Lost Tooth

Sigh... He did a big happy dance. I wanted to lay with my head under the bed and cry. My baby is growing up... Sigh

Tooth fairy

Peanut knows about that the tooth fairy is not real. She asked. I tried to bluff her, but she was not buying it. She really wanted to know, so I told her. She was not devastated. It was not anything that she did not already know. She just acted like I was confirming the obvious. I made her promise not to tell anyone.

Since then, she has acted like she believed in the tooth fairy. My assumption was that she did not believe me when I told her. However today, when it was just me and her, she told me again that she knew the tooth fairy was me. She also said she had not told anyone, which I believe.

See, she has been instrumental in guiding BabyP through his tooth losing adventure. He has two loose teeth. One will likely fall out this weekend. I can hear him discussing with his sister the options for pulling his tooth. She even went and got some floss for him when I did not give them any string. LOL! BabyP is so lucky to have two mamas! It will be a wonder if he ever grows up!

Peanut cornered me tonight and said "okay, I have a plan... you need to write a note that says...... and you need to do it in cursive...."  Now that she knows who the tooth fairy is, she is super pumped to make it special for her brother.

and honestly, I couldn't be more proud of her.

First Day!!

These two lunatics started school a few days ago.  They crack me up with their silliness.  I love this series of photos because you can really see their personalities in them. 

I like how they very obviously have affection for one another but they are also being goofy.

Someone wants to push his sister and someone will get strangled for it. 

Always adding some glamor.

It was nice to get a good picture of me and the kids.

And this picture explains again why we always take family photos with us pointing at the camera.  It is near impossible to make it work otherwise.

Me and my honey.  You can see the mark above his eye where he hit his head.  :(

I don't know what is up with sweet peanut there.  BabyP is just hanging out looking like his dad.

Grandma came too!

And this is grandma raspberry that Grandma is carrying.  She has to be carried because she is old and can't walk.  LOL!!  It also happens to be his favorite raspberry.

Raspberry looks on while someone gets his paper to write his name.  

and a girlfriend's daughter is in the class with us.  Yay!

Sweet Peanut took her place at her desk like it was no one's business. 

She has this thing all under control.

They had a good day.  BabyP was SO excited about school.  He had a "very unlucky day" because his mom came and got him.  He did not get two recesses like the rest of the kids did.  It made him very grumpy.  LOL

Last Day at Day School

BabyP's last day at daycare was last Friday.  I was amazed by how not very traumatic it was.  I think mostly that was because I was pretty emotionally drained by the end of the long week.  I was putting in 10 and 11 hour days, and the night before Mr. T. had wrecked his bike.

We had a great time at this daycare.  I will miss the staff.  The last year for us was a little weird because I moved BabyP into a class that was a little older than him.  He did well, but I don't think he really ever bonded with any of the kids like he did with the others he had been with since he was a baby.  There was one little girl who he played with often, but other than that, he never really spoke about the kids in the class.

Halfway through the school year, his teacher also left.  The new teacher was great.  She did a great job picking up and really moved the kids forward with learning their letters and how to write their name.  I was especially sad to see the other teacher move because that was the reason we moved BabyP in the first place.

But we had a great year.  We had 5 great years at the center.  The kids will be back during the summer.  As a youngster, BabyP has been ready to leave the center for a while.  He is really excited to go to his sister's school.  I am not sure what he expects, but I know he expects to see his sister a lot.

His teacher wrote a nice note about him.  She said that she enjoyed hearing all the crazy stories about his stuffed animals.  William loved the note and had us read it to him over and over again.

So that is that.  We will miss the center, but we all are ready to move one.  I think that is really the perfect way to feel.

Big Boy seat!

Someone got a big boy seat. He is ver pleased with himself.

Swimming!

We started swimming lessons again this week.  My goal this summer was to have Young Master Peanut (BabyP) able to get to the edge of the pool.  My ultimate goal, of course, is to sit on the side of the pool and read a book while the kids frolic in the pool and eventually solve world hunger.

So, I am one step closer to that goal.  Yay!  BabyP is a swimmer, and that boy is taking the pool by storm.  HE LOVES TO SWIM.  He goes crazy swimming to me and the wall.  The wall and then me again.

Here is a video of him on maybe the third time he did some swimming.



I am so proud of him.  I knew he had it in him.  We just had to get him to get his bum up to straighten himself out.  He is still worried about the water, which is good, but he is able to get himself to the side, should he fall in.

YAY!

Weekend of Racing

I signed us all up for our first race as a family. I really thought the kids would be excited about this, but I was wrong.  Peanut kept complaining about how far it was going to be and telling me she didn't want to.  BabyP just really had no concept of what it was going to be.  We did a 1K race.  I knew we could all complete it.  Peanut did pretty well even though I had to drag her in the end.

The race was the Dino Dash.  I thought they might think it was fun because there was a little kid's festival there and because they would get free t-shirts.  I really pushed the free t-shirts part.  That really seemed to get them excited.  In the end, they got a medal, and they really thought that was cool.  They thought it was fun to run and said they would like to do it again.  I may try to get Alison to do the Race for the Cure with me in October.  I think she would like it.  If she will let me, we can train up for it.

The thing is, I worry about my kids not getting enough exercise.  They really like the TV.  I do my best to keep it off, but they really like it.  And when it is not on, they are right under my feet, which for all practicalities is not good for me as I can't really focus on anything if I am separating two rowdy kids.  Mr. T. is generally off doing his own thing, so for the most part, it is really just me and the kids.  I worry about Peanut because she often says "it is too hot" and starts to get whiney about going outside.  AND in her defense, she spends about 2 hours a day outside during the school year because they are outside in her after school program.

So in the end, the kids enjoyed it.  Even Mr. T. went to run with us.  After the race, we went to the museum of Discovery, which the kids love!  We were able to do some swimming and a birthday party and that was the end of the weekend.

Saturdays!! on bikes!

Every person who is mad about a sport dreams of the day when their kid will learn to love it too.  For us, one of those sports are bike riding.  By learn to love it, I mean not scream when we ask her to ride her bike with us.  OR only minimally have to bribe her to do it.

Because learning to ride your bike without training wheels is pretty damn scary.  You fall a lot, and you worry about falling even more.  She has been able to ride her bike for about a year now, but she could not be convinced of that.  In an effort to explain that to her a while ago, I told her she could ride perfectly fine, it was the stopping she seemed to have trouble with.  That little bit of information was all she needed to make me have to be in a dead sprint to keep up with her as she was riding away.  Laughing at me... We are still working on stopping though.  She has tried a couple of things, but she just needs to try some more.  

Last Saturday morning, I was riding with my friend Lisa, who is my "official cycling buddy" (OCB), and we came across this sweet little girl out on the trail all by herself.  I said "Sweetie, look up"  That little girl was my daughter.  She looked so big and independent on her bike.  I was incredibly proud of her.  I saw Mr. T. and BabyP a ways back running to keep up with my little speed demon.

Last Saturday we went to this 'Touch a Truck' event put on by the Junior League.  They had all sorts of big trucks and police cars out for kids to climb on and crawl into.  IT WAS AN AWESOME EVENT.  We were there for two hours climbing all over trucks and doing crafts and asking questions.  It was a blast.  It was put on to support health awareness.  BabyP and Peanut were both so excited they were LITERALLY jumping up and down.

That is right, big girl, you are the driver, not the passenger!

The kids also got to sit on people's big bikes.  The whole event was so much fun.  I can not rave on enough about it.  

And look who was there talking about water safety protection and letting kids climb on their boat.  How cool is that?!

They were like rock stars with the paparazzi taking pictures of them.  I feel so lucky to work at a place that is so warm and loving towards me and my family.

First Story

Peanut wrote her first story.

The Valentines Birds

Once there was two valentines birds and they loved each other very much. And they were ? Married. The End.

The Tooth Fairy Sucks

I just want to take the time to issue a group complaint on behalf of all parents to whoever it is that invented the tooth fairy and all of those other types of fairies that require parents to remember multiple steps.

We hate you.

Because when you are about to leave for work and are feeling kind of pumped because you are going to be on time, it sucks to see your kid looking really sad at the kitchen table holding the little tooth box her grandfather carved for her that holds her tooth.  "The tooth fairy forgot me."

It is about that time that shards of glass go straight through your heart.  It is horrible enough to see your little girl feel rejected, it is the WORST to see your little girl feel rejected by an imaginary creature that is really you.

Bad Momma.
Bad Momma.

Luckily, we recovered.  I had attended a school function that required me to have about 1 kazillion dollar bills.  I fished a couple out of my wallet while I woke up Mr. T.  I asked Peanut if she looked at all of her pillows.  I slipped some money into a pillow case and handed it to her, while I looked through the other ones.  I explained that tooth fairy is busy and she forgot to get her tooth.

or that maybe she was waking up and the tooth fairy got scared.

She said that maybe the tooth fairy would leave her another two dollars.

The tooth fairy will likely leave her another dollar.

because the tooth fairy stills feels guilty.

 

Sleep Over

We hosted our first sleep over.  I was very pleased with how well it turned out.  I am always a little baffled by what goes on in Peanut's social world at school.  Peanut seems to talk about two particular girls a lot, so I invited both of them over.  As the week progressed, I think some of the other little girl's feelings were hurt because these three talked non stop about the sleep over at school.

sigh...

We started off by going to the club to swim where we promptly ran into a girl that is in their grade.  The thing I really like about our neighborhood is that we all go to the same park, school, club and church.  We all played in "the little kid pool" until they asked to go home.  We ordered pizza and watched TV.  It is funny to see the dynamic between all of the girls.  Peanut and Big Sis both have strong personalities, while the other little girl has the personality of a laid back surfer chick.  The funny part is, that the laid back surfer girl seemed to initiate a lot of the change in activities.  It wasn't anything that she decided, but more that she just sort of floated away and the others eventually followed.


Big Sis and Peanut were still awake when I went to bed.  The little surfer girl had gone to sleep right around 9:30 or so.  She was getting upset with the other girls for not being quiet so she could go to sleep.  It was funny to hear the two rowdy kids in Peanut's room "whispering" while not trying to wake up surfer girl.  At least they were polite about it all.

There was some being grumpy and some tears the next day, but once my kids got naps, they were all better.  Peanut is at a really fun age right now where she is developing her own social network.  She has this whole other world that I am not part of.  It makes me excited for her, but it also makes me a little bit sad.  I want to know everything about her all the time, but I can't.

Pre-K Graduation

Someone graduated from Pre-K.  Now before, I beam about how cute it all was, let me tell you that I am not one for these types of things.  Yes, I want to see my kid perform.  and YES, it is important to go to all of these things, but... I think Pre-K graduation is a bit much.  Luckily, it wasn't what I was expecting.

It started out with them walking down the aisle with their cute graduation hats on.  Peanut was so excited about it.  I think she loved seeing all of those people there.

Then they sang some songs for us, which was really cute.  It was a mystery to me what those songs were going to be prior to the show.  Peanut wouldn't let me in on the secret.

I love this picture because a.  peanut is looking right at me.  b.  none of the kids are looking the same way c.  none of the kids are doing the same thing. d.  Peanut has gusto!

 During the presentations, the teachers handed out certificates.  Ms. Moore is on the far left and Ms. Cooper is in the middle.

Each kid got a certificate, but most important, they told us what the kid learned and what they wanted to be when they grew up.  Some of them were adorable.  One little girl wanted to be a fairy because they have wings and can jump high.  Another girl wanted to be a policeman because her mom wanted her to.  Another wanted to be a big sister.  (she is a little sister)  Our dear sweet girl wanted to be a doctor, just like half of her class.

It was a really good year.  I think it really got Peanut prepared for going to elementary school.  She won't have to learn a new place or a new system.  She will be familiar with her surroundings and will already have friends in her class.  I worry about kindergarten and the switch from play based learning to more intensive curriculum.  I hope she continues to have to keep the spark she has for school.  I want her always to enjoy learning.

Big Week

The next couple of weeks are going to be very hectic around here; so I spent a lot of time this week trying to get all of those "things" that need to get done.  

I saw a doctor 5 times this week. Once for me and twice for BabyP.  Then both Peanut and I had dentist appointments.  That is a lot of "errands" on top of an already busy week.  

BabyP has impetigo or something like that.  The doctor didn't tell me specifically the name, but he did say it was a skin infection of some sort.  It seemed to get bigger, so i took him back.  the physician looked concerned, but said to give the medicine some time to work.  She assured me it wasn't MRSA.  I didn't think it was MRSA, but I was concerned that it was staff.  It may be.  Who knows!  It seems better; so hopefully, it will get better soon.   

In other news, Peanut lost a tooth.  I have been a crap mom and didn't really take any pictures of it.  I did snap this one picture. She got two dollars under the pillow.  Her grandfather gave her a beautiful little box that he turned in his shop, but she would not use it.  She was INSISTENT that it go under her pillow.  She had it under her pillow way before bedtime.  She was up at 5 to tell me about her two dollars, which I am pretty sure she has lost by now.  

I am going to be on the road for 3 weeks.  I won't be away for three weeks, but it seems like even if I travel once during the week that the whole week is complete chaos.  Some of the travel will be pretty exciting, so maybe, I might blog about it.  

Easter Bunny

"I don't think the Easter Bunny hides the eggs.  I think you do."  Peanut looked me straight in the eye while she said it to me.

"you better not let the Easter Bunny hear you say that,"  I said, as I thought through what else to say.  I don't remember ever really believing in the Easter Bunny.  A man in a red suit coming down your chimney, fine.  A bunny that hops around and hides eggs... not so believable.  I would have told her the truth except that her little brother was standing right there.  Taking the whole conversation in.  

"well... I said I THINK it is you, but i am pretty sure it is the Easter Bunny."  She doesn't have much longer.  She talked herself into it this year.  Next year, she won't believe.

It is more than just her brother not believing in the Easter Bunny, I have to worry about her pre-k class.  She would not keep a secret like that to herself.  And I have to wonder if she will believe in Santa Clause. Remember last year when she was so matter of fact about 'santa clause' not being Santa Clause or the tooth fairy, what about her.  If her friend big sis finds out there isn't a tooth fairy, she is out a future occupation?  The problem with having a smart kid is that she will link the Easter Bunny to everything else.  

And just like her losing her baby teeth, that is just one more little piece of her childhood that slid through my fingers.

Partial Victory

So, I think (fingers crossed) that BabyP is in underwear or "panties" to stay.  He seems to be doing pretty well in them.  He had an accident today, but I think it is the first one since Saturday.

He also seems to all of sudden be interested in getting his own clothes on and off.  Usually, he just wants me to do it for him, but lately, he has actually been wanting to do it himself.

And on another note, he is now pedalling his trike around the house.  Mr. T. brought it inside for him because Mr. T. got such a kick out of how much BabyP liked it.  Today was the first time I have really seen him try to do it.  I feel so happy for him.  If we can get this snow off the ground, then maybe the kids can outside and ride bikes.  Maybe, just maybe, Peanut will learn to ride without training wheels in more than just a straight line.  Wow, what a day that will be.  First two potty trained kids then two kids on bikes!

That's NOT Santa Clause

"That's not Santa Clause", she said to me as she was walking with me back to her class room.  "Oh," I say.  "He isn't" 
"No"
"Well, maybe he is Santa's helper."
"No.  He isn't Santa's helper".

About this time I started to sweat.  I imagined one day she wouldn't believe, but I figured I had a good two or three years before she really realized.  She told me that she thought it was one of her teachers at school.  I told her that he may be one of Santa's helpers.  She told me No.

So, I tried to figure a way around it.  She was so matter of fact about it all.  I told her Santa had a lot of helpers and that some of the helpers are people she knows.  Someone has to tell Santa how everyone is behaving.  She finally settled on it was a teacher and he was really nice to help Santa out. 

Where has my Baby Gone?

So BabyP realized that he no longer really needed to sit in the highchair yesterday.  I am not that sad about him giving the high chair up as much as I am sad about having to sell the high chair.  I REALLY LIKE our high chair.  It is cute and really versatile.  And did I mention it is cute?

Today, when I picked him up at daycare today, he had gone almost the whole day accident free.  We are going to put him in underwear tomorrow to see how he does.  I am bringing a couple of changes of pants just in case.  He will tell us when he has to potty.  We had great success over the weekend.  The two times he peed in his pants were when I should have put him on the potty instead of just asking him while he was otherwise engaged.  The downside, is this is the part of potty training that really sucks.  I really have to be on guard to prevent any mishaps.  I also have to make sure that his caregivers are on guard.  It will be a while until we don't have to remind him to potty.  I could only imagine that it is hard to remember to go in the potty when, for your whole life, you can been able to just go in your pants. I totally get that because there are times when I wish I could just go in my pants.  (don't act like you haven't thought about it either)

THEN, today, he refused to use a sippy cup at the table.  He wanted to use a big kid cup like sissy.  Our sippy cups days are not over, but it looks like there may be less of them hanging around our house. 

I am excited to have him trying these new things, but man... does he have to do them all within 2 days?  Can't he give the momma a little time to process? 

Big Boy Bed Vs. 2

Day two did not go so well.  Well, I wouldn't say it went bad, but after a couple of chases back into his room and a minute or two in the crib, he got the picture that he needed to stay in his bed.

And just think that yesterday went so smooth.

Big Boy Bed

Someone is sleeping in his big boy bed.

We had a bit of a 'whoopsie', when I put him down to nap in it yesterday (after he woke up crying).  He fell asleep in it, but woke up with a bang, if you know what I mean.  Having your almost 2 year old fall on the ground is not a great way to end naptime.

"What the heck are you doing lady?  Can't a boy get some sleep around here. Geez"

ugh.. The empty bed makes me so sad.  He is growing up so quickly and soon he will be two!

What a Week

Wow, when my kids decide to grow they do it in style! We had two big milestones this week with the kids.

We signed Peanut up for Pre-K this week.  I tried to sign her up at my lunch the first day, but the line turned me off.  I was starting to get a little panicky about her not getting into the school by my house when I got an email from K stating that the line was gone.  Sure enough, 1.5 hours after I was there I was back with NO LINE.  It took me 15 minutes to register.  Now I just have to keep my fingers crossed until April to find out if we made it in or not.  We have been prepping her for big kid school.  She is getting exciting about it although she is still just a bit hesitant of leaving the center she loves.  Mom and Dad are excited about saving about 100 dollars a week during the school year, but we are not looking forward to dealing with vacation care.

The big thing that I have been mourning is weening BabyP.  He was totally fine this morning when he woke up and didn't even ask to nurse, which was really surprising to me.  The blessing in it is that he slept straight to 6 this morning.  I think it is hard to see the baby grow up.  I already miss the closeness of nursing.  We still cuddle a lot but it doesn't feel the same. I don't miss the biting and him deciding to wake me up in the middle of the night.

It is sad to see the kids grow up.  It makes me feel old to see them develop and move on.  It makes me realize my own mortality, and it scares me to think I might miss a portion of their life.  It is odd to think that I will never nurse a baby again or to think that both kids won't be in daycare anymore.  There are lots of good things about them growing up, but I am giving myself a little bit of time to miss my baby.

And, I promise, sometime, i will actually download the pictures off my camera.