glam rock in all its glory. All the performers had huge feathered hair and tight leather pants. Jonathan watched for a minute or so and asked "Are they ladies?" We told him no, this was Bon Jovi, and they were all men. He watched the whole way through and asked to see it again. By the next evening, he would specify which performer he wanted, Blake or Bon Jovi. It was time to work on getting Sanjaya off the playlist.

Jonathan's favorite Sanjaya performance is the remake of the Kinks' "You Really Got Me." Unfortunately, their original performance video from the early 60's lacks much appeal for the modern child - it's black and white and the band members look pretty goofy. You Tube's search feature kindly offered up alternatives, including Van Halen's cover. Jonathan was suitably mesmerized.

So tonight, I offered to take him to the basement to watch "Shot through the heart." He said "Yes! That's a great idea, Mommy!" We got downstairs and he asked for Bon Jovi (on the big screen, Mommy, please.) He already has all the dance moves down. Then we watched Sanjaya. Then he asked for "The other song!" I asked him to use his words and tell me what he wanted - turns out he wanted "You really got me" - by "Bon Halen."

Our friend Ralph

Not really up to my usual clever-title standards; I apologize. It's been a long weekend. Jonathan was really crabby and fussy the last two days. Last night he had a fever of 102.2, and got a dose of Tylenol. This morning, he woke Chris up at 6 AM, asking to use the potty. Chris then woke me up at 6:03 AM, asking for help as the two of them were covered in "throw-up."

In contrast to his earlier whininess, Jonathan when truly sick exhibits a queer and touching dignity. He covers his mouth delicately when he coughs, and offers a sad little "excuse me" after throwing up. It's enough to break your heart. He looks up at you with enormous eyes and says "Mommy, I don't feel very well. I would like some medicine, please." We've been talking about the work we do when we leave the house in the morning. Jonathan goes to do his works at preschool, and Mommy goes to the hospital to fix people. I don't feel like much of a doctor when my sweet little boy is lying in bed instead of romping about, asking "Mommy, can you fix my tummy?"

And to compound the maternal guilt, I have to be careful not to pick him up or offer any kisses beyond one on top of the head. I am sitting the nephrology boards tomorrow, at a cost of $1500, and the test is offered once a year. I called and asked what would happen if I get similarly ill tomorrow morning. Apparently, if I cancel before 11:59 pm tonight, I get a 50% refund and can apply that towards next year's exam. Awesome. So I'm in quarantine until leaving for Chicago tonight.

It's my birthday and I'll cry if I want to.

Jonathan's birthday, as you may have heard, is on Halloween. I used that as an excuse to splurge on a really spiffy firefighter costume. We started what I think will be a reasonable tradition - we had the party, with a cake shaped like a pumpkin and presents, the Saturday before his birthday. That way, when Wednesday rolled around, the schedule was clear for trick or treating.

Theroetically, that is. Jonathan got completely worn out at preschool, excited from passing out copies of "Big Max" to his classmates and walking around the sun candle three times, to represent the three years of his life. He didn't want to take a nap but by the time Miss Randi left, he was reduced to sitting on the floor and fussing. I picked him up and cuddled him on the couch for a minute and he was passed out. We ate dinner while he snored in the living room.

The trick or treaters started coming around 6 pm as we scarfed the last of our meal. The doorbell finally woke Jonathan up and he wandered, tousle-headed, out to the foyer. He stared blankly at the pirates and princesses, but when he realized I was giving away all that wonderful candy, he got pretty upset. You could see our new neighbors sizing the situation up - here was a kid in no costume, moaning for candy. Were we some breed of anti-Halloween fanatics? And if so, why were we passing out Twizzlers and Butterfingers?

It all ended well. After a while Jonathan was quite enthusiastic about putting on his costume and getting some candy, just like the big kids. Chris and Alex manned the front door while we went out walking. All our practice paid off - Jonathan rang the bell, said "Trick or treat!" and always politely took one piece of candy when offered a whole bowl. After about five houses, he looked into his plastic Elmo head and decided he'd gotten enough loot. We turned around to go home, but as we passed each house, he cried "Oh, this is my FAVORITE house!" So he wound up with perhaps ten pieces of candy in all. He ate as much as we'd let him, brushed his teeth without complaint, and slept soundly as he turned three.