In the early evening yesterday, I popped my head out of my office and was surprised to find the house quiet. Jeff and the kids had taken a nap. I walked Roger around dusk. They were still asleep when I got back. Henry and Jeff got up some time after 7PM. Around 7:15PM, I decided to get Miss R up for dinner. Henry went into the pantry and handed me a toddler meal of spaghetti that he wanted for dinner. We rarely feed them the prepackaged meals, but that's what he wanted. Of course, once it was heated up and in a bowl, he no longer wanted it. Didn't touch it at all. Miss R had her serving and then ate Henry's. Henry had maybe a bite or two of chicken. That was about it for him. We watched some of The Jungle Book after bath time. Then, it was bedtime.
This morning, Henry and Jeff got up before Miss R and I did. Jeff roused us from bed around 7:45AM. In my defense, I had stayed up until 2AM working on data analysis.
While the kids were eating breakfast, we had a "straw that broke the camel's back" incident. Nothing that we haven't experienced before, but it was clear that we need to make some changes for our own sanity. Jeff has been working out of our garage seeking some solitude. And when a certain child (not Henry or Miss R) throws her temper tantrums (which are common and without provocation), they can be heard even from outside the house. Jeff came into my office at 8:15AM and asked me if I wanted to look at day cares. I jumped at the chance.
We got ready within a 1/2 hour and were headed out the door to look at the two schools on our list that we were interested in but hadn't yet visited. The first one was The Daisy School. The major advantage of it is that children from this preschool get priority into an excellent charter school called the Sonoran Science Academy. The preschool resides in a square building. The inside is fairly institutional looking. The staff were nice. The children were well-behaved. The play yard was... sad. Dirt. A couple toy buckets and trucks. And a slide. The curriculum was fine. We then swung by Children's Learning Adventure (formerly Tutor Time). This was the school that we had seen a couple weeks ago. We liked it. We hadn't considered it high on our list before visiting b/c it is a national chain and we suspected that we'd lean toward an independent type of school. We swung by b/c when we visited a couple weeks ago, it was right after nap time. We wanted to see what a morning looked like. The kids seemed happy. The facility was impeccably clean. And the play yard is neat. They have this one area covered in astroturf with misters shooting up clouds of spray. It looked like tons of fun. We then headed to the Catalina Methodist Day School. They don't advertise b/c they don't need to. Word of mouth keeps them full. They are popular with the university community. The buildings are older, but I liked the facility nevertheless. They have a wait list. They'd probably be able to take the kids by September or October. Jeff and I went to Borders for some coffee, sat down, and figured out what to do. There is one other school that comes highly recommended. They haven't returned my call yet, but I know that there will be a waiting list.
Across all of the schools, the curriculums are appropriate and not terribly different. The locations are decent for all three schools. Catalina Methodist is near the university. Daisy and Children's Learning Adventure are relatively near our house (we live in the boonies; they are among the closest we could find). We liked that Daisy provides a way into the Sonoran Science Academy. They also mentioned how they disinfect the toys each night and wash the sheets twice a week. We liked that some of the staff at Catalina Methodist have been there over 30 years, and the director's grandson attends the toddler room. We liked that the facility at Children's Learning Adventure is beautiful inside and out. They had the best security by far of any of the schools (closed circuit cameras monitoring the classrooms, plus one has to be buzzed into the building). We liked that they have a developmental coordinator who oversees the teachers and makes sure they follow the curriculum. We liked that the kids seemed calm and happy (both times, they waved and smiled at us through the windows).
So much to our surprise, we decided that Children's Learning Adventure would be the best fit for our needs. Jeff said that the first time we visited, he could see Henry there. Henry and Miss R will be in different class rooms. We haven't mentioned anything about Henry's preemie history to the school. For now, we are going to see how he does by his birth age. We could put him in the younger class so that he would be viewed as "advanced" for his adjusted age, but we'd rather put him in a class that will challenge him a bit. Our only concern about Miss R is that she is tiny for her age when it comes to height. Her bio parents aren't tall people. We just don't want her to get trounced. I think that she'll be able to hold her own. We made our decision and headed right back to Children's Learning Adventure and signed the kids up. It is settled. They will start on Monday.
In the afternoon, I called Miss R's CPS case worker. I asked her to call Children's Learning Adventure and let them know that Miss R is with DES. That gives us a substantially reduced weekly tuition fee to pay. I also asked her if we had her approval to take Miss R to Oregon in July. She said yes! I gave her the dates. She'll bring a letter with her at her next visit. It was nice calling her and getting to talk with her right away. She also let me know that Miss R's medical records arrived from her previous pediatrician. There were no red flags in the file. I left a message at Dr. Bianchi's office requesting a copy of Miss R's immunization records to take to Children's Learning Adventure. They called back within five minutes, saying that the records are ready for pick up. What a productive day on the home front!
This means that Jeff will be able to move his office back into the house and enjoy the swamp cooling. The garage is getting too hot for him and the box fan isn't cutting it.
Aunt Carolyn came over this afternoon. She and Jeff took the kids to the park. Henry had been requesting the "park" for over an hour. In fact, he brought me my shoes as to say "Let's get going, Mom." He was indignant that Jeff and I were not moving fast to keep up with his plan for the afternoon.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Kisses, Hugs, and High Fives
Jeff has returned! He went to the CFT (child family team meeting) for Miss R this morning on his way back home from the airport. Turned out that I could have gone too. The bio parents didn't show up, so having two of us there wouldn't have been threatening or overbearing. I suspect that we'll still divide out future meetings, just in case the bio parents are there.
Henry and Miss R were happy to see Jeff. They demonstrated how they give each other kisses, hugs, and high fives. It is so cute when they give each other hugs.
I'm working this afternoon on a book chapter. Jeff is spending the afternoon playing with the kids.
Henry and Miss R were happy to see Jeff. They demonstrated how they give each other kisses, hugs, and high fives. It is so cute when they give each other hugs.
I'm working this afternoon on a book chapter. Jeff is spending the afternoon playing with the kids.
Where's Jeff?
Yesterday afternoon, Aunt Carolyn came over to help with the kids. The kids showed off their ball pit skills. We went for a walk shortly before dusk. Henry was ready to dash off on his own. Miss R wanted Carolyn to hold her most of the way. I called out to Roger calling him "Rog Podge" (his nickname) and Henry called it out too. We ran into a neighbor who was calling out to her dog Misty. Henry helped out by yelling out "Misty!" He visited Outlaw and Dakota, the horses. Henry really just wanted to show off his climbing skills on the corral fence.
Carolyn went to get some Indian food for our dinner while I fed the kids. We didn't time it quite right for the kids to eat with us. Henry was demanding to eat. I started them off with fruit leather hoping that would hold them at bay. But no. They wanted more and fast. I made them waffles, which the wolfed down. I also heated some bacon and feta quiche for them. Henry liked it. Miss R refused to try it. When Carolyn arrived with the food, I cut up a piece of chicken tikki masala for Henry. He liked it. I didn't think that Miss R was hungry, but once she saw Henry eating something, she wanted it too. She loved the chicken. Then she saw that I had garlic naan, and she had several bites of that as well.
Miss R got crazy after dinner. She gave me a very hard time about changing her into some bedtime clothes. Then she got upset b/c I put her down to fix her a bottle. She was obviously tired, so I put her to bed. Henry wanted to "hold you." As we finished watching Monsters, Inc., he fell asleep in my lap. Carolyn left after the movie. I stayed on the couch for awhile holding Henry.
Jeff was supposed to come home last night. He called around 9:30PM. His flight had just arrived in Phoenix. It had sat for an hour on the ground in Philly. Philly has a totally screwed up airport. They are always late. Why they haven't improved in the 12 years that we've been using their services is a mystery. Unfortunately, being late meant that Jeff missed the last US Air flight to Tucson. He was put up at a hotel. He was supposed to take the first 8AM flight to Tucson this morning, but that flight had mechanical problems. So he was put on a 9AM flight.
He decided to get some breakfast and then head straight for the CFT. We decided last night that only one of us should attend so as not to appear as overeager foster parents, which might make the bio parents feel threatened.
I just came back from the store, having made a goat's milk run. When I got back, Henry wanted to "hold you" again. He asked about Roger. I said that Roger was outside. He said, "Podgie go potty." He is so adorable.
Carolyn went to get some Indian food for our dinner while I fed the kids. We didn't time it quite right for the kids to eat with us. Henry was demanding to eat. I started them off with fruit leather hoping that would hold them at bay. But no. They wanted more and fast. I made them waffles, which the wolfed down. I also heated some bacon and feta quiche for them. Henry liked it. Miss R refused to try it. When Carolyn arrived with the food, I cut up a piece of chicken tikki masala for Henry. He liked it. I didn't think that Miss R was hungry, but once she saw Henry eating something, she wanted it too. She loved the chicken. Then she saw that I had garlic naan, and she had several bites of that as well.
Miss R got crazy after dinner. She gave me a very hard time about changing her into some bedtime clothes. Then she got upset b/c I put her down to fix her a bottle. She was obviously tired, so I put her to bed. Henry wanted to "hold you." As we finished watching Monsters, Inc., he fell asleep in my lap. Carolyn left after the movie. I stayed on the couch for awhile holding Henry.
Jeff was supposed to come home last night. He called around 9:30PM. His flight had just arrived in Phoenix. It had sat for an hour on the ground in Philly. Philly has a totally screwed up airport. They are always late. Why they haven't improved in the 12 years that we've been using their services is a mystery. Unfortunately, being late meant that Jeff missed the last US Air flight to Tucson. He was put up at a hotel. He was supposed to take the first 8AM flight to Tucson this morning, but that flight had mechanical problems. So he was put on a 9AM flight.
He decided to get some breakfast and then head straight for the CFT. We decided last night that only one of us should attend so as not to appear as overeager foster parents, which might make the bio parents feel threatened.
I just came back from the store, having made a goat's milk run. When I got back, Henry wanted to "hold you" again. He asked about Roger. I said that Roger was outside. He said, "Podgie go potty." He is so adorable.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Toddler Tempers
Last night, I attempted to make dinner using two pans. For those of you who know me well, you know that I'm a terrible cook. Truly. I can bake poppy seed bread using my mom's "Kate-proof" recipe, but that's it ("Kate-proof" is my mom's phrase, not mine). I burn things. I have no judgment about when something is done. I even screw up macaroni and cheese from a box...I always put in too much milk making it soupy. Last night, I attempted to fry Trader Joe's fries in the fry pan while heating up Trader Joe's chicken and portabello alfredo on the skillet. The chicken actually made me nervous b/c I didn't want to undercook it for obvious reasons.
Henry was in a mood while I was trying to cook. I rushed out to the living room to give him the telephone to talk with Grammy b/c he'd been begging to talk with her. He threw a fit when I told him he had to hang up the telephone. I ended up taking the battery out of the telephone and giving it to him. He came into the kitchen with it and threw it. Not a bad throw.
Jeff's best friend Tony called. I talked with him for awhile. Henry decided to yell and grab onto the cabinet handles and rock himself back and forth. I've actually never seen him have such an extended temper tantrum. He wanted a bath but I told him that he needed to eat dinner first. Tony was very nice about the interruptions. He has four children and has probably seen it all.
I salvaged some of the fries. They didn't taste that bad. And the noodles turned out OK. Edible, but they didn't resemble alfredo from a restaurant. Henry and Miss R pretty much used the noodles to put in their hair and give to Roger. Miss R was better about eating than Henry by far.
The kids had fun taking a bubble bath. Miss R loves bubbles. I hadn't quizzed Henry about various elected and appointed officials in awhile. While asking him who was the Secretary of State, he started splashing Miss R and put bubbles in her hair. He didn't touch her hard but she didn't want his splashes. Here a clip...
Miss R has the ability to wail like nothing else. Complete with huge tears. But she can turn them off as quickly as she turns them on. Incidentally, she recovered from Henry touching her hair and enjoyed the video, which made her laugh.
Henry wants to hold Miss R's hand a lot. Over the last couple weeks, he has gone from mainly being interested in parallel play to wanting to interact with Miss R. Developmentally, Miss R is 3.5 months younger than Henry. She's still in parallel play mode and doesn't really want Henry or Karina to touch her. I suspect that things will be different in a couple months. In the meantime, I've been directing Henry to give her some space. She does interact with him on occasion, such as singing "Ah Wah Wah" in the back of the car and exchanging food during meal time. The other day, Miss R swapped Henry her crackers for his juicy fruit toddler treats. And she sometimes like to roll on top of him on the couch when they are laughing together about something. But we haven't hit the cooperative play phase yet.
Miss R fell asleep on the couch last night. It was easy transitioning her to the bed. Henry stayed up until 10:30PM. Then he was ready for bed. I concur with anyone who says that 10:30PM is kind of late for a 2 year old. As near as we can tell, Henry only wants about 8-9 hours of sleep at night...using more like 8 hours. Going to bed early simply means getting up really early. I prefer him not getting up before 6:30AM. That's better for me anyway.
This morning, Henry was in his high chair. He was "done" eating. So he wanted to "Hold You!" followed by "Hold Mommy!" The one and only good thing about Jeff being away is getting Henry's attention and the extended snuggle time.
I talked with Jeff this morning. Things ended up going OK at his work. He leaves Philly sometime after 5PM. He'll be back in Tucson by 10PM. We are happy that he is coming home!
Jeff ordered beds for the kids last week. When they arrive, we'll get fun bed spreads and sheets. Then, we'll work on transitioning the kids from our bed to their own. My big boy is growing up! I honestly think that the transition won't be too hard for Miss R. She seems to be OK at night as long as she has a blanket and doll or bear. She did wake up once last night and want me to put my hand on her head for comfort.
Tomorrow, we have Miss R's CFT (child family team meeting). We also plan to take a look at one of the daycares.
Henry was in a mood while I was trying to cook. I rushed out to the living room to give him the telephone to talk with Grammy b/c he'd been begging to talk with her. He threw a fit when I told him he had to hang up the telephone. I ended up taking the battery out of the telephone and giving it to him. He came into the kitchen with it and threw it. Not a bad throw.
Jeff's best friend Tony called. I talked with him for awhile. Henry decided to yell and grab onto the cabinet handles and rock himself back and forth. I've actually never seen him have such an extended temper tantrum. He wanted a bath but I told him that he needed to eat dinner first. Tony was very nice about the interruptions. He has four children and has probably seen it all.
I salvaged some of the fries. They didn't taste that bad. And the noodles turned out OK. Edible, but they didn't resemble alfredo from a restaurant. Henry and Miss R pretty much used the noodles to put in their hair and give to Roger. Miss R was better about eating than Henry by far.
The kids had fun taking a bubble bath. Miss R loves bubbles. I hadn't quizzed Henry about various elected and appointed officials in awhile. While asking him who was the Secretary of State, he started splashing Miss R and put bubbles in her hair. He didn't touch her hard but she didn't want his splashes. Here a clip...
Miss R has the ability to wail like nothing else. Complete with huge tears. But she can turn them off as quickly as she turns them on. Incidentally, she recovered from Henry touching her hair and enjoyed the video, which made her laugh.
Henry wants to hold Miss R's hand a lot. Over the last couple weeks, he has gone from mainly being interested in parallel play to wanting to interact with Miss R. Developmentally, Miss R is 3.5 months younger than Henry. She's still in parallel play mode and doesn't really want Henry or Karina to touch her. I suspect that things will be different in a couple months. In the meantime, I've been directing Henry to give her some space. She does interact with him on occasion, such as singing "Ah Wah Wah" in the back of the car and exchanging food during meal time. The other day, Miss R swapped Henry her crackers for his juicy fruit toddler treats. And she sometimes like to roll on top of him on the couch when they are laughing together about something. But we haven't hit the cooperative play phase yet.
Miss R fell asleep on the couch last night. It was easy transitioning her to the bed. Henry stayed up until 10:30PM. Then he was ready for bed. I concur with anyone who says that 10:30PM is kind of late for a 2 year old. As near as we can tell, Henry only wants about 8-9 hours of sleep at night...using more like 8 hours. Going to bed early simply means getting up really early. I prefer him not getting up before 6:30AM. That's better for me anyway.
This morning, Henry was in his high chair. He was "done" eating. So he wanted to "Hold You!" followed by "Hold Mommy!" The one and only good thing about Jeff being away is getting Henry's attention and the extended snuggle time.
I talked with Jeff this morning. Things ended up going OK at his work. He leaves Philly sometime after 5PM. He'll be back in Tucson by 10PM. We are happy that he is coming home!
Jeff ordered beds for the kids last week. When they arrive, we'll get fun bed spreads and sheets. Then, we'll work on transitioning the kids from our bed to their own. My big boy is growing up! I honestly think that the transition won't be too hard for Miss R. She seems to be OK at night as long as she has a blanket and doll or bear. She did wake up once last night and want me to put my hand on her head for comfort.
Tomorrow, we have Miss R's CFT (child family team meeting). We also plan to take a look at one of the daycares.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
A Weekend Without Jeff
On Friday, Jeff left for Philly, leaving me to fend for myself with the toddlers. It has been exhausting. I'm going to make it brief.
On Friday afternoon, Grandpa visited in the late afternoon. In the evening, Henry was put in timeout twice. I think that one time was for trying to kick or hit Miss R. I believe the other time was for trying to do something to Bitsy. Henry tried my patience at every turn. I gave the babes a bath. I performed my first attempt at braiding Miss R's hair. It didn't look bad, but it certainly didn't look professional. I didn't have the appropriate bands to hold the braids into place. By morning, they had come out half way.
On Saturday, I made The Twins pancakes in the morning. Miss R rubbed pancake through her hair and into the half braided rows. I gave the kids a bath after breakfast. I braided Miss R's hair a second time. It was a little better. Henry watched The Lady and the Tramp. He requested the "rat" scene "again" and "again." He kept calling the rat a "baby rat" but I told him that it was an adult rat going after the baby. We're working on it. The Twins took a decent nap after much struggle. Henry got in timeout again and then tried to climb out of the crib, which means the crib is no longer a safe location for timeouts.
We went to Grammy and Poppy's house. We didn't see much of Grammy b/c she is sick. We spent time with Aunt Carolyn who had arrived the night before from her trek back from Washington state. She is here for the summer.
Miss R took to Carolyn right away. Henry did an excellent job saying Carolyn's name. He used to call her "Caro" and now he can say her full name. Aunt Carolyn, Miss R, Henry, and I went to the park near CDO. It was busy, but Henry managed to push his way onto slides, making it past kids much larger and older than he. He is fearless. Henry got both me and Carolyn to go down one of the slides. He is a persuasive little guy.
This morning, Miss R started screaming her head off at 5:15AM. I was frustrated b/c she goes through spurts where she won't communicate with the words she knows. Turned out that she just wanted a bottle but woke up Henry in the process. That's frustrating b/c Henry often won't go back to sleep once he is awakened. Luckily, he did eventually go back to sleep in my arms. Yesterday, last night, and today, he was willing to sleep provided that he held me. He said "Hold you!" meaning that he wanted to snuggle. Now that was nice.
We had pancakes again for breakfast. I tried some fresh apricot on them but that was a bust. Miss R ate yogurt happily, and Henry was willing to eat dried fruit leather. We played.
Then Granpa came for a visit. I fed the kids lunch and got them to nap. Granpa is with them now.
That's all from the Wild Kingdom...
On Friday afternoon, Grandpa visited in the late afternoon. In the evening, Henry was put in timeout twice. I think that one time was for trying to kick or hit Miss R. I believe the other time was for trying to do something to Bitsy. Henry tried my patience at every turn. I gave the babes a bath. I performed my first attempt at braiding Miss R's hair. It didn't look bad, but it certainly didn't look professional. I didn't have the appropriate bands to hold the braids into place. By morning, they had come out half way.
On Saturday, I made The Twins pancakes in the morning. Miss R rubbed pancake through her hair and into the half braided rows. I gave the kids a bath after breakfast. I braided Miss R's hair a second time. It was a little better. Henry watched The Lady and the Tramp. He requested the "rat" scene "again" and "again." He kept calling the rat a "baby rat" but I told him that it was an adult rat going after the baby. We're working on it. The Twins took a decent nap after much struggle. Henry got in timeout again and then tried to climb out of the crib, which means the crib is no longer a safe location for timeouts.
We went to Grammy and Poppy's house. We didn't see much of Grammy b/c she is sick. We spent time with Aunt Carolyn who had arrived the night before from her trek back from Washington state. She is here for the summer.
Miss R took to Carolyn right away. Henry did an excellent job saying Carolyn's name. He used to call her "Caro" and now he can say her full name. Aunt Carolyn, Miss R, Henry, and I went to the park near CDO. It was busy, but Henry managed to push his way onto slides, making it past kids much larger and older than he. He is fearless. Henry got both me and Carolyn to go down one of the slides. He is a persuasive little guy.This morning, Miss R started screaming her head off at 5:15AM. I was frustrated b/c she goes through spurts where she won't communicate with the words she knows. Turned out that she just wanted a bottle but woke up Henry in the process. That's frustrating b/c Henry often won't go back to sleep once he is awakened. Luckily, he did eventually go back to sleep in my arms. Yesterday, last night, and today, he was willing to sleep provided that he held me. He said "Hold you!" meaning that he wanted to snuggle. Now that was nice.
We had pancakes again for breakfast. I tried some fresh apricot on them but that was a bust. Miss R ate yogurt happily, and Henry was willing to eat dried fruit leather. We played.
Then Granpa came for a visit. I fed the kids lunch and got them to nap. Granpa is with them now.
That's all from the Wild Kingdom...
Friday, June 5, 2009
Splash Pad
In the late afternoon yesterday, we headed to Brandi Fenton Park. Before getting out of the house, however, Henry discovered another one of Miss R's headbands. Doesn't he look cute in pink flowers? He had fun taking the headband on and off his head.
Brandi Fenton Park is a lovely place to take the kids. We went to the splash pad. Miss R wouldn't approach the fountains or sprinklers on her own. As usual, she wanted me to hold her and threw a huge fit whenever I tried to put her down, including when I had to go back to the car to change her. It can be hard working with her sometimes b/c she clings to me so. I'm hoping, however, that if I keep her close ("wearing the toddler" as an extension of the "wearing the baby" parental approach), she'll become more secure and that will help cultivate some independence. She had a good time when I ran through the sprinklers holding her. I honestly hadn't been planning to get wet during this escapade. Henry seemed to enjoy watching me get wet too.
Henry likes the fountains that shoot up on a timer. At one point, a mom came into the area that Henry was playing with her two children in a wagon. They were about 3 years old or so. I'm guessing that they had spastic diplegia CP b/c although they didn't have control over their legs, they got around by using their arms. There is this one fountain area where there is a pole with four buckets around the top. Water fills up the buckets, and then the buckets tip over. The kids placed themselves just a foot or so from where the splashes took place. Henry joined the 3 year olds and sat down next to the boy. They said "hi" to each other and waited for the bucket to rain down upon them. Henry did really well not getting water dumped directly upon him for several minutes. But then, a bucket splashed right on top of him, and he ran to Jeff and said "Go home! Go home!"Jeff took him to the car and changed him into some dry clothes. We kept Miss R in her outfit b/c she didn't get that wet. We just added a pair of shorts. Then, we played on the slides. Miss R spent time with Jeff walking up and down onto the platform that contains the equipment. I think that she is getting stronger. Jeff said he thought that she might have jumped once (just a cm off the ground but a jump nonetheless).
On the equipment on which the kids spent the most time, there is a picnic table on the bottom side. Henry sat down at the picnic table. Then, we had the following exchange:
HENRY: Eat!
KATE: Where do you want to eat?
HENRY: At the table.
KATE: Well, we don't have any food with us right now. But we could go to a restaurant.
HENRY: Bring it to the park.
We came home, stopping by "Lovin' Spoonfuls" on the way. Had dinner. Henry liked the mushroom and cashew pate. Both he and Miss R ate some of my Thai rice. They ate French fries. Miss R destroyed some raspberries. Henry ate a couple. Miss R made have ingested a little. She tried a stir fried red pepper and seemed to like it. We watched "Monsters!" (or at least a good part of it). Had a bath. Then to bed.
Today, Jeff leaves for Philly for the "big move" at work. He's going to be working around the clock while there. I'll be trying to keep my head above water here at home. Jeff doesn't return until late Monday night.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
"Outside!"
My mom picked up the kids in the afternoon. She was planning to give them salmon croquettes for dinner. Jeff was exhausted and fell asleep.
I got home around 5:30PM. Jeff was sound asleep. He didn't stir at all. I took Roger for a walk and picked up the kids. Henry spent most of the time in the pool. Miss R took one dip but didn't like it. My mom insisted that Henry get out of the pool when he started turning blue again. She put them in the bath tub to warm up and then fed them dinner. Both Henry and Miss R rejected the salmon but they ate the side dishes.
Poppy reported that Henry threw Ramses bowl out the dog door and then told Poppy that it was "outside." When Poppy opened the door to retrieve the dish, Henry made a break for it and ran into the backyard. Tricky boy. I believe that Henry is beginning to wear out Poppy.
When I arrived, Miss R wanted me to read her the Grandpa book. So I did. Nice to see her want to read. Henry was annoyed that I was in the chair that he wanted. He got behind me as I was sitting on the edge and then put his feet on my back and tried to push me out of the chair.
Henry is saying more sentences. Things like, "Bring it here...please."
Henry was insistent on watching The Jungle Book. I told him that we could watch it at home. He got very crabby. Delayed gratification isn't his thing. He looked quite tired in the car. We made it home. I managed to get both children out of the car and into the house. I wanted to stop by the store, but I thought that would be crazy with two toddlers. I know that parents of twins manage somehow. I haven't figured out the "how" part yet. Jeff was still asleep.
I got the children into the living room and settled for some Disney entertainment. Jeff got up and spent some time with The Twins. I made myself some dinner (breakfast foods). I made extra just in case little persons descended up on me. They did. Both Henry and Miss R had some waffle. The big hit, however, was the Morning Star soy bacon. Around bed time, Henry insisted on a "bath." It is rare that he requests a bath, so we gave him and Miss R one.
Then it was time for bed. The kids are asleep. Bed is where I'm headed.
I got home around 5:30PM. Jeff was sound asleep. He didn't stir at all. I took Roger for a walk and picked up the kids. Henry spent most of the time in the pool. Miss R took one dip but didn't like it. My mom insisted that Henry get out of the pool when he started turning blue again. She put them in the bath tub to warm up and then fed them dinner. Both Henry and Miss R rejected the salmon but they ate the side dishes.
Poppy reported that Henry threw Ramses bowl out the dog door and then told Poppy that it was "outside." When Poppy opened the door to retrieve the dish, Henry made a break for it and ran into the backyard. Tricky boy. I believe that Henry is beginning to wear out Poppy.
When I arrived, Miss R wanted me to read her the Grandpa book. So I did. Nice to see her want to read. Henry was annoyed that I was in the chair that he wanted. He got behind me as I was sitting on the edge and then put his feet on my back and tried to push me out of the chair.
Henry is saying more sentences. Things like, "Bring it here...please."
Henry was insistent on watching The Jungle Book. I told him that we could watch it at home. He got very crabby. Delayed gratification isn't his thing. He looked quite tired in the car. We made it home. I managed to get both children out of the car and into the house. I wanted to stop by the store, but I thought that would be crazy with two toddlers. I know that parents of twins manage somehow. I haven't figured out the "how" part yet. Jeff was still asleep.
I got the children into the living room and settled for some Disney entertainment. Jeff got up and spent some time with The Twins. I made myself some dinner (breakfast foods). I made extra just in case little persons descended up on me. They did. Both Henry and Miss R had some waffle. The big hit, however, was the Morning Star soy bacon. Around bed time, Henry insisted on a "bath." It is rare that he requests a bath, so we gave him and Miss R one.
Then it was time for bed. The kids are asleep. Bed is where I'm headed.
A Wellness Check
On Tuesday, Miss R had a supervised visit with her parents and siblings. We don't know how it went. When asked by Jeff, the CPS driver dropped Miss R off and refused to sign the "sign in" sheet that all visitors to see Miss R are supposed to sign. She said that she didn't need to sign it and drove off. That was weird.
We took Henry and Miss R to Dr. Bianchi's office. Henry had his 2 year old "wellness check." For his actual age (25 months), he weighed 27 lbs, was 35.75 inches in length, and had a head circumference of 47 cm. Dr. Bianchi said that he is in the 40th percentile on weight and 70th percentile in height for his actual age. I looked up the percentiles for his adjusted age because I was curious. He is just above the 90th percentile in height and just a smidge below the 50th percentile in weight. I was surprised by the his being in the 40-50th percentile in weight b/c this kid is skinny and he is a picky eater. He does eat, but he also has plenty of meals where he'll eat three bites and call it quits. Dr. Bianchi commented again on how Henry doesn't look like he was born prematurely and said he was very smart. He gave Henry a Tigger and Eeyore sticker. Henry saw it and said "Tigger!" Henry got his varicella vaccination; he didn't cry at all but looked annoyed.
I believe that it was yesterday (or maybe the day before) afternoon before his doctor's appointment when Alicia was giving the kids meatball and cantaloupe. Henry wanted to get out of his chair. I said, "Henry, you can get out of your chair if you try one bite of cantaloupe." So Henry popped some meatball in his mouth and looked at me expectantly. I said, "I know you just ate meatball. I want you to try the cantaloupe. Just put it in your mouth. You can spit it out if you don't like it." He again reached for a piece of meat, then spit it out, and looked at me to get him down. I repeated that he needed to try the cantaloupe. He reached for the meat and ate it. We went round and round on it until he finally put a piece of cantaloupe in his mouth and then spit it about 8 inches onto his tray. I stayed true to my word and said, "OK. You did what I asked. You can now get down." He was happy. I was pleased that he tried the cantaloupe (even if it was a half-hearted try at best). In any event, my son is a good spitter.
Henry and Miss R visited Grammy and Poppy for dinner. Jeff and I picked up the kids a two hours later. We came home. I don't think that we watched any TV. Both of the kids were tired. Jeff read a little bit to Henry. Miss R hugged her new bear from her bio dad. Then, they headed off to bed.
Jeff stayed up all night. He had to get some things done before "the big move" this weekend at his work, which is the reason that he is headed to Philly on Friday night. Henry got up several times during the night looking for Daddy. My sleep was consequently less than stellar. Henry got up early. Miss R got up around 7:20AM because she had wet through her diaper. We have more leak diapers from her in the past 5 weeks than we've ever had from Henry. Henry had leaked through his diaper a couple times in his life, which has been nice.
That's all from here.
We took Henry and Miss R to Dr. Bianchi's office. Henry had his 2 year old "wellness check." For his actual age (25 months), he weighed 27 lbs, was 35.75 inches in length, and had a head circumference of 47 cm. Dr. Bianchi said that he is in the 40th percentile on weight and 70th percentile in height for his actual age. I looked up the percentiles for his adjusted age because I was curious. He is just above the 90th percentile in height and just a smidge below the 50th percentile in weight. I was surprised by the his being in the 40-50th percentile in weight b/c this kid is skinny and he is a picky eater. He does eat, but he also has plenty of meals where he'll eat three bites and call it quits. Dr. Bianchi commented again on how Henry doesn't look like he was born prematurely and said he was very smart. He gave Henry a Tigger and Eeyore sticker. Henry saw it and said "Tigger!" Henry got his varicella vaccination; he didn't cry at all but looked annoyed.
I believe that it was yesterday (or maybe the day before) afternoon before his doctor's appointment when Alicia was giving the kids meatball and cantaloupe. Henry wanted to get out of his chair. I said, "Henry, you can get out of your chair if you try one bite of cantaloupe." So Henry popped some meatball in his mouth and looked at me expectantly. I said, "I know you just ate meatball. I want you to try the cantaloupe. Just put it in your mouth. You can spit it out if you don't like it." He again reached for a piece of meat, then spit it out, and looked at me to get him down. I repeated that he needed to try the cantaloupe. He reached for the meat and ate it. We went round and round on it until he finally put a piece of cantaloupe in his mouth and then spit it about 8 inches onto his tray. I stayed true to my word and said, "OK. You did what I asked. You can now get down." He was happy. I was pleased that he tried the cantaloupe (even if it was a half-hearted try at best). In any event, my son is a good spitter.
Henry and Miss R visited Grammy and Poppy for dinner. Jeff and I picked up the kids a two hours later. We came home. I don't think that we watched any TV. Both of the kids were tired. Jeff read a little bit to Henry. Miss R hugged her new bear from her bio dad. Then, they headed off to bed.
Jeff stayed up all night. He had to get some things done before "the big move" this weekend at his work, which is the reason that he is headed to Philly on Friday night. Henry got up several times during the night looking for Daddy. My sleep was consequently less than stellar. Henry got up early. Miss R got up around 7:20AM because she had wet through her diaper. We have more leak diapers from her in the past 5 weeks than we've ever had from Henry. Henry had leaked through his diaper a couple times in his life, which has been nice.
That's all from here.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Snuggling
Last night, I peaked at Jeff and the kids. Miss R had moved to Henry's side of the bed. Jeff was on the end. Henry was snuggled into Jeff's side. Miss R was snuggled into Henry's back. It was very cute.
Miss R is the messiest child on earth when it comes to food. She makes messes out of the most basic things. I was surprised when I came into the kitchen area to find Henry and Miss R eating lunch while Karina slept. That's got to be a first.
We played in the new play area after Alicia and Karina left. Miss R got upset when I told her "no" after she tried to bite me on the shoulder. If a stranger had happened upon us, he would have thought that I'd just bitten her! I found myself trying to calm her down with a hug (in essence comforting her for getting in trouble for biting me). I'm going to have to rethink our discipline strategy.
Miss R and Henry went swimming and had dinner at the grandparents' house. Grammy reported that Henry didn't want to get out of the water again. She says that it takes two people to watch him, especially around the pool. Jeff picked them up while I took a nap (having not slept the night before).
The Twins were sound asleep when they got home.
Miss R has a bio parent visitation tomorrow. CPS will be picking her up around 10:15AM or so. Then, Henry has a wellness check at Dr. Bianchi's at 3PM.
Signing off...
Miss R is the messiest child on earth when it comes to food. She makes messes out of the most basic things. I was surprised when I came into the kitchen area to find Henry and Miss R eating lunch while Karina slept. That's got to be a first.
We played in the new play area after Alicia and Karina left. Miss R got upset when I told her "no" after she tried to bite me on the shoulder. If a stranger had happened upon us, he would have thought that I'd just bitten her! I found myself trying to calm her down with a hug (in essence comforting her for getting in trouble for biting me). I'm going to have to rethink our discipline strategy.
Miss R and Henry went swimming and had dinner at the grandparents' house. Grammy reported that Henry didn't want to get out of the water again. She says that it takes two people to watch him, especially around the pool. Jeff picked them up while I took a nap (having not slept the night before).
The Twins were sound asleep when they got home.
Miss R has a bio parent visitation tomorrow. CPS will be picking her up around 10:15AM or so. Then, Henry has a wellness check at Dr. Bianchi's at 3PM.
Signing off...
Monday, June 1, 2009
Sensory Overload
Henry and Miss R went to Costco with Jeff, Grammy, and Poppy. They road side-by-side in Grammy and Poppy's cart. Henry had a good time as usual. Jeff thought that Miss R was trying to take in the experience and figure out what was going on.
At Grammy and Poppy's house, the kids took a two hour nap.
We met up with Grammy, Poppy, and The Twins at the Tucson Music Hall around 4:15PM for Sesame Street Live: Elmo Makes Music. The seats were pretty good. We were about half way back on the main floor, but I suspect that even people in the very back row had a great view as the hall isn't particularly large. Grammy gave me some money to buy the kids souvenirs. Miss R went with me. We got Henry a spinning Elmo toy. Miss R got an Elmo stuffed animal.
Henry was ready to run around the music hall when we got back to our seats. The show was supposed to start at 4:30PM, but it didn't start until after 4:45PM. Henry sat in-between Jeff and Poppy. Miss R sat in-between Grammy and me. When the music began, it was a song that Henry recognized. He danced...just as he had during the Elmo show at Sea World. Jeff said that when the song was over, Henry said, "Again, again." When Daddy didn't make that happen, Henry asked for the "Remote!" After a couple minutes, I think that Henry had sensory overload. He laid down on the floor in front of the seats. The pathways between the rows are fairly wide for theater rows. He went into his "sleeping" position. But when he heard a song he liked, he'd pop up and dance again.
I've been concerned about Henry having some slight sensory integration issues. I don't think that his issues are particularly pronounced, but I think that he gets overwhelmed by new environments easily...hence the "sleeping" whenever he is stressed (see entry on Sea World and Henry laying down on the side walks back in April). I suspect that this is another reason why we should begin to move Henry into a daycare setting where he'll have some structure, have to adapt to that structure, and get used to a different environment from the comforts of his own, secure home.
Miss R had a fabulous time. Going into the show, we wondered how she would handle it. She rocked out to several of the songs. She doesn't really watch the TV when presented with the opportunity. She doesn't really pay attention to books. But she did watch the show. She bounced up and down on my lap throughout the show and also sang her own tunes during the show.
Henry spent the last half of the show outside with Jeff. He crawled around the steps and such.
The Twins were crazy in the car. Miss R was mad b/c I wasn't holding her and pitched a fit. Henry decided to yell because Miss R was yelling. It is official. We won't be driving to Oregon. The idea of spending 24 hours in a vehicle with two demanding toddlers doesn't sit well with me.
At dinner, we sat at the kids' table in the dining room/kids' play room. Henry knocked over a drink that knocked over the ranch dressing for his fries. He proclaimed it "A mess!" Miss R pretty much ate ranch dressing for dinner...a first for her. She used one fry to double dip, triple, and beyond. I don't know how the fry lasted through 15-20 minutes of dipping, but somehow it did.
I tried to take a nap on the couch as I'll be working all night on a manuscript to meet a deadline for tomorrow. Miss R and Henry bounced up and down on me while I tried to catch a few Zzzzs. Sigh. Jeff got them to bed though. Right now, the house is very quiet.
At Grammy and Poppy's house, the kids took a two hour nap.
We met up with Grammy, Poppy, and The Twins at the Tucson Music Hall around 4:15PM for Sesame Street Live: Elmo Makes Music. The seats were pretty good. We were about half way back on the main floor, but I suspect that even people in the very back row had a great view as the hall isn't particularly large. Grammy gave me some money to buy the kids souvenirs. Miss R went with me. We got Henry a spinning Elmo toy. Miss R got an Elmo stuffed animal.
Henry was ready to run around the music hall when we got back to our seats. The show was supposed to start at 4:30PM, but it didn't start until after 4:45PM. Henry sat in-between Jeff and Poppy. Miss R sat in-between Grammy and me. When the music began, it was a song that Henry recognized. He danced...just as he had during the Elmo show at Sea World. Jeff said that when the song was over, Henry said, "Again, again." When Daddy didn't make that happen, Henry asked for the "Remote!" After a couple minutes, I think that Henry had sensory overload. He laid down on the floor in front of the seats. The pathways between the rows are fairly wide for theater rows. He went into his "sleeping" position. But when he heard a song he liked, he'd pop up and dance again.
I've been concerned about Henry having some slight sensory integration issues. I don't think that his issues are particularly pronounced, but I think that he gets overwhelmed by new environments easily...hence the "sleeping" whenever he is stressed (see entry on Sea World and Henry laying down on the side walks back in April). I suspect that this is another reason why we should begin to move Henry into a daycare setting where he'll have some structure, have to adapt to that structure, and get used to a different environment from the comforts of his own, secure home.
Miss R had a fabulous time. Going into the show, we wondered how she would handle it. She rocked out to several of the songs. She doesn't really watch the TV when presented with the opportunity. She doesn't really pay attention to books. But she did watch the show. She bounced up and down on my lap throughout the show and also sang her own tunes during the show.
Henry spent the last half of the show outside with Jeff. He crawled around the steps and such.
The Twins were crazy in the car. Miss R was mad b/c I wasn't holding her and pitched a fit. Henry decided to yell because Miss R was yelling. It is official. We won't be driving to Oregon. The idea of spending 24 hours in a vehicle with two demanding toddlers doesn't sit well with me.
At dinner, we sat at the kids' table in the dining room/kids' play room. Henry knocked over a drink that knocked over the ranch dressing for his fries. He proclaimed it "A mess!" Miss R pretty much ate ranch dressing for dinner...a first for her. She used one fry to double dip, triple, and beyond. I don't know how the fry lasted through 15-20 minutes of dipping, but somehow it did.
I tried to take a nap on the couch as I'll be working all night on a manuscript to meet a deadline for tomorrow. Miss R and Henry bounced up and down on me while I tried to catch a few Zzzzs. Sigh. Jeff got them to bed though. Right now, the house is very quiet.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Adjusted Age
