Monday, January 30, 2012
Winter Germs and Wonderful Friends...
Simon was a little "off" all day yesterday. He didn't want his breakfast, which was red flag number one. Sometimes this happens when he just wants to keep playing, but when he didn't come back for it by 9a.m. claiming imminent starvation, my sick kid antennae were officially UP.
He spent the better part of the morning watching movies in the basement while Ben ran circles around him playing basketball and jumping in the moonbounce. (one activity Simon rarely misses out on) Lunchtime rolled around and he took two bites and pushed that away too.
Sick kid antennae now completely extended.
Tom, who had called me paranoid earlier, was now on board with me that something was up. (when will he learn not to question my momstinct?)
Simon maintained that he felt fine though. No tummy ache, no fever, nothing.
He and Ben played Ninjago until we went out to let them spend some giftcards they had gotten for Christmas. I was so sure Simon was getting sick that I took a change of clothes and a handful of plastic bags with me just in case.
No puke action, but he did fall asleep on the ride home.
By evening, I had retracted my antennae somewhat because we went out to dinner and he was pretty much himself. He ate, drank, colored and chatted.
Sigh of relief.
Fast forward to this morning... that sigh of relief was horribly premature.
Simon hadn't made an appearance downstairs by 7:30, which is REALLY unusual. He's always my little morning buddy. I got Ben up and while I was picking out his school clothes, Simon wandered in looking like the undead.
HACK HACK HACK.
Lovely. But, it wasn't puke, so, silver lining!
He made a sad face and pointed to his mouth.
"What's wrong buddy, do you have a sore throat?"
"No."
"Then what hurts?"
"My voice hurts."
(sigh) I tucked him back into bed and he immediately passed back out. Using the lips to forehead technique, I estimated his temp to be about 101. Thermometer read 100.9. I seriously rock this sick kid thing.
I pondered the logistics of how to get Ben to school, because even having Ben ride the bus would require getting Simon in the car... I decided to let him sleep until the very last minute, then I'd load everyone else in the car and go up and carry Simon out. It wouldn't be pretty, but I thought it would work. I once drove around with him actively puking into a trashcan so we didn't have to cancel a showing on our townhouse. I could do this.
In an effort to get some intel on what kind of virus we were dealing with , I posted a quick shoutout to my preschool mom friends on Facebook asking if anyone else was sick... then I texted my friend Beth, (henceforth known as Quitter of Facebook) whose son was with Simon on Thursday at school, to see if HE was sick too. He wasn't (thankfully!), but Beth offered to come pick Ben up and take him to school.
And the angels sang and the light shone down.
This possibility had not entered into my head as her Kindergartener is usually a bus rider. She swore it was not an inconvenience though and so, as I took one more peek at my sleeping, sick second born who gets dragged absolutely everywhere, I accepted.
Interestingly enough, I had just been sitting at my desk pondering the whole predicament and feeling a little sad because in my old neighborhood, there would have been a hundred solutions (read: lovely neighbors) who I could have asked for help. I miss that SO much sometimes. But, I had failed to remember that one of those lovely neighbors is my lovely neighbor once again. Beth to the rescue!
Not that I wish winter germs on her boys, but I do hope I can return the favor soon!
Thank goodness for friends to the rescue!
Now, onward to hoping the rest of us don't get this. I caught Jonathan sucking on Simon's toothbrush while I was putting laundry away upstairs. (sigh)
He spent the better part of the morning watching movies in the basement while Ben ran circles around him playing basketball and jumping in the moonbounce. (one activity Simon rarely misses out on) Lunchtime rolled around and he took two bites and pushed that away too.
Sick kid antennae now completely extended.
Tom, who had called me paranoid earlier, was now on board with me that something was up. (when will he learn not to question my momstinct?)
Simon maintained that he felt fine though. No tummy ache, no fever, nothing.
He and Ben played Ninjago until we went out to let them spend some giftcards they had gotten for Christmas. I was so sure Simon was getting sick that I took a change of clothes and a handful of plastic bags with me just in case.
No puke action, but he did fall asleep on the ride home.
By evening, I had retracted my antennae somewhat because we went out to dinner and he was pretty much himself. He ate, drank, colored and chatted.
Sigh of relief.
Fast forward to this morning... that sigh of relief was horribly premature.
Simon hadn't made an appearance downstairs by 7:30, which is REALLY unusual. He's always my little morning buddy. I got Ben up and while I was picking out his school clothes, Simon wandered in looking like the undead.
HACK HACK HACK.
Lovely. But, it wasn't puke, so, silver lining!
He made a sad face and pointed to his mouth.
"What's wrong buddy, do you have a sore throat?"
"No."
"Then what hurts?"
"My voice hurts."
(sigh) I tucked him back into bed and he immediately passed back out. Using the lips to forehead technique, I estimated his temp to be about 101. Thermometer read 100.9. I seriously rock this sick kid thing.
I pondered the logistics of how to get Ben to school, because even having Ben ride the bus would require getting Simon in the car... I decided to let him sleep until the very last minute, then I'd load everyone else in the car and go up and carry Simon out. It wouldn't be pretty, but I thought it would work. I once drove around with him actively puking into a trashcan so we didn't have to cancel a showing on our townhouse. I could do this.
In an effort to get some intel on what kind of virus we were dealing with , I posted a quick shoutout to my preschool mom friends on Facebook asking if anyone else was sick... then I texted my friend Beth, (henceforth known as Quitter of Facebook) whose son was with Simon on Thursday at school, to see if HE was sick too. He wasn't (thankfully!), but Beth offered to come pick Ben up and take him to school.
And the angels sang and the light shone down.
This possibility had not entered into my head as her Kindergartener is usually a bus rider. She swore it was not an inconvenience though and so, as I took one more peek at my sleeping, sick second born who gets dragged absolutely everywhere, I accepted.
Interestingly enough, I had just been sitting at my desk pondering the whole predicament and feeling a little sad because in my old neighborhood, there would have been a hundred solutions (read: lovely neighbors) who I could have asked for help. I miss that SO much sometimes. But, I had failed to remember that one of those lovely neighbors is my lovely neighbor once again. Beth to the rescue!
Not that I wish winter germs on her boys, but I do hope I can return the favor soon!
Thank goodness for friends to the rescue!
Now, onward to hoping the rest of us don't get this. I caught Jonathan sucking on Simon's toothbrush while I was putting laundry away upstairs. (sigh)
Friday, January 27, 2012
Signature....
"Mom! I wrote my WHOLE name in cursive!!!" (he finally learned the letter "G" yesterday, I think)
This doesn't do his cursive justice, actually... when he is writing the assignments for handwriting on the lined paper it's beautiful! I can't get over how quickly he took to cursive after struggling with legible printing for so long!! Is it just the novelty of it?
This doesn't do his cursive justice, actually... when he is writing the assignments for handwriting on the lined paper it's beautiful! I can't get over how quickly he took to cursive after struggling with legible printing for so long!! Is it just the novelty of it?
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Hibernation Day!
Today was hibernation day at Simon's school! He as SO excited. He picked out his jammies last night and put his Pillow Pet by the garage door. TOO cute. They were going to have a bear hideout and a bear snack and when we arrived there were bear prints to the classrooms and the lights were out. So cute. I just love his school. :)
He wanted one picture WITH the Pillow Pet and one without, so could see the full view of his jammies. Hee!
He wanted one picture WITH the Pillow Pet and one without, so could see the full view of his jammies. Hee!
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Jonathan is 17 Months Old!
Dear Jonathan,
Today you are 17 months old! I confess that I did not take an official monthday picture last month. In my defense, I did take your picture ON your monthday, we just never got around to taking it in the big green chair or adding a picture to your monthday post. I'm sorry, buddy. You were born into an already crazy busy house.... so it's pretty much the story of your life. If it makes you feel better, your baby book is up to date!
So this month... let's see. This month you learned to say "kitty" and "go" to sign a bunch of different things and, just yesterday, I think you said "Bah" in reference to Ben. You point to all of your body parts and to people in the room. You make more and more new sounds every day, so things are getting exciting in that department.
You still take your two naps, which I thought for SURE would be over by the end of this month. But you are yawning by 9:30 every morning... so two naps it still is. This works for me! Nighttime sleep hasn't been an issue for a long time now and those 14 months of you getting up a hundred times a night are fast fading from my memory. In the morning, you greet me with a smile, a hug and a kiss, but only after packing up your binky and ducky before I lift you out of the crib. You are a happy little guy from the minute you wake up!
You LOVE your books lately and, if you find one lying around, you'll pick it up, toddle over to the nearest lap, turn yourself around and plop right down. The big favorite in the rotation this month include a Curious George book we have with popups, doors to open and a wheel to turn where George hides behind shapes, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, a book about a baby Hippo and his mama called "Kiss Kiss", your picture books with animals and babies in them, and any book that has textured pages where you can pet fuzzy animals. OH how you love fuzzy things.
You love to play "phone". This one has been a mainstay for months and months, except that now, not only do you hold the phone under your chin and say "oh?", you continue the conversation in baby babble, "Ah? Ohhhhhh.... ahah? Ohhhhhh...." It's so funny!
Another favorite lately are the baby dolls in the playroom. One is in a stroller and one is in the shopping cart... you push them all around the basement, stopping to adjust them and make sure they are sitting up straight. It's adorable. In the same vein, you also love your little Laugh and Learn Puppy. True to its name, that thing makes you laugh and laugh. And every time it says, "Hug me!" you obey, giving it a giant baby bear bug.
You eat just about everything still. And, interestingly, the stronger the flavor, the better. We discovered you even like Indian food. Weird. You want whatever is on everyone elses' plate and often try to finish your brothers' food after they've abandoned it. During the day, you'll wander over the pantry and point to cereal bars or baby cookies and sign "please". If I open the refrigerator, you do the same thing for string cheese, Kraft singles, and blueberries. You LOVE to eat and it seems like you are always hungry!
You are such a little lover... You hug. You kiss. Just yesterday, a somewhat scary elderly man with some missing teeth (who would have sent your two older brother running for the hills as babies, and possibly even now) asked you for a kiss in the bagel shop and you open mouth kissed him. We need to work on making you a little more selective, although I'm pretty sure you made his day.
You still climb and hurt yourself constantly. We're working on stair skills this month and slowly, you are agreeing to go down on your backside. Life will be so easy when you can do stairs. I hope that day comes soon.
Your oldest brother adores you, your middle brother is slowly coming around. They love on you all the time with hugs and kisses and the occasional wrestling match that inevitably results in me yelling, "Be gentle with him!" You love every minute of it though!! You can hold your own in the moonbounce and it is one of your favorite activities right now. You throw yourself all over the place and then, eventually, dive headfirst down the slide. Never a dull moment!
As the months go by, I realize just how PERFECT of an addition to our family you have been. We can't imagine life without our littlest!
Love and huggles,
Mommy :)
A Little off the Top...
After Jonathan got called a girl for the third time this week, (People are just dumb by the way... do you see his truck shirt? I mean c'mon.. but whatever!) I came home today and plopped him in the bathtub and went to town with the hair scissors. Actually, I didn't do a whole lot... mostly just cut off the long hair in the back and on the sides. It was long enough to pull back into a ponytail so it was definitely time. :) The locks are safely tucked away in his baby book already. :)
Monday, January 23, 2012
Jonathan Says....
(well, signs) "More!" He started this on Saturday. Now he wants more of everything... LOL! Next, I am determined to start getting him to use the "help" sign, which I've been working on for MONTHS. That one will be crazy useful.
On Sunday, he started another fun little thing. If you tell him to "Call (insert name of someone in the house)!" he will call them with a little "Aaaa?" that is the same intonation we use when we yell for each other around the house. Doesn't sound like any specific name, but the speech people told me to first try to get him imitating intonation and sounds... so there we go! ;)
On Sunday, he started another fun little thing. If you tell him to "Call (insert name of someone in the house)!" he will call them with a little "Aaaa?" that is the same intonation we use when we yell for each other around the house. Doesn't sound like any specific name, but the speech people told me to first try to get him imitating intonation and sounds... so there we go! ;)
Friday, January 20, 2012
Guidance, We Need Guidance....
Ugh. Ben has himself all worked into a tizz lately. This is completely my fault as these are 100% my genes at work, for sure.
So first there was this weird stomach pain he was having all week and part of last week. No sickness... no fever... just "my stomach hurts". It was concerning enough that I emailed his teacher after I sent him to school yesterday and the day before to ask her to check in on him and report back. He was always fine when she asked him. I did take him to the pediatrician yesterday just to make sure there was nothing nefarious going on... the doctor said there was a possibility maybe it was a really mild stomach bug working its way through and to give it a couple more days.
Okay, so MAYBE a stomach bug of some kind. But my guess?
Anxiety. Why? you ask?
Well, first and foremost, he's my kid. SO my kid...
But anyway, yesterday, when we got to the drop off zone at the school, Ben's lower lip started to tremble like he was trying to hold it together. I closed the door and continued around the loop again two more times to give him time to tell me what was going on. He BURST into tears and out it all came... "Markus won't stop making fun of me. He won't stop saying I'm the smallest kid in the class. He calls me a midget and says I am a bug and he will squash me. He says he can beat me at everything. I asked him to stop but he won't. He does it every single day."
(sigh)
I managed to help him get himself under control by promising to email the teacher about it. (he actually begged me to, which I thought was a pretty desperate sign, honestly)
So I came home and sent off a note to Ms M. to let her know what Ben had said and how upset he was. I knew she'd take it seriously, although I did issue a caveat that sometimes Ben can be REALLY sensitive and can take something that is even good-natured teasing sort of personally. (umm... yeah... those would be my genes at work right there) In this case, since I KNOW the kid in question and Ben has had issues with him before, years ago, in preschool, I can pretty much assume it wasn't good-natured... but at any rate, I thought I should let the teacher sort it all out and not go full throttle on the other kid right off the bat.
She wrote back relatively quickly and said she was surprised about this particular child taking part in something like this, but that she would address it. She talked to him and he is supposed to apologize to Ben today. She also said she was afraid that maybe she made it worse inadvertently by getting Ben and another child smaller chairs recently so they could sit at heir desks more comfortably. (I had to giggle a little at this thought, by the way.... poor Ben... ;)
At any rate, after her reply, I wrote back that I thought maybe he would benefit from talking to the guidance counselor a little... he is SUCH a sensitive kid and becoming increasingly upset/self conscious about this size issue.... seeing as how it's NOT going anywhere for now, I'm hoping maybe she can give him some coping tactics. It REALLY really seems to bother him... and now to the point where anticipating teasing from other kids is actually making his stomach hurt. (sigh) He also tends to store all of this anxiety up and let it loose all at once (like he did on me yesterday morning), so I'm hoping she can help him with that some too....
Anyway... we'll see. Poor buddy! :( He was tearful even this morning when I dropped him off. I hate sending him to school knowing he's upset. :(
So first there was this weird stomach pain he was having all week and part of last week. No sickness... no fever... just "my stomach hurts". It was concerning enough that I emailed his teacher after I sent him to school yesterday and the day before to ask her to check in on him and report back. He was always fine when she asked him. I did take him to the pediatrician yesterday just to make sure there was nothing nefarious going on... the doctor said there was a possibility maybe it was a really mild stomach bug working its way through and to give it a couple more days.
Okay, so MAYBE a stomach bug of some kind. But my guess?
Anxiety. Why? you ask?
Well, first and foremost, he's my kid. SO my kid...
But anyway, yesterday, when we got to the drop off zone at the school, Ben's lower lip started to tremble like he was trying to hold it together. I closed the door and continued around the loop again two more times to give him time to tell me what was going on. He BURST into tears and out it all came... "Markus won't stop making fun of me. He won't stop saying I'm the smallest kid in the class. He calls me a midget and says I am a bug and he will squash me. He says he can beat me at everything. I asked him to stop but he won't. He does it every single day."
(sigh)
I managed to help him get himself under control by promising to email the teacher about it. (he actually begged me to, which I thought was a pretty desperate sign, honestly)
So I came home and sent off a note to Ms M. to let her know what Ben had said and how upset he was. I knew she'd take it seriously, although I did issue a caveat that sometimes Ben can be REALLY sensitive and can take something that is even good-natured teasing sort of personally. (umm... yeah... those would be my genes at work right there) In this case, since I KNOW the kid in question and Ben has had issues with him before, years ago, in preschool, I can pretty much assume it wasn't good-natured... but at any rate, I thought I should let the teacher sort it all out and not go full throttle on the other kid right off the bat.
She wrote back relatively quickly and said she was surprised about this particular child taking part in something like this, but that she would address it. She talked to him and he is supposed to apologize to Ben today. She also said she was afraid that maybe she made it worse inadvertently by getting Ben and another child smaller chairs recently so they could sit at heir desks more comfortably. (I had to giggle a little at this thought, by the way.... poor Ben... ;)
At any rate, after her reply, I wrote back that I thought maybe he would benefit from talking to the guidance counselor a little... he is SUCH a sensitive kid and becoming increasingly upset/self conscious about this size issue.... seeing as how it's NOT going anywhere for now, I'm hoping maybe she can give him some coping tactics. It REALLY really seems to bother him... and now to the point where anticipating teasing from other kids is actually making his stomach hurt. (sigh) He also tends to store all of this anxiety up and let it loose all at once (like he did on me yesterday morning), so I'm hoping she can help him with that some too....
Anyway... we'll see. Poor buddy! :( He was tearful even this morning when I dropped him off. I hate sending him to school knowing he's upset. :(
Yammering on....
Okay, so just in the ONE day since the speech people were here, Jonathan has now officially added the word "go" to his vocabulary.
He also is signing please way more frequently than ever and (also acquired in the past 24 hours), the sign for "all done". His babble has also abruptly changed to that baby gibberish where it sounds like a totally meaningful sentence except that the words are all nonsense.
I think he figured out we were serious. ;) He was a little wary of those ladies and I'm not sure he wants them returning. LOL!
I had to laugh when Ben asked yesterday (not knowing we had people out here to discuss Jonathan's speech), "Do you think Jonathan will have to go to speech when he's in school?" Apparently speech is the cool place to hang out and Ben wishes he could go there... LOL!
He also is signing please way more frequently than ever and (also acquired in the past 24 hours), the sign for "all done". His babble has also abruptly changed to that baby gibberish where it sounds like a totally meaningful sentence except that the words are all nonsense.
I think he figured out we were serious. ;) He was a little wary of those ladies and I'm not sure he wants them returning. LOL!
I had to laugh when Ben asked yesterday (not knowing we had people out here to discuss Jonathan's speech), "Do you think Jonathan will have to go to speech when he's in school?" Apparently speech is the cool place to hang out and Ben wishes he could go there... LOL!
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Speech Evaluation....
Totally interesting!!
They asked me a bunch of questions that had me second guessing myself... does he lick things? Um... I really don't know? Maybe? Now I'm wondering if I have I ever even given anything he WOULD lick?
Does he move his tongue around? What? I don't know! Huh?
Does he get irritable if he has a poopy diaper? No? He's pretty happy to just sit in it, frankly. Oh that is SO not the answer you are looking for, is it?
Does he have separation anxiety? Uh... no. At least...not when you compare him to my other two as babies... wait... no separation anxiety isn't a good thing? What? Well, I mean, he notices when I leave... takes a minute to warm up to people but is generally okay with me being gone for awhile...? I guess? OMG! What's the right answer?!
?!?!
Anyway, so after confusing the heck out of me, they played with him a bunch... apparently he says the word "go" and I didn't even know it. Mom of the year on that one! They got him to doodle and roll a ball and knock down a block tower. He said "kitty" for them when the cat wandered over so YAY for that. He pointed to some things and looked at book with one of them and stole the one lady's shoes and walked around in them because that is his specialty -- shoe stealing. Sadly, I don't think he got any credit for this skill.
The end result was a bit ambiguous... but positively so, if that's possible.
Both the Speech/Language specialist and the developmental specialist had him at a definite 25% delay on his expressive language. (which means he's about at a 12-month level) Everything else though was above his age-level, and, although the 25% delay on the one thing technically qualifies him for their services, they said given where he is on everything else, we can afford to wait it out awhile longer because he's obviously FINE. The developmental specialist said she feels like with the sounds he's making that he's "right on the cusp" of a language leap... so they gave me the choice to either start services now or they'll call me in a couple months to check in. In the meantime, if I feel like he stalls out, I can call them directly and they'll start sending out someone to work with him weekly.
She gave me a bunch of ideas to inspire him to try to make more sounds. She discouraged me from anticipating his needs without making him communicate for specific things (I try SO hard... but sometimes in the interest of quiet, I just DO, I'll admit it), to let the big brothers teach him as much as possible, and also to limit the binky use outside of his crib. (gah... I know, I am AWFUL about this... most of the time I just don't care)
They also encouraged me to put him into some kind of structured play program or do frequent storytimes at the library... apparently, my chilled-out approach where I just let him wander from room to room and play whatever he wants to play is probably not helping the talking. I'm not sure I really understand this one because I play WITH him plenty and talk to him and read him tons of stories. It's just that I let him call the shots about what he wants to do for the most part, which, honestly, I kind of think is the nice thing about being a stay-at-home-mom. I've always thought it was kind of good for them to explore what they want to explore. Buuuuut they kept saying he could benefit from more structure and a time where there are expectations like sitting quietly or listening to a story with other kids. I don't know -- this was the only thing they said that I kind of am taking with a grain of salt. Seriously, Ben was SUCH a late talker and that child was in Gymboree three times a week from the time he was a year old. So....?
Anyway, super interesting and kind of fun! We'll see what the next couple months bring. He had already made some progress in the month between when I called them and when they came out. So hopefully we're on the track to talking soon!
They asked me a bunch of questions that had me second guessing myself... does he lick things? Um... I really don't know? Maybe? Now I'm wondering if I have I ever even given anything he WOULD lick?
Does he move his tongue around? What? I don't know! Huh?
Does he get irritable if he has a poopy diaper? No? He's pretty happy to just sit in it, frankly. Oh that is SO not the answer you are looking for, is it?
Does he have separation anxiety? Uh... no. At least...not when you compare him to my other two as babies... wait... no separation anxiety isn't a good thing? What? Well, I mean, he notices when I leave... takes a minute to warm up to people but is generally okay with me being gone for awhile...? I guess? OMG! What's the right answer?!
?!?!
Anyway, so after confusing the heck out of me, they played with him a bunch... apparently he says the word "go" and I didn't even know it. Mom of the year on that one! They got him to doodle and roll a ball and knock down a block tower. He said "kitty" for them when the cat wandered over so YAY for that. He pointed to some things and looked at book with one of them and stole the one lady's shoes and walked around in them because that is his specialty -- shoe stealing. Sadly, I don't think he got any credit for this skill.
The end result was a bit ambiguous... but positively so, if that's possible.
Both the Speech/Language specialist and the developmental specialist had him at a definite 25% delay on his expressive language. (which means he's about at a 12-month level) Everything else though was above his age-level, and, although the 25% delay on the one thing technically qualifies him for their services, they said given where he is on everything else, we can afford to wait it out awhile longer because he's obviously FINE. The developmental specialist said she feels like with the sounds he's making that he's "right on the cusp" of a language leap... so they gave me the choice to either start services now or they'll call me in a couple months to check in. In the meantime, if I feel like he stalls out, I can call them directly and they'll start sending out someone to work with him weekly.
She gave me a bunch of ideas to inspire him to try to make more sounds. She discouraged me from anticipating his needs without making him communicate for specific things (I try SO hard... but sometimes in the interest of quiet, I just DO, I'll admit it), to let the big brothers teach him as much as possible, and also to limit the binky use outside of his crib. (gah... I know, I am AWFUL about this... most of the time I just don't care)
They also encouraged me to put him into some kind of structured play program or do frequent storytimes at the library... apparently, my chilled-out approach where I just let him wander from room to room and play whatever he wants to play is probably not helping the talking. I'm not sure I really understand this one because I play WITH him plenty and talk to him and read him tons of stories. It's just that I let him call the shots about what he wants to do for the most part, which, honestly, I kind of think is the nice thing about being a stay-at-home-mom. I've always thought it was kind of good for them to explore what they want to explore. Buuuuut they kept saying he could benefit from more structure and a time where there are expectations like sitting quietly or listening to a story with other kids. I don't know -- this was the only thing they said that I kind of am taking with a grain of salt. Seriously, Ben was SUCH a late talker and that child was in Gymboree three times a week from the time he was a year old. So....?
Anyway, super interesting and kind of fun! We'll see what the next couple months bring. He had already made some progress in the month between when I called them and when they came out. So hopefully we're on the track to talking soon!
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Preschool Conference Time!
Today was my conference with Simon's preschool teacher. It was amusing because his teacher is pretty nonchalant about conferences and, seeing as how it's preschool, I've reached a point where I am too. (180 degrees from our FIRST ever preschool conference where Tom and I BOTH went and... I. took. notes. Yes, yes I did.)
I know he is completely ready for kindergarten and the teacher confirmed that, which is always nice to hear. My biggest concern that I wanted her input on is his quick temper and social stuff. But, as it turns out, it's basically just a performance he puts on for me. Hey! Thanks, kid!
She said he does get angry if someone takes something from him or knocks his tower down or something like that, but that he keeps it under control very well these days. He LOVES the little girls and actually plays more with them now than with his friend Quinn which is a huge development from the beginning of the school year. I loved how she told me about how Simon and little girlfriend Kiah will get to giggling in the corner over something and it's just the funniest thing to hear.
He's apparently pleasant, happy and gets along well with others.
Uhh....
I told her about the act he does in the afternoon when I take him to the elementary school to pick Ben up -- how he growls at all the teachers who say hi to him and covers his head and yells about all the kids staring at him. Mrs. K looked at me like I was talking about a completely different child and said he never does anything like that at school. LOL.
While I am annoyed that he saves this somewhat psycho behavior for me, I'm relieved that this means he'll be "normal Simon" when he goes to school next year. I swear to you, the special ed teacher at the elementary school already has him marked as a potential student of hers because he acts like such a nut during pickup time.
Soooo anyway... all good stuff.
During my conference, Jonathan showed some of the other moms what I mean when I say he is a handful. Beth said she saved his life at least three times during the ten minutes I was upstairs. Can't wait for when conferences roll around for THAT one.
(shakes head)
I know he is completely ready for kindergarten and the teacher confirmed that, which is always nice to hear. My biggest concern that I wanted her input on is his quick temper and social stuff. But, as it turns out, it's basically just a performance he puts on for me. Hey! Thanks, kid!
She said he does get angry if someone takes something from him or knocks his tower down or something like that, but that he keeps it under control very well these days. He LOVES the little girls and actually plays more with them now than with his friend Quinn which is a huge development from the beginning of the school year. I loved how she told me about how Simon and little girlfriend Kiah will get to giggling in the corner over something and it's just the funniest thing to hear.
He's apparently pleasant, happy and gets along well with others.
Uhh....
I told her about the act he does in the afternoon when I take him to the elementary school to pick Ben up -- how he growls at all the teachers who say hi to him and covers his head and yells about all the kids staring at him. Mrs. K looked at me like I was talking about a completely different child and said he never does anything like that at school. LOL.
While I am annoyed that he saves this somewhat psycho behavior for me, I'm relieved that this means he'll be "normal Simon" when he goes to school next year. I swear to you, the special ed teacher at the elementary school already has him marked as a potential student of hers because he acts like such a nut during pickup time.
Soooo anyway... all good stuff.
During my conference, Jonathan showed some of the other moms what I mean when I say he is a handful. Beth said she saved his life at least three times during the ten minutes I was upstairs. Can't wait for when conferences roll around for THAT one.
(shakes head)
Nap Issues...
We're definitely going through some sort of nap transition with Jonathan over here. Problem is, said nap transition is NOT working with our daily routine. Urrrrgh.
I'm pretty sure he wants to only take one nap a day. (sigh)
The problem is that he is often ready for said nap at 9:30 a.m. And, after getting both the other ones ready, out the door and off to school all while saving him from certain death for 2-1/2 hours... yeah, I'm pretty much ready for his nap at 9:30a.m. too. So he takes this nap and gets up by 11:30.... so it's usually a pretty good length and I get a lot done. (or not, depending on how many new pins there are to see on Pinterest on a given morning.... )
But then, I'll try again at 2 or so and it's a total fail. He just whines and cries... or, only slightly better, rearranges his crib and eventually throws everything out onto the floor. Also? This 2p.m. thing can only be attempted on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays because the other two days, I have to leave here by 2:40 or so to get Simon from school.
Word of warning to my friends with only one baby right now... multiple kids? Complicate life with a baby SUBSTANTIALLY.
So anyway, that leaves 4:15'ish, when we get back from getting BEN from school. Sometimes works, sometimes doesn't... When it does work, it allows me to make dinner and supervise Ben's homework without having to keep an eye on him. Downside -- almost always results in a somewhat emotionally unstable, overly hungry, clingy monkey baby come 5:30... which almost makes it not worth it. But I'm usually so desperate for a break by that point that I don't care until AFTER the fact.
I know what needs to happen... I need to push that morning nap into the early afternoon. Probably 11:30 at the earliest... 12:30, ideally. Bleh. SO not ready for this. But I guess this is the mission we're on this week.
Wish me luck!
I'm pretty sure he wants to only take one nap a day. (sigh)
The problem is that he is often ready for said nap at 9:30 a.m. And, after getting both the other ones ready, out the door and off to school all while saving him from certain death for 2-1/2 hours... yeah, I'm pretty much ready for his nap at 9:30a.m. too. So he takes this nap and gets up by 11:30.... so it's usually a pretty good length and I get a lot done. (or not, depending on how many new pins there are to see on Pinterest on a given morning.... )
But then, I'll try again at 2 or so and it's a total fail. He just whines and cries... or, only slightly better, rearranges his crib and eventually throws everything out onto the floor. Also? This 2p.m. thing can only be attempted on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays because the other two days, I have to leave here by 2:40 or so to get Simon from school.
Word of warning to my friends with only one baby right now... multiple kids? Complicate life with a baby SUBSTANTIALLY.
So anyway, that leaves 4:15'ish, when we get back from getting BEN from school. Sometimes works, sometimes doesn't... When it does work, it allows me to make dinner and supervise Ben's homework without having to keep an eye on him. Downside -- almost always results in a somewhat emotionally unstable, overly hungry, clingy monkey baby come 5:30... which almost makes it not worth it. But I'm usually so desperate for a break by that point that I don't care until AFTER the fact.
I know what needs to happen... I need to push that morning nap into the early afternoon. Probably 11:30 at the earliest... 12:30, ideally. Bleh. SO not ready for this. But I guess this is the mission we're on this week.
Wish me luck!
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Oops. Sorry for the Silence!
I got all Facebooky this week. Here are some of the highlights...
There was this:
That's my Ben. He's all Mr. "I hate school" still... but despite all the cool guy talk, he's doing SO well!! They are learning cursive and his handwriting is becoming downright beautiful. I'll have to scan something new in soon.
There was Simon's broken foot, which I posted about previously. He wore one slipper and one tennis shoe all week, which was sort of amusing. It's back to normal now and he's running and jumping like crazy.. the only difference is that he will no longer sit on the bar stools in the kitchen. LOL.. We're supposed to go have it double checked by an orthopedist, but he's 100% fine now so I'm questioning whether that's necessary.
My washing machine is on the fritz because all appliances hate me. Have I also mentioned we haven't had a working icemaker in months?
We love this recipe! Well, Tom and I do... the boys turn their noses up at it.
I found this little essay a friend posted on Facebook that makes me cry every time I read it.
I bought myself a Ninjago to play with. The boys think this is hilarious and want to battle me all the time. Ben keeps trying to trade me for my awesome weapons, but I refuse. My guy stinks though and I have yet to win a match. Hrm...
I finally got my hair cut. It's a little short but feels SO much better. I was getting tired of wearing it in a ponytail all the time. Ahhh...
No new words from Jonathan. His infants and toddlers evaluation appointment is Wednesday. I'll be interested to see what they say...
Still have the wack-a-doo reader around here. Working on a way to rid myself of her soonish. Stay tuned. If ever you come here and it's locked up, please don't hesitate to drop me an email/facebook message/smoke signal asking what the deal is. I'll try to email everyone the info, but I inevitably forget someone. There is literally only one person I want to lock out, so please don't be shy about asking!! I want to keep all (but one) of you!
There was this:
That's my Ben. He's all Mr. "I hate school" still... but despite all the cool guy talk, he's doing SO well!! They are learning cursive and his handwriting is becoming downright beautiful. I'll have to scan something new in soon.
There was Simon's broken foot, which I posted about previously. He wore one slipper and one tennis shoe all week, which was sort of amusing. It's back to normal now and he's running and jumping like crazy.. the only difference is that he will no longer sit on the bar stools in the kitchen. LOL.. We're supposed to go have it double checked by an orthopedist, but he's 100% fine now so I'm questioning whether that's necessary.
My washing machine is on the fritz because all appliances hate me. Have I also mentioned we haven't had a working icemaker in months?
We love this recipe! Well, Tom and I do... the boys turn their noses up at it.
I found this little essay a friend posted on Facebook that makes me cry every time I read it.
I bought myself a Ninjago to play with. The boys think this is hilarious and want to battle me all the time. Ben keeps trying to trade me for my awesome weapons, but I refuse. My guy stinks though and I have yet to win a match. Hrm...
I finally got my hair cut. It's a little short but feels SO much better. I was getting tired of wearing it in a ponytail all the time. Ahhh...
No new words from Jonathan. His infants and toddlers evaluation appointment is Wednesday. I'll be interested to see what they say...
Still have the wack-a-doo reader around here. Working on a way to rid myself of her soonish. Stay tuned. If ever you come here and it's locked up, please don't hesitate to drop me an email/facebook message/smoke signal asking what the deal is. I'll try to email everyone the info, but I inevitably forget someone. There is literally only one person I want to lock out, so please don't be shy about asking!! I want to keep all (but one) of you!
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Gr.
There is one and ONLY one person over the years who I have blocked from my blog because a) I do not know her personally and b) she has shown herself to have major weirdo issues... posting strange comments about my kids under pseudonyms. After her home IP was blocked, she tried to visit from a library and several other places. I unpassworded the blog again a year or so ago because Blogger was being a pain about it and also because she had been blocked long enough that I didn't think she'd try to come back but she has been visiting here from the links on the blog of a friend of mine.
So, I am torn.
I need to move my blog to its own domain again so I can password it. This is such a giant pain in the butt. Not to mention, I know people hate dealing with passwords.
I hate for this weirdo to think she has won though because she visits and doesn't think I am aware she visits.
So you. There. Deb/Kandi/Ronnie In Crawfordville/Hollywood, Florida. I see you. Enjoy reading while it lasts because soon enough, you will be blocked again.
Just so you know.
So, I am torn.
I need to move my blog to its own domain again so I can password it. This is such a giant pain in the butt. Not to mention, I know people hate dealing with passwords.
I hate for this weirdo to think she has won though because she visits and doesn't think I am aware she visits.
So you. There. Deb/Kandi/Ronnie In Crawfordville/Hollywood, Florida. I see you. Enjoy reading while it lasts because soon enough, you will be blocked again.
Just so you know.
Murphy's Law...
Jonathan must have heard I called the Infants and Toddlers people on him because now he's babbling up a storm.
His most recent verbal accomplishment is "dada".
This is generally ONLY uttered when he hears the garage door go up in the evening, at which time he literally DROPS whatever he is doing (and I do mean literally, I usually have go behind him picking up whatever he was holding) and does his little baby "thump thump thump thump" run to the mudroom door saying, "dada!! dada!! dada!!!" excitedly all the way to his destination.
The really funny thing is that when Tom comes in, Jonathan heads toward him as if to go welcome him home, but instead, goes AROUND him at the last second and goes for Tom's work bag, from which he extracts the Ipad, turns it on and goes to his favorite Pat the Bunny app.
LOL!
His most recent verbal accomplishment is "dada".
This is generally ONLY uttered when he hears the garage door go up in the evening, at which time he literally DROPS whatever he is doing (and I do mean literally, I usually have go behind him picking up whatever he was holding) and does his little baby "thump thump thump thump" run to the mudroom door saying, "dada!! dada!! dada!!!" excitedly all the way to his destination.
The really funny thing is that when Tom comes in, Jonathan heads toward him as if to go welcome him home, but instead, goes AROUND him at the last second and goes for Tom's work bag, from which he extracts the Ipad, turns it on and goes to his favorite Pat the Bunny app.
LOL!
Sunday, January 08, 2012
Photo Session...
Simon was kneeling on one of the bar stools in the kitchen yesterday (like we always tell him not to) and pushing backward from the counter (like we always tell him not to). The chair and Simon fell backward onto the floor and Simon's foot got pinned underneath with what I can only assume is the full weight of his body AND the chair on top. I was in the room but only heard this happen... Tom saw it from the table once he was actually on the floor. We thought he just scraped and bruised his foot but as the day went on and he couldn't walk, we started to think it was a little more than that. This morning, Tom ran him over to Express Care for an x-ray (which I am sure I am going to catch heck for from the pediatrician... but neither Tom nor I thought the ER was a better option this morning)and they found a tiny fracture in one of his top foot bones. You can't even see it with the x-ray at regular size. But, I did think this was cool, so, without further ado... here is the inside of Simon's right foot. ;)
They can't do anything for it. Just told us to give him Motrin as needed and keep him walking on it... ice here and there and maybe bandage it. (though he wants no part of that) He's already doing better today... so I guess it's going to heal quickly, which is good because I can't carry that child everywhere he needs to go. He's pretty darn heavy.
They can't do anything for it. Just told us to give him Motrin as needed and keep him walking on it... ice here and there and maybe bandage it. (though he wants no part of that) He's already doing better today... so I guess it's going to heal quickly, which is good because I can't carry that child everywhere he needs to go. He's pretty darn heavy.
Friday, January 06, 2012
House Progress...
After many failed attempts at furniture shopping for our empty living room and office, I finally admitted defeat. I am NOT a good furniture shopper. I have no eye for it on my own and continue to buy the same looking stuff over and over and over again. The empty room was rapidly becoming another playroom and the office has been a dumping ground since we moved in. Soooo, I called in the big guns -- our realtor's wife who is a decorator. Our friends had her come in after they moved in too and just the little bit they had her do was AWESOME, so I knew we were in good hands.
Liz came in a couple weeks ago and took some measurements and we chatted about what I wanted in the living room and what Tom wanted in the office. Then she went forth into the wide (totally overwhelming to me) world of fabrics and sofas and returned today with these... (and three other sets... but these two were my favorites)
This one is what we're going with for the living room. I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am. I am also fascinated at this process. I NEVER in a million years would have gone into a rack of fabric swatches and emerged with any of these... but as soon as I saw them I knew I loved them! Liz is good, y'all... good, I tell you! The solids are going to be the couch and loveseat... the floral will be chair between the front windows and I think the plaid AND the floral are going to be accent pillows if I remember correctly. There is also discussion of an ottoman that will also serve as a coffee table... the dining room is then going to be painted a (and I quote because I am not the expert here) "mineral blue" to complement it all. I can't wait!!
This other set I loved a ton too and in the future we may use parts of it in the adjacent family room (where the tv is). If not there then maybe the bedroom... but those are ways down the road because this decorating whole rooms all at once thing adds up fast.
Anyway, Liz is awesome and wonderful and fantastic at what she does. Her pricing is very reasonable too and she'll do as little or as much as you want... everything from just taking an hour and walking through to give you ideas or actually going out and doing all the shopping. If you are local and need this kind of service, let me know and I'll pass along her info!
Can't wait to see it all come together over the next couple months. I'll keep the blog posted! :)
Liz came in a couple weeks ago and took some measurements and we chatted about what I wanted in the living room and what Tom wanted in the office. Then she went forth into the wide (totally overwhelming to me) world of fabrics and sofas and returned today with these... (and three other sets... but these two were my favorites)
This one is what we're going with for the living room. I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am. I am also fascinated at this process. I NEVER in a million years would have gone into a rack of fabric swatches and emerged with any of these... but as soon as I saw them I knew I loved them! Liz is good, y'all... good, I tell you! The solids are going to be the couch and loveseat... the floral will be chair between the front windows and I think the plaid AND the floral are going to be accent pillows if I remember correctly. There is also discussion of an ottoman that will also serve as a coffee table... the dining room is then going to be painted a (and I quote because I am not the expert here) "mineral blue" to complement it all. I can't wait!!
This other set I loved a ton too and in the future we may use parts of it in the adjacent family room (where the tv is). If not there then maybe the bedroom... but those are ways down the road because this decorating whole rooms all at once thing adds up fast.
Next step is to price out the furniture and order it... as well as area rugs and window treatments (gah) and get the office and dining room painted. We're still looking at office furniture, but I am very excited also for what will be Tom's home office. It will be SO nice for him to have a place for his things.
Anyway, Liz is awesome and wonderful and fantastic at what she does. Her pricing is very reasonable too and she'll do as little or as much as you want... everything from just taking an hour and walking through to give you ideas or actually going out and doing all the shopping. If you are local and need this kind of service, let me know and I'll pass along her info!
Can't wait to see it all come together over the next couple months. I'll keep the blog posted! :)
Ben Ben Ben....
Ben has apparently taken his latest "I don't like school" routine to the classroom. (d'oh)
He was asked to use one of his spelling words in a sentence the other day... can't remember what it was, but let's say it was "frustrated". His sentence was something to the effect of "I'm frustrated because I have to go to school all the time and I don't like school." He came home and recounted this story (much to my horror) and then said later on the teacher said, when he answered some other question, "Well, for someone who doesn't like school so much, you sure are good at it!"
LOL. But OMG, WHAT is with the constant vocal dislike of school!??! I know it's not true! He just likes the way it sounds or something. Driving me BONKERS, I tell you.
In similar news, we were having a conversation about his classmates yesterday and he lamented that none of his classmates ever want to talk about football with him. "
"Oh? I repled. What DO they like to talk about?"
He sighed heavily before answering, "They just like to talk about what they're doing in school and what grades they get."
*snort*
Have I mentioned I HEART his class? I hope some of this academic-mindedness rubs off on him.... ;)
He was asked to use one of his spelling words in a sentence the other day... can't remember what it was, but let's say it was "frustrated". His sentence was something to the effect of "I'm frustrated because I have to go to school all the time and I don't like school." He came home and recounted this story (much to my horror) and then said later on the teacher said, when he answered some other question, "Well, for someone who doesn't like school so much, you sure are good at it!"
LOL. But OMG, WHAT is with the constant vocal dislike of school!??! I know it's not true! He just likes the way it sounds or something. Driving me BONKERS, I tell you.
In similar news, we were having a conversation about his classmates yesterday and he lamented that none of his classmates ever want to talk about football with him. "
"Oh? I repled. What DO they like to talk about?"
He sighed heavily before answering, "They just like to talk about what they're doing in school and what grades they get."
*snort*
Have I mentioned I HEART his class? I hope some of this academic-mindedness rubs off on him.... ;)
Wednesday, January 04, 2012
Lather. Rinse. Repeat.
I was awoken in the middle of the night once again by a child complaining of ear pain. Simon this time.
We were at the doctor's at 9:45. Another ear infection. Another antibiotic. I was tempted to have him look at Jonathan since he is running green on one side, which almost assuredly means he has SOME kind of infection. But Mr. Man is in good spirits and sleeping just fine, so I really didn't have any reason other than the nose to think he's sick. And I really hate having to ask the doctor to double up when I don't think of it until we get there. Soooo... yeah. Probably heading back sooner than later for #3. Maybe not. But I won't be surprised.
I actually haven't even gone to get Simon's antibiotic yet because we needed to get home for Jonathan's morning nap. Instead, I just gave him a dose of Ben's. It was the exact same prescription, dose and all because... ready for this? Simon now officially outweighs Ben at 45 pounds and change. YYYep...it was only a matter of time. Ben was 43-1/2 pounds at HIS appointment five days ago.
Yikes. Don't anyone tell Ben this.
I actually could have shaken the nurse who commented when she weighed Ben, "Wow! You're a really small seven-year-old!" Yes, thanks... thanks for that. He hadn't noticed.
So anyway... two ear infections in a week. Not complaining because it could be worse... we could all be puking and we're not. So, Life. It is good.
We were at the doctor's at 9:45. Another ear infection. Another antibiotic. I was tempted to have him look at Jonathan since he is running green on one side, which almost assuredly means he has SOME kind of infection. But Mr. Man is in good spirits and sleeping just fine, so I really didn't have any reason other than the nose to think he's sick. And I really hate having to ask the doctor to double up when I don't think of it until we get there. Soooo... yeah. Probably heading back sooner than later for #3. Maybe not. But I won't be surprised.
I actually haven't even gone to get Simon's antibiotic yet because we needed to get home for Jonathan's morning nap. Instead, I just gave him a dose of Ben's. It was the exact same prescription, dose and all because... ready for this? Simon now officially outweighs Ben at 45 pounds and change. YYYep...it was only a matter of time. Ben was 43-1/2 pounds at HIS appointment five days ago.
Yikes. Don't anyone tell Ben this.
I actually could have shaken the nurse who commented when she weighed Ben, "Wow! You're a really small seven-year-old!" Yes, thanks... thanks for that. He hadn't noticed.
So anyway... two ear infections in a week. Not complaining because it could be worse... we could all be puking and we're not. So, Life. It is good.
Tuesday, January 03, 2012
Another one Bites the Dust...
Tom has the cold now. Only, here's the amusing thing... he gets sick so rarely, that he had it all day yesterday and thought it was just his allergies REALLY acting up. I kept saying, "You have the same cold all the kids had.", "It's a cold." "Take the DayQuil, you'll feel better." It didn't hit him until this morning, when he had been up 12 times blowing his nose, what was actually going on.
LOL.
Men.
LOL.
Men.
Monday, January 02, 2012
School's Back in Tomorrow....
I really REALLY enjoyed the break from the daily "school train" and am not *quite* ready to get back on. But ... tomorrow, like it or not, we're back on and the train is moving full throttle because BOTH older boys are back in school. Back to making lunches and rushing out the door by 9a.m. (sigh)
We've really had a lovely and relaxing week at home. Ben and Simon have gotten along well and played so great together! I am going to miss this... counting down to spring break now. Ahhh... spring. Maybe I should start by looking forward to January's professional development day and MLK's birthday.
In other news and completely off topic but because I am trying to focus on WARM-weather thoughts... we are starting to toy with the idea of planning a Disney trip for 2012. It took us a full year to recover from last year's trip with a five-month-old and everyone getting sick and being stuck there because of weather here! Tom and I decided that we were not up for the challenge of taking Jonathan back to Disney again at such a young age, particular going on our own with no grandparent assistance. But, he'll be two by the time we would go again... so we are starting to think it could be workable. (you know, because two-year-olds are such a picnic and all) ;)
If there are any grandparents, aunts, uncles, godparents ETC who might be interested in a trip around Novemberish.. post Thanksgiving, let us know! ;)
We've really had a lovely and relaxing week at home. Ben and Simon have gotten along well and played so great together! I am going to miss this... counting down to spring break now. Ahhh... spring. Maybe I should start by looking forward to January's professional development day and MLK's birthday.
In other news and completely off topic but because I am trying to focus on WARM-weather thoughts... we are starting to toy with the idea of planning a Disney trip for 2012. It took us a full year to recover from last year's trip with a five-month-old and everyone getting sick and being stuck there because of weather here! Tom and I decided that we were not up for the challenge of taking Jonathan back to Disney again at such a young age, particular going on our own with no grandparent assistance. But, he'll be two by the time we would go again... so we are starting to think it could be workable. (you know, because two-year-olds are such a picnic and all) ;)
If there are any grandparents, aunts, uncles, godparents ETC who might be interested in a trip around Novemberish.. post Thanksgiving, let us know! ;)