Creepy Crawley

Tres is a very good reader... his teacher told us he is on a third grade reading level and he's in the first grade. He comes home super excited on library days, and is diligent to point out to his brother that one day, Bryant too, will be able to read like him... one day.

So with Hank being gone during the week, I have decided to let him do his nightly reading in bed. He finished up his nightly reading (he's really into Flat Stanley right now!) one night last week and I tucked them in. I headed out to the den to fold some laundry and watch a show and few minutes later, he came down the hall excitedly. He had apparently continued reading from his stack of books after I left.

"Mom! Did you know that a tarantula SHEDS it's skin?" He is so very expressive and it is so hard to capture that in writing... his eyes get big, he gestures with his hands a lot. "And did you know that they lay HUNDREDS of eggs at one time?"

"I didn't know that Tres," I say. I try not to giggle at his incredulous eyes as his plops his little tighty whitey clad bottom down beside me on the rug where I'm folding his pajamas that he never wears.

"AAANNNNDDDD," he sings this with his inflection pattern jumping up and down, "the babies inside the eggs live there for 3 to 4 years!" (I should point out that I have not read said book as it has a big hairy spider on the front of it and therefore can not verify these facts.)

"Wow, that's a long time," I appropriately respond.

"Mom! If a tarantula bites you, you will get very sick, but you might not die. They are HIGHLY poisonous, but not deadly!" he finishes with a proud and satisfied smile.

"Okay, baby... it's probably time for you to get back in bed now."

"Okay, Mom," he says as he slowly gets up and tenatively begins the walk back down the hall to his room.

"I love you, Tres man."

"I love you too-- Mom?" he asks as he rubs his neck a little, " I feel like I have a tarantula bite now..." he says as I choke on a laugh. He holds his hand up, palm up and cocks his head to the side and gives me the tiniest skeptical smile... "but I know I don't."

I so enjoy being a Mom.