definitely ready for school

I slept late preparing backpacks, lunches, packing extra clothes for 3 kids the other night. Yesterday was the girls' first day of preschool. We dropped Curious George off first, and on their school. There is a carpool system, so I don't need to get off the car, but being that it's their first day, I went in and dropped them off. The girls immediately took to all the toys in the room which allowed me to chat a little bit with their teacher. After 10 minutes or so, I said the mantra we've been reciting all weekend long to prepare them for this day. "Katie is going to school, Jojo is going to school. Mommy has to say bye-bye! Then Mommy comes back to get you after your nap. " The two of them nodded, until I get to the "Mommy has to say bye-bye" to which, Thing 2 made a little pout. But seeing Thing 1 be all smiles helped her erase the frown. I walked out, then disappeared.

Of course I wasn't going to leave the building just yet. :) I went to the front, chatted with the assistant director and then headed back to the classroom to peak to see how the girls were doing. They were playing happily, so then I left.

I went to Target, bought the girls clothes. As I was about to leave, it was raining cats and dogs, so I went to get iced coffee and watched the rain fall. It was quiet. aaaah. :) Got home, got the master bath in order, did some home business and waited until I had to pick them up. Then I got an email from their teacher as to how their day went. Thing 1 ate well, and slept without a problem. Thing 2 didn't eat very much and was wide awake. She then asked the teacher what why Thing 1 was asleep and so she had to explain that it was because she was tired and it was time to rest. ;)

At the carpool pick up, I found myself very excited to see them again. They were all smiles. Thing 2 was in a daze, having been woken up after only 15 minutes of nap (she apparently finally fell asleep). Thing 1 was beaming. I asked if they had fun and they both responded, "uh huh!". It was a shorter nap than usual, since they usually napped from 1-3pm, but it was enough.

Today, I had to dropped a form off at their school. I left then in car, but as we were pulling out to leave, Thing 1 said, "No home, Mommy! School!" She can't wait to go back to school.

All in all, the day went well. There was not a single tear. Thing 2 even stayed dry and went to use the toilet. I had her in pull-ups but packed only undies. But they never had to change her since she stayed dry.

It was a good day for the girls.

time to brag about my boy

When the girls and I picked up Curious George yesterday a handful of kids were drawing. Two of the kids were drawing people, one was making something resembling people, one was drawing a house. CG was drawing this. I asked him what it was and he said it's a water machine. It's a machine with a series of pipes that brings water (and later on, gas) to the house. He said this was for Daddy.

We asked him how he came up with it, and he explained that he sees it in his head and then it goes to his eyes. When the picture is in his eyes, the colors flash and that's what tells him what colors to use.

I'm not an expert, but I think most kids this age draw about what they are familiar with, not abstract stuff.

His teacher thinks nothing of the drawing, but we are very impressed by it. Both Daddy and I are proud. :)

this and that... update

Curious George has been in school for a week (3 days a week). He said it's fun, but one day while getting ready for bed he said no one plays with him. I was a bit worried, but then he went on and said, "All they do is learn about states! and nobody plays!" Aaaah. So much clearer now. For laughs, I mentioned this to his teacher and was told that they do most of their academics in the morning (after starting the day with the pledge of allegiance) and play time after that.

I finally found a doctor here in Texas, and had my first appointment there today. I ended up with a male doctor, because the female doctor wouldn't be available until later. It worked out, since this doctor was pretty nice and talked to me and answered all my questions. I really do have better luck with male doctors. He did mention something new to me. He said that since I am a Strep A carrier (after battling strep throat 4x in 5 months, though we're all hoping it's been eradicated with the 2 strong antibiotics I was put on), I will have to be put on antibiotics while preparing for the c-section. It's not a danger to the baby, unlike Strep B, but the danger is with my incision being infected because of the bacteria. The hospital is right next to the office building, and according to my new doctor, it is a great hospital with a Level III NICU. My girls were born in the hospital with only a Level I.

We also had access to the rental house today. So after driving Curious George to school, the girls and I spent a little time there looking around. The girls liked it, though they kept asking for where the tables and chairs were. :) After we picked up Curious George to school, we spent time there again for him to see it. The house is a small house (definitely too small for all of us though, but big enough for a temporary rental). It has 4 bedrooms; one bedroom for CG, one for the girls, and then master. The 4th will be used as an office/activity/computer room for the kids. There is a small breakfast area, a small kitchen, formal dining room and livingroom with fireplace. The best part is the yard...again, it's not as big as what we used to have, but it's big enough and nice and flat and fenced in. After 4 weeks in the apartment, and no outside space, we're all thankful for the yard!

Our belongings will be delivered to the rental house either on Friday or Saturday. I am hoping for it to be on Friday so that I only have the girls with me, with CG in school. Daddy works on Saturdays. You'd think it'll be easy to just tell people where to place your boxes of junk, but being that I look like I'm 12 months pregnant, it isn't easy. Plus there are little ones afoot that I have to keep from getting trampled. Then we still have to haul our stuff from the apartment to the house. We need to vacate the apartment by Monday.

Oh, and there is a matter of damage charges to the apartment. This is a corporate housing that is fully furnished. But we are responsible for any damage we do it. Thing 1 found a metal toy of CG's and started scratching the LCD flat panel TV with it. I found her doing it too late, so there are a lot of scratches. From what we've been able to search on the internet, scratches on the screen is very expensive. It would be cheaper to buy a new one. So, we are either going to be charged through our butts for it, or we pay for the amount of buying a new one. In any case, it's not going to be cheap.

The girls are now always begging to go to school with their Kuya (or as they pronouce it - "KU-LA"). If we money fell from trees, I would have no issue putting them to school, especially to have them potty trained! Potty training isn't doing well right now. They are both ready, but just refusing to use the potty. Thing 2 especially stays dry for hours, even after a nap. But even if I catch her before she pees, and sit her down on the toilet, she still refuses to use it. ARGH!

Daddy is very busy at work, but he loves it. He leaves at 6:30 in the morning everyday, and doesn't get back home until 6:30, and he works on Saturdays (though shorter hours). I'm just hoping all this hard work pays off and he can take off here and there when necessary after baby is born. Thing 2 asks everyday, at times every few minutes, "Where'd Daddy go?". I answer, "at work." She replies, "at work?". "Yes." Then 3 minutes later, she asks again. Since CG has been in school, she even adds, "Where'd Kula go?"

first day in a new pre-k

Curious Goerge's class start at 8:30. I wanted to be there by 8am today so I had to wake everyone up at 7. While it doesn't sound like a big deal, it's a little early for them. On their own, they don't start waking up until 7:15 to 7:30. So this morning, all we had time for is change clothes and take breakfast with us. We made it out at 7:40 and the GPS said we'd get there by 8. When we got to our exit, there was a police blockage. I exited off the next exit but when we got to the same street, it was closed on the other end. Great. I had to fiddle with the GPS on the go, and didn't think I did it right. By 8:20, we were circling around the school. I knew we were close, but just don't know how to get there. I called the school, but the director was no help. She only knew the way she takes everyday. Gee, thanks. Finally, I drove around and around and got there by 8:30. Our drive should be much shorter once we move to the rental house in a week.

Both of Curious George's teachers are asian. One is half Filipino and half Chinese (though mostly Filipino) and the other is Chinese, I think. They're pretty friendly. They have a field trip to the local library today, so it would be Curious George's first field trip. After chit-chatting with the teachers, we said our goodbyes. I told the boy I'd pick him up later. He asked if I would pick him up after lunch. I said no, I would be picking him up way later, after their nap and more school stuff. To that he replied, "NAP? They take naps?" Yuppers. The girls begged to stay. They find school fun. Unfortunately, we'll have to delay a bit longer for financial reasons...unless Daddy finally wins the lottery.

I forgot write an update on Curious George's liver test. I got a call from the pediatrician on Tuesday saying that his liver functions are normal. Test showed he's had mono before and that something about the test is elevated and he wants a stool sample. I was too elated about the fact that there is nothing wrong with his liver that it took a moment to sink in that I would have to collect poop. Ick. It's not as much yucky, being that I'm still changing 2 poopie butts, but how to collect it? Thanks to a couple of mamas that gave me ideas.

Daddy and I are a little stumped that we had no idea that Curious George has had mono. I Googled mono on kids and said that it's easy to miss because of the cold symptoms, but the fatigue is usually unmistakable because it takes little kids about 2-4 weeks to get over it. There were several weeks in N.C. when it didn't seem to matter that he had a nap everyday, he was still tired all the time. It could have been then. We'll never know. At least now we know. Having had mono himself, Daddy said we'd have to look out for it because once you've had mono, you never get rid of it.

Easter Egg Hunt

The kids were able to participate in 2 Easter Egg hunts; at their grandparents' church and at Curious George's new school.

Thing 2 finds eggs with the help of a lovely young lady.

Thing 1 drops one of her egg while picking up another! Thankfully the boy handed it back to her.

Curious George was Mr. Speedy Gonzalez and was zipping through the grass gathering eggs.

Thing 1 looks for some more.

Time to count the eggs!

Thing 1 realizes that the eggs open and inspects what's inside. Nothing!?

Curious George wins a blue bunny rabbit for coming in 2nd for the most eggs. Notice his 'boy' construction basket.

Note Curious George's very very short hair. He was using a pair of child's scissors cutting up paper by himself when he calls out to me. "Mommy, I cut my hair!" I see him holding a few strands of hair and thought, phew. That's nothing. I wander through the dining room where he was doing his cutting and notice tons of hair on the floor. Oh my! I check to see his head and right on the top is an almost bald spot! Daddy 'tries' to fix it without a razor and let's just say that after 10 minutes, he had to rush to Walmart and get a clipper.

This is Thing 2 hunting for eggs at Curious George's new school.

Thing 1 hunts for eggs with Mommy while Curious George hunts by himself!

After being off school for a month, Curious George had too much energy and not much to do. While here at their Nana's and Papaw's house, Daddy and I have decided he needed to get back to school. We found a great pre-school by a local Baptist church that Curious George now attends 3 days a week for 3 1/2 hours. It's very different from his old school, but at least he is learning and having social time with new friends.

getting adjusted is a slow process

We have now been living with the hubby's parents for exactly a month tomorrow. I've gone back and forth several times to do some cleaning in our house, Curious George has been back once and Daddy and the girls have not been back at all.

The girls, being young, took only a several days to adjust. I think bringing their cribs helped a whole lot. Though they have been moody while I'm gone. I think that at their age as long as Mommy and Daddy are there, they do fine.

Curious George is a different matter altogether. The first week, he was overtired and over stimulated all the time and he was moody because of it. We've kept up with his nap but he still couldn't get adjusted. Finally after a week, it seems we've found the balance of rest and stimulation only to find out a couple of days later that it wasn't the case. He is always 'engaged'.

Last week he started part-time preschool (MWF half days). It gets him back to organized activity but so far it hasn't settled him down. Last week I had to take him back home to attend one of his best friend's party and while home the change in him was instant. He viewed it as a down-time immediately. He played, watched movies and ran errands with me and rested.

He is still tired and now having trouble napping. He is clearly tired at times but still unable to sleep. Because of this, he has been more than a handful since we've been here. Daddy and I don't normally see him this difficult at home unless he hasn't had enough sleep for several days in a row. And I am afraid people are beginning to think he is always a difficult child. He definitely keeps Daddy and I on our toes and keeps us engaged, but he is not this difficult all thr time. He is pretty happy being with his grandparents and able to interact with cousins, he just can't fully rest. His mind is constantly going one hundred miles an hour.

Daddy is still having difficulty finding a job. I am starting to worry how Curious George would fair here and whenever and wherever it is we would be when Daddy finds a new job.

I'm a slacker with an excuse...

I am hoping not to uproot our big family, but it is better to be prepared. The company Daddy works for is not doing well and is in the process of laying off more than one half the work force. It's scary. We seem to be in this pattern of staying in one place for only 4 years. But this time, with three little ones, it won't be so easy. But I am hoping we don't have to do that. But to be prepared, it's time to get rid of some junk we manage to haul from house to house. Only now, we have tons of toys to add to it!

We've entered into a new dimension of parenting with the twins. With the little man the time between 15 months to a little bit after 2 years old were the most difficult and this is true with the girls as well. They are at an age where they want to do what they want to do, and any attempt to stop them ends up in a full body tantrum. With two, it's much more difficult.

The other day, when we dropped Big Bro off to school was especially frustrating. I no longer use the stroller now (I don't know why I make it difficult for myself). Instead, I use harnesses. So I put Thing 1 and Thing 2's harness on. Big Bro wanted to hold one, and he's in a mood where he wasn't going to take no for an answer. So rather than lose it, I let him. So he either pulls or pull Thing 1, making her lose her balance. Finally, I was able to get him to give up. But then there was the Exploration room right when we enter the building. It's a huge play area that everyone passes through to get to the rooms. Why it has to be right there in the middle near the doorways, I don't know. The girls went in two different directions. So there I was being pulled in the middle...and then Thing 1 came falling down, hitting her face on the floor. It wasn't serious, but it was the icing on a cake of a very difficult morning.

Today I decided that I can't handle the stress, so I used the stroller. We all need a little break once in a while.

confessions of a 3-year old

We were eating dinner last night when Matty approached me.

Matty: Mommy, I have to tell you sumfin'. Mommy, I went to quiet mat two times.
Me: You got in trouble twice?
Matty: Yes. I pushed Evan again.
Me: What do you mean again? Did you push him and then you got in throuble?
Matty: Yes.
Me: And did you do it the 2nd time?
Matty: Yes, I did.
Me: *speechless and shaking my head*
Matty: Mommy, it's Ok! It'll be Ok.
Me: You're right. It'll be Ok. Are you going to do it again?
Matty: No, I won't.

I can only hope that it wasn't as bad as it sounded because his teacher didn't talk to me when I picked him up.

UPDATE: I spoke to the teacher when I picked him up the next day to get a little clarification on the story. The teacher said he did push someone but he only did it once. I swear, this boy has a knack for making himself look worse than he is!

Birthday Boy

This was taken as soon as we get home from school. He had been waiting to open his gifts since he woke in the morning, but since we knew he would want to take his presents to school, we didn't let him.

He had birthday party in the afternoon. I brought cup cakes that I ordered from WalMart. It was decorated the same as regular cakes, except they are cupcakes. It worked well for school because we didn't have to cut it up. It was a Cars theme cake. I also brought vanilla ice cream and cookies. We all sang to him and he blew out his candles and they all ate quietly! After everything was cleaned up, I put Cars tattoo on everyone. I was worried that only the boys would like it but the girls liked it too. I had party bags for everyone that were there, full of everything Cars of course.

When we got home, he was finally given his gifts. He got everything Cars from his Nana and Papaw and I got him a toy vacuum (this one was overdue since I promised it to him one day when I went to the store by myself, but the store was out of stock!). Daddy got him a military helicopter with a motorcyle (we had to get rid of the guns) and his sisters got him Tonka service vehicles. They were all a hit with him!!

But with me being stressed out trying to get everything for the party at school on time, that when I got there, I forgot to take pictures. Bad mommy!!

It's Time for Obedience Training

When dogs have behavioral problems, a great answer is to take them for obedience training. Do you think it works with toddlers?

Matty bit two kids in his class today. He told me about it as soon as I walked in when I picked him up. The teacher was quite amused that he was telling on himself. Oh, but I wasn't amused.

According to the teacher, Matty bit someone out of frustration this morning. But since it was out of character for him (everyone at school loves him for being such the model student), she let it go. But not 15 minutes before I picked him up, he apparently bit another kid. He didn't bite hard, thank goodness. Though I am trying to mentally prepare myself to be ambushed in the parking lot by a couple parents.

So I had a calm talk with him all the way home. Then somewhere between the school and our house, I thought there should be a punishment. I told him TV and video games aren't allowed this evening. Then the crying and the hollering and the "I want my Daddy" started.

He is probably too young for the punishment, and the punishment doesn't quite fit the crime (I'm all for natural consequences) but I couldn't think of anything else at the moment. I mean, what's the natural consequence for biting someone? Help me out, in case it happens again. Though I doubt that it would. I'm pretty good at scaring the bajeezuz out of someone.

It was 70F Outside!

On Tuesday, it was 70 F. Yup. It's like summer! So I took the girls out for a walk in their stroller for the first time!

I thought they would end up flopping around from side to side, but apprently, they have grown bigger from the time they were born 8 months ago. How did that happen?! They fit in the stroller perfectly and enjoyed the warm windy day.

But before we even left the driveway, I get a call on my cell phone from the preschool.

School: Matty had an accident.

Me: (the word "accident" conjured up all sorts of bad images, but I tried not to freak out) Is he OK?

School: They were in the playground and he tripped over his own feet and hit his head on the playground stairs. He has a good size knot on his forehead.

Me: IS HE OK? Is he still crying? Is he confused?

School: He's not crying anymore. We gave him ice and he's behaving just fine. I just wanted to let you know.

I called the husband since he got off of work early today and was going to pick up our son. I told him Matty had just fallen and hit his head and has a good size knot on his forehead.

The picture in my head came nowhere near the real thing. It was a like a head growing out of his forehead. This picture was actually taken the day after, so it had already shrunk.