The moon and the stars

Many people know that while I absolutely adore my daughter, she has not always been the easiest child to parent.  I love her all the way to the moon and stars and back one hundred million times (one of our bedtime expressions of love).  But she can test every limit of my patience and push me to the brink of parenting disaster in ways that I cannot even describe.  And she's only six years old.

In preschool she had a number of rough patches with behavior issues.  We had tantrums that rivaled anything I'd ever seen.  John had tantrums too at that age, but with the exception of when he had been on a steroid medication, they were all very age appropriate and typical.  No concerns.  But Kara on the other hand....  We coped as best we could.  We managed to get through them.  It wasn't pretty.  But we survived.  Until we weren't managing them as best we could.  And I could feel us all losing ourselves in her tantrums.  It became a problem.  A big problem.  As I've heard therapists say, it was causing a major disruption in our normal lives.  That's the turning point.  That was the point at which we decided to seek help.

First stop, the pediatrician.  By then of course, we already had some ideas of what the issues could be.  Not autism, but other developmental issues, learning issues, ADHD, executive function issues, all kinds of problems were circling in my worried brain.  After a lengthy meeting with the pediatrician, she ordered a full gamut of blood tests, which I was convinced were overkill and not going to give us any answers.  She clearly wasn't sure about it either, but wanted to start there.  She seemed focused on the possibility of the behavior problems being related to Restless Leg Syndrome.  Really?  No. Way.  I was a bit frustrated at her suggestion.  How could my rock star sleeper child be a victim of RLS?  Didn't make sense to me.  At all.

So we moved forward and did the bloodwork.  Which was AWFUL.  Kara screamed.  And thrashed.  And sobbed.  It took three nurses and me to hold her still and the lab tech to draw the blood.  It was horrible.  For her and for me.  But we survived.

And sure enough, the one test that showed an issue was her iron levels, and thus a diagnosis of RLS.  Well, yes, once the results came back it started to make more sense to me.  She is one of the most picky eaters I have ever known.  She eats virtually no vegetables.  We are vegetarian, so she doesn't get a lot of meat.  I avoid iron in their multivitamin as she has always been very prone to constipation.  Yes, I imagine her iron levels would be extremely low!  And they were.  So we started a chewable iron vitamin, four tablets per day.

That was almost a year ago.  My daughter is now almost a completely different child.  She still has the occasional tantrum.  What six year old doesn't?  But she is happy.  She is funny.  She can go along with things that she's not always so happy about without having a major day-stopping meltdown.  She still does require more sleep than her brother, but now we know she's getting good QUALITY sleep.  We went on vacation over spring break with another family for the third year in a row.  After the trip, as I reflected on the week, I realized that she had been the best behaved child on the trip!  I have never been able to say that about her.  Ever.  I was so proud of her.  And so thankful that life has gotten so much better for her.

She is a little ray of sunshine when she is happy.  Her smile can melt my heart and her laugh is positively contagious.  Who knew that iron vitamins could make such a difference for our family and for her?  Not me.  But I thank my lucky stars every day now that we do know.  Because I love her and her smile and her laugh all the way to the moon and the stars a hundred million times.

An Update

So yet again, time seems to pass too quickly for me to take the few moments to sit down and type out a post about one of the many many things that I think each day would make a great blog post. To my defense, life has been very very busy and exhausting lately. I'm continually hopeful it will slow down, but as usual, the pace only seems to gradually be picking up. I've got no idea how parents with four or five or more older kids keep up with all that must be on their schedules. I'm having trouble keeping up with two and one is still in preschool!

One of my recent, and on-going, adventures involves the preschool we attend. This year I am serving as the admissions officer and have been spending a lot of time on the phone and at the school answering questions, giving tours, and basically being a full-time cheerleader for the preschool. Which I love doing. It's been a lot of fun to meet new families and convince them as to why the school would be a great fit for them. We had our open house last week, which is when we open up registration to new families for next year. I had been hoping that my role would slow down after that night, but no such luck! Now we get to follow up with everyone who has applied and start the paperwork process required to get all the kids enrolled for next year. Oh, what fun! It is truly fun and I have enjoyed it, but it has taken up more time than I had expected.

The kids have also been busy bees. Swimming, gymnastics, playdates, and various princess parties have overtaken Kara's quite busy social calendar, in addition to her 3 mornings of preschool each week. John is keeping busy with schoolwork, sports activities, ice skating, losing teeth, and dressing up as Thing 1 for Dr. Seuss's birthday last week. He's reading like crazy and has recently started getting an allowance. We'll see if the money goes towards a sports item or a new book. He's also continuing to challenge himself with new math skills. They're both growing like weeds and already are looking forward to all kinds of adventures this summer.

With the warmer weather we've started getting out and about. Seeing neighbors emerging after the super-cold winter we've had is nothing short of wonderful. All the kids have grown, lost teeth, gotten a new baby sibling, or had other adventures they're dying to share with each other. It's a fun time of year and we're so ready to embrace it.

Speaking of which, I think it's time for me to get to the bus stop! Hopefully I'll post again soon...but if I don't, you can probably find me at the playground instead. ;-)

An apology

So I feel like I would be remiss tonight if I didn't first apologize to Kara's preschool teacher, Mrs. Kelleher. Not that she'll read this tonight, tomorrow, or ever, for that matter, but I do owe her a huge apology. Tomorrow my daughter is going to be a complete bear. My crystal fortune telling ball is a bit fuzzy, so I'm not sure when the evil side will present itself. No doubt it will reveal itself at some completely inopportune moment, and likely she'll be an angel tomorrow during school, but the ugliness will come and I hope our lovely teacher, who I adore, isn't the recipient of the nastiness. I'm convinced I will be battered and bruised by the end of the day tomorrow.

Today started poorly for my dear Kara. After a tantrum of her own, I lost my temper with her, resulting in a very ugly interaction between us, all before we even left for the bus stop! We had a decent morning, followed by a playdate for her and John, then a late nap, and then several more tantrums during a very long and painful bedtime process. As Matt and John were trying to watch the Caps playoff game tonight, she kept repeating how she wanted her mittens. Over and over and over and over... No limit of explanation that it was April, not mitten weather, if she's cold she could use a blanket, etc, etc, etc. was good enough for her. She needed her damn mittens. Then, later, she insisted on having socks to sleep in. I gave her instructions for how to get her socks (by first brushing her teeth), and after much misery and non-compliance, I told her she was done, had lost her chance, and then the bawling really began. She just couldn't get it. There was lots of crying and screaming.

So it was a late, long night for my dear daughter. She's going to be tired tomorrow. There's preschool in the morning, then lunch and nap/quiet time, then playtime, early dinner, and t-ball practice right up until the kids' bedtime. It could be a busy, good day or it could be a long, painful day for us all. We'll see how it goes. But I figure it's a good idea to get my apology out ahead of the ugliness. It's one thing to have your kid take out their anger/frustration on you, but it's another thing entirely for them to take it out on the schoolmates or teacher.

I'm really sorry Mrs. Kelleher. I'm trying, really hard. But in the end, I'm just really sorry.

I did it

So, after posting the other day about trying to make more "in the moment" time with my kids, I managed to actually do it this morning. Kara's now in a swim class that is smack in the middle of the morning. For good and bad, it prevents running bigger errands, but also gives us some time after John's left for school before we have to be heading out to swimming. So this morning, I showered before anyone else was awake so I wouldn't lose my "Kara time" to my basic hygiene needs. Anyway, after we got back from the bus stop, Kara and I picked a project that she's been begging to do - a doll-fairy making kit she got for Christmas from her Aunt Caroline - and sat down to work. It was a bit advanced for her skill level, but I think she enjoyed doing it. I know I loved seeing her face at the completed item. The glue is still drying and we'll have to improvise some different wings for her as the kit's wings had some glue complications. Anyway, she's pleased as punch that we found the time to make the doll and my guess is even if we never get back to finishing the wings part, she'll get some play value out of the doll as it is.

It felt so good to take the time this morning to really be here with her and do the doll project. I'm hopeful it will make me inspired to be better about this with both kids. This afternoon's after school plans involve a bit of homework with John and then breaking into his new crayon maker that he's been begging to do!

Another Week of Firsts

So last week was a big first - John starting kindergarten. This week was also full of firsts for us....

1. Kara's first day of preschool - went GREAT and she loved it. (and I loved it too!)
2. Kara's first day of ballet - also went GREAT and couldn't have been cuter.
3. First (of many) Back-to-School Nights for Matt and I - we enjoyed it and learned a lot about what John's days are like and are looking forward to a great school year for John.
4. First time I had to talk with John about bullies. A bus-ride incident with a neighbor kid resulted in a big conversation that I wasn't really ready to have so soon into school. But all seems to be okay for now.
5. First time John cried when the bus came. Wednesday morning, out of the blue, he cried when the bus pulled up that he didn't want to go to school. After so much excitement about school, I was baffled. Got in the car, drove to school instead, and all was better...for now. Today again had a bit of hesitation, but no tears, and got on the bus without a problem.
6. First preschool board meeting of the year for me - oh joy....
7. First drop-off birthday party that John will be going to (tomorrow) - should be a lot of fun. Matt's going to do a Daddy-daughter activity, so I'll get an hour and a half to myself on a Saturday morning. Ahhhhhh...Not sure what to do, but I'll enjoy it!

Anyway, you get the point. It's been a crazy, stressful, and fun week around here. But we're all really wiped out. The weekend ahead is almost as busy and will undoubtedly be fun, but I'm having a bit of trouble gearing up the energy for it! Thus my mantra right now is Power Through!!!!

Kara's Lesson

Yesterday there were more lessons learned around here. This time mostly by Kara. One lesson I learned is that we may be closer to giving up the nap than I would like to believe. On Sunday and again yesterday, Kara spent her naptime in her crib, but not sleeping. She was singing away, happy as could be, but definitely not sleeping. Then comes the second lesson...when she decided she was done, she climbed out of her crib and came downstairs. Hmmmm. Previous experience (a.k.a. John) leads me to think that we may be ready to move out of the crib and into the toddler bed. The timing on this is not great since I'm also preparing to make efforts on the potty training front and get both kids ready to start school shortly. I'd prefer for everyone to be getting enough sleep and be well-rested, happy kids during the day...things are just easier that way...for everyone. I've been trying to convince myself that Kara's transition into the big bed will be easier than John's was (it was almost a year and a half before he was regularly sleeping through the night again after moving beds.) It has to be easier this time, right?

All I can say is thank god for coffee. I may need a lot of it in the coming days. And a lot of patience.

Always Learning

One lesson I've learned during my parenting years is that if you pay attention, you can learn something from your kids every day. Some days I learn multiple things, other days I learn one thing, but maybe it's a big one. Today was a big day for learning around here. Time will tell what the kids came away with after today. All I know right now, tonight, is that my kids taught me two big lessons today.

1. Kara had a horribly cranky, fussy, grumpy day. Starting at the moment I walked into her room this morning to get her out of the crib (she just grunted and didn't want to be touched, but also didn't want me to leave the room...lovely...) and ending at bedtime when she melted down after a tantrum she was throwing resulted in the loss of bedtime books for her. She managed to pull it together enough for a few snuggles before getting into the crib, so at least there was a moment at the end of the day that wasn't filled with her screaming or grunting or crying or making other hysterical noises.

The lessons I learned from Kara today were twofold. First, the quickly approaching age of three is going to challenge every level of patience that I have and I anticipate it being a very very long year ahead for us all. Second, and more important, is that even through the rough spots, there were quite a few moments of her sweet tender side today, and I need to remember to cherish and enjoy each and every one of those every single day.

2. The second lesson was from John. This weekend we went to the pool each day with Matt, who doesn't get to come with us very often. For some reason, I got it stuck in my head that John really needed to work on getting more comfortable with going underwater. The kid has started going down the slide and can swim (doggie-paddle) across the length of the pool, and here I am pushing him to get that face in the water! I realized at the end of the second pool trip that John was getting way more anxious about the whole thing and was never going to be comfortable with the idea, much less be able to do it with me forcing it on him. After he was in bed last night it occurred to me how ridiculous I was being and that I needed to just back off. The summer and the pool should be about having fun and hanging out with friends, which is what we've been doing and loving so far this year. I intend to continue that trend for the next four weeks.

So with that lesson learned yesterday, I started the day off today with John by apologizing to him for my inappropriate behavior at the pool. I told him that there would be no more pushing for the underwater stuff and that he should enjoy the pool and have fun. Go down the slide, swim across the pool, and play games with your friends. And go underwater only if you want to, and only WHEN you want to. It was not exactly easy to give a very sincere and heartfelt apology to my son, but it was so necessary and I felt so much better once I had done it.

Two big lessons learned today. All in all, I love my kids and all the lessons they have to teach me about love and patience and life.

The Games We Play

We are a game playing family. And by that I do not mean electronic, video games, I mean board games. Before the kids came along, Matt and I would often spend a Friday or Saturday night playing games, just the two of us. We don't do that so much anymore, but we have recently started to pick it up again a bit. But the neat thing is now that the kids are a little older, there are a lot of board games we can play with them. Even Kara is getting into the gaming action. We've got a few that are just her speed, a few more that John can play on his own and we have to help Kara with, and a few that are just beyond Kara for now but that John loves.

The last few nights after dinner there has been enough time before bed to squeeze in a game or two. Monday night it was all of us playing a game called Bendominos. Then last night Matt and I were still finishing dinner and chatting, while the kids started to play checkers. I keep a careful ear out when the kids are playing a game by themselves to make sure all parties are being involved and no one is taking over or getting upset. Last night I heard John saying that Kara was winning and he was clearly going to lose this game. But it said it in sort of an awestruck kind of way, not like he was upset about it at all. Then on her next turn, he was still helping her out and suggesting moves for her to make. It was so great to listen to him willing to try to help her win the game, knowing that would result in his loss. I know that won't last much longer before his "help" becomes sabotage instead, so I really enjoyed hearing him being very sincere and trying to teach her the skills of checkers. By the way, he ended up winning the game anyway, but it was all amicable in the end. :-)

Jelly Beans?

Yesterday, after writing the post about the potty training, I was all focused and ready to move forward a bit on the process. So after Kara's nap I changed her diaper and asked if she wanted to use the potty. She was a bit skeptical at first, but then I suggested that if she went tinkle there would be a jelly bean for her (which I always swore to myself I would NEVER do - ha!). At that her enthusiasm soared and she immediately went in and did the deed. Feeding off her energy, I pulled out a pull-up and asked if she wanted to give that a try for the afternoon. She considered it carefully and decided she'd prefer a diaper instead. I tried to convince her to try it, but she just wasn't buying it. So we came downstairs and got the jelly bean. I started to unload the dishwasher and then she announced she needed to use the potty again...so she could get another jelly bean. After reminding myself that this is what potty training is like, we marched back upstairs and she dripped a few more drops out, we cleaned up and got another jelly bean for her effort. She tried to do it one more time about 3 minutes later. I convinced her it would be better to wait until she felt the need to go, and later I felt guilty about putting her off mainly because I didn't want to truck back up the stairs, but oh well. Two things were made clear to me: 1) CLEARLY I need to get a second potty for her for the main floor bathroom and 2) I still need more energy to get through this.

Of course, today we haven't done anything in the potty at all the whole day. Whatever energy I had about this yesterday must have left the premises. Wonder when I'll get it back.....Hmmm....

Pending Potty Training

So, like I mentioned yesterday, potty training is looming on the horizon for us. Kara is supposed to be potty trained before starting preschool in September. But she has not shown quite enough interest in it yet for me to be ready to make the big effort that it takes. This summer so far has been too busy for us really to take the time to stop and focus on this "project." In a few more weeks, John will be done with camps and then things will (in theory at least) slow down for us. I'm trying now to gear myself up mentally for the process of potty training once that time comes. Part of my challenge is that Kara is fiercely independent and will not take kindly to any situation in which she feels like she doesn't have control. If she's truly not ready to do this, it just will turn into a battle and no one will win. I'm so not looking forward to it! But it is an effort I feel like we have to start soon so that we might have a chance of getting through it before preschool starts. So today I'm vowing to pick a time on the calendar in August when we do the whole spend up to a week (some say it only takes 3 days) and go nowhere and focus on the potty training. Sounds like a fun week to me...NOT. But it must be done and my attitude about it needs be strong and positive. Here we go, on the potty training express! Who hooo!! (Wish me luck...I think I might need it.)

A Couple of Noteworthy Items Today

1. Yesterday while we were at the pool celebrating a good friend's birthday with super yummy cupcakes (thanks Heather!), John actually swam the entire length of the pool on his own. We've been practicing the swimming in shorter lengths, but this time I kept moving back and he kept going. Pretty soon we were almost the entire way across and so we kept going and he made it - no swim vest, no help from me - all on his own. I was so proud of him. I think he surprised himself even! Now if he can just start swimming with his face in the water he will be all set! Each time we go to the pool lately he's been trying new things and doing great, so I have every confidence that by the end of the summer he'll be more comfortable with the underwater aspect too. For now I'm perfectly happy to celebrate his big doggie paddling successes!! Yay John!!!

2. Today we pick up our first bag of summer vegetables from our CSA. We split our share with a neighbor again this year, so they actually picked up the first bag last week and now it's our turn. I'm very excited to see what yummy veggies will be in our bag. The kids always get excited too, even if it's not always stuff they're going to eat. But they are often willing to try things that come in the bags, more so than if it's something I just pick out at the store. Ohhh goody!

3. The last notable item for today is that Kara will be having her first haircut. That's right, her first EVER haircut. Yes, I do realize that the poor girl is approaching three, and she's got a seriously crazy mane of hair. But it is beautiful hair and until now I haven't been able to bring myself to have any bit of it cut off. Finally now though, it is time. She's got a ton of dead ends that are only continuing to get worse and tangle more and more. And with our beach trip next week, the wind will not add good things to her hair situation. So I made her an appointment with my hairdresser for her very first haircut. I have been going to my hairdresser for over twenty years now and she also cut John's hair for his first haircut (of course, he was 5 months old, and had a full head of hair). We talked a little bit at dinner last night about what the haircut experience would be like for her. Kara asked if it would hurt. :-) I told her no, that other than a little bit of combing her hair out, the cutting part would not hurt at all. I'm excited to watch her go through this rite of passage, but the reality is this truly will only be a trim. I'm not quite ready to cut it short or anything so dramatic, but hopefully it will make the brushing process easier for us and maybe we'll even get some more of her lovely curls as a result. My baby is really growing up.

Rain, Rain, Go AWAY!!!

It's been raining here for many, many days straight. I'm starting to wonder if the sun will ever come back out. Well, I guess I know that it will, but it's been hard with two young kids to be trapped indoors all this time. Keeping the kids entertained and getting them enough exercise has been a challenge of epic proportions. This afternoon we're supposed to get a bit of a break in the rain and I'm hoping that we'll get out for awhile, for a walk at least. This has made me start thinking about what I'll do this summer when I don't even have preschool time to myself during a rainy day.

The summer has all of a sudden filled up. We now have four weeks of various camps (sports, nature, tennis, oh my!) scheduled and a week at the beach. Starting at the end of June through July and into the start of August we are going to be busy. Well, at least John is going to be busy. I hope he does okay through it all and maintains the excitement he has right now about these camps. Kara and I will have to find ways to get her some activities too. And then I'm hoping to add swim lessons in to the mix as well. We'll see.

And then I'm looking forward to having some free time in early June and in August to just play around and enjoy some lazy summer days before John starts kindergarten. My goal is to make as much of these days as I can. I feel like a chapter is going to come to a close in September and while I'm so ready for school to start, I'm also sad to see our flexible, less scheduled days come to an end. John's been an amazing kid to watch grow and learn. He's funny, curious, loving, and so very enjoyable (well, most of the time).

I had someone recently tell me they thought my kids were so even-tempered all the time. I was surprised, since I see the intensity of their tempers regularly. But I also realized that clearly, while they feel comfortable expressing things with me (which is great), they also know that in the classroom or other public places, other expectations apply. That's a hard thing to learn, even for adults. And it's something that is hard to know whether your kid has learned or not, since they'll always behave differently around their parents. I am crazy for my kids, while they sometimes do make me crazy, but they are mine and I am so proud of them both.

Most summers have come with a sense of dread as to how I was going to fill all those many summer days. This year I'm looking forward to finding new things to learn with John and Kara and the many days of fun with family and friends.

Helmets and TV

Who knew that it's better to watch morning tv cartoons with bike helmets on? Well apparently my kids knew this tidbit. They are both currently watching "Little Einsteins" and are wearing bike helmets! Kara started it, but John thought it was a good idea as well and immediately put his one helmet on too. It's too funny.

We have been outside enjoying the wonderful spring weather the last few days and that has also meant several opportunities to ride bikes. They definitely need the practice, so it's been good for them. And thus the helmets didn't quite get put away last night when we came in from outside. So upon seeing the chance to wear the helmets again, they insisted on putting them back on. You never can be too safe! Hee hee.

Happy Spring!

Silly Putty

Yesterday we had a first around here. There was a silly putty in the hair experience! Yes, I know, it's hard to believe, but it did happen. Late in the day, as I was about to start making dinner, the kids were playing nicely together and I was puttering on the computer. Then all of a sudden they come running over to where I am and tell me that there is silly putty in Kara's hair. I looked and it was a big chunk of silly putty now nicely wrapped up in a sizable section of hair. Lovely.

Her hair is finally long enough (and occasionally she's willing) to put it up into pigtails or headbands. Cutting it now would likely take off her beautiful curls and make it short enough to not be able to pull it back. I was about to cry when I saw how much hair was being affected by the silly putty.

After a few declarations of amazement and frustration directed at John (who truly felt very badly for what had happened), I then got Kara to sit down and I gently pulled out as many strands of hair as I could in order to avoid having to resort to the scissors. I was actually able to get out most of it, but it took 15-20 minutes and was very challenging to do. Kara was a super champ through the whole process and John pretty much sat quietly and watched me. He went and got everything I asked him for and was very cooperative for the rest of the day. Anyway, I was able to whittle it down to just a small section of hair that was thoroughly entangled in the silly putty and then the scissors did have to come out. I was VERY thankful I only ended up having to cut a tiny bit of her hair. It really could have been much much worse than it was.

In the end no one will be able to tell it ever happened, except for me. But it was quite the surprise that I really was not in the mood for yesterday afternoon after what has been a very long week. I hope today is a quieter, less eventful, day!

So Big, So Fast

Okay, so this will be two totally unrelated stories about the kids and how big they seem to me today....

First, Kara. This will seem like a small thing to many people, but to me, it's big! I realized this week that she's now able to wash her hands all by herself. I can tell her to go wash her hands or she can tell me that she needs to wash her hands, then she can go into the bathroom, turn on the water, do the soap, wash the dirt away, turn the water off, and dry her hands ALL BY HERSELF!! This is a big step for her (and for me). I am so glad to have one less thing that I have to stop what I'm doing to help her do this. And hand washing is something we do a lot, so to be relieved of having to assist each and every time, is a big deal. But at the same time, it's also the next thing that my baby girl doesn't need me for anymore. I want her to grow up and stay small at the same time. Is that fair???

And second, John. He impressed me today with his fine motor skills. He has off school today and tomorrow, so I was pressed into service to keep him occupied during Kara's naptime, which is typically my time for either a little mommy-break or to get a few things done around the house. I wasn't sure what I was going to be able to come up with for him that would keep him engaged on his own today. But I remembered some small craft projects that I bought before Christmas and tucked away for a rainy day. Well, they came in handy today, even without the rain! The project involved placing these small tubular beads on a plastic form and then ironing/melting them together to make a cool shape. The first step of the project is to place all of these tiny beads into a design. I honestly wasn't sure if John's fine motor skills were going to be up to doing much of this before frustration set in and he wanted me to do it for him. But I was way wrong! He did not just one of these all by himself, he did two whole projects and they turned out great! He's very proud of his new star projects and they kept him busy for quite awhile so that I could work on some other tasks of my own. Win-win for us both! And I was most impressed that my kid was able to sit still and work for so long with small beads and be content. He truly is getting older and it's so cool to watch him do new and fun things with his growing skills.

Big Girl Undies

This past week we've begun experimenting a little bit with big girl underpants. Very exciting as it means the light at the end of the diaper tunnel is getting a shade brighter. Kara's already enrolled in preschool for the fall, so she's got to be potty trained by September. But I'm pretty sure we'll be fine by then. Anyway, four or five times this week we've put her in underwear, mostly for just a few hours in the late afternoon/evening when we're going to be around the house and accidents can be easily dealt with. So far she's done great with it and has been very enthusiastic about wearing her underwear.

Then yesterday afternoon after her nap, she needed a diaper change before getting John at school. Afterwards, she insisted on wearing underwear. This was the first time we were going out of the house with them on. I was a little nervous, but she was insistent, so I was willing to give it a try. We picked John up at school, played a bit there, went to Safeway, and played out on our street with some neighbors, all with no accidents! I was so surprised. I kept waiting for the last second rush into the house for a potty trip, but it never came. She did so well! Then, of course, within 30 minutes we had a wet underwear experience, followed shortly after by a lovely diarrhea in the underwear experience (totally yucky!!!). So, while the end of the day didn't go so well, she certainly made it for quite a long while doing very well with it. So I'm now optimistic that our diaper days are drawing to a close in the coming months. I'm soooooo ready for that step to come. But I also know that it won't come until she's fully ready for it, so I'm not pushing at all. It sure is nice to see her interested in taking those steps toward that goal though!

What a big girl my baby is getting to be!

Too long!

I just logged into Blogger and realized that Feb. 5 was my last post. Clearly it's been too long since I posted anything. Sorry about that! My biggest reason for that is that I have been sick. Mainly a really nasty head cold, that I thought turned into a sinus infection, but my doctor wasn't sure. Anyway, I am now finally starting to feel a bit better, still kind of run down, but better. Of course, after almost 3 weeks of being sick, now Matt is down with the cold. :-( The kids are both healthy, for today at least. We'll see how long that lasts though.

We just returned from spending a long weekend in Bryce, VA, which is a small ski resort area just under 2 hours from here. We rented a big house with my parents and some good friends of our family and spent the weekend together. It was great. John was finally old enough to go snow-tubing for the first time. He loved it. And we did a bit of hiking, snow tubing, lots of eating, drinking, games, and toured a local potato chip factory (Route 11 Chips - they're awesome!). The kids enjoyed having so many adults around to entertain them. I appreciated all the extra help keeping them occupied while I was still recovering from being sick. We came home yesterday and we were all pretty exhausted.

Now I'm trying to find the energy to get the kids out with their bikes later today for some exercise. It will be good for them and for me, but I have to find the motivation! And then yoga tonight and a preschool board meeting tomorrow night.

Speaking of preschool, I dropped off the forms today for Kara to go to preschool next year. She will be going to the same school John has attended, which I love. She and I are both so excited for this. Technically with her October 3rd birthday, she misses the birthday cut-off of September 30th. But the advantage to returning to a school you know is that they're willing to bend a bit on that rule for us. Kara will be totally ready and it will give her a sense of doing something that her big brother has done. He'll be off to kindergarten next year, so we'll still have plenty of one-on-one time while he's gone. But having her in a 2-morning program in the fall, will also give me some Mommy-time! Yippeeee!!!!

Gotta run, I can hear that naptime is over for today. Hope you're all fairing well and may health be in your homes more than it's been around here!

Kara's Down, Really Down

Well, after continuing with her fever issues for another couple of days, I finally called and got us in to the doctor this morning. Thank goodness I got an early appointment, since with the snow we (finally) got this morning the roads were pretty messed up. Anyway, after a quick listen to her chest, and a lookie in her ears, he told me that she has a "touch" of pneumonia, often called "walking pneumonia", and a double ear infection. Yikes! Until today, my kids had never had an ear infection and the only time antibiotics had been given was eyedrops for John last year when he had pink eye. It was something that was pure coincidence, since we have had our share of sicknesses for sure, but I was quite proud of it. Anyway, Kara's now on antibiotics and will hopefully improve quickly. Otherwise it's back to the doctor for x-rays, etc. She really hasn't seemed all that sick though. She's been playing and eating, just slowing down when the fever kicks in. Boy am I glad to have gotten her in to the doctor!

The biggest bummer of it is that today it has finally snowed enough that the kids can go out and play in the snow. Shovel it, throw snowballs, make snow angels, and have some fun. Except for Kara. The doctor recommended keeping her indoors. What a bummer! So, fortunately, a wonderful neighbor offered to take John out with her kids to play in the snow. (THANK YOU Heather!!!) So at least he got out for a good romp with his friends - great on multiple levels for him. Maybe by the end of the week we'll be able to get back into our routines and have some fun again. ;-) Of course, then Matt will be leaving town for a couple of days for a work trip...always fun for Mom! Ah well, today we've had some extra tv time, hot cocoa, and I hope to make a big bowl of popcorn soon. If I'm going to be stuck inside with sick girl, I may as well enjoy it!

We're sick again!

Well, not all of us are this time, fortunately. So far (and I'm totally knocking on wood), Kara's the only one with the sickies. But, she's really got it good this time. She's had a fever for a couple of days now and a super drippy nose and a cough that kind of comes and goes. The fever has gotten up to 104.2 and 103.7 the last two nights, so she's been pretty miserable and unhappy. Not my usual happy funny girl.

The rest of us are trying like heck to stay healthy and trying to keep John occupied while keeping Kara at home. John and I went to a dinner last night at our good family friend's house. We stayed super late, and John and I both had a very fun time. Matt was able to get Kara to bed early and then enjoyed a quiet evening to himself, so I think it was good all around. But we're all definitely in need of some time out and about. It's been a long couple of weeks of bitter cold temps here lately and the kids are really starting to show it. Even John's preschool teacher said the kids were a little crazy in the class this week since playground opportunities had been limited recently. On Friday we had a brief warm up and all the neighborhood kids were outside and excited to see each other and played like crazy. At that point, Kara wasn't showing signs of her illness, so even she got some outdoor play time. It was good for kids and moms alike!

Hopefully Kara will rebound soon from the sickie bug and we'll be back on track to health and fun times for all. She's a sad puppy right now, for sure!

Smart Santa

This year for Christmas I decided months ago that Santa's gift to Kara would be a play kitchen. After much deliberation and online researching, I ordered one before Thanksgiving so that I would have time to assemble it before the big day arrived. With some last minute scrambling, I did manage to get the whole thing assembled (which was not the easiest task) and set up for Santa's arrival. I knew this particular item was going to be popular with both kids and even debated about giving it as a gift to both of them, but ultimately we decided that John should get his own gifts and let the kitchen just be for Kara. Well, with another gift of play food from my parents to add to the collection, the kitchen is complete. And was a rousing success on Christmas Day. So much so, in fact, that John later declared that Santa had brought it for both of them. Kara insisted the kitchen was hers. We had to remind John, much to his dismay, that the kitchen was in fact Kara's, but she was required to share it with him. I purposely bought one big enough for them to play together with it, knowing this might be an issue. Both of my kids have always flocked to play kitchens at other people's houses, and fortunately, are doing the same thing with ours now. When I'm in the kitchen cooking meals, there is often one or both of the kids in the play kitchen "cooking" up something. Kara loves to come offer people the ice cream cones and grapes. While John likes the bananas. The other day I made homemade french fries, and Kara immediately went to her food collection and pulled out the french fries to offer everyone. My little chefs now have a kitchen of their own to create in! I love it!