Claire Says Goodbye to Preschool

I feel like it was just yesterday that I was researching Ballard Montessori School. I wanted a school that would be a great fit for Michael and a place where I would have complete confidence he was getting what he needed. Before I knew it, Michael had finished his first year and we were prepping Claire to enter school. When Michael graduated last year from Ballard, it didn't seem so bad because I knew Claire would enter again the following year. She was excited to be on her own in a school and to have a break from doing everything with Michael.

We started this school year on a roll! Claire adjusted to life at school alone beautifully, and Michael really was flourishing in Kindergarten. For the most part, Claire really enjoyed going to school. Sure, some days she didn't want to get up and get dressed- but once we arrived, she would bound into school with energy! She loved it! Every single aspect of it! Claire is very artistic and loved the sweet little projects the teachers had out for her. She is also very academic and appreciated the teachers making workbooks for her. When she would finish one, the teachers made sure to make another for her and keep her challenged. Claire loved recess. I would get reports every night about how she chased the boys and played tag with them. She also had some wonderful girlfriends who talked princesses and played house with her.

All in all, Claire's preschool experience was nothing short of phenomenal. It was a bit expensive $430 a month for Monday Wednesday, Friday 9-12 p.m. but it was well worth it! The year picked up speed and between running from Michael's school and then to Claire's- only to do it again three hours later, we found ourselves running out of time. The school year was coming to a close. Claire is so excited for Kindergarten. She told me that she is looking forward to wearing a uniform, to having homework, and bringing a snack to school. Claire exuded confidence when we were talking about Kindergarten, but I heard her sniffling in her bed that same evening. "What's wrong Claire?" I said. "I'm going to miss my school, my teachers, and the Guinea Pig." she cried. I grabbed her and gave her a big hug and she sobbed for a good five minutes.

Sometimes, the thought of something new is exciting. New routines, new opportunities, and a refreshing change of pace. But the truth is- in order to do something new, you have to say goodbye to the old. I think that while Claire was setting her sights on Kindergarten, she forgot that in order to get there, she had to say goodbye to Ballard. Not just parts of her school- but goodbye to it all. I told her that I would take her back whenever she wants but I also know that once she steps foot in her new school- her old school won't feel like home. Her teachers, Miss Ellen and Miss Melba totally loved Claire. They were patient with her and in the two years she was there- guided her and helped her develop into a more confident, secure, and well-rounded Claire. At the end of the year BBQ, I felt a bit of sadness myself. Claire, with a panda painted on her face, ran around and had a ball with her friends. It was only when we had to say goodbye that the tears started to fall. Claire said goodbye to her teachers, her friends, the Guinea Pig Charlie, and she bravely walked out the door. She cried all the way to the car but I told her that it was okay to be upset. She loved her two years there. I chose Ballard Montesorri because it was a great fit for Michael, but I am thankful that in the end- it was a perfect match for Claire, too.

Face Plant

You never like to see you children get hurt. But at some point, you just have to realize it is bound to happen! Matthew walked kind of late at 14 months and because of this, he is really a solid walker and falls well. A major problem for Matthew is that he is obsessed with sports balls and water balloons. He has them in his hands all the time and it poses a problem when he falls because he can't brace himself because his hands are full. Well, today was just like any other day where I basically gave Matthew full reign of our house. He wanders and explores at his own pace and generally checks in with me or I search him out if he is too quiet. I was talking in the kitchen with my sister-in-law Heather when I heard that cry where you just know someone got really hurt. I ran outside and found Matthew laying on the patio screaming. I picked him up and held him close, waiting for him to calm down, and then investigated. No serious injury but his face was all messed up. He had a cut under his left eye, a pea sized mass under his eyelid, and a giant immediate bruise running up the side of his face. Luckily, he is one tough guy! I still have no idea what he hit out there in the backyard. But whatever it was, it hit him hard! Poor Matthew!!!!

Jill and Kyle Visit

Matthew and Kyle are only 3 1/2 months apart in age. Every time Matthew is with Kyle, he learns something new. Every time Kyle is with Matthew, he asserts his dominance and reminds Matthew that no matter how hard he tries, Kyle will always be older and more advanced! I love first born children (because I am one)! That's my nephew and I LOVE HIM!!!!

Jill and Kyle's visit was everything that is was not supposed to be. We had planned to do a lot of fun things but when the flu took over, all of our plans went out of the window. But I will tell you something . . . it was really nice to have no agenda. We couldn't go anywhere but instead just hung and talked- watched the kids bumble around and try and get better. It was exhausting to deal with the flu but I gained real strength from my sister and for that- I am grateful that they were here when I needed them the most.

Jill and Kyle decided to stay a few days past their planned return date so that we could actually have some fun! We went to Happy Hollow, swam in the pool, had picnics, and just relished in the health that had returned to all of our babies. My kids thoroughly enjoyed having both Jill and Kyle here and won't soon forget all of the craziness and fun we had. One of my favorite things about Jill's stay was that almost every night we took the kids for a walk. We had a major heat spell here where the temperature reached over 100 degrees a few times (thank goodness our new house has AC). At about 7:00 p.m. we would load any number of the kids up in the strollers and go walking. The weather was perfect, the conversation wonderful, and we loved smelling the different floral fragrances drifting through the air as we caught each other up on our lives. Jill told me that when she went home she would have to put some Star Jasmine (a very fragrant flower that permeates the air here) in her yard. I hope she does and I hope when she smells it she is reminded of her sister who loves her very very much.

The Dreaded Chain Reaction

While I hoped it wouldn't happen, I was pretty sure it would. This nasty, seriously terrible virus went right through our house. On day #1, it took Michael down. Just for the record, this particular virus lasts around 6 days. 4 straight days of high high fever, vomiting and cha chas for 3/4 days, and significant weight loss as a result. For instance, when this virus started Michael weighted 52 lbs. By the end of his illness, he lost just over 6 lbs. That is more than 10% of his total body weight! It was so hard to watch them suffer but like the trooper he is, he got through it!


To complicate the way our family dealt Virus Poop Shoot 2008, Damien had to fly to Denver the morning after Mother's Day. At that point, only Michael was sick and we were still holding out hope that it wouldn't infect the other two kids. Damien was going to be gone until Thursday night and I had complete confidence that I could handle the troops! One thing I was really looking forward to was that Jill and my sweet nephew Kyle were flying into town to stay with me for the week. I had let her know that Michael was sick but we decided to go ahead and have her come down anyway. This might have been a decision we both regretted later- but for the time being, we were rolling along with the plan.


Jill and Kyle arrived and Michael was feeling a lot better. Still sick, but showing some signs of improvement. We went on a walk that night (it was a gorgeous 95 degree day) and then settled in for the night. It wouldn't be long for things to get more dramatic. At 4:00 a.m. Matthew threw up and then continued to do so until about 9:30 a.m. I had to tell Jill the news that this illness was not only isolated to Michael and that things were going to be really nasty for the next few days. By noon, Matthew was fevering at a steady 104 degrees and nothing I did brought it down. The only thing that seemed to knock it down a few degrees was the tepid bath. He hated it! I got him comfy and we went to bed. At 12:30 a.m. I heard Claire call me. I got out of bed, still holding hot Matthew when I saw her throw up in the bucket I had preventatively placed beside her bed (thank goodness). All night long I heard her throw up. I would get out of bed and try and keep Matthew sleeping in my arms while dumping out the bucket, washing it out, and then going over it with a Clorox wipe. All night long. Seriously- all night long. I am so happy that Claire is a good sick patient. She totally handled herself and made it in the bucket each time. Such a big girl- that Claire!

By morning I was spent. Emotionally I was pretty much depleted and physically I was dizzy with the thought of another night alone with two really sick babies. Matthew was still fevering like mad and I knew I needed help. Thankfully after desperately making a call to my mother-in-law that afternoon, she arrived in time to distract Jill and I from the absolute hell we were in. She went the grocery store and brought us back food, medicine for the kids, and made us forget for a moment that we were really inthe thick of the worst virus I have ever encountered. Claire fevered but not as bad as the boys did. Lucky for me, Marlene said she would take care of Claire that night and that helped out so much!

The next morning, we wait for Kyle to get sick. We watched his every move knowing that there was absolutely NO WAY this kid was going to escape operation Poop Shoot. Sure enough, on the way to buy Shrek at Target- he barfed in the parking lot. And that is when we breathed a small sigh of relief that all the kids were infected and now we could just focus on getting them better. Flus are terrible. It takes you down so hard and fast that you feel like you will never get over it. This flu was interesting because it took the kids down one at a time so we were in this illness for a long time. By the end, all of the kids had cabin fever. We just wanted to get out of the house and breathe fresh air for a while. When I took this picture of Kyle and Matthew I didn't realize the significance of them trying to get outside. It should be titled "Get Me The Heck Out Of This Place!" Luckily now- with a little space from Poop Shoot 2008, I can laugh at the pure ridiculousness of the entire situation. Thank God for Jill, though. With Damien a few states away, I would've cracked if she weren't here.

A True Mother's Day

For some reason I was really excited for Mother's Day this year. Maybe it is because I am knee deep in children and just wanted to be pampered and taken care of. Before I tell you how my Mother's Day went, let me back up and give you some background. The plan for Mother's Day weekend was to head north to Damien's parent's house where most of his brothers and sisters would be. The weekend promised to be relaxing and family focused and I was really looking forward to it! We planned to leave our house on Saturday morning after Michael and Claire's soccer game for a much needed change of scenery and chance to celebrate. Let's go backwards and find out why Mother's Day wasn't anywhere near what we expected!

Early Saturday morning at 2:00 a.m. precisely- Matthew woke up. I got out of bed and got him out of the crib to walk him around. I noticed movement in the bathroom and yelled to Damien that Claire was going to the bathroom and might need help. As I walked by the bathroom, I heard that unmistakable sound of someone throwing up. "Damien, Claire is throwing up!" I quietly yelled! He scurried out of bed to find Michael on the toilet and he had definitely gotten sick. I got nervous- as any parent of a vomiting child might get. Thoughts started going through my head of the entire family getting the stomach flu but then I would be more rational thinking that maybe Michael just ate too much. Michael eating too much? That has never happened! I had a pit in my stomach and just knew that things were not going to be okay in the morning.

I stayed with Matthew all night and Damien tended to Michael as he continued to get sick all night long. We knew in the morning we weren't dealing with overeating or even food poisoning. We were in for it! We called Damien's parent's and told them that the probability of us coming up for Mother's Day was not looking good. By mid morning, Michael was still getting sick and now running a 104 degree temperature. Basically he was completely miserable. I felt bad for him but knew that I had to quarantine him to try and avoid Matthew and Claire getting the virus, too. Then I remembered how Michael had shared his Slurpee with Claire the day before and how I had given Matthew a few bites of Michael's cereal. I was tired. Damien was tired. But the stomach flu doesn't care who is tired- it just takes over!

On Mother's Day, Michael was on day two of his sickness and only seemed to be getting worse. Poor baby. We would comfort him and then literally scrub down to try and not infect the other two kids. Here I was on Mother's Day- ready for relaxation and pampering and I was washing out barf buckets and administering medication and tending to my sick baby. Then I thought of something. My first ever Mother's Day was spent in Paris and I hadn't even held my baby yet. I remembering so badly that I wanted to feel like a Mom, but because Michael was so sick, the feeling of being a Mother was confusing. I shook myself from my daydream and looked at Michael laying limp in my family room. "You know what?" I told myself. "You may not be pampered on Mother's Day- but you are Mothering. Today is the day to remind you what life is all about." I started to not feel sorry for myself and realized the true meaning behind Mother's Day.

We picked up Thai food for dinner and poor Michael was barely able to make it to the table to join us for grace. It was a sad day (to see Michael so sick) but a wonderful day to not think of Mother's Day in a Hallmark way and instead think of it literally. I was Mothering to my fullest capacity. Michael who lay sick and fevering- just wanted his Mommy. While I would have never planned it this way- he made this Mother's Day one that I will never forget. Never have I felt so needed and important. Sure I wanted to put my feet up and be Queen for the Day, but I had a job to do. The most important job of my life. While I do regret that Michael had to feel so terrible, I thank him for being my first child and making me a Mother. Buddy- seven years ago . . . all I wanted to do was pick you up and hold you and call you mine. But you were too sick and still- I had never held you. Today, in your beautiful seven year old body- I held you and felt a real purpose in being your Mom. Thank you for making me feel like I have a place in this world.

A Walk In The Park

As a child- it was such a treat when my Mom would take us to the park. We would all load up in the station wagon and roll down to the lake which had a great park area for kids. We'd bury each other in the sand, climb all around the big toy like little monkeys, and unbeknownst to us all- give our Mom a break from having to entertain us.

One GIANT perk about our new house is the location. Just a few blocks away is a fabulous park with so many different areas to have fun in and explore. The kids love the two different play areas and I do too! What is great is that the little kid's area is completely gated. No escaping here!

Pretty often, we'll get popsicles, strap Matthew in the stroller and just walk over to the park. It has proven to be a lifesaver for those 'stuck in the house' days and I have a feeling we'll be there a lot this spring and summer.

It has been a lot of fun to see Michael and Claire play with Matthew at the park. They like to help him do things that he is a bit scared of (the tunnel slide) and it also brings them great happiness to just sit back and swing with him. You know- sometimes life can just take off on you. There are times when my weeks seem so scheduled and it is hard to find time to relax as a family. I think this park is going to be a great place for us. A place where we will spend a lot of time just enjoying one another while breathing in the outdoors. I can hardly wait . . .

Literally Speaking

Matthew is trying so hard to communicate. He has a few words, but still reaches that point of not being able to tell me what he is thinking. When he learned how to shake his head no, some of that frustration was lifted. The tough part was that he couldn't figure out how to say 'yes'. Damien and I have been trying really hard to get him to make the connection by emphatically shaking our heads 'yes' and applauding him when he made the effort to do so. He tried and tried but it just hasn't clicked. Instead of giving up, I just kept trying to give him different ways to say yes.

He knows most of his body parts and so I thought that if I said, "Say yes with your head"- he might make the connection. It didn't work. Later that day, I asked him if he wanted a bottle (because I knew he did) and he started hitting the top of his head with his hand. I thought nothing of it. Then later when I asked him if he wanted to go for a walk- I realized that he was again hitting his head. And then I made a connection. I kept telling him, "Say yes with your head" so he figured the way you say yes is by hitting your head. Now that we have a new, albeit silly, way to communicate, understanding what Matthew wants or needs is a lot easier. Sure, he walks around all day hitting himself on the head but at least we have a way to communicate!

The Stickiest of Situations

Out of my three children, Matthew seems to be the most even tempered and easy going child (at least at this stage). I think a lot of this has to do with the environment in which he exists. Matthew basically fits into our already established schedule and goes along for the ride. He really hasn't gotten into too much trouble and generally knows right from wrong. I know he is only 15 months old, but I am so thankful for the safe way he approaches things at his age.

One thing Matthew has been doing since he was just about a year old was popping the top off of things with his teeth. I briefly considered calling David Letterman to see if he could qualify for Stupid Human Tricks, but realized that even if he made it on- the crowd would scare him and I didn't want him to think that his Mommy thought he was 'stupid'. Basically, if you give anything to Matthew with a lid or a top, he will most certainly get it off. It started when he would play with my Starbucks cup. Within seconds, he would pop the top off with his teeth and be covered with the leftover coffee. Then it moved to canisters at home, then yogurt in the refrigerator, then soda cups, etc. This game became less funny when he popped the top off of the Folgers Coffee canister and played with the million or so coffee grounds. I have a video somewhere showing this 'skill' and it is hilarious.

After the coffee grounds incident, I started moving things with lids that could be popped open from the low pantry shleves. If it had a screw top, it was safe. Otherwise- up to a higher shelf it went! So- on with life we went . . . until yesterday when I went to retrieve the box of corn meal to make corn bread. It appeared to be stuck so I pulled a little harder. Still- it wouldn't budge. Instead of investigating like I should have, I really pulled at the box and that is when the bottom of the box tore off- leaving me a ridiculously large heap of yellow cornmeal strewn about my pantry shelf! It didn't help that the day was already a stressful one. I got closer to see what had happened and that is when I noticed this interesting glistening substance. It was everywhere. A smooth coat of it covered nearly the whole shelf and paralyzed every item in its sticky path. But what was it? I pulled bottles and boxes from this mess in search of the culprit (which I was pretty sure Matthew had something to do with). After a few moments of searching- I had found it. On it's side was a half full bottle of corn syrup. And would you know that now a days, they make it with a flip top? What happened to the good old fashioned screw top that used to adorn this bottle? One of the stickiest substances in the kitchen world now has a flip top? What non-Mother made this decision?

Cleaning this mess up was nearly impossible. I decided the best decision (since we plan to redo the kitchen in the near future) was to let it completely dry and harden and then deal with the consequences. Then I realized that during the past few days, it had been slowly leaking between the panels of the pantry shelf onto the floor and now had stuck that was on the floor- onto the floor. I have now surrendered to this giant mess. I am going to make due with what I can salvage and try to ignore this problem. In the meantime, Matthew's little trick isn't as cute anymore. Okay, it is still pretty funny but now I am nervous for the things he might pop open when I am not around!