Transisition

Seeking advice about how to handle the transition from preschool to home.  Paige goes to school from 8:30-11:30am on Tuesday and Thursday.  When I pick her up the kids who attend all day are getting ready for nap.  Paige appears to be really hungry and tired when I pick her up.  I learned to take a snack for the car ride home, but she does not want to eat or nap once we get home.  It seems like we've missed the window for food and nap.  (I think I've expressed what a terrible eater she is anyway so I have a feeling she's really not eating snack at school and if breakfast goes bad before school, she has to be starving!)  Any advice on what what to do when I get home?  Have lunch already prepared to serve her immediately?  Take her straight to bed for nap?  Suggestions on how to wind down after so much stimulation so we can get in lunch and then nap?   Nap time for her is usually between 2 and 3pm.  Thanks!   

Kitchen Helper

While I was making Father's Day dinner Hailey was "helping" me in the kitchen.  She actually really was helping by keeping herself entertained.  She was playing with the teapot and taking the lid on and off and then carrying it around like a purse.  I thought these pics of her were cute so had to publish. 

 

Father's Day

I think Father's Day turned out to be what Brain wanted.  We tried to give him as much alone time as possible today so he could do what he wanted, with nothing to fix or do around the house, instead just gaming and enjoying his day.  He opened presents this morning which consisted of a coffee mug with pics of the girls on it, a shirt and the "tie" that Paige made in preschool.  I took Paige to Nanny's while Hailey napped this morning so he had total alone time for a bit.  I made him a dinner of lasagna, salad and bread and my mom came over.  Brownies for dessert.  Yum!  Then my mom helped me put the girls to bed so he was off bedtime duty as well.  Nice day! 

Opening gifts

Paige's hand print on the tie

Front

Back

Dada and his girls

The Fam

Father's Day gift

When I picked up Paige from preschool today, Mrs. Hawley had Paige give me this Father's Day present for Dada.  I haven't opened it; I will save for Sunday.  I got a few tears in my eyes, thinking how adorable and sweet this is.  So many more years like this to come. 

Swimming

I have learned that the day goes better when I can get them outside to burn some energy.  Now that the weather is HOT and the pool is warm, we go swimming.  It's a CHORE to get them both ready...swim suits, swim shoes (because if they get out, the pool deck is too hot on their feet without), life vests, hats and sunscreen.  Whew!  Then I have to get my suit on too.  But the effort is worth it.  Paige is swimming with her head under water and loves to "dive" or jump off the edge.  Hailey just started paddling her arms today.  They love it and get worn out for good naps.  

3 days of school

Paige has attended 3 half days of preschool.  Things we have noticed that she is learning include, matching, shapes & new songs. I don't think I have used the word "match" with her that much, she keeps finding things to "match" up.  She put some play coins together by color and with the heads or tails together and then while watching Sesame Street with Cookie Monster she found her Cookie Monster stuffed animal and made the "matching" correlation.  She even said teh eyes were the same.  She knew her shapes by sight before she started but now she is describing them, "A square has 4 equal sides," and "A triangle has 3 sides."  Plus she is singing new songs that we have sang before but not regularly.  They include Old MacDonald, Wheels on the Bus (but with some kind a variation to it about colors) and another that I have never heard about fish.  Amazing!  Only 9 hours in school and we're seeing progress.  Sponge brains!  Yay! 

Socks

Despite my efforts to sweep the floor multiple times a day, I still have crumbs on it.  I have come to accept this.  I have two kids, a dog and a husband.  I even have a housekeeper to help me keep up with it, but there are still crumbs.  Again, I have accepted it.  However, Hailey appears to be very bothered when crumbs stick to the bottom of her bare feet.  She will sit down and hold her foot up to me to rub the crumbs off.   I don't think she's accepted it.  So despite it being over 100 degrees most days, Hailey now wears socks with girppies around the house....to keep the crumbs off.   

Clothes (or lack of)

To get Paige to potty train I would take her bottoms off at times I knew when she need to do poops.  As a result, Paige LOVES to be naked.  I cannot keep clothes on her.  It's especially difficult with a pool.  When we go outside she lasts for about 5 minutes with clothes and then I'll turn around and she's naked ready to jump in.  I actually think it's adorable and so glad that she is such a "Free Spirit" as my mom and aunt have described her.  I hope this self confidence and liberal minded attitude bless her throughout life. 

First school artwork

This is the first artwork Paige did at school.  It's a glued and painted fish.  When I arrived Mrs. Hawley took Paige and I to the board, which was decorated to be under the ocean, and where Paige's fish along with the other kids hung.  Paige had also colored a smaller fish that will hang on the board all summer long.  The theme of summer school is Hawaii Summer.  Last week was Aloha Au Ia Oe week and next is Moana Motion.  I had to hang her artwork on the inside of our front door since our fridge is stainless steel (opps!).  I love it. 

First day of preschool

Today was Paige's first day of preschool.  We have been preparing her since March when we started potty training.  But as the time got closer, we read some books about your first day of preschool, had a little tour and meet the teacher day and regularly talked about Mrs. Hawley, her teacher.  So I think today came without anticipation or anxiety.  She did wake up early and saw the backpack that my mom made for her which was sitting on a chair, which she can see from the top of the stairs.  She was quite excited about that.  "Oh, it's pink!  It has cupcakes.  I love it."

Dada stayed home with Hailey this morning while I took Paige for her first day.  On the drive there she was excited to say that she was "going to school!"  Then she started saying that she wanted to watch Lady and the Tramp.  I got a little worried thinking she would want to go home.  But I diverted her attention by saying there was no DVD player in the car and it would be hard to watch without one.  Whew!  That made her think of the car and not home. 

When we got to the classroom she walked right in and sat down to a puzzle.  I kissed her and left after a brief conversation with Mrs. Hawley about how Paige thinks the sound of the toilet flushing is loud. 

I came home and played with Hailey ALONE for a bit then she went down for a nap and I got in a workout and a shower!  WooHoo!  An uninterrupted workout and shower.  Yes, uninterrupted.  So nice.  I also received a text message, from Mrs. Hawley, yes a text message(!), just giving me an update on what Paige was doing.  Really nice. 

When Hailey and I went to pick Paige up, Paige was really happy to see Hailey.  "Oh, Hailey, at school!"  She didn't really want to leave, she wanted to stay and have lunch with the kids who attend all day.  But Mrs. Hawley gave her some animal crackers and she gladly walked out holding my hand.  Mrs. Hawley also said that Paige had a little accident on the playground, but she caught it and went to the bathroom right away where and Paige went potty there, and they DID NOT flush the toilet.  Whew! 

Overall, I think that Paige is really impartial to and not phased by the whole experience.  I think she had fun, got to socialize with other children and will learn some self control and simply, how to learn.  Our goal.  Good first day! 



 



My mom with the backpack she made for Paige.



60 days

I am 14 months post natal and I'm back to my pre-pregnancy weight with Hailey but not Paige.  That is 10 more pounds.  To keep myself honest I'm posting that I am starting a set of 60 day workout DVDs tomorrow.  It appears to be "doable."  It appears I do a different part of one of the DVDs most days with some days off for rest.  (I like that part.)  I'm tired of my clothes not fitting right, looking at my body naked (it really is ok in clothes) and just feeling blah from lack of exercise.  Wish me luck. 

Playtime

Just some pics from last week of us playing outside.  The pool has cooled down quite a bit since we took the cover off, so swimming is limited time for Paige before she gets cold and we won't put Hailey in it.  It's probably a cool 85, but to us desert dwellers that is COLD!  So we opt for playtime in the grass with their abundant yard toys (a few I got on Craig's List for great prices!).  Very lucky girls indeed.

English Mastiffs

A friend of mine from work has two English Mastiffs.  Her female had pups three weeks ago and today we got to go visit them.  There are 10 puppies in all and they are so sweet!  The mama, Chloe, is a really good mama too.  She let us play with her puppies and then got into the whelping box to feed them when they started to cry.  The male, Dex, was really docile too.  He let Paige hang all over him.  Both girls had fun.  Paige sat quietly and held one of them and Hailey sat on my lap while I held another. She tried to softly pat the puppy.  Both had big smiles the whole visit.  Really great dogs, gentle giants for sure.  Wish we could have one!