Henry Turns 3 Years Old!

Today is Henry's 3rd birthday! As Jeff said this morning, three years ago we couldn't have predicted where we are today. We have a brilliant, handsome son, a loving, beautiful daughter, and a very sweet baby (who may not be with us long-term but we are enjoying her while she is with us).

Throughout the day, I thought about exactly where I was three years ago. Around 8-9AM, I had walked our dogs Marley and Roger before getting ready for my OB appointment. Around 10-11AM, I remember the OB's assistant claiming that my blood pressure was 120/80, which we knew wasn't right, and I remember our concerns over realizing that we were dealing with an incompetent medical staff. Around noon, I was in triage. I remember the OB saying that the baby would probably have to be delivered that day. I remember Jeff's look of shock and questioning the doctor about what that would mean for his survival. Around 3PM, there was the helicopter ride from Northwest to UMC. Around 5:15PM, I remember being told to sign paperwork giving the UMC doctors to perform a c-section "if needed." And then, there was the doctor/resident who walked into the room 10 minutes after I had signed the papers announcing that I'd be going into surgery (the transition from hypothetical "if needed" to "going to surgery" was rather abrupt). I remember being wheeled out of my room and not wanting to die but being calm about it all the same. I remember being told by the nurse as they prepped me for surgery, cutting the new shirt off my back, that I was too calm and that it was OK to breakdown. I remember talking with Jeff throughout the surgery and hearing Henry's first cry. Our son's single cry. Our son who I never once felt kick in my womb. Surreal.

Henry's Birth Picture










Henry at a Couple Days Short of 3 Years Old (4/24/10)



















Henry at Age 3 (Actual):
* His climbing skills are excellent as demonstrated by the way he has attacked obstacle courses at Spring Fling and the Pima County Fair.
* He is becoming quite a good jumper. He likes to stand on top step of the landing and jump over the second step onto the floor of the living room.
* Henry's language skills are impressive. He has a nuanced understanding of terms. He corrects others for imprecise usage of words. He asks questions. He can predict consequences from observed events.
* Henry tested out of Early Intervention in March because he looked like a 3 year old in five key areas of development. And he did this based on his actual age, not adjusted age (which today would be 2 years 8.5 months).
* Henry is the single most self-directed individual whom I've ever met. As such, he is also the most stubborn person whom I've ever met as well. If he is told "no," his approach is to ask someone else to see what his/her answer will be. He has certainly learned that he can persuade me with a sweet smile or a hug.
* Despite his independent tendencies, he often thinks about others, probably Miss R most of all. They certainly have their toddler competitive/possessive tendencies over toys (as though we don't have plenty to go around in this house!). But Henry will often make sure that Miss R is taken care of. If we are headed out the door to go somewhere, Henry will make sure that Miss R is coming as well. And when he was out with my parents at Red Lobster on Tuesday, he wanted to go home so that he could share his dinner (popcorn shrimp) with Miss R. In his words, "R, you're my best friend!"
* Henry is affectionate. Although he is very independent in many ways, he likes personal contact. He will spontaneously give hugs and sit on laps. He is very keen on giving Baby A hugs. And he spontaneously tells members of the family that he loves them.
* Henry is definitely HM (high maintenance). He gets into trouble easily. His curiosity about the world has advantages and disadvantages. For us, it makes for a lot of work b/c supervision is imperative with Henry.

Today, someone at work said that we must be exhausted with three kids. I was actually feeling remarkable refreshed today. Kids are work, but it is certainly work that I enjoy. It is true that with a full-time job and kids, I have no outside hobbies and I don't watch TV (unless it is from staying up with Baby A at night...I have Troy on the telly right now). And, after having Henry, Miss R and Baby A don't really seem like that much work in comparison. I said how easy Baby A is. No oxygen canisters to lug around. No apnea monitors to fiddle with. Medical appointments are few and far between (unlike Henry's couple a week when he came home). No insomnia. "But your experience with Henry wasn't 'normal,'" she said. "But it was our normal," I replied. "It is what we knew, so other babies by definition are much easier to care for."

Our birthday celebration was hampered by Henry's illnesses. I think that his sores are getting better. Or at least he hasn't gotten worse. On his feet, I think that the topical is facilitating the cycle so that things will heal more quickly. They are still a mess. The sores on Henry's face are scabbing over and that is an improvement.

Henry was happy today watching TV. Jeff and Henry had a major argument when Jeff insisted that Henry take a nap. I was told by Jeff that he had won the argument. Once he settled down, he slept for a long time. In fact, Miss R and I didn't get home until 5:45PM and Henry had just arisen.

I bought a waffle iron and some cake mix at Target before picking up Miss R at daycare. Jeff made homemade waffles for dinner, and they were very good. Jeff also made a cake while I took care of the kids. Henry spoke with Grammy and then Aunt Carolyn on the phone. After we had dinner, we played in the living room.



We let Henry open a present: a Peter Pan figurine set. He was thrilled. We wanted to play with Captain Hook of course. He had the crocodile try to eat Captain Hook and Mr. Smee save him.
We don't know when we'll give him the rest of his gifts.

I'm not sure what we'll do with the kids tomorrow. Hopefully, we'll figure out something that doesn't involve the TV.

Triple Whammie

Disneyland's magical effect on our family is that someone seems to get sick every time a trip to DL is planned. On Tuesday afternoon, I made reservations for the following week at the Disneyland Hotel. Meanwhile, my parents decided that they wanted some one-on-one Henry time for their 42 year anniversary. Tuesdays are good days for that because Miss R sometimes has visits with her older bio siblings. Miss R had a great time when she got back. Her siblings had given her TONS of candy, and then she got some one-on-one time with me, Jeff, and Baby A while Henry was out. When my parents dropped off Henry, they reported that they'd taken him to Barnes & Noble (and gotten him lots of stuff b/c mom says she can't say "no" to Henry) and went to Red Lobster. I asked how Henry had behaved. Grammy said, "He was a perfect gentlemen." I guess that was the tip off that something was amiss.

On Tuesday night, Henry had a fever. We caught it before it hit 103 and gave him Motrin to keep it in check.

On Wednesday, McCall was the day's nanny. Fortunately, she said that she didn't mind taking care of Henry and Baby A. I had to work. And Jeff had jury duty. He was placed as a juror Tuesday afternoon on a criminal trial.

Henry didn't seem to mind too much being sick. I told the nanny to give him whatever snacks he wanted (it isn't as though he ever chooses candy) and tried to make it easier on her by allowing her to give him all of the TV he requested. He read books with her too.

I picked up Miss R after my workday had ended. We then went to the grocery store and didn't get home until 6:15PM. Henry was asleep when we arrived. He hadn't taken a nap, so when Jeff got home, he ushered him to bed.

I took the first shift with Baby A. She fell asleep around 10:30PM. Henry, however, got up at 11PM wanted a snack and wanted to watch TV. He stayed up watching TV while I intermittently napped beside him. Baby A woke up at 3AM. That meant she slept about 4.5 hours straight! I think that at some point around 4AM, I switched off with Jeff.

On Thursday, Jeff got me up at 7:15AM. Henry was already up eating pancakes. Apparently, he was famished and excited to eat. He actually ran to the kitchen table when he got up. Thursday mornings are Baby A's visits with bio mom. We gave her a bath before she was scheduled to be picked up. She really seemed to enjoy the bath and was very smiley. Her scheduled pick up time came and went. Then the driving service called wanted to know if she'd been picked up. That call went to the answering machine. So I called them back. Someone answered their phone and said that they'd look into it without asking for Baby A's name. I called Baby A's caseworker at CPS to let her know that she hadn't been picked up. I had to call her anyway b/c she had left a message the day before wanting to stop by Thursday or Friday for the monthly visit (two days left in the month). That was a bit difficult due to Jeff being on jury duty, Henry being sick, us having a visit for Miss R with Christy already scheduled, and me needing to work. But I said that 11:30AM, when Baby A was scheduled to return from her visit (assuming she was picked up for one), would be OK. And that was a good time for her. Jeff left with Miss R around 9:20AM. He had time to drop her off before he was scheduled to be at court. At 9:25AM, Baby A was picked up. That gave me two hours to get the house ready for the CPS visit.

Jeff had noticed some spots around Henry's mouth Wednesday night. By Thursday's breakfast, the spots looked red and angry. Henry had sores on his feet in-between his toes. I figured that he'd gotten hand, foot, and mouth from daycare. I was told my Miss Stephanie on Wednesday morning that someone had contracted it in one of the younger classrooms. I had called the ped's office at 8AM, and they had called back with a 1PM appointment time. I had described the red, angry, crusty spots, and the nurse said it sounded like something a little more than hand, foot, and mouth.

Baby A's caseworker showed up at 11:30AM. Baby A, however, hadn't yet arrived from her visit. The caseworker didn't have a lot of information. She gave me some impressions. There are two potential placements for Baby A, both of whom we were already aware. There are legitimate reasons why they haven't been chosen as placements (yet). It is truly unclear where the case is headed. Baby A arrived at 12:05PM. She was asleep. The caseworker got to see her, which fulfilled her CPS duties. The next CFT meeting has been scheduled for May 14. We may be able to get more information at that time.

During the caseworker's visit, Henry pretty much stayed in his room. Emma had arrived at noon to nanny. The caseworker left around 12:20PM. I turned Baby A over to Emma. Emma gave Henry a yellow balloon, which made him happy.

That happiness was short-lived because I told Henry we had to go to the doctor's office. This upset Henry because he wanted to watch Peter Pan. Henry was upset in the car. He couldn't be reasoned with. He threw a fit in the ped's office, so they ushered him into their weight room quickly. He weighed about 29 lbs on the big boy scale.

Diagnosis: (1) hand, foot, and mouth, (2) infantigo, and (3) pink eye.

The hand, foot, and mouth is viral. It is evident in his throat. It takes about 7 days to clear. Dr. Bianchi said that Henry should be OK to go to school on Monday. The infantigo is bacterial. It is probably an extension and mutation of the hand, foot, and mouth. Pink eye...who knows what kind it is. To quote Dr. Bianchi, "Henry's feet are a mess." Henry's now on an oral antibiotic, a topical for the feet and mouth, and has to take eye drops.

After the appointment, we stopped by Grammy's house to pick up alphabet cookies at Henry's request. We didn't get out of the car b/c I didn't want Henry to pass anything to my mom. Then, Henry and I went to Eegee's to get him some french fries. Then, we picked up his prescriptions.

Baby A was still asleep when we returned. Emma asked if she should wake her up, but I said to let her sleep. She'd been asleep probably 3 hours, but I figured that was OK. I got Henry settled in his room and gave him his medications.

Jeff's jury duties ended around 4PM. The trial is over. He picked up Miss R and took her to the store.

At 5:30PM, Christy from St. Nick's showed up. Our petition for Miss R's adoption should be ready and sent to the lawyer by the end of next week. Christy wanted to know what Miss R's new name should be on the paperwork. We are leaving her first name as is b/c it is a lovely name and is integral part of her identity. She'll be taking Jeff's last name. Christy is predicting that the adoption will be schedule for July.

Jeff and Miss R arrived about halfway through Christy's visit. Miss R threw a fit as soon as I said "How was your day?" She was so moody. Jeff said that she'd been perfectly happy at the store.

After Christy left, we let the kids eat dinner in front of the TV. Henry's choice: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. He likes the part where Harry battles the basilisk.

I gave Miss R a bath. She liked the bubbles. I found her particularly girlie nightgown that's pink with white polka dots and a sheer pink cover. She was happy with that.

The kids didn't go to bed until 10PM. While Jeff took Miss R potty, Henry crashed. He was getting quite moody and hadn't napped all day. Hopefully, he'll sleep late. Miss R will still be going to school however.

I had planned to send cupcakes and party favors to school with Henry on Friday. But Henry won't be going to school. I suppose that I can send those things along next week. We had also planned to take Henry and the girls to Chuck E. Cheese for dinner Friday night. We're canceling that too. We're also canceling Henry's family birthday celebration scheduled for Saturday. And I've canceled Saturday and Sunday plans to go to two parks with friends. Sigh. I'm hoping that we'll figure out something fun to do in-house tomorrow. It will be Henry's birthday after all.

"That makes me sad."

On Monday afternoon, I picked up the kids after my class. They were in the same classroom together b/c classes get condensed toward the end of the day. I peaked into the window and they both saw me. I kind of wish they hadn't seen me b/c I'd love to be able to spy on them and see how they really behave. Henry got up first, which made Miss R mad so she cried as though Henry had injured her. Then Miss Marissa and Miss Diana said, "Henry, don't be mean to your sister." He hadn't done anything wrong. Poor kid gets into trouble just b/c Miss R turned on the water works b/c she wanted to be first.

The kids were kind of moody. I think that it had everything to do with them being tired having skipped their naps on Sunday.

Baby A hadn't had a very good day. She caught her first cold, probably from Jeff who had been battling one throughout the weekend. She hadn't slept much during the day.

The Twins went to bed around 8PM or so. Earlier than usual for them, but they needed it. Jeff then took Baby A grocery shopping. We figured that the car ride would soothe her. Miss R was still up after Jeff and Baby A left, so I snuggled with her in her bed, which she loves.

Jeff woke me up at 6AM this morning. He said that Baby A had had a good night sleep-wise. She stayed in her crib from 5-8AM. That's a record length for consistent crib time. We are making progress. She didn't sound too sniffly this morning.

Jeff went to jury duty. I did Miss R's hair once the nanny arrived. Miss R was not happy b/c I decided to braid her hair. She struggled with me for 40 minutes (it should have taken 10-15 minutes).

Henry wanted to know where Daddy was.

KATE: Daddy went to jury duty.
HENRY: I want to go to jury duty.
KATE: Well, you can't go to jury duty.
HENRY: I want Daddy. That makes me sad.

I dropped off the kids at school and then went shopping for birthday party supplies at Party City. The supplies are for Henry's class. I'm making goodie bags for his classmates and bringing cup cakes on Friday for his birthday. We've decided not to have a full out party this year. We'll be taking Henry to Chuck E. Cheese with Miss R and Baby A on Friday night (his actual birthday). Then, we'll have a family dinner with Grammy, Poppy, Great Aunt Gloria, Aunt Erin, and Uncle Brian over the weekend. The following week, we are going to take The Twins to Disneyland. Henry and Miss R don't know that though. It's a secret.

A Busy But Great Weekend

On Friday, we picked up the kids at school and took them to Monkey Business. Miss Marissa said that Henry had a great afternoon. She said that there weren't as many kids at school, which made for a less chaotic classroom.

Henry and Miss R had fun at Monkey Business. Henry made progress on his skee ball skills. He always walks up the alley, but this time, he threw the balls into the 3,000 pt circle, which was a vast improvement over him placing them purposefully in the gutter. I won the kids some dinosaur toys from one of the machines.

On Saturday, we had quarterly fostercare training. We dropped off Henry and Miss R at Grammy and Poppy's house. They went shopping, ate their lunches, took long naps, and watched TV. Miss R spent a lot of time on my mom's lap. We picked them up in the late afternoon and went to the park in Oro Valley. They both had a good time. Henry concerned me by trying to boss around a kid who was probably in fourth or fifth grade, was 2 ft taller than him, and weighed at least three times as much as he did (maybe more...the kid was big). Fortunately, the kid didn't take Henry seriously. Henry also tried to ride down the rim of a slide because he'd seen a four year old do it. Miss R surprised me with her activity levels. When she first joined our family, she didn't move around much. While she isn't as active as Henry, she was nevertheless quite active and did an excellent job climbing around.























On Sunday, we took the kids to the Pima County Fair. The fair exceeded my expectations. The kids really had a fabulous time. We started off in one of the exhibit halls that had a shark tank and stingray petting area. What drew the kids' attention, however, was a big sandbox. They got very dusty and had a wonderful time. We went on several rides. Jeff took Henry on the big slide (similar, if not the exact same, as the one at Spring Fling). Then I took Miss R. The kids went on a pirate boat ride. Then, I took Henry and Miss R through a house of mirrors, while Jeff fed Baby A. Then, we went on something called the Dizzy Dragons, which they really liked. And then, Henry ran onto a climbing exhibit, although I'd run out of tickets by that point. The guy running it didn't charge me for Henry. Henry was fearless climbing up rope walls and such.























We went to the 4-H exhibit hall and looked at steer, chickens, roosters, ducks, and goats. We saw some horses from afar. Then, Jeff took Henry and Miss R to the petting zoo while I watched Baby A in the shade. We had planned to head home but walked through another exhibit hall that distracted us for a good hour. It had a HUGE train set. And there was a kids' area where kids could built walls with cushy blocks, play with a small train set, pick plastic apples from "orchard" trees, collect plastic eggs from a hen house, sit on a tractor, milk a fake cow, pick food from a garden, and dig for gold in a sandbox. It was absolutely perfect for our kids.

While the kids played in the gold sandbox, a little girl went up to Jeff and asked if she could touch Baby A's foot. Jeff let her. She asked if she could hold her, but Jeff politely said no. Baby A is still small and the little girl was probably not more than 8. It was cute though.

We let the kids watch The Great Mouse Detective and Aladdin in the late afternoon after we got home. Then Jeff gave The Twins a much needed bath.

All in all, it was a very good weekend.

A Mamma Mia! Tantrum

We had planned to take the kids to Monkey Business last night to celebrate Miss R being a member of our family for a year. But then I remembered that Alison, our caseworker from A Place To Call Home, was stopping by at 5:30PM for her monthly home inspection.

I found out that R&R Pizza provides deliver to our area (the boonies!). I was surprised and ecstatic. We haven't had delivery since Philly. So I ordered us dinner. I then picked up the kids at daycare. Apparently, Henry managed to end up in timeout for directly and purposefully disobeying a command. When I saw Miss R, I asked: "Were you a good girl today?" Miss Lulu answered: "Always. R is always a good girl." Miss R smiled.

Alison was at our house when Henry, Miss R, and I arrived. Nothing really to report from Alison. Like us, she hasn't heard from Baby A's caseworker at CPS so we have no idea how the case is going. Henry cracked up Alison. I can't remember what he did this time, but he always has some clever phrase up his sleeve that makes Alison laugh. He took Alison's keys and said that he was leaving.

After Alison left, we watched Mamma Mia!, which we hadn't seen in a long time. Henry stripped down to his diaper b/c the young man in the film was in his swim trunks. Henry sang along. All was well until the TV got turned off. And the result was a fabulous Henry tantrum that made me laugh. "No! I want to watch Mamma Mia again!" said Henry. Amazingly, Henry stopped his tantrum so that he could watch the video that I'd made of it. I think that his acting skills need a bit of work. Calling Aunt Erin (theater instructor)...

On Friday, I switched places with Jeff at 4AM. I'd taken care of Baby A and stayed in the living room. She slept from about 9:45PM to 1AM and then from 1:15AM to 4AM. I snoozed with her on my chest. I then got some work done before getting The Twins up. Jeff said that he was able to nap with her. So things are getting better on the sleep front.

The morning was beautiful. Here are some pictures from our backyard:




















The kids weren't too terrible to get to school. It helpd that snack time had arrived. I've noticed that the kids make very smooth transitions into their classes when food is involved.

I talked to Christy from St. Nick's. She received our adoption certification last week and filled out the internal St. Nick's paperwork and submitted it. Once her agency approves, she'll submit paperwork to the state. Yes!

I've placed a couple calls this week to the casework of Baby A's one year old brother about doing respite for him so that we could see if we are up to the task of four kids, but we haven't heard back from her. Perhaps she is just waiting for his hearing (mid-May) before getting another family involved. I would like to estabish a relationship between the siblings for their sakes.

That's all for now.

It's Been One Year!

On Wednesday morning, everyone was dragging. I had stayed up late preparing for my class, which required compiling video clips. I actually had fun doing it, but I definitely felt the lack of sleep. As I talked with Corinne, the lady who nannies most often for us and has a great touch with Baby A, I mentioned how Henry was turning 3 at the end of the month. She said, "Really? I assumed his age was closer to 4." At times, he does seem older (those times don't include the big tantrums over not wanting to go to school).

Poppy picked up the kids and took them home. Jeff said that at one point, the kids said goodbye and announced that they were going to Neverland. Henry and Miss R went into our room and played on the bed. Jeff also overheard Henry saying to Miss R, "R, you're my best friend!"

It was a struggle getting Henry to eat last night. Miss R was being stubborn too. Again, I ask: How did we end up with kids who don't want to eat? Miss R wanted her medicine, an appetite stimulant that tastes like a sugary syrup. I told her that she wasn't allowed her medicine until she tried one of her crackers with the dip on it that Jeff made. Surprise, suprise. Once she tasted it (having professed that she didn't like it prior to not tasting it), she loved it and ate quite a few (and also got her medicine). After dinner, Henry announced that he wanted popcicles. He and Miss R suddenly had an appetite at that point.

Henry sang his "Thank You" song from school for the camera:


I was dead tired Wednesday night. Jeff took over Baby A duty once The Twins were in bed. Sounds like Baby A was being good for Jeff. She fussed around midnight, and he fed her. Jeff didn't think she'd stirred until 5AM or so. I got up to take over at 5:15AM. Jeff had work to do at that point. We hope that Baby A will continue to extend her nightly sleeping.

I fed Baby A and then fell asleep with her on the couch. At 8AM, Jeff said, "Does A have a visit today?" Indeed, she did. And the transportation van was waiting outside for her, having arrived 20 minutes early. Jeff talked to the driver who said not to worry. She was early b/c she wanted to make sure that she'd found the place. Pick-up time wasn't until 8:20AM. We somehow managed to give Baby A a bath before getting her out the door at 8:20AM. She was unhappy about having her sleep disturbed, but other that that, all was well. Henry wanted to know where she was going. I decided to tell him that she has a "bio mommy" and she was going to visit her. I said that Baby was just staying with us for awhile. The truth is that we have no idea how long she'll be with us, but I think that there is a decent possibility that bio mom will get herself together enough to meet the court's threshold of "safe environment." And I really don't want Henry and Miss R to get hurt when Baby A leaves, so they have to be told that she's just with us awhile.

As I was about ready to leave the house with The Twins, Henry announced that he wanted some of my soy bacon. Then Miss R saw that Henry was eating soy bacon, so she wanted some. We ended up having a snack (after already having breakfast) before leaving the house. When I said that it was time to go to school, Miss R said "I don't want to go to school!" Henry added, "We want to stay here forever!" As cute as they are, I took them to school.

Henry was delighted that we ran into the two teachers who handle the baby rooms. They each take one of the cribs and load them up with their charges (4-5 kids) and push them around the school and the play yard for some fresh air in the mornings. I talked with the teachers while Henry said hi to the babies, which he loves to do. Miss R wasn't that interested. Perhaps now that we have Baby A (whom she frequently requests to hold), she's just not interested in any baby. One of the teachers asked me if we were adopting the baby. I said that we didn't know. Just depended on how bio mom did with her case plan. She said that they take care of a lot of foster kids. She asked me how long Miss R had been with us. And then I said, "What day is it?" Turned out that today is April 22. Miss R has been with our family for ONE YEAR! Wow!

So tonight, we are going to have a family night and celebrate!

Allergies

Monday and Tuesday were relatively uneventful days, which was good. My dad brought the kids home after school on Monday. My mom has unfortunately caught a cold, which isn't great considering that she is in the middle of her chemo treatments.

On Tuesday, Jeff and I had home check-ups for our insurance qualifications. The nurse drew our blood into vials. Miss R watched, fascinated. After the nurse was done with us, Henry plopped on the couch where Jeff had been sitting and told the nurse, "I want by blood drawn," which cracked her up. She hadn't heard that request from a two year old before.

Jeff picked up the kids after school. After dinner this evening, Henry went with me on a "walk" with the dogs. He wanted to "hold you," which means he wanted me to carry him. He rarely makes the request these days, so I of course did it.

Last night, he crawled into bed with me in the middle of the night. Jeff was on baby duty. The night before, Henry had crawled into bed with Jeff while I was on baby duty. I don't know what's going on with him, but all of us in the house have been coughing a lot. His coughing has been bad at night. Probably allergies. Jeff turned on the swamp cooler a few days ago. We are wondering if that's triggered lung issues for everyone. The baby is the only one who appears unaffected.

I enjoyed snuggling with Henry. I feel like I should make the most of these tender moments because he is growing up so fast.

We suspect that Henry's last molars may be coming in. He's been a bit cranky lately and I've seen him sticking his fingers in his mouth, which isn't a normal behavior for him.

We heard from our agency that the court finally sent them a copy of the adoption certification. The agency suspects that the court lost the original b/c they usually send original certificates not copies. In any event, the copy should do for the purposes of getting the ball rolling with Miss R's paperwork. I'm hoping that she'll be ours legally in a couple months.

We are considering taking Henry and Miss R to Disneyland in a couple weeks, once my classes are done. There remains the question: What do we do with Baby A? We could take her and then take turns with the toddlers on the rides. The other possibility is to use "respite" care. We are allowed 8 hours of respite care per child per month. We've never used a single respite hour. I talked with our family specialist, and she said that there would be no problem letting another foster family take care of Baby A for a couple days. We think that we might do that.

Old Tucson

I returned from Chicago on Saturday night. The place basically looked like hurricane had come through it, but everyone was well. Henry and Miss R were asleep.

On Friday, the kids (minus Baby A) went to my parents' house after school. And on Saturday, my dad picked up the kids after their nap and took him to their place so that Jeff could get some reprieve from the toddlers.

On Sunday, Henry announced that he wanted to watch SpongeBob's Halloween. He was told no. We don't watch TV in the morning. He believes that if he makes a demand enough times, one of us will eventually give in. I'm the weak link, but I stayed strong today against Henry's persuasive power. A part of our conversation went as follows:

HENRY: I want to watch SpongeBob's Halloween.
KATE: Henry, I've already told you no. My answer is no.
HENRY: Your answer is yes. The answer is yes. The answer is not no. The answer is yes.

I was impressed with his use of the double negative, but still didn't give in.

We decided to take the kids to Old Tucson. We hadn't been there since we went with our friend Kelly in 2006. The kids had never been there before. We had a good time. As we pulled into the parking lot, Henry noticed a film camera that had two circles at its top that made it look like the Mickey Mouse symbol.

Our first stop was a can can show. We bought the kids popcorn and a strawberry slushie. Miss R loved the show but was shy around the actresses. During the show, one of the can can girls sang a song and sang part of it to Henry. She thought he was adorable. He enjoyed the attention. He said hello to the cast after the show.

I took Henry and Miss R on a walking tour of a "haunted iron mine." The leader of the tour warned me that it was scary. I was confident that the kids could handle it. Miss R was held throughout the tour. Henry walked on his own. It was significantly scarier than the haunted house at the spring fling, but Henry liked it well enough to go on it again with Jeff after lunch.

After our first visit to the iron mine, we went on the antique cars. Jeff took the kids first, and then I did. Although we made it to the stunt show before 12:30, they'd roped it off so that we and several other people couldn't make our way to the stands. So we used the opportunity to take the kids to the bathroom in shifts. While outside one building, Henry struck up a conversation with a cowboy. The cowboy said to me, "He's certainly not shy. A lot of kids are." Henry told the cowboy that he (Henry) was Buzz Lightyear. That's our Henry. He's no wall flower.

We visited the jail on the way to the gold panning area. Henry liked the jail cell but wouldn't go in it. He was happy to close me behind bars, however, which sent Miss R into a tizzy. I think that she thought that I was literally being locked in a cage, which she found upsetting. We then headed to the panning for gold area. That didn't go as planned. Henry kept trying to drink the water that held the sand and gold. The kids couldn't tell the gold flakes from the rocks. But we panned for a couple minutes before having some lunch.

After lunch, Jeff took Henry on the haunted iron mine tour again. The tour guide remembered Henry and said that many kids bigger than Henry get scared on it. After that, the kids went on the carousel. Miss R went on it three times, and Henry went on it twice. Then, we went on a train around the park. It was almost 3PM by that point, so it was time to head home. We decided to trade up our daily tickets for annual passes. The sign at the front desk said that ticket purchases could be applied toward annual passes. This proved incredibly complicated for the staff who couldn't figure it out. After a half hour of waiting and then nearly being overcharged, I got testy with the cashier who was supposedly the "experienced" one of the lot. She said, "Well, I need time to think about this or I'll have to get my supervisor." I said, "It's been a half hour, my husband and kids are waiting in the car, this isn't a complicated transaction, get the manager if you have but do it now because I'm not waiting any longer." Argh.

Baby A was screaming when I got to the car. She settled down once the car was in motion. Henry and Miss R were sacked out.

The kids took a nap when we got home. Jeff and I ordered 2012 on pay per view. It was a good day.

After dinner, Henry got to watch Aladdin, so he was very happy. Miss R had fun ruffling Henry's hair like I usually do. Henry got annoyed after awhile when it inferred with watching the TV.

That's all from here. Hoping for an uneventful week.

Temper Temper

When I returned home from dropping off the kids at school on Wednesday morning, I told Jeff that I was betting that they'd watch Henry's class and be sure to try to get Henry on some infractions so as to not take responsibility for the morning's incident. That's pretty much what happened.

I picked up the kids. Miss R was happy to see me. She then asked to go find Henry. We did. Miss Valerie (whom I like very much) said that they'd taken the hitting boy aside, then made him apologize to Henry and give him a hug. She also said that the hitting boy is 3, so they'll be moving him to the 3 year old room. I said, "Henry turns 3 at the end of the month. Will he end up in the same classroom?" If the aggressive child's behavior doesn't do a 180, I don't want Henry around him for three reasons. First and foremost, I don't want Henry to get hurt. Second, I don't want Henry to be fearful of coming to school. And third, I don't want Henry to emulate bad behavior.

So then I talked with the developmental coordinator. She wasn't able to watch the class much as she'd said she'd do because they were "short staffed." She said that for the couple minutes she did observe, the boys were very rowdy and possessive of toys. Henry was possessive of a drum. I just knew that they'd try to slight Henry in some way to make the day's event seem like every kid does it, even mine. I said, "Look, I know that kids can be pushy and possessive, but the child who attacked Henry was qualitatively different than what I have witnessed other kids do. Yes, kids push, but this kid was extremely aggressive. Moreover, I hear that he is getting sent to the 3 year old room. Henry turns 3 at the end of the month. Will they be in the same class? Because I don't want that." She said that because Henry isn't potty trained and the other child isn't potty trained, they'd end up in the same class. I said, "Well that's a problem." I made sure she knew that I was unhappy about today's events and the situation in the hopes that they'll take it seriously. If they don't, we'll have to find another school. Given that the teachers (four of them) weren't watching the kids and they knew in advance that the hitting child has a history of problem behavior, they are liable. And I'm so vexed that I'd take action.

I took Henry and Miss R to Grammy and Poppy's house. They watched TV and had dinner. Then, Grammy and Poppy brought them home. Henry had Poppy's DVD of Peter Pan and didn't want to let it go, which resulted in a major meltdown. The kids were obviously tired. Jeff was trying to finish our taxes. Henry calmed down while I was on the telephone with Aunt Erin. He told her about how he wanted to watch Peter Pan. I got him some apple juice in a box, provided that he and Miss R sat on the floor. Then, it was time for bed. Jeff got the kids to sleep while I fed Baby A who had stirred. While I took care of Baby A, I watched two episodes of Super Nanny. Very informative.

Tomorrow, I travel to Chicago early in the morning. I return Saturday night. I have a MAPOR board meeting to attend. It is going to be a quick trip. I'm meeting with a colleague for dinner. Then, the board meeting is all day Saturday. Then, I come back home. But I return to Chicago in mid-May. I think that this trip makes it four visits in one year. I'm hoping that the house is still standing when I return and that the kids haven't driven Jeff crazy.

Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!

On Thursday morning, Henry said goodbye to Baby A as she was picked up for her bio mom visitation and told her to have a good visit. He did not want to go to school. Henry said, "I want to stay here forever!"

I took the kids to school. Miss R didn't want to go into the play yard again. Henry gave me a hug and dashed off. Miss R and I said goodbye through the fence. She got defensive of me anytime another child would come over to say hello. She forcefully said, "No! That's my mommy!"

As I said goodbye to Miss R, I glanced at Henry who was playing on a bench with some boys. The teachers had their backs to the boys and the play equipment as they were talking with each other (four of them). I watched in horror as one boy basically started hitting the hell out of Henry. I dashed to the other side of the yard (I was still on the outside of the fence) and I shouted "Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!" The teachers finally noticed and rescued Henry who was very upset. I was very upset as well having never witnessed that degree of aggression. Miss Stephanie ran over to comfort Henry who was crying. Miss Diana said that the predator is a problem child. I asked if he was in Henry's class. She said yes. I'd never seen him before.

I left upset. I got my coffee at the Glass Onion, but then returned to the daycare 20 minutes later to talk with the front desk staff. I said that I had watched a child hit the hell out of my son and I wanted to know what they were going to do to protect him. I said that he has come back with abrasions on his body and cuts on his face the past two weeks. And, he has told me about the hitting. And, he doesn't want to come to school anymore. I said that I knew that boys could play a little bit rougher than girls. I said that I'd witnessed Aidan on more than one occasion try to hit Henry, but that the little boy who attacked Henry today was qualitatively different in his level of aggression. When Aidan hits, you can see it coming a mile away and the hitting isn't that hard. The developmental coordinator is going to watch Henry's classroom today. She asked if Henry had received any incident reports the last couple weeks. I said no. I noticed, however, the abrasions and cuts when he came home. So I will be talking with the coordinator when I pick up the kids later and see what the heck is going on.

"I want cinnamon rolls and crab."

On Tuesday afternoon, I picked up Henry. Miss Marissa said it had been a rough day and that Henry had been aggressive. Miss Valerie corrected that it had been four boys who'd been handfuls, of whom Henry was one. She mentioned that when the boys hit, Henry defends himself by hitting back. And I confess that I'm totally OK with that. No, hitting isn't a good thing. But I'm not keen on Henry being a punching bag, so I think that a shove back is OK as long as he isn't the instigator, which I don't think he is. I've watched one boy in particular go after Henry unprovoked in the afternoons. I mentioned to Miss Valerie that Henry came back with abrasions on his back last week and a cut on his face. Miss Marissa wrote it off as "Henry rolls around on the ground sometimes." I suppressed an eye roll. Yes, I know that he climbs and runs, but the cut on his face looked like it was a scratch from someone else.

Henry asked me where we were going, the question that he asks every time I pick him up...because he's hoping that I'll say Monkey Business. I told him that we were going to Costco. He told me that he wanted to eat cinnamon rolls and crab...two of the featured items when he went to Costco with Poppy last visit. He was disappointed when I told him that Grammy and Poppy wouldn't be there this time. Jeff and I finally got Costco cards of our own. I absolutely *love* my Costco card picture. The woman taking the photo yesterday let me take it with Henry, cheek-to-cheek. So while I look absolutely average, I have a gorgeous son by my side, which makes the picture fabulous. Henry like that the card is now his as well as mine because his picture is on it.

We ended up getting a couple DVDs, much to Henry's liking. He was disappointed, however, because there were no free-sample stands open. And he informed me several times that he wanted to eat "cinnamon rolls and crab."

We went home and had dinner with Jeff and Miss R. It was a relatively uneventful evening, which was good.

On Wednesday, we managed to get the kids ready and out the door without incident. That was probably a first. Jeff weighed Baby A at 8 lbs 13 ozs (up 2.5 lbs from her birthweight; she's 6 weeks old). I was pretty annoyed at the daycare director. She said that the teachers weren't allowed to give kids eye drops even with clear instructions and a copy of the prescription. They can only give medications for life-threatening situations (e.g. nebulizers). This frustrated me on multiple levels. Miss R has pink eye because she got it from daycare. In short, they are the cause and yet they are unwilling to provide the treatment. Moreover, let's look at the obvious. It is in THEIR best interest to have Miss R's eye situation resolved quickly so that she doesn't pass it to the other kids. Duh! I was informed that I could stop by and give the drops myself...but of course I have a job...the reason why my kids are in daycare!

My dad picked up Henry and Miss R at daycare. Apparently, Henry was very upset when Poppy didn't stay.

Before dinner, Henry said that he wanted to watch Frosty the Snowman because it was scary. Toward the end of dinner, Henry informed us that "I'm a good eater and I drink from my cup well." This is Henry's latest strategy for being released from the table early. If he can convince us that he's eaten well, he thinks that he'll be released from his chair so that he can watch TV. Henry watched Buzz Lightyear after dinner. That was about it this evening. Another uneventful evening. Yes!

Pink Eye and Knee Brace

On Monday afternoon before my 3:30PM class, I received a call from the kids' daycare. They said that Miss R had pink eye. I had to get to class, but Jeff called the ped's office and they sent out a prescription for drops. My parents got the kids and brought them to our place b/c Jeff can't drive with his hurt knee. Jeff and I aren't 100% convinced that she has pink eye. I think that she has allergies. Her eyes get goopy and a little puffy, but they don't have the "pink" characteristic that pink eye normally takes. Perhaps I'm just cuing off my recollections of my sisters' childhoods when they really had pink eye. In any event, we're going ahead with the antibiotic just in case.

Monday night was fine. Our household actually seemed a little less chaotic than usual. I mean, it looks like a disaster but everyone's temperments were good. The kids have pretty much managed to toss the "grass" from their Easter baskets everywhere.

On Tuesday morning, we couldn't let Miss R attend school b/c in the event that she has pink eye, she isn't allowed into daycare for 24 hours after receiving drops. Emma is today's nanny. She took care of both Miss R and Baby A while I dropped off Jeff at the orthopedic doctor and then Henry at school. We just got back. Jeff is going to have to wear a knee brace for awhile. And in a month, he'll go back to the doctor for knee exercises.

Hopefully, this concludes our past week's round of plagues: Baby A with colic, Henry with breathing issues, Miss R with breathing issues, Kate and Jeff with food poisoning, Miss R with pink eye (maybe), and the usual sleep deprivation. Now, we turn out attention to my favorite task...taxes.

Snuggling

I stayed up until about 2AM getting some things ready for Monday. I was going to ask Jeff how he wanted to handle the sleeping situation but he was already asleep on the couch, curled up with a blanket, and Baby A near him in her swing, also sound asleep. I gather that she only woke up once around 2:45AM. Had 2 ozs and then went back to sleep.

Jeff got me up at 6:15AM. Baby A was still asleep in her swing but he wasn't able to move her b/c of his knee. Normally, he moves the swing near his work area so that he can start his work day and keep an eye on her. I went out to the living room and snoozed on the couch until 6:45AM, when I was joined by Henry. He came out to play, but was willing to give me about 10 minutes of quality Henry snuggle time, which is a fantastic way to start off the day. We got up, changed his diaper, and got him some waffles and sausage. I then went to check on Miss R who was in bed but her eyes were slowly opening. I got her breakfast. Baby A stayed asleep until 8AM, which gave me a decent amount of time to get the kids going. I hope that this sleep incident becomes a pattern!

It was recycling day. With Jeff indisposed, he watched the kids while I got our two bins plus tons of cardboard to the curb. By the time I came back into the garage from recycling round three, Jeff already had the kids in the car. He was ready for them to get to school. Henry and Miss R were a handful. Miss R was trying to embody the definition of pokey. Henry was just being his contrary self...a trait that apparently disappears when he hits the threshold of his classroom. The good thing about difficult drop-offs is that it makes coming to work seem like a vacation!

Jeff was planning to pick up the kids at school this afternoon, but we think that's not going to happen. His knee is a mess. I think that he's going to have to go to the doctor's office, but I'll have to drive him, which I can't do until tomorrow. Both of our cars are stick shifts and I don't think that his leg will be able to hold down the clutch. Sigh.

Mad Libs

Sunday has been one of those days. The kids have been terrible...absolutely awful, non-compliant. It's one of those days where one questions the non-spanking philosophy of parenting. At least a spanking might make me feel better.

On the baby front, we are wondering whether we need to get a hypoallergenic formula for Baby A. She goes through intense periods throughout the day where nothing ails her pains. Would something like Alimentum be easier on her system? There are disadvantages to such formulas. For example, being lactose-free isn't a good thing as lactose helps with calcium absorption.

On the Henry front, he is pretty much the definition of non-compliant. He complete disregards direct orders.

On the Miss R front, she went to the bathroom by herself this afternoon. She's done it before. This time, she managed to pee all over the stool, base of the toilet, the floor, and herself. I found her using her undewear to sop up the mess. Then, she was a pain in the rear this evening about her dinner. Then, she was mad that I was snuggling with Henry at his request. I had done so with her last night, so it was Henry's turn. I put the kids to bed. She started screaming. She said she had to go potty. I said, "OK. Go potty." Then she cried, "No! Bed!" I said, "OK. Bed." Then she screeched, "No! Potty!" So I put her in timeout. Then took her potty. I put her on the Elmo potty. "No! Dora!" I put her on Dora. "No! Elmo!" I was about to put her on Elmo when "No! Dora!" So I left her on Dora for a few minutes. Then she screamed out for me. I went to take her off Dora and she had a meltdown. I put her pull-up on her with much protest. And decided to let her scream it off in timeout. Oy vey!

So as not to end on a parental sour note, the kids did a couple cute things this evening. Baby A is doing superb with her head tracking. She's following moving objects with her eyes and turns her head to retain the object within her sight.

I played a version of Mad Libs with Henry and R. In this game, I begin to tell a story and let them fill in the blanks. Here was tonight's story with Henry:

KATE: Once upon a time, there was a boy named...
HENRY: Henry.
KATE: He lived in a big...
HENRY: house!
KATE: He had a sister named...
HENRY: R!
KATE: R was very...
HENRY: brave.
KATE: One day, a monster came to do the door. What did Henry do?
HENRY: He peed on the monster.

I totally wasn't expecting that ending.

I did a similar story with Miss R. In her version of the story, R called Aunt Erin and Aunt Erin came over to the house and took care of the monster.

We did a third version of the story which involved Henry fighting off the monster (presumably with something other than his urine).

Afterward, we called Aunt Erin and told her about the story.

OK. That's all from The Wild Kingdom. Hopefully, tomorrow will be filled with more compliance and less tears.

Spring Fling

On Friday, Emma was the nanny for the day. Henry convinced her to read a Winnie the Pooh and Tigger story to him and Miss R before they left for school. In the afternoon, my parents picked up the kids.



















On Saturday, we took the kids to UA's Spring Fling. We got there early when it was not crowded at all. Henry loved the three-four story side. He went down once with Jeff and once with me. Miss R went down once with me. Unfortunately, most of the rides had 36" height limits. Henry is 37.5" tall or so. Miss R isn't yet 35". Henry loved an attraction that involved climbing up nets, running across bridges, jumping into a ball pit, and going down some slides. He also went on a ride with me that involved a lot of ups and downs. Given Miss R's immense dislike of ups and downs (e.g., she didn't like the Dumbo ride at Disneyland), we kept her off those attractions.












She and Henry got to ride on an Aladdin ride together. There was a 36" height requirement but we snuck her on it and the operator didn't say anything. She liked that ride. Henry, Miss R, and Jeff went on a second attraction that involved climbing, bridges, slides, and such. Miss R was too short to go alone but that ride allowed adults on it too, so Jeff accompanied her. If it had been an American Gladiator contest, Henry would have whooped Jeff and Miss R's backsides with his attack of the course. In fact, he finished it and then did it again and caught up to them. The operator thankfully didn't charge us for Henry's second run.












We had lunch. Henry liked the hot dog. Miss R didn't. But she got upset when we gave her leftovers to Henry. Fortunately, some Jamaica punch quelled her irritation. While she had punch, I took Henry on "The Haunted House." It was perhaps the lamest excuse for a ride that I'd ever been on. But Henry seemed to like it because of its title. It involved sitting in a car that took one into a completely dark room. At three different points on the ride that lasted about 90 seconds, a lighted skelton appeared. That was it. If you ask Henry what his favorite ride was, he'll say "The Haunted House," so I'm at least glad that he was happy with it. Miss R looked like she was going to fall over, so I sat with her while Jeff took Henry on two fun house type attractions. Jeff wasn't impressed but they seemed well-suited for Henry. Then, he and Henry tried to win a SpongeBob at a basketball booth. They didn't win however. We then tried Henry's hand at a dart game on our way out. Henry was closely monitored of course. The operator of the booth seemed to sense that Henry wasn't going to win a prize and gave him a couple attempts at throwing the dart toward the balloons. Henry didn't quite make it to the board but he did hit the ground.

Then, we took the kids to Grammy and Poppy's house. Henry didn't sleep. He stayed up and watched things on TV. My parents took care of Baby A too, so that Jeff and I could catch Date Night, which was very funny. Then, we went back to their place and took the kids home.

Today is Sunday. We are having a stay at home day. I get to clean the garage. Yeah! [sarcasm]. Lily got into the trash bags and ripped them open so that there are diapers strew everywhere. If anyone wants a black lab, please let us know. Lily is such a flippin' menace. I want the puppy years to be over already.

I told Jeff to go to the driving range this morning so that he could get some non-kid time. That didn't work out as planned. His knee popped out during one of his drives. So he's currently sitting in our living room with Baby A with an ice pack on his knee.

Alright. I'd better put down the keyboard and get to getting. A garage with dirty diapers awaits!

Grammy's Cards and Other Adventures

On Wednesday, my parents picked up Henry and Miss R. They had dinner together. At one point, Henry apparently got my mom's purse and told her that he wanted one of her cards for his piggy bank (that would be credit card). He got a dollar instead.

Henry has been relatively happy about his Albuterol situation b/c it means that he gets to watch SpongeBob while getting his treatments.

Wednesday night was a tough night b/c Jeff and I got mild cases of food poisoning. I had picked up dinner at Lovin' Spoonfuls--veggie burgers and curry carrot soup. Those did us in. It was a tough night b/c I had to get my editing done as we are on a hard deadline to get the book editing completed and yet I was vomitting profusely every hour. Jeff was quesy but still managed to take care of Baby A.

In the middle of the night, Henry came out to see me and wanted water. He decided to sleep on the couch while I worked.

On Thursday, I was still feeling sick. I'm still not 100%. Jeff took the day off and got the kids to school.

When Jeff picked up the kids, Miss R did not give him her usual enthusiatic greeting. She'd been cleaning up and wanted to finish her tasks so that she'd get a sticker from the teacher. So Jeff had to wait.

That's all from here. Most of my edits on the book are completed. I'm still finishing up footnotes, but I think that all will be well in a couple hours.

Trouble Breathing

On Tuesday afternoon, I attended a CFT for Baby A. Unfortunately, the bio mom didn't show, so the Child Family Team meeting consisted of me and the coordinator from the Blake Foundation, Alicia. Alicia did the initial assessment of Baby A but won't be her permanent coordinator. She'll get assigned a new coordinator soon. I think that Alicia is going to assign whoever was assigned to Baby A's brother, as that person would know the family and history. Basically, the Blake Foundation follows kids while they are in foster care. For sibling groups, La Fronterra handles the cases...we weren't impressed with them when it came to Miss R...thankfully, she didn't need anything from them (not that they knew that given that they didn't bother to meet her). We'll be having monthly meetings with whomever gets assigned to Baby A's case from the Blake Foundation.

As I drove to the CFT, I received a call from Henry's school. He was having trouble breathing at naptime. At times, he couldn't catch his breath. While I was at the CFT, Jeff made an appointment at our ped's office. As soon as I got out of the CFT, I rushed to Henry's daycare, picked him up, and took him to Dr. Bianchi's. Henry weighs 29 lbs 10 ozs. His lungs sounded clear to Dr. Bianchi. We are to give him Albuterol treatments up to every four hours as needed. I suspect that Henry's problems are allergy-induced.

After Dr. Bianchi's visit, I took Henry to Barnes & Noble. He selected lemonade and a blondie blast as his after school snack. He enjoyed playing in the kids' section. We bought a Tinkerbell book. As we left the store, a man commented on how neat it was to see a kid so interested in books.

We came home. Watched Sherlock Hound on YouTube. Then, Henry went for a walk with Jeff and Baby A. Baby A had been up since 2PM. She's been more alert and the nanny, Corinne, said that she's been smiling more and more.

My parents picked up Miss R at school. They had planned to take care of the kids after school, but Henry stayed with me and Jeff. Miss R had a fabulous time getting all of Grammy and Poppy's attention. They said she loved it. And Grammy said that she is so much easy to take care of than Henry...not a surprise.

Jeff gave Henry a bath before Miss R came home. That was because Henry decided to smear macaroni & cheese in his hair.

Both kids were very whiny...a sign of being tired. It didn't take too much to get them to sleep.

On that note, I'd better get back to editing so that I too might be able to get some sleep before 4AM.

Always the Robber, Never the Cop

On Sunday night, we had a nice dinner at my parents' house. Aunt Erin and Aunt Gloria were there. We celebrated by dad's upcoming birthday. We brought the dogs with us to the house. Lily wasn't invited before (owing to her bad potty behavior). My parents recently acquired Winston, a lovable sheepdog who is young and energetic. I figured that Lily would be more likely to stay in line if she had a pack around her. That appears to have been the case. She and Winston had a wonderful time playing together. Henry and Miss R were loud. Baby A was good. She settled down when my mom held her.

Henry demonstrated his fascination with "bad guys" throughout the evening. He said that he was Dr. Fancilier (the "shadow man" from The Princess & The Frog). He also loves to pretend that he's Captain Hook, his favorite character. At the end of Peter Pan, he will often cheer "Yeah for Captain Hook!" Earlier in the morning, he claimed to be Jafar (the bad sorcerer in Aladdin). And he has been heard to say "I'm Gaston, the vain hunter!" (bad guy from Beauty & The Beast). Jeff has wondered allowed whether we should just book a cell now. My mom and Aunt Gloria independently pointed out that the bad guys in movies are usually the more interesting characters, which is true. But I'm perfectly OK with Henry being less interesting and more law abiding, as Henry has oodles of personality to spare. From Toy Story, he has thankfully identified with Buzz Lightyear and loves the phrase "To infinity and beyond!"

On the way home in the car, we somehow got on the conversation of hitting and kids at school. I asked Henry about Elijah. He said "Elijah hits me." I asked about Aidan. He said that Aidan is a hitter as well. This concerns me a bit. One wonders what the heck goes on in a toddler classroom. I then asked if Joaquin hits him. He said, "No. Joaquin doesn't hit. He's a good boy." I'm fascinated that Henry has such understandings of the kids in his class.

On Monday, I picked up the kids after my class. They were in good moods. Miss Marissa reported, however, that Henry had a coughing fit earlier in the day and was having trouble catching his breath. He's been coughing at night, and I am wondering if allergies are getting the better of him. I have him an Albuterol treatment when we got home and another one late at night. We gave the kids a bath after dinner. That was about it.

I talked with Miss Stephanie this morning (Tuesday). She's going to watch our for Henry's coughing situation. I may have to take him to a pulmonologist or an allergist or both.

Happy Easter

On Friday, something snapped in me and I decided that it was time to rip out the carpet in the kids' room and start afresh. The carpet was only three years old and of great quality, but long story short, we have rotten cats who urinate in the kids' room when they are peeved. Apparently, they are peeved a lot and our SpotBot (a wonderful machine) can only do so much. It was beginning to smell such that I called Empire to see if they'd come out to replace it. Unfortunately, they don't provide services in our area. Sigh. We don't know how long our cats will act out. So we figured that it was best to just get a cheap replacement and if we have to replace it again in 6 months, so be it. Our cat Jackson has not been doing well. I hate to type this, but the truth is that he probably won't last through the year. He has lost a lot of weight. He is hungry but can't seem to eat. He gets dehydrated easily. And when he drinks, it just runs through him. Whenever one of the pack gets weakened, the other animals usually act out, rather than being sympathetic. When our beloved Hershel got sick, Princess and Jackson freaked out. That may be happening here to some extent.

On Friday afternoon, Jeff got Henry and Miss R and took them to Home Depot for supplies. He bought a laminate tile that looks like wood. At dinner, Henry didn't want to eat. The kids, in general, were handfuls. Baby A was colicky. It was one of those nights.

On Saturday, I took the kids to my parents' house after their naps in the afternoon. We colored eggs and had dinner while Jeff stayed home working on the flooring situation. I think that he was relieved to get us out of the house. The kids had fun coloring eggs. Miss R was particularly fond of putting stickers on the eggs. The evening went well, except for Miss R landing in timeout b/c she refused to get off a glass table. Then, as we piled into the car to go home, Henry hit Grammy with his cup and got a severe scolding (no place to put him in timeout in the car). When we got home, I made him say "We never ever hit Grammy ever" several times. My mom was fine of course, but the big picture concern is the hitting. I know that he's picked it up from daycare. And I don't like it.

On Sunday morning, I asked Henry to help me with Baby A. I was hoping that he could distract her while I got supplies. He told me, "Help with Baby A? But I don't know how."

We went to my parents' house for breakfast. My parents hid the eggs around the back patio, and the kids had fun finding them. I thought that finding eggs would be Henry's thing, but it was Miss R who was very motivated and excited to find the eggs. She was a Easter egg finding genius. Henry enjoyed finding the balloons that went with the Easter baskets. He also enjoyed unwrapping the chocolates but didn't want to eat them (except for one bite shown in one of the pictures below).







































After playing with their baskets, we spent some time in the living room. Henry enjoyed playing the piano. He eventually informed me that he was tired. It was nap time and I think that the sugar high had finally taken a plunge. The kids are spending the day at Grammy and Poppy's house. We're headed there tonight for Easter dinner. We kept Baby A for the afternoon. Baby A and I took a nap. Jeff put the furniture back into the kids' room. He did an excellent job on the flooring.

All Quiet on the Western Front...Well, at Least Not as Loud

On Wednesday, my dad picked up the kids at daycare and brought them home. Henry was really mad at Poppy b/c he wanted to go to Grammy's house.

On Thursday, Jeff made the mistake of telling Henry that he'd be taking him to the eye doctor's after daycare. When I took the kids to school, Henry announced that he didn't want to go to school. He wanted to go to the doctor's. But, he said that it was Dr. Bianchi's office that he wanted to visit, so that he could play with the toys in the waiting room. He got quite fussy when I told him that he had to go to school. Jeff picked up the kids at daycare and took them to the eye doctor's office to get Henry's glasses fixed...again. At least he didn't snap the frames in half again and they could be melded back into form.

Jeff gave the kids a bath after dinner. After the bath, Henry said, "I don't want to wear my nightgown. I want to be naked." He lost that argument however.

Baby A has had two good nights in a row. She has an incredibly intense "colicky" period before midnight, but then she seems to settle down. She's sleeping for three hour stretches, which is great.

On Friday morning, Henry said he wanted to be Tiana from The Princess and the Frog:


In other news, the adoption agency called on Wednesday to see if we would consider taking Baby A's one year old brother. He *may* go to kin in May, but it is uncertain that will take place. For some reason, the foster parent with whom he was placed has not had her license reinstated, which meant that he had to be pulled from her home yesterday. His caseworker is hoping that we'll consider him after May if he doesn't return to kin b/c we'd essentially be the last hope for the siblings remaining together. Right now, we don't have the bed space. We really wish that we'd gotten our studio remodeled already so that this wouldn't be an issue. In addition, we aren't licensed to foster three kids at the present time. But we are discussing options. Currently, it is hard to think straight b/c we have been somewhat sleep deprived b/c of Baby A. We know that the "no sleep" phase doesn't last forever. Hopefully, sleeping through the night is right around the corner!

Overall, the addition of Baby A has been as good as a new addition can be. The kids don't feel threatened by her at all. They kind of think of her as a baby doll. Both Henry and Miss R give Baby A air kisses and will lean their heads against her legs or tummy tenderly. Henry was very sweet last night helping me change her diaper. That involved him handing me wet wipes and distracting Baby A while I diapered her. He was very cute announcing "Baby A touched my hand!"