A New School for Aidan

I've mentioned a couple times recently that Aidan has started a new preschool. I thought I should finally discuss this change and my reason for making it. It's been no secret that I've never been entirely happy with the preschool I had been sending Aidan to. There were a few requirements that Julien and I had as far as what type of school we were comfortable sending Aidan to and we also had a certain budget. When you combine the two you're left with only a few options where we are. When I first toured schools I toured a Montessori school nearby. I loved that place. The teachers were so friendly to Aidan and as a Montessori school, I knew they would be respectful of his learning style. Definitely my first choice. However, we just didn't have $350+ a month for a part-time spot. I was very disappointed and I realized that I might end up settling for a place that I could afford but wouldn't whole-heartedly like. To be honest, I've struggled with that the entire time Aidan was in his previous preschool, although I did my best to encourage Aidan to make friends and give his teachers a chance. Aidan started November 2009 and finished out the school year and then returned the end of August 2010 for the start of this school year. It became apparent to me quickly that Aidan wasn't happy with my choice either. Aidan wouldn't bother learning his teacher's names or a majority of the kids' names. He would tell me that he didn't like his teachers or that they were mean. (Well, two of them were. He was ok with one teacher who he didn't see often.) Even on trips to my mom's house he would tell her the same thing. She commented to me after a visit up that she hadn't even asked him when he volunteered that he didn't like his teachers. Other things bothered me though. A lot of the time I had to pry out of him what they did that day. And as the teachers never told you what they did each day, you received a newsletter that would tell you what they would be doing for the month, his report would be the only one I would have. I'm not not sure what he was doing there. Did he write his name on his own cause he brought home papers that looked like he might have. I just don't know. Even more importantly, I wasn't a fan of how the teacher would approach concerns with me. One day as I was leaving with Aidan, Olivia crawling over my shoulder, and his papers in my hands, the teacher stops me briefly and says "Aidan needs to work on his numbers." And that was it. As quick as she had said it she was on to something else. It was so abrupt that I think I squeaked out some reply to the effect that we were doing that at home already but I didn't even process what she had said until I got to the car. The more I thought about it the more I upset I got. Now understand, I've done this job. At the daycare when parents picked up their child/children I was the one who filled them in about their child's day. I understand how important parent communication is and that, as the teacher, rapport with the parent is critical to ensuring success for that child in the classroom. So please don't that think I'm being unfair or that I don't know what it's like. This is just not the way you communicate with parents. I had no real information about what was wrong, what had made her say that, or what exactly I was supposed to be working on at home. The thing that upset me most was the feeling like I had no opportunity to respond. I had totally fallen flat. So, I went home feeling like I was failing my child but not entirely sure how and pissed at his school, a school may I remind you, that was my second choice. After a couple days I let that go. Then came the Christmas party. I was sure Aidan would be excited and have a good time. He did at last year's party. He's usually a party kind of guy. We arrived, walked in the door.....and Aidan clung to me like never before. He didn't want to sing, he didn't want to play games, and he most definitely didn't want to see Santa! In fact, he had a breakdown that led to tears. You know, the inconsolable kind. Suddenly, I could feel every parent in the room slowly turn to look at me and my screaming child. In that moment I thought, "Oh no, I'm that parent with that kid right now." I didn't feel like fighting because a party shouldn't have to be a fight. So, I excused us and explained we had another party to go to (which we did for playgroup) and we got out of there as fast as possible. By the time we got to playgroup, Aidan had calmed down and had a great time. (In fact, on the way over he told me that he didn't like parties with teachers at them.) I was fed up. I walked in, said hello to all my mommy friends, and promptly asked my friend Rachel if there was a spot open at her daughter's school. Rachel doesn't live far from me, so when we had discussed preschool over the summer we had talked about how difficult it was to find something close to home. She had found a nice place not far from us but was very small and usually had a waiting list. Rachel was lucky enough to get her daughter a spot this year and had encouraged me to try to get Aidan in too. I still regret not following her suggestion. Well, someone must have been looking out for me and my sanity because, sure enough, one had just opened up. My friend texted the teacher right then and there to let her know I was interested and by the end of the day I had pretty much secured the spot for Aidan. We went to tour the class right around New Years and the first week of January Aidan started at his new school. If there was any doubt in my mind about moving him, the director of his old school removed it when I called to give our mandatory one month notice. (As in the handbook, I was going to ask if we could do two weeks instead.) She told me good luck, we won't charge you tuition for January, and he doesn't need to come back. Now, I had planned to take him and let him say goodbye, maybe take some treats for his last day, and talk to the teachers myself. Apparently, she saw no need for closure. I felt like she should have ended the call with "and don't let the door hit you on the way out" but Julien says I was being too sensitive, that either she could fill the spot immediately or she was trying to help us out so we wouldn't have to write two tuition checks. I suppose that could be but it cemented my opinion of the place. They did ask me to come by to pick up his allergy medicine and to get his portfolio of work. When I did, I received an icy reception and it took three minutes to get Aidan to leave the doorway and into the actual room. The teacher told me that she didn't think Aidan was "progressing from the previous year." At home I read the teacher's observations in the portfolio and was surprised by what I read. She painted this picture of a shy kid who played alone mostly, and when he did play with others it was with kids he never talked about. Not to mention they weren't the kids he would play with when I dropped him off or the kids he would say bye to when I picked him up. The kid she described didn't sound much like my son at all. To this day I wonder what was really going on when he was there. Since we've switched I've seen a wonderful change in Aidan. By the end of his first week at his new school, I had received more meaningful communication from his new teacher than I had received from his old teachers all year. Aidan also went to school with a smile on his face and told me his teacher was nice. There was also something he said while at school that caught the attention of his teacher, Ms. Kathy. One morning the kids were playing on the floor with blocks and Ms. Kathy got down and was playing with them. I guess Aidan asked the kids, "Your teacher plays on the floor with you?" Like he had never seen it done before. I think for both Ms. Kathy and I, that spoke volumes. In the month that Aidan had been at his new school he's already shown progress. He now can write his whole name with the letters facing the right direction (most of the time), he's counting on his own a lot and he's counting higher, he's writing more letters, and he enjoys going to school. In four classes he has counted higher and identified more letters than in the observations from his old school state he could. It's nice to hear from him that his teacher is nice and that he notices when Cole or Chase isn't at school. (Or that he knows all the other boys' names and the names of almost all the girls too.) I think he's found an environment where he's comfortable and a teacher that supports his learning and makes it fun. Now, he didn't go very much in January. Between being sick and all the snow days they had, he missed a lot. But, as we were heading back for the first day back in two weeks, Aidan held my hand walking to the classroom door and told me, "Mom, it's good to be back." Yes Aidan, it is.


Side Note: I'm so glad that I decided to find a different school for Aidan. It's been said that Aidan is going to have teachers he doesn't like or get along with and he won't always be able to get out of their class. And that's true. But we'll deal with that when we get to it. At his age I still have control over where he goes. And if he's not in a school that's a good fit for him and doesn't encourage his learning, why would I leave him there? He still has the chance to love school, or at least like it enough to tolerate it, and I want to give him every chance in the world to keep that feeling.

Happy New Year.....a little late.

Boy, it's been awhile. I don't know why I can't seem to get back here more often. We had a very Merry Christmas and a fun New Year's Eve. Santa was very good to us this year. He was so good to the kids that we now need to go through and purge some of the old toys. There are so many that it's overwhelming. Thank goodness I have another consignment sale coming in April. New Year's was also a lot of fun for us. The neighbors got together and celebrated and played Just Dance on the Wii. We have some interesting pics of Julien "dancing". But the kids loved that he would play it with them when some of the other adults weren't as keen on the idea. Maybe it was all the "liquid courage" he had. :)

We have made some resolutions for 2011. As a family we would like to pay off our debt. This is an ambitious goal but if we get creative, I think we can put a large dent in it. This isn't going to be easy. However, we are pretty determined to tackle this one. So far, we've been pretty good about sticking to the budget and have made adjustments as needed. The Civic needed its timing belt changed and we had to fix the oven so there have been some bumps in the road already but, there will always be those kinds of things and you have to roll with the punches. Luckily, we were able to use a coupon for the car work and Julien ordered the oven part and fixed it himself. (He's gotten really handy.)

Aidan started a new preschool in January and then, due to illness and weather, has only been 4 days. In fact, they were off all this week. I can't wait for him to go back. He's been home far too much this month. Mommy needs a break. :) He likes it there too. In fact, the last day he actually had school I went to tell him goodbye and he said "You can go Mommy. I have fun here." It was nice to hear.

A Big Week for Aidan

This week brought us two big events. First, Aidan returned to preschool. He's attending the same preschool as last year, although quite a few of his friends from last year are gone or attending opposite days. The morning of school, Aidan put on his new clothes and shoes and begrudgingly allowed me to take pictures. Then in the car and off to school. When we arrived, he instantly fell back into the routine. He walked right over to an empty basket, dropped off his backpack (they use laundry baskets as cubbies for the kids), took a box of toys off the shelf and started playing. He wasn't big on goodbyes last year and so far this is proving to be true this year as well. I could walk out without saying a word and he'd never notice. Olivia would love to stay and play with him though. She was very excited by all the kids and toys. When I came back later to pick him up they were still in circle time singing. So I peeked through the window in the door to see how he was doing. He was smiling, singing "The Wheels on the Bus" and doing the hand motions. You could certainly spot the returning kids from the new ones but, I'm sure they'll become comfortable before long. Aidan was happy to see me when I went in to get him and came home in a great mood. He even played WITH his sister when he got home. I was very happy his first day was a good one and I hope this year proves to be a great one with filled with lots of learning and growing.

The other big event this week was Aidan's consultation appointment with a pediatric surgeon. We noticed two weeks ago that "something" didn't look right "down there" on Aidan. He would get swelling and it would be sore. We thought there was a good chance it was a hernia and took him to the pediatrician, who confirmed our fears. She referred us to the surgeon who had operated on her daughter last year for a hernia. I figured, if he's good enough for a pediatrician's kid, then he's good enough for us. :) The pediatrician's office called and scheduled our consultation for us, which happened to fall during a business trip for Julien. Needless to say, Julien was very disappointed that he wouldn't be able to go but, this was the only time we could meet the actual surgeon and not a Fellow. Sorry, but I'm picky. I want to meet the guy who will be responsible for my son in the OR, even if it's outpatient and a relatively minor procedure. So, yesterday Aidan and I went off to the children's hospital to meet the doctor. (Big thanks to my friend Sam who watched Olivia for me. I know she slept the whole time I was gone and not hard to watch but it was a great relief not to have to worry about taking her with me. It was greatly appreciated.) The doctor was very nice and kept things short, sweet and to the point. He told me that the tube that the testicle descends down is supposed to close on its own but in this cause did not. The other side is fine and, once this is taken care of, will never be a problem again for him. It's a short, outpatient procedure that requires no pre-op appointments and only one post-op check. The doctor said Aidan will be back up and running a couple days after the surgery and we can even wait until after his birthday if we want to. Apparently this is more common than I thought. The intern with him said they do 10 of these a week. Wow! So after that appointment I felt better. I spent some time talking with my friend Sam too as two of her children have gone through surgery here in St. Louis. She told me the procedure for knocking the kids out and what the day of surgery would be like and that relieved a lot of my anxieties. I was worried about Aidan having to be stuck with needles. It was a great relief to know that wouldn't happen until after he was out completely. In the end, this will be harder for Julien and I than him. He won't remember anything due to the anesthesia. In a week they will call and schedule this surgery. In the meantime, I'm trying to prepare Aidan without freaking him out. They gave me a list of books to read to him and they even do hospital tours. It'll be scary for him but I hope we can at least take some of mystery out of it for him. It always helps to know what to expect.

May Recap

It seems I've been neglecting my blog. I do try to keep it up to date but when I get the opportunity to actually type something uninterrupted, I usually find that I have no energy or inspiration. So I'm taking a moment to recap the month of May.May brought us the close of Aidan's first year of preschool. It's hard to believe that the school year is over already! We made little candy bouquets for his teachers. I'm not very crafty but I try hard and they seemed to like them.
Aidan had fun with his classmates at the end of year picnic. We had a minor "peanut" incident involving a contraband dessert a parent brought. Don't worry, Aidan didn't get sick. The teachers got all panicked when they realized there was peanut butter in it (which I appreciate) but I realized that I will be "that parent" as long as Aidan's allergic to them.
Right after I picked Aidan up from his last day, we took off for Iowa and my niece Liz's High School graduation. Aidan had a great time playing with the cousins at their house during the graduation party. And we couldn't be more proud of Liz. Congrats on your Academic letter too! After the graduation ceremony we had to take off for Des Moines. Julien's parents needed help repairing their fence. Two new 4x4 fence posts and 32 fence boards later, Julien and I were done. It will look really sharp when it's all painted.
We spent Memorial Day weekend at home. Aidan went to the birthday party of a playgroup friend. Julien cleaned out the garage and built shelving for it. It looks great! Then yesterday was our anniversary but that's another post. This summer we have a lot planned. The grading work in the backyard might get started this weekend but I have a feeling the weather is going to get in the way. Julien and I have a trip to San Diego coming up. Yes, kid free! Then Olivia's party is coming up soon. I'm busy planning that now. And then as soon as we have her party, I'll have to plan Aidan's. Then it will be fall. This summer is going to fly by and it just started!

Back to Normal

You'll all be happy to know that everyone is now well in the Ross-Boon house! :) Olivia was the last one to fully recover. Everyone has returned to school and work, life has returned to normal. Thank goodness.

Aidan has been doing great at preschool. Every week he brings home a "letter page" where he traces the letter of the week. I've noticed a real improvement lately. His Vs and Ws were really good. It's amazing to see the pieces start to come together for him. He has a lot going on this month at preschool too. We have Easter parties and parent events for preschool and playgroup coming up. And St. Patty's day too. Can't wait for that! I'm already planning my annual St. Patty's day feast! Corned Beef, cabbage, carrots and parsnips, potatoes, and soda bread. Yum! Then we have my Dad's retirement coming up and a trip up to see them hopefully sometime soon. So lots going on. Thank goodness we're all well now so we can get started.

Olivia is feeling better. So good in fact, that at 5:45 this morning I was woken by the sound of her babbling loudly to herself. And I mean LOUDLY. Even when I eventually took her downstairs, she was so loud that Julien could hear her up in our room. She has definitely found her voice. She's also getting close to going from laying down to sitting up all by herself. She also gets up on her hands and knees while in her crib, but for some reason, not any other time. I imagine it won't be long before I see her doing that everywhere. I got the convertible car seat out and cleaned the cover up. I can't wait to get her in it and be done with the pumpkin seat forever. :)

We're also anxiously awaiting the arrival of spring and warm weather! I have so many plans for the yard and flowers again. I still have to get and transplant my Grandmother's flowers. Julien has plans for the backyard again so more grading and mess. I'm still hoping a playset will appear in my backyard something this summer too. Even if the patio waits until next year, which it probably will, the playset would be a huge help. I can't wait to get started on it all. Come on warm weather! We're ready!

Preschool, Playgroup and the Dentist

The last couple weeks have been all about the dentist, preschool and playgroup. After 3 years, I finally was forced to go back to the dentist. (Not my favorite place in the world.) I was having some sensitivity and knew if I didn't take care of it, I'd end up really regretting it. So, this week I went back to start all the work that needs to be done. Besides having cavities, all my old fillings are coming apart and need to be replaced. Fun! My friend Catie was nice enough to agree to watch the kids for me. Aidan was happy to have her daughter Clarissa to play with. After over 90 minutes in the chair and 3 attempts to numb my teeth, I was done with phase 1. I go back in 2 weeks for a crown and more work. Then one more appointment after that. Hopefully I won't max out my insurance before then.

Today was Aidan's first preschool conference. Julien and I dropped Aidan off together, which Aidan liked the novelty of, then went to meet with his teacher. She didn't have a lot to say cause he hasn't been there all year. But, he plays well with the other kids, behaves well in class, likes the dolls and dollhouses just like the other boys do :), is independent with all his bathroom skills. He's trying to trace letters on letter worksheets which his teacher was really happy with as it's skill that's a little beyond a three year old. But, she was impressed by his fine motor skills. So, no complaints. She suggested that we let him dress himself from now on to encourage independence and since he has the skills to do it. (Just not the patience.) She said to continue working with him on his letters, numbers, etc but do it in a sneaky way since he doesn't like to sit and do it. It feels like work to him and work is not fun. :) After the conference we came back for a parent-child pizza party, then home.

We've been trying to get to more playgroup events. It's hard with Olivia's schedule and Aidan in preschool. So we hosted on Monday. A few of our friends were able to come over and make a snowman craft, play and have lunch. And of course, us moms were able to get some social time in too. I love hanging out with my playgroup mommas! It's reassuring to know you aren't the only one having problems with getting kids to sleep or finding the perfect preschool.

As for kids sleeping, Olivia is finally napping on a schedule and for up to 2 hours at a time! Hallelujah! She isn't on schedule like Aidan was nor does she have the natural rhythm to follow like he did but, we're working on it and seeing improvement. She still cries at bedtime and naptime. Now it's about losing the pacifier just as much as about going to bed. Although I think she will always fight going to sleep. She's eating more baby food too. She loves sweet potato, squash, avocado and cereal. I think she looks forward to eating at dinnertime. I got out my baby food maker and tried it out with some squash. Holy moley, that thing is awesome! Wish I had it when Aidan was a baby. It was so easy to use and blended it so well. Much better than my blender for sure! My goal with Olivia is to make all her baby food and so far I've only bought her cereal. I really hope I can keep it up. I have a bunch of squash and sweet potatoes in the freezer and hope to add some more to it in the next week or so. Not sure what to have her try next. Maybe some peas or at least something that isn't orange. She's had a lot of orange. :)

Aidan's Preschool Party

Aidan's preschool class carolled in the halls, made ornaments, saw Santa again, and got presents from the teachers. They also gave us parents calendars they had made using hand prints. Really cute! Aidan did a good job but he was ready to go home. Olivia was very good and looked so cute. Enjoy the video and pics!

Ross-Boon Kid Update!

Thought it was time for a quick update on the Ross-Boon children. I also sent this out as an email so, if you have read this before, please humor me. Olivia just had her 4 month appointment this week. It blows my mind that she's 4 months already. Where did my newborn go? Although since she's not sleeping through the night yet, she's still a newborn in my mind in some ways. I am really looking forward to sleeping again someday. Anyway, Olivia and I went to the doctor while Aidan was at preschool. It was so nice just to have one with me for this. Especially since Olivia was asleep until I had to undress her. I hardly knew what to do with myself. Right now Olivia measures 15 lb 7 oz and 26 inches. She's gained over 3 pounds and 3 1/2" in two months. Wow! I knew she had grown a lot but that's impressive. The doctor said she thought the length measurement must have been off last time. I didn't have the heart to tell her that she was the one who measured Olivia last time. Overall, Olivia is doing great and the doctor was pleased with her. She rolled back to tummy the day before her appointment and hasn't stopped since. She's also working on her two bottom teeth. She started cereal after her doctor's appointment. She's still in the stage of playing with it and pushing it out of her mouth but she seems to like it. I'm sure she'll be enjoying her food before too long. Her hair is getting long now too. I have to brush it behind her ears or it sticks out. She has the biggest smile and loves to watch her brother. And brother loves to be involved in whatever she's doing too. She also has big smiles for Daddy. She loves her Daddy. He usually puts her to bed and I can tell she prefers him to. She's gotten into her toys too. She loves stuffed animals and she loves anything she can grab and stuff in her mouth. Our neighbors got her her own Tigger and Aidan was convinced she needed to be playing with it. So that's been a popular toy lately.

As for Aidan, it's been a busy month for him. It's been about a month since he started preschool. He seems to really like it and to be doing well. He's come home with a couple Good Listener awards and one Cooperation award. He tells me that he doesn't know the names of his teachers or classmates yet which is a little weird, but he can tell you what they did in school each day. He never cries when I leave him. In fact he'd prefer if I left quickly and without a fuss. He also tells me most mornings that he wants to go in their potty and not ours, which was one of my concerns so it seems that worked itself out. Next week the pool reopens and they will start going once a week. Aidan's a little nervous about it but we've talked it out. I had to explain what a lifeguard was which was funny. Hopefully that and the excitement of wearing new Spiderman swim trunks will put his mind at ease and he'll enjoy it. The pool only has a foot of water, maybe two. In the end, not so scary. We go on our first field trip tomorrow to see Santa at the Oakland House in Afton. It isn't stroller friendly and I have to take Olivia with so this should be fun. Lately, Aidan has been into dragons and caves. It was all he wanted to do last week and everyone took their turn helping him build a cave. He's also into using scissors and is doing pretty good with them too. He's looking forward to Christmas this year. It's amazing how much he understands. He knows about Santa and has asked for a crane from him. Which, was no easy feat to pull off. After about a week or so, I finally I found the one Aidan wanted back in stock online and for a good deal. It showed up yesterday and I rushed to hide it from him. That's new this year too. Having to hide presents. As my kids become smarter I'm forced to become more clever. Let's hope I can keep up. :) I think Aidan has gone through not just a mental growth spurt but a physical one again too. He's starting to fit size 4 shirts, not 4T. And 3T pants are getting small. We don't do small kids in this house I guess. Adrian and I kept talking about how big Aidan was now and how big he's going to be. He looks so much more grown up too. His face is changing and become more grown and it's only going to get worse. It makes me a little sad to think about the little guy he started out as. One night not that long ago, I told him something my mom told me right before I got married. I told him, "No matter how old you get, you will always be my baby." He promptly replied, "Mommy I'm not a baby!" Which is true, he's far from it now. But, he and Olivia will always be Mommy's babies, no matter how big they get or how fast the time flies by.

Ferber Method, Night 3

Last night was night #3 for the Ferber method. Olivia fussed a little longer than the night before but, it's only a matter of time before she doesn't put up a fight. She got up often last night again. I'm really hoping that changes soon. Aidan got up twice to go potty last night. As annoying as that was, I was glad he got up and didn't end up wetting the bed. With all the getting up, I was glad that I went to bed early last night. The extra hour and a half really helped today. I was able to start cleaning the house. Adrian gets in Saturday. We are all super excited about that. And Nana and Grandpa get in early next week. Lots to do to get ready for Thanksgiving. It'll be a busy week! Aidan continues to love preschool. He has no problem leaving me in the morning and he's always happy to see me when I come to pick him up. Today he came home with a turkey they made out of foam shapes and pom poms. Very cute. Tomorrow is a playgroup day and we are going bowling. Should be interesting! Well, better go finish cleaning up. Yoga class is tonight! Yay for yoga class!

A Very Challenging Week

This week has proven to be a difficult one. Anyone who's talked to me this week or read my Facebook posts knows I've been a eensy bit stressed. It all started with the fabulous idea to go paint pottery with Aidan. So what does he do? He throws a fit getting into the car because we weren't going to school that day. So the errands I was going to run on the way to the pottery place got put on hold as I drove out of the way so Aidan could see his school. When we got to the pottery place after a lot of crying and whining, it was closed. So frustrating. So, back home we go with nothing accomplished and half the day wasted. We get out of the car to hear a strange hissing noise that after talking with my dad, seems to be the a/c condenser or the hoses for it leaking. Great. I make an appointment to take the car in on Thursday. The next day was Wednesday and Aidan's first day of preschool. Julien woke up with a sore throat and ended up at the doctor's while I took Aidan to school. Julien came home with antibiotics and strep throat. He was so sick that he was home for 2 days. Wednesday afternoon we had plans to go try the pottery place again with our friends Catie and Clarissa from playgroup. Well, Clarissa woke up with a fever and hives so once again the pottery was a no go. Which was for the best anyway since Aidan threw a huge fit leaving preschool and was tired. That night wasn't much better. In between getting up with Olivia, Aidan cried for me as he had wet the bed. So, I got him cleaned up and changed his sheets. Thursday our neighbor Mike helped me drop off the van. If the a/c condenser was the problem it would be covered under the extended service plan we bought and we could get a rental too. Great, the first thing to look up this week. I go out to find Mike and Aidan (Aidan rode with him in the truck there.) What is Aidan doing but throwing a huge fit cause he can't play in the kids' room there. Really Aidan? So, I promise some outside time and the fit subsides. I wait at home to hear about the van and take a walk with the kids. I get the call and it's not good news. It is the condenser but it looks like a rock hit it and that's not covered. Oh and that will be $870 by the way. Did you hear that thump? That was me hitting the floor. So I tell them to order the part since they don't have one but I will call back about the van. I have a complete heart attack and then call Julien. Who calls the shop and then calls our insurance. If it was road debris, that should be covered by comprehensive coverage, like a windshield. So, the adjuster will be out Tuesday, which means we have to have the car back to the shop then and we'll find out then. But they made a rental reservation for us that day which was nice of them. We'll see if we use it. So since we didn't pick up the van until Friday afternoon, I was driving the Civic. Julien would get a ride to work on Friday. Except for the fact that he didn't set his alarm right and let his cell phone die. So he woke up late and missed the call from his ride. Really Julien? So I get ready enough real quick and get the kids in the car to take him in. Lucky for him we live so close. Then back home to get ready and off to school. Where I find out that he needs a white t-shirt soon for his field trip shirt. Like ASAP. So, after leaving there I go to Target, pick one up, head home and throw it in the wash right away so it will be ready when I go to get him. 3 hours goes by quick! When I get him that afternoon, there was no fit. He was ready with his stuff and showed me what he made and his good listener award for the week. So proud of him! Talked to his teachers quick. Apparently he and the other boys like to wrestle. We'll have to work on that. Head to the post office real quick before going home and that's where he decides to have his fit. At this point I am so fed up from the week I've had I make him go in and I sit him against the wall and tell him to stay there while I mail something. I didn't care that he was crying and throwing a fit and I didn't care who saw him. I was going to get this errand done and then we were going home. I put him back in the car and went home. Now this may not sound like much to some of you. I know some people reading this have had truly difficult times lately and I'm not trying to say my problems are worse than theirs. But, it was a week of one thing going wrong and, before you could deal with that problem, another stress popped up. Add in their Olivia having a bad night or two, finding a hole in one the only pairs of jeans that fit, and the cat making noise when you're trying to sleep, and it all kind of accumulates. Now, there were moments of peace. Like Wednesday night when I started yoga class with my friend Jen. That was fun and I'm amazed I'm not more sore. And Friday night when I got to sleep and Julien got up. And Saturday, when we finally got to paint pottery with our friends like we had planned in the beginning. It was a lot of fun and Aidan did a really good job. We picked up the ones he had done a couple weeks ago with playgroup and they were really cute. So, I feel that my week has come full circle. I was able to finally accomplish the first thing that got me tripped up this week. So, I have broken the curse of the bad juju and I can move on. Here's to a good week to come!

Off To Preschool We Go!

Ever since Aidan became potty trained we've been looking for a preschool for him. He's three and it's time for him to go. So, we toured a couple and I found one I really liked. It was the Montessori preschool in Oakville. It was also $300+ a month. After reviewing the budget it soon became apparent that it was going to be too expensive. As much as I really liked that school, it just wasn't feasible right now. Especially after talking to some friends and finding out how much they pay for preschool a month. So, I decided to tour the preschool at the YMCA in South County. Aidan has a friend that goes there and I knew their rate was more in our price range. (Like half the cost of the Montessori school.) After having a 30 minute conversation with the director I scheduled a tour for Friday. Their program is 9a-12p, they get to take advantage of the kid's pool, the toddler gym and bounce houses. Their teachers seemed nice and Aidan started playing as soon as we got there. He cried when we had to leave too. So I filled out all the paperwork and paid the registration fee. He starts Wednesday. I hope that this will be a good fit for him. And of course I'm a little worried because it's his first time going to school or being away from me like this. And because it wasn't my first choice, I think I'm a little more nervous. There are a few things that I'm concerned about like that they don't have little kid sized potties like the other preschools do. And that he can't bring toys from home so no Tigger, unlike the other preschools. I'm a little worried that he won't get help in the bathroom if he needs it. I guess that's normal stuff to worry about. I just want him to be successful and to have fun. But it's only 3 hours so I shouldn't worry too much. (He can hold it 3 hours anyway. Heck, he held it all the way up to Iowa last time we drove.) I think I would feel more comfortable if I was sending him to the place I felt I handpicked and thought was the best opportunity out there, not just the best for what I can afford. This is his first experience with school and structured education. I want him to get off on the right foot and to like school since this is the foundation for future learning. I'm probably over thinking this. Either way, I've told myself that if he doesn't like it or it isn't the place for him then next year we can send him to Montessori. Wish us both luck. I'm not sure who's going to need it more, him or me. :)

One Step Closer to Preschool

Exciting stuff happening this week. First there's the 1am wake up I got from Aidan cause he had to go potty. I was more than happy to get up and help him. I was just shocked he woke up. It was kind of convenient timing too because Olivia woke up for a feeding as soon as I was done with Aidan. Then, last night Olivia went 6 hours between feedings. She did wake up briefly at 2:30a but went back to sleep after a diaper change. Then after she ate at 4:45a she went back to sleep til 7:30a. It was heaven. Now if she had skipped the diaper change, it would have been perfection. :) I wish that could become the norm. Then today she was actually pretty calm in the car, including falling asleep in the car. I think the patron saint of babies who scream in the car was looking out for me this afternoon. Yesterday the patron saint of lost keys was there for me at Costco when I about had a panic attack when I realized my keys were gone. Someone had already turned them into customer service. (I think I cashed in some of my karma this week.)

The most exciting thing this week was touring preschools with Aidan. We went to tour the Montessori preschool and La Petit. Having given those kinds of tours when I worked at Busy Bee, it was odd to be on the other side of that situation. Although very helpful in knowing what exactly to ask. Aidan liked going to visit too. At the Montessori school, he walked away from me almost immediately and started playing and talking to the kids. And one of the teachers engaged him right away too, which impressed me. Then he sat with them for story time as I toured the rest of the building and didn't realize I was gone. I think he's going to adjust just fine. So, after touring them and talking with Julien we've decided to send Aidan to the Montessori Preschool. I think it's a better fit for him. I think they'll be more supportive of his learning style. I certainly think he's a kinetic learner. Next week I'll call and talk about when we can enroll him and what days he'll attend. Lots happening this coming week too. We have Nana and Grandpa visiting. We have a trip to Iowa and my folks get to meet Olivia finally. We are going to see a lot of my family this week. And of course, soccer continues on next weekend. We're going to busy and very tired by the time it's all over. But, hey, that's the norm around here.