24 Weeks + Back to School Update

I had my 24 week OB visit yesterday, and happy to report that all went well. The doctor said I am doing great, and I assured him I would try to rapidly deteriorate by my next visit so we'd have more to discuss. (He agreed that there was plenty of time yet for that to happen ;)

Ben seems to be enjoying school, commenting often about how much he likes his new teacher. The school day is 45 minutes longer this year and he has to get on the bus 45 minutes earlier than last year, but he doesn't seem to mind at all. I've been getting Ben up and ready and usually getting him to the bus while Joel is getting dressed/eating breakfast, and Rebecca is still sleeping. It's actually been easier for me to be able to deal with the kids one at a time rather than having to get them both ready at the same time like I did last year. So far so good!

Zebra Girl

Thank you to Grandma for sending Rebecca a zebra dress and zebra backpack. She insisted on wearing both to school today, ran down the hallway at school yelling "HERE COMES THE ZEBRA!", and as soon as she walked in the room asked, "Can we make a zebra mask for me?"

No Irene Here

In answer to the inquiries about whether or not we have been affected by hurricane Irene here, I'll just tell you that our Saturday activities included some shopping at the mall, followed by spending the afternoon at a pool party where it was a bit breezy, but otherwise mostly sunny and in the low 90s.Then we had dinner and Pinkberry, and then watched the kids play in the cul-de-sac until 9pm. Today there is not a cloud in the sky and we're waiting for Becca's friend Mira to come over for a play date/lunch date.

Hope all our Northeast friends/family are staying warm and dry!

First Day Report

Ben reported that his first day of school went very well. He was very enthusiastic about how much he likes his teacher, Mrs. Hsu. He said she's really nice and when she says it's "relax time" the kids are allowed to put their feet up on their desks or stretch out or get comfortable however they'd like. This went over big with Ben, who used to get into trouble last year for not sitting properly in his seat ;) Ben's best friend Jared is in his class this year and so is our neighbor's son, so he is very happy that he knows some of his classmates from outside of school.

He reported that his first day activities included getting to go to the principal's office as a class to meet her (she is new this year) and review the school code of conduct, free pudding at lunch in honor of the first day, and a free icee (also in honor of the first day) in the afternoon. We also got back into our nightly reading and homework routine last night, and I was happy to listen to Ben read a chapter on hurricanes in his weather book and breeze right through words like "atmosphere" without missing a beat. Hopefully the summer brain-drain hasn't been too bad. We did read a couple of books over the summer, but we weren't reading as consistently as I'm sure we should have been ;)

First Day of 2nd Grade

Goodbye to Summer Vacation

Today is Ben's last day of summer vacation. He doesn't seem to be particularly nostalgic. (Q: Can you believe the summer is over already?" A: "Yep. Nope. I dunno." Q: Does it feel weird to be back here [school] after being gone all summer?" A: "Not really...") So it falls to me then to bid farewell to a great summer, which included a week at the beach, a trip to the mountains, visits from two sets of Aunts and Uncles, and 8 action-packed weeks of summer camp. And let's not forget, the luxury of sleeping until 7:30 every morning.... goodbye summer vacation!

Toy Purge

We spent much of the day yesterday "purging" the kids toy collection, which had grown massively out of control. We made a "keep" pile, a "donate" pile and a "save for the baby" pile, and went through the play room toys, Ben's closet, and Ben's toy chest. Ben was very good at it and was not reluctant at all to part with massive quantities of toys. Rebecca looked like she might hyperventilate at first, and kept snatching things back out of the "donate" and "save for baby" piles. But after a while she seemed to calm down. We put 10 bags out in the garage for donating, and filled 2 big storage bins with things to save for the new baby, which we stored in the back of Ben's closet. The play room looks a lot neater now, but not lacking for toys even with the big purge. We also took apart Rebecca's crib this weekend and stored that in a closet temporarily (will need it again soon enough). After we finished with the "spring cleaning" we took the kids to the pool and out for dinner and Pinkberry as a reward for their cooperation. My next project is going to be the hall closet where we have eight thousand books piled up that we never use. I'd like to free that closet up for board games, puzzles and art supplies that are sorely lacking a home right now.

Getting Ready for Back to School

Ben's first day of school is next Thursday. Today is his last day of camp, so he gets to hang around the house and bug Mom next Monday-Wednesday. Yesterday the classroom assignment letters were made available for pickup so I stopped by the school to get his. I was pleasantly surprised that no one else was there (I was expecting a madhouse). Then I discovered that the reason why no one was there was because I'd gotten the time wrong, and letter pick-up was from 1-3 not 12-2 like I thought. So I left, went to Target to do some errands, and came back at 1. And it was a madhouse. I did manage to get his assignment letter though (they mail the ones that aren't picked up but apparently most parents can't handle the suspense and go to pick up their letters in person).

Ben's 2nd grade teacher is Mrs. Hsu, who I had never heard of, but by the end of the day I learned from a few other parents that she was a fourth grade teacher last year, and is now teaching second grade and that she has an excellent reputation. We will go to meet her on Tuesday during the Open House. Ben's in a trailer again this year (excuse me, "mobile classroom") but since he seemed to think that was more exciting than a regular classroom, I guess I won't mind it again either.

The other major change of the beginning school year is that they changed the bell schedule and lengthened the school day so whereas last year he was in school from 8:30-2:45, this year it is 7:45-2:45. So he has to be on the bus at 7:11 every morning, as compared with 7:50 last year. (And considering that he has been sleeping until 7:30 all summer, this will be an adjustment).

We still need to buy school supplies (always a scavenger hunt when you wait till the last minute like I do). Fortunately the 2nd grade supply list doesn't look too long.

Technical Difficulties

In case the last couple slide shows are not loading properly (for me sometimes they do and sometimes they don't), below are links to the last two albums I posted yesterday... just click on one of the pics below and it should take you to the album.

Pool Time:

August 16, 2011

Carowinds:

August 16, 2011

The Yearly Carowinds Tradition

We continued our yearly tradition of visiting Carowinds once a summer (does now that we've done it twice make it a tradition?) This year, Aunt Kathleen and Uncle Mike were here which made it an extra special day!!

Pool Time

The kids enjoyed some pool time with Uncle Mike and Aunt Kathleen this weekend!

Post Haircut Treat

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Ben & Uncle Mike

So far Uncle Mike and Aunt Kathleen have had quite a bit of excitement with our quasi-tornado last night... hopefully the rest of their visit won't be quite as eventful.

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Storm

A big storm came through our neighborhood last night, our street seemed to get hit the hardest. I have never seen such a strong storm before! Afterwards the whole neighborhood turned out to walk around and survey the damage... A big tree limb in our backyard came down and hit the playset, knocking the climbing wall off. We're without phone, internet and satellite for the time being, so I've relocated to Barnes & Noble to get some work done this morning...

Big Girl Bed Shopping

We bought Rebecca a bedroom set today -- a full size bed with trundle and storage underneath, a dresser with mirror, and a bedside table. Since it was a tax free shopping weekend in NC we got 7.25% off for tax and free delivery also. Looks like delivery won't be until next week though.

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Lazy Saturday

Joel had to work the last 12 days in a row, so a lazy day was in order... I had a baby shower to go to in the morning, and after I got back we hit the pool and then Chili's for dinner (specifically because Ben wanted to eat chili cheese fries for dinner).

Becca and Daddy relaxing in the pool:

Ben with his chili cheese fries:

Lifesavers Are Dangerous

Despite their name, I learned last night that lifesavers are very dangerous for almost-four year old girls who can't sit still while eating anything. Despite Joel's misgivings, I gave her a lifesaver to suck on (first tried to break it in half but couldn't manage that so just gave in and gave it to her). I swear I remember eating lifesavers from a young age, certainly four I think, right?

Anyway, she sucked on it for a bit, clearly making Joel nervous (who told her to chew it up but she refused), and then as if it were a self fulfilling prophecy (or just so Joel could say I-Told-You-So) she got it lodged in her throat for several terrifying moments before swallowing it. She could still breathe (as evident by her crying), but seemed on the verge of needing the Heimlich maneuver. After she finally swallowed it she was still so worked up coughing/crying that she threw up. I had to poke through the contents to assure Joel that yes the lifesaver was in there (as opposed to lodged in a lung).

I certainly learned my lesson and I told Rebecca she is not allowed to have another lifesaver until she turns 18. She solemnly agreed.

20 Weeks and Preschool Starts Again...

This week marks week 20 for my pregnancy - halfway done! I had an OB appointment this morning. Baby checked out fine. My only complaint thus far is gall bladder pain, which is pretty impressive considering I don't have a gall bladder. The doctor suggested Pepcid. I'm not terrifically optimistic, but will try it...

In other news Rebecca's third year at CJP officially started yesterday, now that camp is over. She seems to be having only a slight amount of anxiety transitioning to her new classroom/ new teachers / some new friends. One different thing this year is that they have two full-day 3s classes, which are located directly across the hall from each other. The kids are assigned to one of the two rooms, but may go back and forth between the classrooms pretty freely (must ask permission first) and the four teachers will be collaborating and designing the curriculum for the two classes together. It's sort of an experiment - the first year they have tried such an arrangement. (And also the first time they've had to have two full-day 3s classes). So far Rebecca seems to enjoy the novelty of being able to move between classrooms.

Ben has two more weeks of camp after this week, and then goes back to school. The summer is flying by....