Long weekend

It's the Friday before a long weekend. Cal doesn't have school as the teachers use the day for a full cleaning/ organization as well as training. So Cal is happy at home today.

Today was a free dress day at school. But I didn't get a picture of her because I was too focused on talking to her teacher before school.

Also today I have my daughter cash to buy lunch in the cafeteria as it is pizza day. She is super excited. Apparently it's not the first time she has bought lunch (although she had taken a lunch she didn't eat it). I know the cafeteria is a new novelty...but this kid is kinda obsessed with it.

I can feel a tooth starting to poke out in Cals lower gums. Also he is a good enough sitter that today I sat him up and walked away for a minute...and he didn't fall or anything!







Boys and their gadgets...

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Mommy called the doctor and the doctor said...

So yeah I went to the doctor yesterday as I have had an ongoing headcold for over a month and convinced I have a sinus infection. What did the doctor tell me...whatever I have is it likely not bacteria (so no antibiotic) and probably viral, but the real issue is I'm stressed. If I could relax then this whole thing would go away and my body could recover. I laughed. I told her I had two kids, work full time, one just started kindergarten, we just got over hand-foot-mouth, blah blah blah. But I did at least get some cream to help my poor psoriasis elbow and finally got an Epi-pen for my bee allergy.

No tears at school today. E told Nick that she got to sit at the table with her friends yesterday. And no trips to the nurse. But she also said that she bought lunch and ate her lunch as snack after school. We aren't sure what happened as she had no money for lunch and a lunch in her backpack. I promised her she can buy lunch tomorrow (pizza day!).

At the playground she just had to stand still and like moths to a flame kids came running to see her. Two friends she seemed excited to see and brought them over to meet Cal. Turns out both will be older siblings (for the first time) in about a month or so.




Cal is such a happy kid. Really he is. Today at school he was so excited to see toys and friends and SIT! I tried to get him to look at the camera, but the toys were just so much more exciting! And today is pajama day at his school.














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Peacocks, tears, and nursery rhymes

Well, when we were leaving our neighbors were all out taking pictures of the flock of peacocks walking in all of our yards. It was quite exciting. I joked with our neighbor once we were both at school and I saw her at the playground that instagramming peacocks in your yard was an excusable tardy. The kids were all so excited, well Cal wasn't that excited by them but he was excited by his hands! Ah, to be 5 mo old...










Ellie...she was not happy to I to school and there were tears. She said she doesn't like homework, but I don't know if she understands exactly what homework means...only work done outside of school. She said that all her work was hard. She also told me that she had to read a chapter book and use the computer while everyone else in the class played. She also said she doesn't sit at the table with her friends but at her own desk because she does different work...I need to get to the bottom if what is going on. But it sounds like the teacher is giving her work that is challenging her (as opposed to what the other kids are doing "easy" work like practicing writing and working on phonics) but she has been labeled and maybe a little bit ostracized. We will get this figured out.

Cal...he was a happy little man at daycare. He joined his friends (sitting with a spotting hand from a teacher) in singing some nursery rhymes which he LOVED.









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Homework

Yesterday E brought home homework and immediately declared she didn't like it. Of course she set herself up at her newly organized desk and completed it with relatively minimal whining. Her after school program is supposed to help them with their homework so we shall see how today goes. She gets a packet of some workbook pages and has to complete it by Friday with recommended pages to be done on certain days. Last night she had to draw pictures of something that started with A (she drew and airplane at an airport headed to Antarctica), a mini book report (read and draw what the book is about) and some other coloring and practicing of the letter A.









Now I know I married a Cubs superfan, we now have a son, and We own Cubs season tickets...but Cals outfit today (randomly grabbed out of the drawer) was a little much for me.






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Reset

Last week was a bust. It was long and miserable and everyone was sick. Cal had a fever of 103 on Monday night and ended up getting diagnosed with hand-foot-mouth with an ear infection on Wednesday. On Wednesday night Ellie had a fever of 103+ and got diagnosed with the same thing (sans ear infection) on Thursday. So Cal missed 4 days and Ellie missed 2 days if school.

Thankfully Grandma Pam was available and came down to help out Wednesday afternoon and stayed until Saturday morning. Having her down made everyone's life easier. I didn't have to take more time off work. Nick had some rest time in the afternoon. We barely survived the week with her, I know we wouldn't have without her. And she cleaned! So big shout out to Grandma Pam and her help last week.

So today was like hitting the reset, starting over. Both kids went to school, I'm at work, I think everyone (except me, I have a continual headcold and maybe a sinus infection) is well.

However, this morning all E wanted to do was play on the playground before the bell. But...I made her sit and finish her breakfast and then I made her use the bathroom and she didn't have anytime to play before school started. I did see her teacher and tell her that E was sick and hopefully she didn't miss anything. She was nice and said, that she didn't really miss anything just more getting to know you stuff and that today was the first day of homework.






Everyone was happy to see Cal and Cal was happy to see his teachers and friends. The little man is teething so I told them that he is drooling up a storm but feeling better.






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Kindergarten work and the downside of daycare

The following two pictures are of work E has brought home from kindergarten. Obviously they are working on the letter A.







Cal is sick. We spent the morning at the doctors office. The little man had an ear infection and a mild case of hand-foot-mouth disease. While it sucks to have a baby that isn't sleeping well and having a fever and can't go to daycare, it's a fact of life we knew and accepted when we put him in daycare.









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The second day

For all those people that talk about the first day of school being tough...they forget to tell you about the second day. She stayed up too late last night. She woke up a little nervous knowing what she was getting into at school. She was very hungry but she nervous to eat. She didn't want to wear the clothes she had set out. It was tough.

But we made it out the door with her eating a muffin. When we got to school she immediately saw some new friends and ran over to say hi and play. As soon as another new friend arrived she would run over to them and invite them to play. So I think she's adjusting. The playground water fountain was also pretty awesome and she wanted me to see it.













When the bell rang she found her teacher and walked in with her class.



Calvin...poor baby. When I picked him up yesterday he felt a little warm. When we got home and took his temp it was 103. So we immediately called the doctor who told us to watch him and give him Tylenol. He didn't have any other symptoms. He didn't sleep well, but the fever broke around 3am. In currently snuggling with him as I didn't want to send him to daycare. He is sleeping well in my arms. He's a little cranky but no more temp. We will keep an eye on him. If the temp stays away he will go to daycare tomorrow.


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Ellie's First Day of School

Today Ellie started kindergarten at Daniel Webster Elementary School in Pasadena. This is our neighborhood school and within walking distance. We spent the weekend getting ready: hanging her uniforms up, washing her new lunchbox and new Tupperware containers for her lunch, talking about school, etc. she helped me pack her lunch last night as well.

First thing this morning she was a little nervous and apprehensive saying she wanted to go back to Meher. But I told her she couldn't that she was in kindergarten at Webster now and had to go there. But as soon as she had her uniform on and saw her backpack by the door she got really really excited. We left early, around 7:20 to have time for pictures before the bell rang at 7:50. I wanted to get a picture of her with Cal, but he had a major spitup all over his outfit and we didn't have time to change and Ellie didn't want spitup on her dress. I have more photos on the camera so you will just have to enjoy the photos I (and Nick) took with our phones here.





















And yes, as Nick likes to point out, you may recognize her school as the school Bradley Cooper teaches at in The Hangover. It's also heavily utilized in the Changling (an Angelina Jolie movie) but I've never seen the movie.



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The last last day

Today was Ellies last, last day at Meher. It was the last time we would have that 7 minutes in the car to chit chat and call out the "baby house" as I drove her to school. It was the last time I would sign her in. It was the last time she would use her flower/insect lunchbox (that she has had since she was like 2). It was the last time she would go to school with her friends from Meher. Nick picked her up this afternoon and said she cried as she hugged teachers and all the way home.



Monday she starts kindergarten!

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The tooth fairy

So Ellie is almost back to 100%. She had an all soft food lunch ( yogurt, applesauce, pudding, and jello) which she was looking forward to. She told me the tire swing might be too rough and she could fall and hit her lip, so she wasn't going to play on it. Nick and Ellie went to a play date this afternoon. So yeah, she's recovering well.

What didn't go well...the tooth fairy. Ellie asked if the tooth fairy would come even though she had her tooth removed. We thought she would. She was so excited and wrote a note asking for an "Elsa clip on doll". We knew exactly what she wanted...her friend got one when she lost a tooth (complete with elaborate wrapping and tooth fairy dust...which was not happening). But the tooth fairy brought two surprise Playmobil characters for her. Well this made her angry this morning. She was pissed. Like arms crossed, pouting, tears, hating on a fairy pissed. Eventually she calmed down and realized that she loves Playmobil and these characters were awesome. She wanted to take her tooth fairy bounty to school and I let her... It's August daycare/camp...not really school.



And a picture of a chubby sleeping baby.



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Normal number of teeth

Today was Ellies surgery to remove her extra tooth. It went well and the fact that she is dancing in the living room lets me know she is almost back to normal.



We arrived at the oral surgeons office around 8:20. By 8:35 she was checked in, we'd talked with the doctor and she'd been given a drink/medicine to make her tired and loopy. At around 9 the medicine had fully kicked in and she was taken to the surgery room (we went with her). Red blankie and baby sister stayed with her. She was given nitride-oxide and they used novacane to numb her mouth. At 9:15 we got the all clear, the tooth was out, and she was recovering. We were home by 10:00. She promptly set herself up on the couch, we put on Frozen and she fell asleep.



She apparently was awake during the procedure and told us she got three shots but didn't feel anything. We got the tooth. She asked on the way home if the tooth fairy was coming tonight.

She spent the day on the couch watching Frozen, Mulan, Wreck-it Ralph, and Frozen eating applesauce, jello, pudding and yogurt.

Tomorrow she is allowed to start some normal foods but slowly. She will be going to school, which she is happy about.

Time for a little Tylenol and brushing teeth gently before bed.

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Tomorrow is the day

Tomorrow Ellie will have surgery to remove her extra tooth/fang thing. It's going to be first thing in the morning with just enough time to take Cal to daycare. And Susie leaves tomorrow afternoon.

Today Susie, Nick, and Calvin went to visit Big Cousin Jimmy. Seems like they all had a good time.









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Aunt Susie the nanny

Today Susie is reprising her role of nanny. If you will recall she watched Ellie when she was this age back when we lived in Boston during Ellies first summer.

It has been over two weeks since I have taken both kids to school/camp/daycare. Only dropping off one kid in the morning makes my mornings much easier and I get to work pretty early.

This weekend was spent having quality time with Susie whether that be hiking (and avoiding bears), making gnocchi, eating crepes, playing at the playground, getting pedicures, or posing Cal for his 5mo photo shoot.
























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