Sunday, September 18, 2011
Sweet Love
On Friday morning Calder popped into our room extremely early, as usual. And, as usual, we asked him to go back to his room and listen to a story on cd or read a book and then start getting dressed for the day. He disappeared and a little while later I dragged myself out of bed to go check on his progress. He wasn't in his room...but I heard his little voice coming from Alyse's room. I opened her door and found this:
He had brought the rocking chair over to her crib so he'd have a place to sit while he read her a book. He even gave her some toys in her crib. Oh, how this boy loves his baby sister. My heart swells!
He had brought the rocking chair over to her crib so he'd have a place to sit while he read her a book. He even gave her some toys in her crib. Oh, how this boy loves his baby sister. My heart swells!
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Kindergarten!
Our big boy is a kindergartner! So far he is really loving it and enjoys being a Rockin' Robin. His teacher seems great, and we are looking forward to an exciting year. Because of our work schedules, he's enrolled in before and after care at school. I was kind of worried that he wouldn't like it, but so far it is his favorite part of the day! What's not to love about a room filled with games and legos as well as extra recess time?
He did amazing on the first day. We got to school a little early so that we could go check out the SACC (before/after care) room and then we walked to his classroom together. He was getting a little clingy in SACC, but once we arrived in his classroom the excitement took over! While I was the one getting teary-eyed, he found his seat at the 'yellow bear' table and immediately sat down and started working on a matching game that his teacher had left for him -- totally ready to get on with this kindergarten business! He did ask for an extra hug and kiss before I left though... That's my sweet boy!
He apparently already got a lesson in time management. Every day during the first week, the first thing he told me upon picking him up was that he didn't have enough time to eat his lunch. Now that he's in week 2, he seems to have figured out that more eating and less talking = full tummy. And a lesson in responsibility came when he "lost" his lunch bag and was devastated because he thought it was gone forever. In reality, he left it in his classroom, forgetting to bring it with him to SACC. He was thrilled to get it back the next day.
Although he loves school, he wasn't the least bit upset when he had his first "snow day" -- the first week of school! We had a crazy amount of rain due to Hurricane Lee, so many of the area's roads were flooded. Hey, who doesn't love a good snow day?
He did amazing on the first day. We got to school a little early so that we could go check out the SACC (before/after care) room and then we walked to his classroom together. He was getting a little clingy in SACC, but once we arrived in his classroom the excitement took over! While I was the one getting teary-eyed, he found his seat at the 'yellow bear' table and immediately sat down and started working on a matching game that his teacher had left for him -- totally ready to get on with this kindergarten business! He did ask for an extra hug and kiss before I left though... That's my sweet boy!
He apparently already got a lesson in time management. Every day during the first week, the first thing he told me upon picking him up was that he didn't have enough time to eat his lunch. Now that he's in week 2, he seems to have figured out that more eating and less talking = full tummy. And a lesson in responsibility came when he "lost" his lunch bag and was devastated because he thought it was gone forever. In reality, he left it in his classroom, forgetting to bring it with him to SACC. He was thrilled to get it back the next day.
Although he loves school, he wasn't the least bit upset when he had his first "snow day" -- the first week of school! We had a crazy amount of rain due to Hurricane Lee, so many of the area's roads were flooded. Hey, who doesn't love a good snow day?
Monday, September 5, 2011
Calder Lost a Tooth!
Just 2 weeks after turning 5, Calder lost his first tooth! It had been loose for about 3 weeks before it finally came out. He was very excited when it finally did. It was actually pushed out by the adult tooth coming in behind it, and the adult tooth was completely in within a few days!
And talk about good timing! I finished this tooth fairy pillow for Calder about a month ago. I had seen one like this on etsy a long time ago and loved it. It was super easy to make and I can't wait to make girly ones for Tessa and Alyse. Calder already has a 2nd loose tooth, so I'm sure it won't be long before the tooth fairy makes another visit to our house!
And talk about good timing! I finished this tooth fairy pillow for Calder about a month ago. I had seen one like this on etsy a long time ago and loved it. It was super easy to make and I can't wait to make girly ones for Tessa and Alyse. Calder already has a 2nd loose tooth, so I'm sure it won't be long before the tooth fairy makes another visit to our house!
Saturday, September 3, 2011
7 Months
We've had some slightly cooler weather this week, so seven month old Alyse happily posed outside for a little photo shoot while Mommy got in some practice using her camera in manual.
She's finally back on track in terms of sleeping, for the most part. It was a very rough 1 1/2 months, and I ultimately had to let her cry it out. But after 2 nights of 70-80 minutes of crying it was all worth it! She's starting to take more regular naps now as well, which is really nice.
She's a happy, giggly, good-natured baby who loves the constant attention from her big brother and sister. She's not sitting up yet, but I think she's slowly getting there. I'm not sure how long I'm supposed to use the "she was 6 weeks early" excuse but I'm not worried. No teeth yet either, but she's working on that as well! She loves to play with musical toys and her teething rings. She gave up her pacifier, and I'm totally aware of how lucky we are that we have 3 kids who all gave up the pacifier on their own as babies!
She loves to pull hair. Really loves it. And this time I'm not the only one on the wrong end of that -- poor Tessa has been the victim more than a handful of times.
Next week is a big week -- I return to work and she starts daycare. We love our daycare center, so I have no qualms about it, but I sure will miss my baby. I haven't been separated from her for more than a few hours in the last 7 months (oops! 6 months! Have I forgotten our 27 days in the NICU already?), so it's going to be a tough adjustment for both of us. I know how lucky I am that I have such a flexible boss who allowed me to take such a long maternity leave (but not without a few reminders of how much they are looking forward to my return! She's asked more than a couple of times "You ARE coming back, aren't you???") Our biggest issue now is that Alyse flat out refuses to take a bottle. Yep, that's sort of problematic since the big day is just 3 days away! EEEEK! We've been trying for about 3 weeks and she just will not have it. So, that just adds to my nervousness about returning to work. The one thing we have going for us is that she loves baby food. She loves carrots, yogurt and all fruits. She'll tolerate peas and green beans, but doesn't eat as much of those. I've heard the worst that will happen is that she'll keep me up all night wanting to nurse. GREAT. ;)
She's finally back on track in terms of sleeping, for the most part. It was a very rough 1 1/2 months, and I ultimately had to let her cry it out. But after 2 nights of 70-80 minutes of crying it was all worth it! She's starting to take more regular naps now as well, which is really nice.
She's a happy, giggly, good-natured baby who loves the constant attention from her big brother and sister. She's not sitting up yet, but I think she's slowly getting there. I'm not sure how long I'm supposed to use the "she was 6 weeks early" excuse but I'm not worried. No teeth yet either, but she's working on that as well! She loves to play with musical toys and her teething rings. She gave up her pacifier, and I'm totally aware of how lucky we are that we have 3 kids who all gave up the pacifier on their own as babies!
She loves to pull hair. Really loves it. And this time I'm not the only one on the wrong end of that -- poor Tessa has been the victim more than a handful of times.
Next week is a big week -- I return to work and she starts daycare. We love our daycare center, so I have no qualms about it, but I sure will miss my baby. I haven't been separated from her for more than a few hours in the last 7 months (oops! 6 months! Have I forgotten our 27 days in the NICU already?), so it's going to be a tough adjustment for both of us. I know how lucky I am that I have such a flexible boss who allowed me to take such a long maternity leave (but not without a few reminders of how much they are looking forward to my return! She's asked more than a couple of times "You ARE coming back, aren't you???") Our biggest issue now is that Alyse flat out refuses to take a bottle. Yep, that's sort of problematic since the big day is just 3 days away! EEEEK! We've been trying for about 3 weeks and she just will not have it. So, that just adds to my nervousness about returning to work. The one thing we have going for us is that she loves baby food. She loves carrots, yogurt and all fruits. She'll tolerate peas and green beans, but doesn't eat as much of those. I've heard the worst that will happen is that she'll keep me up all night wanting to nurse. GREAT. ;)
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
FIVE!
Our baby boy is officially half a decade old. He's so excited about being 5. He frequently says things like "Remember when I was 4?" and "When I was 4, I couldn't do XXXX, but now I'm 5, so I can do it." My favorite so far is "Do my arms look longer than they did when I was 4?"
In case you don't know what it sounds like to have a five-year old living in your house...it sounds something like this: "What does 'about' mean? What does 'progress' mean? What does 'never' mean? What does 'ever' mean? What's inside skin? What is lint? How does a straw suck things up? How did you get milk to feed Alyse? What does 'I fell in love' mean? What does 'run for president' mean? What does 'offered' mean? How old will Tessa be when I'm 7? How old will Alyse be when Tessa is 7?" And I'm only talking about a 30 minute period of time here...
He is sooo in love with his baby sister. He constantly showers her with kisses and attention and loves to point out to strangers how cute she is. For a while he would say "Alyse is cuter than a box of animals" (no idea where he got that!?) But recently he tends to just say that she is soooooooooooooooooooooo cute! He recently decided that she is no longer to be called "sweetie", but rather "L.A. or Little Angel'. He asked me for some spelling help, wrote "Little Angel" on a piece of paper and taped it to the wall above her crib. :)
And Tessa? Well, Tessa really knows how to push his buttons.
Other tidbits about Calder at age 5:
He loves dinosaurs, outer space, and legos. He received a lot of legos for his birthday and he does such a fantastic job putting them together!
He LOVES to swim!
He is already showing a love for math (how could he not?) His addition and subtraction skills are really quite impressive!
He's starting to recognize and spell some basic words. He's especially good at spelling sets of rhyming words (big, pig, wig, etc.) He's so excited about learning to read! He's not so excited or interested in the writing part.
He came home about a week before his birthday and announced that he has his first loose tooth. It's really quite loose and we can already see the adult tooth coming in behind it, so it looks like the Tooth Fairy will be visiting our house very soon! (September 1st update: He lost the tooth today! Let the Tooth Fairy duties commence!)
His favorite things to eat are Peanut Butter and Jelly, fruit and yogurt. He ventured into eating chicken for a few months, but no longer does. (I guess it's because he's allergic.)
He's starting to become a little picky about his clothes. He frequently doesn't want to wear what I pick out for him and he will sometimes disappear into his room only to emerge in a completely different (non-matching) outfit (underwear and socks included!)
He loves to make his bed -- especially "the fancy way, like in hotels" (i.e. the sheets turned down). He loves to help me bake and prepare food. He sets the table, clears his dishes from the table and even sometimes asks "May I be excused?" :)
When he grows up he wants to be an astronaut or a dinosaur digger and a daddy. But he also wants to live with us forever. :)
He's incredibly interested in places. When he hears of a new place from a book or TV show or just in conversation he always says he wants to go there. Among other places, we need to start planning visits to the Grand Canyon, Mount Rushmore, California, Rhode Island, the Arctic and Africa. Oh, and we'll be booking a submarine ride soon too. :)
He gets so excited when I ask him to go get the mail. He comes running back from the mailbox (minus a few pieces of mail that he dropped along the way) grinning from ear to ear.
He's very sensitive. He's funny. He's silly. He's smart. He's energetic. He's curious. He's sweet. He's our amazing little boy!
In case you don't know what it sounds like to have a five-year old living in your house...it sounds something like this: "What does 'about' mean? What does 'progress' mean? What does 'never' mean? What does 'ever' mean? What's inside skin? What is lint? How does a straw suck things up? How did you get milk to feed Alyse? What does 'I fell in love' mean? What does 'run for president' mean? What does 'offered' mean? How old will Tessa be when I'm 7? How old will Alyse be when Tessa is 7?" And I'm only talking about a 30 minute period of time here...
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| It's becoming increasingly difficult to get a good picture of him. If I want to take his picture, he gently reminds me that I have to say "Can I please take your picture?" I said please for this one. |
And Tessa? Well, Tessa really knows how to push his buttons.
But, they have good moments too.
He loves to perform 'science experiments' which usually involve water, mud or ice (or all of the above) and sometimes my kitchen floor too. This particular experiment involved mud, water, chalk and bubbles. He made "white mud" and "mud chalk".
Other tidbits about Calder at age 5:
He loves dinosaurs, outer space, and legos. He received a lot of legos for his birthday and he does such a fantastic job putting them together!
He LOVES to swim!
He is already showing a love for math (how could he not?) His addition and subtraction skills are really quite impressive!
He's starting to recognize and spell some basic words. He's especially good at spelling sets of rhyming words (big, pig, wig, etc.) He's so excited about learning to read! He's not so excited or interested in the writing part.
He came home about a week before his birthday and announced that he has his first loose tooth. It's really quite loose and we can already see the adult tooth coming in behind it, so it looks like the Tooth Fairy will be visiting our house very soon! (September 1st update: He lost the tooth today! Let the Tooth Fairy duties commence!)
At his 5 year well visit, he told the pediatrician "I'm a man because I have hair on my arms. See?"
Did I mention he is very inquisitive? After learning that one of his classmates is allergic to pineapple, he came home asking what it meant to be allergic. We explained that it meant that if his classmate ate pineapple he would feel sick afterward. His response? "Oh. I'm allergic to chicken."
His favorite things to eat are Peanut Butter and Jelly, fruit and yogurt. He ventured into eating chicken for a few months, but no longer does. (I guess it's because he's allergic.)
He's starting to become a little picky about his clothes. He frequently doesn't want to wear what I pick out for him and he will sometimes disappear into his room only to emerge in a completely different (non-matching) outfit (underwear and socks included!)
He loves to make his bed -- especially "the fancy way, like in hotels" (i.e. the sheets turned down). He loves to help me bake and prepare food. He sets the table, clears his dishes from the table and even sometimes asks "May I be excused?" :)
When he grows up he wants to be an astronaut or a dinosaur digger and a daddy. But he also wants to live with us forever. :)
He's incredibly interested in places. When he hears of a new place from a book or TV show or just in conversation he always says he wants to go there. Among other places, we need to start planning visits to the Grand Canyon, Mount Rushmore, California, Rhode Island, the Arctic and Africa. Oh, and we'll be booking a submarine ride soon too. :)
He gets so excited when I ask him to go get the mail. He comes running back from the mailbox (minus a few pieces of mail that he dropped along the way) grinning from ear to ear.
He's very sensitive. He's funny. He's silly. He's smart. He's energetic. He's curious. He's sweet. He's our amazing little boy!
Monday, August 29, 2011
Ahoy Matey!
Shiver Me Timbers! Calder is 5! We had a great turnout for his pirate-themed waterpark birthday party, and a good time was had by all!
Now, if I hadn't misplaced the list of who gave him which gift...I'd have those thank you notes in the mail by now!
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| Ready to get the party started! |
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| Sitting on the treasure chest! |
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| Cheesy little sister looks ready too! |
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| Momma and her big boy |
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| Fun in the pool! |
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| Cap'n Will! |
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| The kids each got to take a turn digging for treasure (candy and "gold" coins). It was definitely a hit of the party -- not bad for a last-minute random idea! |
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| AJ's turn to dig! |
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| Who's up next? |
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| Cake time! |
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| Excited to blow out the candle! |
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| The wind blew it out the first time, which he was not happy about. So, we moved the candle closer for a second try! |
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| His sweet little friend, Audrey, from school. She offered to share her towel with him after he got out of the pool shivering. |
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| Thanks for coming to my party, Me Hearties! |
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