May 14th, 2008
Around the world in 2 - 48 hours
I spend more time working on costumes for Nicolaus than I want to admit.
Where his obsessions used to last for weeks and weeks, now he cycles rapidly depending on his whims and/or how much time I just spent making his latest outfit. They are all history-related — he is so excited about history that it is not remotely considered school work. If anything, it’s a reward for doing school work.
So it’s very cool that he is so passionate about the olden days. And the costumes are a great way to learn more and absorb it all and etc etc. But. Tiny complaint okay? The costumes are exhausting. It’s not just the logistics of making them and keeping up with it all… it’s more that it’s a background energy drain. Once in a very long while we make him just be himself for the day. Because we’re mean and had kids just to be mean. And walking around with Plain Nicolaus, we realize what a relief it is to not have to remember where he is from and what time period it was, and what he would know and what he wouldn’t, and all of the backstory that explains why he is riding around with us in the backseat of a Scion XB.
And the faster it cycles, the harder it is to keep up. We’re constantly having to help him put this belt on and make a new hat and change the shape of this knife because Minoans didn’t have knives shaped like that… man. I now fully and totally understand why my sister in law made the rule: Decide at the beginning of the day which ones are cars and which ones are robots. I am only transforming each one of these little fuckers ONE TIME every day. It made sense then, but it makes even oh my god SO MUCH MORE sense now.
He was a person from India for almost two weeks, until finally I gave in and sewed my napkins together for him. While I sewed he flipped through his history book. As I put the last two stitches in place he changed his mind and decided that he really wanted to be oh gosh. Now I can’t remember the names of these guys, but they predated the Greeks and were basically the biggest assholes in the history of the world. Literally. Like Hitler would read about these guys and go, “Woah. They were mean.”
That lasted about two hours. Then he switched back to Roman. Then he was a prince for like fifteen minutes. Then he was from India again. Then Roman. Then a Minoan from the isle of Crete. That’s right, Crete. No? Yeah, me neither.
So we got the Minoan outfit all figured out and read all about those guys and oh wow yes mmmm very interesting… did I mention I got Cs in history? Then he went to his room to find his shoes and came back dressed as an American pioneer explorer.
That one lasted until it was time to go to the library. Then he changed shirts, to his native american shirt but left the rest of the explorer outfit in tact. Because he wanted to be an Indian who helped explorers. So we went to the library and he asked the librarian whether there was anyone like Sacagawea who was more of a - well, boy. Stumped her, haha.
She was really sweet and spent a good ten minutes helping us look for the answer before leaving us to our own in the Native American section. He wanted to sit on the floor and have me read them all, but we couldn’t stay long because Graham likes the library way too much. He! Shouts! Every! Word! LOOK MAMA! A BOOK ABOUT A BABY BEAR, MAMA. I CANNOT MODULATE THE SOUND OF MY VOICE, MAMA.
There are books about baby bears, and it’s just way too exciting.
We gathered a stack of books and headed toward the tables, and we were nearly there when Nicolaus spotted a book about Egypt and decided screw all this Native American crap.
Meanwhile Graham was running away from me and laughing, and when I said, “Come here, Graham.” he flopped down on the floor.
“GRAHAM. Come here.”
“I am, Mama!” He giggled, “I am going to ROLL to you.”
And he did. He rolled to me. In the library. See me? This is what tired looks like.
So tonight I made a vaguely Egyptian-looking skirt and head cover out of raw art canvas. And the shield — well, it might be the most half-assed thing I’ve made yet. It’s a giant bubble mailer with a slight curve cut at the top. There, kid. It looks like the picture. Can I please start dinner now?
There are about twelve more exciting things I want to post about but the day is finally over and I’m sorry internet. I love you. But I love sleep more.