Spring Break 2013

I'm usually bummed at the end of Spring Break when I have to return to work.  This year however, I feel it was harder than usual.  My week with the boys was fabulous.  I was able to really see how much they have grown and changed since my winter break.  They are so fun to be with and they're starting to really interact with each other, even if it's not always welcomed by the other.

There was one day in particular where I was feeling quite sick, but it cleared after about 24 hours.  Paul was kind enough to come home early and let me sleep, which I know is not easy for him to do during his busiest time of year.  I must attribute my recovery to the fact that I was able to sleep almost 13 straight hours.  Thank you again, hubby!

Our time together consisted of going to the zoo twice, once with E's classmates and the second time with my friends and their kids). E also started t-ball clinics and it's pretty fun to watch, even though he's "done" about 25 minutes into a 45 minute class.

Belated February Update

Considering that the majority of the month of February passed without any type of blog update, I guess I should do it now since we're already in March.

This past month went by rather quickly, but had it's moments that felt as if they'd never end. It seemed to be the month of illness in our house.  G had a trip to urgent care and was diagnosed with strep.  Three days later, he wasn't feeling much better.  He had a well visit scheduled and when we took him, the doctor thought that he might have gotten the flu as well. The next day, his fever spiked to 104.6, so I took him back in to the doctor.  They tested him for the flu and it came back positive.  Since he had already had it for a while, they couldn't give him Tamiflu because it wouldn't do much good.  They did, however, give him two injections of antibiotic to rid him of his ear infection.  At least that's what the doctor thought he had now, but couldn't be sure since G would not let him look in his ears. This visit included a lot of crying, both from G and me.  We had to hold him down a lot to allow the doctor to look at him. He's doing much better now though!

E has been out of school the past week because he had been running a fever as well.  His nose had been dripping quite a bit and his lips are pretty chapped.  Poor guy. On a positive note, E was able to celebrate his birthday at school early because of his summer birthday.  He came home with some cards his classmates made him and a crown too. We signed E up for a t-ball clinic that should last about 8 weeks.  I'm looking forward to seeing him run the bases with that oversized helmet on!

Mommy Meltdown Moment

I'm having one of those "I'm a terrible Mom" moments. I hate these moments.

Paul has been handling E's bedtime for a while now and he's become quite accustomed to it. He wants absolutely nothing to do with me during this time. He will just scream and cry at te top of his lugs. I will try to calm him down, but I have no luck. I get frustrated and I'm taking it personally, which makes it harder for me.

In addition, I've been noticing that he's ignoring me when I talk to him. Even when I get down to his level and look at him. But Paul doesn't seem to get this type of response.

I think he's on a Mommy strike, and it hurts.  :-(

E'isms

A few weeks ago, we went out to dinner to celebrate my sister's and brother-in-law's wedding anniversary. Here is how ordering food went with E:

Me: "Do you want mini corn dogs, sliders, or a grilled cheese sandwich?"
E: "I want a boy cheese sandwhich."
Me: chuckles

Little guy must have thought I said a "girl" cheese sandwich!

Conferences

We had E's parent teacher conference today. His teachers really love him and say he's such a sweet boy who listens and behaves well. They say he loves crafts, especially painting. One of the things they mentioned was how he doesn't miss anything. He lead teacher said that one day she was readying a book and E is usually a good listener and doesn't interrupt. But that day, she read the word "bored" and he asked her what it was. She explained it to him and he seemed satisfied with her answer. Then another day, she was talking to a parent about their child's ear infection. Well, E turned to her and asked what an "ear confection" was.

They have told us how he has come a long way since he started. He's much more social and is playing with his peers, which is what we wanted! He also hasn't asked if there was going to be a fire drill since returning to school from winter break.  We also were told that he still needs to develop his cutting and pre writing skills, which is something we knew. (He still just likes to draw circles, but I was so happy to see him draw a tree with sidewalk chalk the other day.)

We also received his registration for next year, and I was happy to see that they are offering a 4 day/wk 4's class! I think we will be keeping him there next year!

17 months

It has really hit me that I have been very bad at taking photos of any kind of updating this blog with the great things the boys have done. So here is my attempt at catching up.

G turned 17 months old. He's really trying to communicate by using his own signs and saying parts of words. He wants to listen to or watch "The Wheels On The Bus" and other songs on the radio, tv, or our phones. He has created a sign for it by putting out his flexed right hand and rotating it down to the left. To change his diaper I have to sing a song, but that requires finding one that he likes. I will start to sing a song, but he will shake his head "no", so I have to sing a different song. This usually takes quite a few times until he hears what he wants. We've been listening to the Thomas the Tank Engine theme song a lot and he really enjoys it. He will get up and dance. 

Some words that he can say are Mama, Papa, cah-cah (cracker), baba (brother), app (applesauce), cah (car, helicopter). He will also repeat sounds like "boom", the sound of a violin, puffing, and others.

Recently, he has been trying to jump and has come off the ground with both feet briefly. G also has been hiding quite a bit. He likes to find corners to hide in, or go into closets, behind doors, and even behind the rocking chair in his room. Going outside is still a favorite, so is throwing (and sometimes eating) dirt. Now when we say it's time for a bath, he runs to the bathtub and tries to climb in.

Bread anyone?

Bread is a hot commodity in our house. What can I say? I love it too.