I have to admit that it has been nice to take our time getting ready in the morning instead of rushing against the clock to get everyone ready for school. Even though we have had a fun week, I think we will all be very happy when school resumes next week. In fact, as we were eating breakfast on Monday, Amanda said,"I'd better brush my teeth and get my backpack ready for school!" Then Eva reminded her,"You don't have school. It's vacation."
I've been falling behind on blog entries this month, so here are some random updates from the past few weeks. After this, I will be all caught up!
* Thanks to everyone for Dave's birthday well wishes! It was a great day. Here's a family photo that was taken at cake time. (And no, I did not make the cake; I bought it.)
* We surprised the girls this past Sunday by loading them into the van and telling them we were going on an outing. We gave them a few hints: It's in Boston. It's a show. And yes, Eva - there's food there.
The destination was a Sesame Street musical performance of Elmo's Green Thumb.
It was a so-so event, in my opinion, and Dave and I both agreed that the girls were a bit older than the target audience. Elmo just doesn't do it for them anymore. It would have been better suited to Liam, but we had left him at home so he could nap.
For us, it wasn't worth the stress we endured while fighting traffic congestion in Boston. In the future, we will avoid driving into the city the day before Patriot's Day (aka Marathon Monday)!! The girls both said they liked it but I think Eva was more interested in the food vendors. The box of popcorn was not enough for her; she was very disappointed when we wouldn't let her have cotton candy and an Elmo balloon. (Judging by the number of Elmo balloons that had escaped their young recipients, all lodged in the steel roof rafters, there was no way I was spending money on that.)
* We had Eva's first parent/teacher conference earlier this month. Her teacher had nothing but great things to say about Eva. She said that Eva is a real leader and a great role model for her peers. She is the only one in her class that can write her name and other letters/numbers.
Her teacher also praised (no, gushed about) Eva's creativity and artistic side. She showed us examples of some pictures she had drawn and/or painted in November and compared it to what she had done in March. The progress was shocking! It goes beyond the basic "coloring inside the lines." Her paintings are incredible, and show real thought rather than just randomness. And the details she puts into her drawings are surprising to me.
An example: Yesterday she drew a bunny on the window with the special markers from Grandma Jo. It looked like the Easter bunny. She added details like a different color on the inside of the bunny's ears, and pads (footprints?) on the bunny's hands and feet.
Another thing I've noticed is that when she is coloring in a coloring book, she ALWAYS colors in the person's skin. It is always the "flesh" color, as she calls it. When I was a kid, I don't think I ever used the white or "flesh" crayons when coloring in people's skin.
We had been a little concerned about her social skills because she is usually very shy outside the home. But her teacher said that has made friends and classmates seek out Eva in particular to play. It is reassuring to know that she is making progress with her shyness. For lack of a better word, Eva seems to be blossoming and coming out of her shell now that she's in school.
* Liam's scooting days are officially over! Walking is definitely his preferred means of transportation these days. It's surprising how quickly he mastered this skill! At first, he started walking with his arms held up high in front of him. As the days go by, I notice that his arms are getting lower and lower as he is getting used to balancing. I also notice how much faster his little pitter-patters are as he feet hit the floor. Pretty soon he'll be running! Just in time for summer, which is a good thing because nothing is worse than carrying a baby while walking through sand.
He is also making huge leaps in his vocabulary. It seems that he is adding a new word every day. Yesterday it was "book." Today it is "go." Other new words this week are "buh bye", "cracker", and "coat."
His favorite word lately is milk or as he says "muck." Everything in a cup, whether it's milk, juice or water, is milk to him, and he asks for it several times per hour. He is also starting to combine words to make a complete thought, such as "Uh oh muck" if he drops his cup. Or "uh oh ball" if his ball is stuck somewhere that he can't reach. For me, this is the best stage because we are finally able to communicate and give him what he needs.
* In related news, it would appear that Liam's sleep problems may have been been caused by thirst! (As many of you know, Liam has had some pretty severe sleep issues since his January hospital stay. Many nights he would wake up hysterically crying as if he was having a nightmare. For about a week, he wouldn't take naps. Bedtime was torture. We were at our wit's end.)
A friend of mine, an acupuncturist, was recently at a conference where a doctor talked about the long-lasting effects of RSV on babies. He said after such an illness, their lungs need extra nourishment in the form of fluids, so my friend prescribed an Asian pear per day (because they have a higher liquid content, but which we have been unable to find here) and a teaspooon of honey right before bed.
This, combined with lots of water, has really helped! Now if he wakes up in the middle of the night, he will usually guzzle half a sippy cup of water, and go right back to sleep. He is fighting another cold now, so we've had to do several nebulizer treatments... but we feel like we're on the upswing. I am just glad to have a concrete reason for his poor sleeping habits.
* We have had quite a few playdates this week, which has been a godsend. The weather has not been particularly springlike, and without some social interaction, I think we would have all gone stir crazy by now.
We had one nice day and the kids were able to ride bikes in the neighboring church's parking lot.
Amanda, Katelynn and Eva - best friends
Even Liam got in on the action, riding around on the fire truck toy from Grandpa Clint and Grandma Reda. It was a lot easier when he was contained in the stroller though. I was afraid he'd be run over!
* Now that Amanda is confidently riding a two-wheeler without training wheels, she asked Dave if he could hook up the tandem bike that he purchased last summer. Here they are on their first ride around the yard. It looks like fun, doesn't it?
* Yesterday Eva hosted her first ever playdate. One of her preschool friends came over, along with her 1 year old brother and 5 year old sister. It was perfect. All three of my kids had their own playmate! In fact, Liam and the other little boy (just 5 months apart) were hugging each other after about 2 minutes.
I have to admit, whenever we have a new playdate scheduled, it always feels like a first date to me because when your kids are only 3 years old, the parent attends with the child. Will the other mother and I have anything to talk about? Will she think my house is clean enough? Will she approve of the snack I am serving? Will they have had enough fun that they want to come over again? These are the questions that go through my head after I set up that crucial first playdate.
Because it was a really big deal for Eva to have a friend over for the first time, we went all out and made cupcakes. Fancy cupcakes with layers of pink, yellow and blue... frosted and rolled in sprinkles, with a strawberry in the center. Oh yes, they were a big hit!
This morning we had another playdate here with two different families, for a total of 3 kids. Again, the kids' ages matched up perfectly and the kids paired off: Amanda & Marley; Eva & Jack; Liam and Elle. One of the mothers is an old friend; the other mother is a new friend. This time I created a colorful fruit platter consisting of strawberries, grapes and apples. Bonus points for being healthy today!
After everyone went home, Amanda exclaimed,"That was the BEST playdate EVER!" They made a fort, played "Dance Party", and rode bikes. But that wasn't what gave it the title of "best playdate." The best part was dressing up.
At one point, they all came parading down the stairs, declaring it a "fashion parade." All four kids, yes - even the boy, were dressed up in glamorous gowns, jewelry, feather boas, and heels. Apparently the three girls told Jack to close his eyes while they proceeded to dress him in every possible girly thing they could find. Luckily the little boy delighted in being the center of attention. Someone snapped a photo. (I told the mother to send me the bill for any therapy he may need in the future!)
Tonight we are going to some other friends' house for pizza. Tomorrow afternoon we are going somewhere else to play on some friends' new backyard jungle gym.
For now, we are recharging our batteries and enjoying a very relaxing afternoon. Liam is napping and the girls are painting while listening to "The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane." We're all the way up to Chapter 20 so far, and they have barely uttered a word since the story started.
Twenty chapters in one sitting? Who knew this was all we needed to get some much needed quiet around here? (Note to self: Remember to load this book on the iPod for our summer road trip. It will buy us quite a few miles of silence on the long drive.)
Now this is my idea of a perfect vacation day. Everyone is getting along, it is peaceful, and I am catching up on things!
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