I realize that I told you I got a job for the fall, but I don't believe I said WHAT job I got...
It wasn't a library job, which is what I've been interviewing for the past THREE summers. Bummer. School library jobs are about as scarce as money trees where I live, with districts that have traditionally had librarians in all their buildings cutting all but ONE of their library positions. Good times. Most elementary schools around here have a "librarian" but they are not paid on the professional teacher scale and many of them do not have library or even education degrees. That, I suppose, is a conversation for another day.
ANYWAY - If I was going to go back to work, but not in a school library, the job I have is exactly the one I would have chosen. I am going back to the school where I did my student teaching, and then where I worked for years 3 and 4 of my career, leaving at the end of the school year when I was pregnant with Harper.
You guys, I LOVE THIS SCHOOL. I wish I could link to the website here, but that would be pinpointing a little too precisely where we live. (If you already know where we live, you could, uh, just do a search for independent schools in this area, and you'd find it.)
I am going back to teach first grade - which happens to be the grade I taught previously at this school and at the school where I worked the first two years of my career. Certainly some things have changed in the past eight years, but enough of it is the same that I'm not stepping into completely unfamiliar territory.
Have I mentioned that the school I will work at is about four minutes from our house? There are songs on my iPod that will last longer than my commute.
The school where I'm working is an independent school - which means a lot of good things, but one of the best is that our maximum class size in the lower grades is 18 students. Yup. 18 students is a BIG class at this school. Things can still change before the start of the year, or even during the year, but right now there are 12 names on my class list. Love it.
The icing on the cake is the fact that the people I'm going to be working most closely with - the other first grade teacher, the reading specialist, and my principal are all people I've know since I did my student teaching. They are amazing educators that I have tremendous respect for and I know that working with them raises the level of my own teaching. Not only that, these women are my friends. And have been for years. I get to go to work every day with people I adore.
So here I am, thirteen days from the beginning of the school year. I'm thrilled about the job and nervous as heck about the how this transition will go for our family. I have that feeling I used to get standing in line for the big roller coasters at the amusement park, especially when the wait was long... pretty sure I'm going to have a blast, but not 100% certain that it won't kill me.
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Friday, July 27, 2012
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Monday, July 23, 2012
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Status Updates
So I'm off of Facebook until my summer coursework is finished. Which may very well mean you won't see me back on Facebook until mid-August (er, when I'll be back to work, so I might not be on much then either).
Not that many people are out there wondering lots about us due to my lack of status updating, but I have found that I am kind of missing posting that way. If I WERE using Facebook, recent updates may have gone something like this:
Not that many people are out there wondering lots about us due to my lack of status updating, but I have found that I am kind of missing posting that way. If I WERE using Facebook, recent updates may have gone something like this:
- Three of the five creatures who live under this roof peed either in their beds or on the floor on the same day. That's too much laundry.
- The AAU girls' basketball team Matt coaches is playing in a National semi-final game tonight (yes, for real, tonight - July 17th).
- I love that AAU nationals are in Cincinnati so we can to go the games and support Matt's team. I love less that our schedules have been 100% upended because of it - last night the kids at sandwiches for dinner at 7:45, which is SUPER late for them.
- Harper is attending bowling camp this week. Bowling for 5-12 year-olds. I was a little worried when the gentleman running it began with a packet of handouts. The little kids were looking at it like they had no idea what it was for! Fortunately he's actually really good with the children and has the patience of a saint...
- I was hoping to have all my school work finished before we went on vacation. Um, that is really, REALLY not happening. The good news is I can do some homework poolside?
And finally:
- Homemade water slide:
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Some Firsts
Recently Michael has developed an all out obsession with baseball. Earlier this summer he actually sat through all nine innings of a minor league game. He has favorite players, favorite teams, and likes to watch the umpire to see whether a pitch is a ball or a strike. So this year, after a good long afternoon nap, we let him stay up to watch the first inning of the MLB All Star Game.
Unfortunately he doesn't quite have the concept of all-star down and kept asking exactly which teams were playing.
Michael never used to sit still to watch television at all - now he'd watch all day as long as some kind of sporting event was being broadcast.
Harper's first was a jump off the high dive at the rec center where she's been taking swimming lessons. I was really excited for her - she just marched up there and did it with barely any hesitation at all. I don't recall the first time I jumped off the high dive, but I'm pretty sure I wasn't seven. She accomplished the feat yesterday, twice, and wasn't sure she'd do it again... "It feels like I'm falling," she explained, "and I don't really like to fall."
But I convinced her to give it another go today so her brother could see it in person - he was totally impressed - and so I could capture the moment.
Climbing the ladder:
Walking the plank:
Jumping off:
And then she did it again so I could get it on video...
As for me, I did something for the first time in a LONG time... bought an academic calendar. In a little over a month I'll be back in the classroom - yikes!
Saturday, July 07, 2012
The Stripey One
This summer, almost without fail, when I've sent Michael to his closet to pick out clothes, this is what he chooses:
Even though I very specifically ask him to pick something with short sleeves and shorts, he comes out with the hanger bearing this outfit. Every. Stinkin'. Time. And every summer day I've had to send him back and explain he can't wear those clothes because it is too hot outside and I accompany him to his room to find a more suitable outfit.
That picture was taken this morning when he decided to try something new and just put the clothes on instead of bringing them out for my approval... too bad the forecast called for temps above one-hundred degrees today.
"But Mom," he protested, "I'm not even hot at all!"
You see the striped shirt and pants with stripes down the sides compose his most very favorite outfit ever. Incidentally he also asked for it every day this winter, and always wore it the first day it was clean from the wash. Aside from being inappropriately warm for any summer day, let alone with the crazy heat wave we've been a part of, the outfit is also getting too small. He is going to be devastated when I pack it away with the other things he's outgrown. You can believe I will be scouring the stores for similar items as soon as the fall things hit the sales floor. Probably any day now.
This striped outfit, and Michael's fondness for it, is just one of the many little things I want to remember about these days. It takes so little to make him happy.
I made a concession about the clothes - agreeing to let him wear them as pajamas tonight. They only lasted about half an hour before he decided he was too hot and deigned to be changed into something else but it made him willing to compromise this morning.
One other Michael-related tidbit from today - he was getting full at lunch and asked to be finished eating. I asked how much of his banana was left, to which he replied, "Oh about fee-corders." For those of you not fluent in Michael, that would be "three-quarters." And he was actually right! By pure coincidence I'm sure.
I saved the fee-corders of a banana for him to eat with his dinner.
Even though I very specifically ask him to pick something with short sleeves and shorts, he comes out with the hanger bearing this outfit. Every. Stinkin'. Time. And every summer day I've had to send him back and explain he can't wear those clothes because it is too hot outside and I accompany him to his room to find a more suitable outfit.
That picture was taken this morning when he decided to try something new and just put the clothes on instead of bringing them out for my approval... too bad the forecast called for temps above one-hundred degrees today.
"But Mom," he protested, "I'm not even hot at all!"
You see the striped shirt and pants with stripes down the sides compose his most very favorite outfit ever. Incidentally he also asked for it every day this winter, and always wore it the first day it was clean from the wash. Aside from being inappropriately warm for any summer day, let alone with the crazy heat wave we've been a part of, the outfit is also getting too small. He is going to be devastated when I pack it away with the other things he's outgrown. You can believe I will be scouring the stores for similar items as soon as the fall things hit the sales floor. Probably any day now.
This striped outfit, and Michael's fondness for it, is just one of the many little things I want to remember about these days. It takes so little to make him happy.
I made a concession about the clothes - agreeing to let him wear them as pajamas tonight. They only lasted about half an hour before he decided he was too hot and deigned to be changed into something else but it made him willing to compromise this morning.
One other Michael-related tidbit from today - he was getting full at lunch and asked to be finished eating. I asked how much of his banana was left, to which he replied, "Oh about fee-corders." For those of you not fluent in Michael, that would be "three-quarters." And he was actually right! By pure coincidence I'm sure.
I saved the fee-corders of a banana for him to eat with his dinner.
Wednesday, July 04, 2012
Growing Up
A couple of people commented (Hi, Swistle!) after the last post that Harper is suddenly looking quite a bit older. I think this is true. Actually I started having that feeling early in 2012, partly because she is turning eight this calendar year, and eight is an age I firmly remember being. (Incidentally, age 8 is the year I recieved the book The Ballet Shoes from my godmother. I've read it so many times it is held together with a rubber band.) Part of it is the adult teeth, for sure. And the rest is made up of all these things I'm watching her experience, the ways her friendships are developing, the choices she is starting to make for herself.
Then, a couple of days ago, she was feeling a little under the weather and walked into the kitchen looking like this:
I don't know if this will make sense to many of you, but when she walked in with those pajama pants, tank top, flip flops, and messy ponytail I suddenly felt like I was getting a glimpse of my daughter during her exam week as a freshman in college.
(Did you pick out Exam Week Outfits*? You know a comfy combo perfect for alternating between sleep and study? No? Just my friends and I then? Moving on...)
Dear Time,
Move slower.
Love,
Kelsey
*And by "outfit" I mean either a t-shirt (long or short sleeved), a sweatshirt, and probably a choice between boxer shorts or flannel pajama bottoms, color coordination optional.
Then, a couple of days ago, she was feeling a little under the weather and walked into the kitchen looking like this:
 |
| (She reluctantly posed for the picture, she's so clearly over it...) |
 |
| (Also? She seems unaware of the wedgie situation going on there. Kids!) |
I don't know if this will make sense to many of you, but when she walked in with those pajama pants, tank top, flip flops, and messy ponytail I suddenly felt like I was getting a glimpse of my daughter during her exam week as a freshman in college.
(Did you pick out Exam Week Outfits*? You know a comfy combo perfect for alternating between sleep and study? No? Just my friends and I then? Moving on...)
Dear Time,
Move slower.
Love,
Kelsey
*And by "outfit" I mean either a t-shirt (long or short sleeved), a sweatshirt, and probably a choice between boxer shorts or flannel pajama bottoms, color coordination optional.
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
More of What We've Been Up To
One of the things I love most in this world is the type of friendship where you can see a person after being separated by great degrees of time and distance and pick up just like you never left off... Last week I was lucky enough to have TWO such friends visit. Nan and Jen are friends from college - who I mostly got to know through campus ministry retreats and theatrical campus ministry productions.
"There were theatrical campus ministry productions?" you ask. Yes. Yes there were, and they were glorious!
Things were a little different from our college days, of course, mostly because of the presence of four children ages 7 under.
Michael loves babies so much you guys, it's kind of heartbreaking. But he also doesn't really know how to interact with them appropriately - we're working on it.
They look so sweet together - you'd never know they were tying each other up with jump ropes and attempting to eat the sunscreen stick... Kids!
The visit was last Tuesday. Then, on Wednesday, I got to go to a new independent used book store near here and catch my friend Jen doing a reading from her book!
The bookstore was full of Jen's local friends and there was a ton of good spirit in that room - it was like a reading and a reunion combined. There was also an adorable one-year-old who loved grapes and continued to demand them throughout the reading. AND a mama cat and her kitten (with six toes!) that was just as adorable as you'd imagine.
Some of us were hanging out after the reading and I noticed the mama cat was relaxing beneath a table, looking exceptionally chill. Just as I was thinking I'd never seen a non-sleeping animal look that relaxed I realized the kitten was nursing! I realize this sort of thing happens, in nature, all the time, but it was so unusual to see a nursing pet (well probably not for people who's pets have babies), I was awed. I wanted to take a photo but that seemed sort of disrespectful to the cat. What really struck me was how much the cat and kitten looked like I felt when I nursed, especially when Harper was a baby and she would nurse quietly in our bed in the morning, both of us drifting in and out of sleep.
When Jen finished signing books we went down the street to a little bar where a group of us sat outside on a gorgeous night, shared some drinks, and had a genuinely lovely night out. Ten years ago this kind of night out may have continued until 2 a.m. and last week we were all ready to head home by eleven. We've grown old!
The other big news is that Matt's sister - also known as Aunt Meaghan - moved back to Ohio! Woot! We are so excited to have her living nearby. Harper demonstrated her enthusiasm by having Meaghan complete timed "obstacle courses" on the swing set and sharing home- manicures.
Welcome home Meg!
And what have YOU been up to?
"There were theatrical campus ministry productions?" you ask. Yes. Yes there were, and they were glorious!
Things were a little different from our college days, of course, mostly because of the presence of four children ages 7 under.
Michael loves babies so much you guys, it's kind of heartbreaking. But he also doesn't really know how to interact with them appropriately - we're working on it.
They look so sweet together - you'd never know they were tying each other up with jump ropes and attempting to eat the sunscreen stick... Kids!
The visit was last Tuesday. Then, on Wednesday, I got to go to a new independent used book store near here and catch my friend Jen doing a reading from her book!
The bookstore was full of Jen's local friends and there was a ton of good spirit in that room - it was like a reading and a reunion combined. There was also an adorable one-year-old who loved grapes and continued to demand them throughout the reading. AND a mama cat and her kitten (with six toes!) that was just as adorable as you'd imagine.
Some of us were hanging out after the reading and I noticed the mama cat was relaxing beneath a table, looking exceptionally chill. Just as I was thinking I'd never seen a non-sleeping animal look that relaxed I realized the kitten was nursing! I realize this sort of thing happens, in nature, all the time, but it was so unusual to see a nursing pet (well probably not for people who's pets have babies), I was awed. I wanted to take a photo but that seemed sort of disrespectful to the cat. What really struck me was how much the cat and kitten looked like I felt when I nursed, especially when Harper was a baby and she would nurse quietly in our bed in the morning, both of us drifting in and out of sleep.
When Jen finished signing books we went down the street to a little bar where a group of us sat outside on a gorgeous night, shared some drinks, and had a genuinely lovely night out. Ten years ago this kind of night out may have continued until 2 a.m. and last week we were all ready to head home by eleven. We've grown old!
The other big news is that Matt's sister - also known as Aunt Meaghan - moved back to Ohio! Woot! We are so excited to have her living nearby. Harper demonstrated her enthusiasm by having Meaghan complete timed "obstacle courses" on the swing set and sharing home- manicures.
Welcome home Meg!
And what have YOU been up to?
Thursday, June 07, 2012
Making an Effort
Okay, I really am going to make more of an effort to blog regularly this summer. Maybe to document the transition from family with a work-at-home-mom to family with a work-outside-the-home mom. Or maybe just so you don't miss stuff like this:
Harper decided that she and Michael were going to dress up and do a "gymnastics show" this morning. Apparently gymnasts wear stickers on their faces, ballet skirts, and a seven-year-old's version of "high heels." She even did her hair in a side pony tail.
Michael, along for the ride, happily donned one of Harper's bathing suits in lieu of a leotard.
"Don't worry Mom," Harper told me, "He's still got his underpants on."
Last week, in the craziness that was finishing the school year, some burly men showed up and now THIS is in our backyard:
You are all invited over to play. Just wash your hands before you come if you had peanut butter for lunch.
The kids love it as much as you might imagine (a lot) and we've already played outside (at home, as opposed to at the park) more this summer than we did ALL of last summer. Investment win.
Harper decided that she and Michael were going to dress up and do a "gymnastics show" this morning. Apparently gymnasts wear stickers on their faces, ballet skirts, and a seven-year-old's version of "high heels." She even did her hair in a side pony tail.
Michael, along for the ride, happily donned one of Harper's bathing suits in lieu of a leotard.
"Don't worry Mom," Harper told me, "He's still got his underpants on."
 |
| As soon as I took this photo Harper said, "Can you put that on the blog? And Facebook?" |
You are all invited over to play. Just wash your hands before you come if you had peanut butter for lunch.
The kids love it as much as you might imagine (a lot) and we've already played outside (at home, as opposed to at the park) more this summer than we did ALL of last summer. Investment win.
Tuesday, June 05, 2012
Let the Vacation Begin
Well what did I expect when I let the kids go outside to play with Matt after dinner...
It wasn't even WARM out you guys (note Michael's long sleeves).
I didn't try to stop it, but I couldn't exactly bring myself condone it.
I'm making a note to keep Harper away from any kind of wet t-shirt contest down the road. It was all in pure child fun, believe me, but she was jumping and dancing around in that sprinkler like she was being video taped for some kind of MTV spring break special. (Remember those?) I had the worst kind of flash of her future.
It wasn't even WARM out you guys (note Michael's long sleeves).
I didn't try to stop it, but I couldn't exactly bring myself condone it.
I'm making a note to keep Harper away from any kind of wet t-shirt contest down the road. It was all in pure child fun, believe me, but she was jumping and dancing around in that sprinkler like she was being video taped for some kind of MTV spring break special. (Remember those?) I had the worst kind of flash of her future.
Monday, May 28, 2012
Wrapping Up
I cannot believe this is the last week of school for my kids! It feels like the end of an era because next year I will go back to school with them... Rather, I'll go back to the classroom.
Yup.
I got a teaching job for the fall.
Our summer is going to be short. School starts for me on August 13th (no students until the 20th though) and for my kids on August 14th.
We'll spend time in Wisconsin, Minnesota (just Matt and I), and Michigan this summer. There will be swimming, gymnastics, bowling (!), basketball, and misc. day camp. We're maaaaybe (I hope!) going to swing a weekend in St. Louis. On Wednesday a swing set is being professionally installed in our backyard. I'm taking two online classes to keep my teaching license current. I'll transition my Vice President/Volunteer Coordinator roles with the PTO to the new person and try to get a handle on co-President duties.
We're doing summer fast and furious this year.
And you?
Yup.
I got a teaching job for the fall.
Our summer is going to be short. School starts for me on August 13th (no students until the 20th though) and for my kids on August 14th.
We'll spend time in Wisconsin, Minnesota (just Matt and I), and Michigan this summer. There will be swimming, gymnastics, bowling (!), basketball, and misc. day camp. We're maaaaybe (I hope!) going to swing a weekend in St. Louis. On Wednesday a swing set is being professionally installed in our backyard. I'm taking two online classes to keep my teaching license current. I'll transition my Vice President/Volunteer Coordinator roles with the PTO to the new person and try to get a handle on co-President duties.
We're doing summer fast and furious this year.
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| Come on Summer! We're ready! |
Monday, May 21, 2012
Where We've Been
Well hello. How are you?
This has been a whirlwind month and obviously a bad month for posting...
I'm thinking I need to put myself on some sort of schedule if I have any hope of all of continuing this blog. And I want to continue, even if no one is reading it. I guess I'm finding that, as the kids get older, living our lives is getting in the way of computer time. Which is mostly good.
I also had a job situation brewing which I wasn't really at liberty to discuss. I actually had a very brief post up about it briefly, which you only caught if you are using a feed reader or saw it on Facebook. It was too soon to discuss anything, which is why I went back and yanked it. More about all of that soon.
This past weekend was largely occupied with our first big-deal ballet recital. Involving costumes! And (reluctantly and minimally) make-up! And me watching lots of surprisingly helpful You Tube videos about how to make the required ballet bun. (I have to admit I was totally tickled when someone complimented Harper on her bun as we walked into the dressing area. I did an internal high-five.)
I know it is completely uncool to brag about our kids or admit how great we think they are, but, well, er, just LOOK at this child? There are moments when she totally amazes me and the poise and maturity she showed this weekend were just beyond.
Can you believe this kid? Can you believe she is mine? How is the gorgeous creature (of course I think she's gorgeous, being her mother) the same baby I held seven years ago? Not possible.
I'm thinking I need to put myself on some sort of schedule if I have any hope of all of continuing this blog. And I want to continue, even if no one is reading it. I guess I'm finding that, as the kids get older, living our lives is getting in the way of computer time. Which is mostly good.
I also had a job situation brewing which I wasn't really at liberty to discuss. I actually had a very brief post up about it briefly, which you only caught if you are using a feed reader or saw it on Facebook. It was too soon to discuss anything, which is why I went back and yanked it. More about all of that soon.
This past weekend was largely occupied with our first big-deal ballet recital. Involving costumes! And (reluctantly and minimally) make-up! And me watching lots of surprisingly helpful You Tube videos about how to make the required ballet bun. (I have to admit I was totally tickled when someone complimented Harper on her bun as we walked into the dressing area. I did an internal high-five.)
I know it is completely uncool to brag about our kids or admit how great we think they are, but, well, er, just LOOK at this child? There are moments when she totally amazes me and the poise and maturity she showed this weekend were just beyond.
Can you believe this kid? Can you believe she is mine? How is the gorgeous creature (of course I think she's gorgeous, being her mother) the same baby I held seven years ago? Not possible.
Way to go Harper! We're so proud of you.
P.S. Holy cow was the whole dance recital thing a pain in the rear! I'm thrilled we only have to do this ONCE a year. I mean, it was fun to see her all dolled up and part of me died a happy melty death watching her onstage - BUT do you know how long we were at the auditorium? Oh, about six and a half hours total for the weekend. For about ten to fifteen minutes on stage. At least she only danced in two of the three shows - it could have been worse!
Monday, April 30, 2012
Best Laid Plans
As I type this I am sitting in a chair outside the room where Michael is taking gymnastics. "Gymnastics," being a fairly loose description of what goes on in the room! I'm in a little chair facing the window into the gym, netbook on my lap, watching four-year-olds do warm up stretching. In this moment I am very thankful for WiFi.
Saturday was our local March for Babies walk. Due to a whole host of out of our control circumstances instead of having a big group to walk with (we'd actually recruited people to our team this year!) it looked like I was going to be walking on my own. The weather was cool and rainy - feeling more like late February than late April. After one last look at the radar I decided it was going to give a dry enough window for Michael to come with me if he wanted - he did.
So Michael and I headed down to the park where we've walked before... I'm not going to lie. It was cold. And we totally opted for the one-mile "family" route, rather than walk the entire three miles. A lot of pieces fell a little flat this year: the weather was crummy, we didn't quite meet our fund-raising goal, we didn't do the long walk. It would be easy to feel discouraged about the whole experience.
But of course it was difficult to feel too discouraged when I had this guy to keep me company:
Do you see that I had to find the WINTER hat for him. The fact that we were there at all is some serious dedication, right? And the following picture is completely misleading, sure the sky was blue in that moment, but shortly after we got home it opened up and poured!
Even though I was sorry not to have our bigger team assembled (next year!), I was grateful to have Michael there with me. He was happy and proud to be walking at the March for Babies event, even if he didn't completely understand what it was. We walked holding hands (I was trying not to loose him in the crowd) and every so often he would lean over and kiss my hand saying, "I'm so happy to be on a walk with you Mommy!"
Me too bud.
*****
By the by... if you were intending to donate to our team and you just hadn't gotten around to it any donations made in the next couple of weeks will still count toward this year's total. Thanks!
Saturday was our local March for Babies walk. Due to a whole host of out of our control circumstances instead of having a big group to walk with (we'd actually recruited people to our team this year!) it looked like I was going to be walking on my own. The weather was cool and rainy - feeling more like late February than late April. After one last look at the radar I decided it was going to give a dry enough window for Michael to come with me if he wanted - he did.
So Michael and I headed down to the park where we've walked before... I'm not going to lie. It was cold. And we totally opted for the one-mile "family" route, rather than walk the entire three miles. A lot of pieces fell a little flat this year: the weather was crummy, we didn't quite meet our fund-raising goal, we didn't do the long walk. It would be easy to feel discouraged about the whole experience.
But of course it was difficult to feel too discouraged when I had this guy to keep me company:
Do you see that I had to find the WINTER hat for him. The fact that we were there at all is some serious dedication, right? And the following picture is completely misleading, sure the sky was blue in that moment, but shortly after we got home it opened up and poured!
Even though I was sorry not to have our bigger team assembled (next year!), I was grateful to have Michael there with me. He was happy and proud to be walking at the March for Babies event, even if he didn't completely understand what it was. We walked holding hands (I was trying not to loose him in the crowd) and every so often he would lean over and kiss my hand saying, "I'm so happy to be on a walk with you Mommy!"
Me too bud.
*****
By the by... if you were intending to donate to our team and you just hadn't gotten around to it any donations made in the next couple of weeks will still count toward this year's total. Thanks!
Monday, April 23, 2012
Walk Time
Last year around this time I was marveling at how our family and friends and internet peeps had showed up in a HUGE way to help us raise money for March of Dimes. The persistent begging I did had a lot to do with our success.
This year, I've hardly begged at all... I was working, the kids were sick, blah, blah, blah. And so here we are, mere days (5!) before this year's March for Babies. And there is a large empty spot on my fundraising tracker. The space between what we've raised and our goal.
Lots of people have already stepped up for us this year, but I'm reaching out to those of you who may not already have been bombarded by my email or Facebook requests this week. If you have even five dollars to spare, please consider helping us reach our goal.
If you weren't around or you want to refresh your memory about the dramatic-ish circumstances surrounding Michael's birth, head back to the February, March, and April archives from 2008.
Here is a photo of Michael, taken perhaps the day after he was born, when he weighed just a little over four pounds. He spent the first month of his life in the NICU and then was home with us for another month before I even reached his due date!
This year, I've hardly begged at all... I was working, the kids were sick, blah, blah, blah. And so here we are, mere days (5!) before this year's March for Babies. And there is a large empty spot on my fundraising tracker. The space between what we've raised and our goal.
Lots of people have already stepped up for us this year, but I'm reaching out to those of you who may not already have been bombarded by my email or Facebook requests this week. If you have even five dollars to spare, please consider helping us reach our goal.
If you weren't around or you want to refresh your memory about the dramatic-ish circumstances surrounding Michael's birth, head back to the February, March, and April archives from 2008.
Here is a photo of Michael, taken perhaps the day after he was born, when he weighed just a little over four pounds. He spent the first month of his life in the NICU and then was home with us for another month before I even reached his due date!
 |
| Look how big that paci is! In other words, look how tiny the baby is. |
And here we are, four years later, and I can barely get a good picture of him these days because he is all little boy enthusiasm and will rarely hold still for a photograph! Almost all traces of his preemie days are long gone.
We are so incredibly grateful for our healthy boy. And it is in large part due to the work done by March of Dimes that our preemie was able to survive his early birth and is a thriving four-year-old now. And while we've come so far, as long as there are babies being born sick or too soon, there is still work to be done.
Please consider making a donation to our March for Babies team, every bit helps.
Oh, and if you'd like to send some prayers/good vibes for dry weather on Saturday, that's great too!
Thank you.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
In Defense of Keeping Them Little
A disclaimer, before I begin... When I write ANYTHING on this blog, I'm generally commenting on a situation as it applies to our family. If your family does x, y, or z differently, I don't necessarily mean that I disagree/disapprove of your choices, I'm only talking about what works for the people under this here roof. I think most of you know that, but just in case... I feel a couple of posts brewing that I feel might be difficult to write without inadvertently offending someone. We'll see.
A couple of weeks ago I saw a Facebook update from a local music venue, announcing that they'd added a concert by The Fresh Beat Band to their summer lineup. I'll admit my immediate reaction was totally hokey - I actually got choked up. Why? Because Harper LOVES The Fresh Beat Band and I knew she would lose her mind with excitement over the idea of seeing them in concert. Matt and I discussed it and decided to go ahead and buy a couple of tickets. Since there aren't really any gift giving occasions between now and the concert, we did tell Harper she was going to have to work this summer to earn her ticket. We'll have her do various jobs around the house and yard (dog duty if you know what I mean) because we aren't complete pushovers, and the tickets were not that cheap for a kiddie concert. Harper is nearly out of her mind with excitement - it was so much fun to show her the tickets.
Sometime recently I was looking at the Facebook page of the venue and I noticed that a parent of one of Harper's school friends had commented on the concert announcement saying she was so glad her daughter was out of that phase. Initially I had a moment of panic, wondering if we were going to end up at a concert primarily attended by toddlers. And it got me thinking. So what?
I don't think many people who know Harper would claim she is immature. But we have been pretty careful with the media influences in our home. I don't try to shelter the kids from the outside world and I am very frank in answering questions about difficult topics. Currently this pertains more to Harper than to Michael, he isn't asking those kids of difficult questions just yet.
My children rarely watch something that isn't preschool television. We do watch the occasional more mature movie, but only with pretty careful vetting and an awareness of our kids' particular sensitivities. I'm careful about what kind of music they listen to and we do have children's music in fairly heavy rotation. We rarely listen to the radio unless it is NPR in the car. They do listen to some adult music, but again I'm aware of the lyrics and pretty cautious.
Even when it comes to toys, we probably skew a little younger than the children actually are. Not in games and books necessarily, but certainly in terms of playthings. Both kids still love the Fisher Price Little People sets and Harper specifically asked for more furniture for her Loving Family Dollhouse for Christmas. Michael has some Little People superhero stuff, but none of the regular action figures yet. I'm not necessarily opposed to these in the long run, but I know his play will be increasingly violent with more adult looking figures and I don't see any reason to introduce him to that if he's not asking for it.
So yes, we're going to see The Fresh Beat Band. And we watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. And we listen to Laurie Berkner, Elizabeth Mitchell, and Justin Roberts. And there are still Little People underfoot. Oh, and when Harper had ballet pictures on Tuesday, I didn't even put any make up on her.
I think keeping some of these big kid influences at bay is good for my kids. And I have the luxury of doing so because my seven-year-old doesn't happen to have any older siblings. Will Michael be exposed to some things earlier than Harper was? Of course.
There's no Star Wars here, or Harry Potter (for the kids), or Transformers, or make up beyond chap stick, or pop to drink. I'm not saying never, I'm just saying not now. Because I am a killjoy. And because this works for us. And mostly because there is time. Lots and lots of time. For all of it.
A couple of weeks ago I saw a Facebook update from a local music venue, announcing that they'd added a concert by The Fresh Beat Band to their summer lineup. I'll admit my immediate reaction was totally hokey - I actually got choked up. Why? Because Harper LOVES The Fresh Beat Band and I knew she would lose her mind with excitement over the idea of seeing them in concert. Matt and I discussed it and decided to go ahead and buy a couple of tickets. Since there aren't really any gift giving occasions between now and the concert, we did tell Harper she was going to have to work this summer to earn her ticket. We'll have her do various jobs around the house and yard (dog duty if you know what I mean) because we aren't complete pushovers, and the tickets were not that cheap for a kiddie concert. Harper is nearly out of her mind with excitement - it was so much fun to show her the tickets.
Sometime recently I was looking at the Facebook page of the venue and I noticed that a parent of one of Harper's school friends had commented on the concert announcement saying she was so glad her daughter was out of that phase. Initially I had a moment of panic, wondering if we were going to end up at a concert primarily attended by toddlers. And it got me thinking. So what?
I don't think many people who know Harper would claim she is immature. But we have been pretty careful with the media influences in our home. I don't try to shelter the kids from the outside world and I am very frank in answering questions about difficult topics. Currently this pertains more to Harper than to Michael, he isn't asking those kids of difficult questions just yet.
My children rarely watch something that isn't preschool television. We do watch the occasional more mature movie, but only with pretty careful vetting and an awareness of our kids' particular sensitivities. I'm careful about what kind of music they listen to and we do have children's music in fairly heavy rotation. We rarely listen to the radio unless it is NPR in the car. They do listen to some adult music, but again I'm aware of the lyrics and pretty cautious.
Even when it comes to toys, we probably skew a little younger than the children actually are. Not in games and books necessarily, but certainly in terms of playthings. Both kids still love the Fisher Price Little People sets and Harper specifically asked for more furniture for her Loving Family Dollhouse for Christmas. Michael has some Little People superhero stuff, but none of the regular action figures yet. I'm not necessarily opposed to these in the long run, but I know his play will be increasingly violent with more adult looking figures and I don't see any reason to introduce him to that if he's not asking for it.
So yes, we're going to see The Fresh Beat Band. And we watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. And we listen to Laurie Berkner, Elizabeth Mitchell, and Justin Roberts. And there are still Little People underfoot. Oh, and when Harper had ballet pictures on Tuesday, I didn't even put any make up on her.
I think keeping some of these big kid influences at bay is good for my kids. And I have the luxury of doing so because my seven-year-old doesn't happen to have any older siblings. Will Michael be exposed to some things earlier than Harper was? Of course.
There's no Star Wars here, or Harry Potter (for the kids), or Transformers, or make up beyond chap stick, or pop to drink. I'm not saying never, I'm just saying not now. Because I am a killjoy. And because this works for us. And mostly because there is time. Lots and lots of time. For all of it.
Thursday, April 05, 2012
Play Ball!
It's opening day in these parts so I thought I would share a little blast from the past to celebrate...
This one is from about 1.5 years ago:
Wednesday, April 04, 2012
Four
Dear Sweet Michael,
A couple of weeks ago we celebrated your fourth birthday. I'm writing your birthday letter late - there's not much I can say about that except welcome to being the second child. Let's not talk about your baby book...
It is unlikely a birthday will ever go by without my remembering what a very uncertain beginning you had in this world, or without recalling how tiny you were and how long it seemed to take you to do all the regular baby things like regulate your body temperature, or, you know, eat.
And here you are, a fairly robust four-year-old, weighing in at a mere ten times your birth weight. Without careful attention to your speech or your (considerable lack of) fine motor skills, I doubt anyone meeting you today would guess that you arrived in this world nine weeks early.
Some days you are a mystery to me, Michael. You can be so sweet and gentle, so loving and then all of a sudden your temper flares and you stamp your foot at me when I don't think Cheez-Its are a good lunch. You fight like crazy with your sister as you appear to have decided that you aren't willing to be bossed around any longer. And yet, as much as you can be tough with Harper, you crumble the instant someone reprimands you even a little bit.
You've made amazing strides in the last year, even in the last six months. So many things seems to be clicking along in your little brain. Just yesterday your preschool teacher told me you did great on an assessment that you couldn't complete at all in September. On Monday you jumped from a vault into the pit of foam squares at gymnastics. When you started, in the fall, it was all I could do to lower you in there and pry your fingers from my arms! These small things indicate huge changes in you and what you can do and are willing to do.
One of my favorite ways you've changed in the past year is your blossoming imagination. You love to play pretend and are constantly narrating little stories with your toys. Today you were hosting some kind of imaginary party and I heard you say to one of the guests, a pirate, I think, that you were going to check the ingredients to see if the party food was peanut-free. Then you told him you'd have to call his mother and see if he could eat it.
You are a joy to us Michael and I am trying to soak up all I can of you being little because every day I can see more clearly that you won't be little for long.
I love you.
Love,
Mama
A couple of weeks ago we celebrated your fourth birthday. I'm writing your birthday letter late - there's not much I can say about that except welcome to being the second child. Let's not talk about your baby book...
It is unlikely a birthday will ever go by without my remembering what a very uncertain beginning you had in this world, or without recalling how tiny you were and how long it seemed to take you to do all the regular baby things like regulate your body temperature, or, you know, eat.
And here you are, a fairly robust four-year-old, weighing in at a mere ten times your birth weight. Without careful attention to your speech or your (considerable lack of) fine motor skills, I doubt anyone meeting you today would guess that you arrived in this world nine weeks early.
Some days you are a mystery to me, Michael. You can be so sweet and gentle, so loving and then all of a sudden your temper flares and you stamp your foot at me when I don't think Cheez-Its are a good lunch. You fight like crazy with your sister as you appear to have decided that you aren't willing to be bossed around any longer. And yet, as much as you can be tough with Harper, you crumble the instant someone reprimands you even a little bit.
You've made amazing strides in the last year, even in the last six months. So many things seems to be clicking along in your little brain. Just yesterday your preschool teacher told me you did great on an assessment that you couldn't complete at all in September. On Monday you jumped from a vault into the pit of foam squares at gymnastics. When you started, in the fall, it was all I could do to lower you in there and pry your fingers from my arms! These small things indicate huge changes in you and what you can do and are willing to do.
One of my favorite ways you've changed in the past year is your blossoming imagination. You love to play pretend and are constantly narrating little stories with your toys. Today you were hosting some kind of imaginary party and I heard you say to one of the guests, a pirate, I think, that you were going to check the ingredients to see if the party food was peanut-free. Then you told him you'd have to call his mother and see if he could eat it.
You are a joy to us Michael and I am trying to soak up all I can of you being little because every day I can see more clearly that you won't be little for long.
I love you.
Love,
Mama
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Gatekeeper
So every time I think about writing in this space I imagine some internet behemoth, sitting with his giant arms crossed, asking me, "Do you have anything worthwhile to say?" And giving me a suspicious look...
I don't know if I have anything worthwhile to say, but that's really not stopped me in the past.
Here are a few tidbits from the last three weeks:
I don't know if I have anything worthwhile to say, but that's really not stopped me in the past.
Here are a few tidbits from the last three weeks:
- Rebound has escaped, twice, in the last couple of weeks. Once when Harper opened the front door to wave at a friend in a passing school bus. He gleefully frolicked around the yard, licking the dewy grass, as I frantically chased him. I only managed to catch the door because he paused to christen the stop sign at the corner of our yard. The second time I was in the front yard with the kids and Rebound on a leash. A truck towing lawn equipment passed on the street and Rebound lunged for it, ripped the leash out of my hand, and chased it down our fairly busy street. I yelled at the children to stay on the drive way and chased him. Fortunately the person driving the truck realized what was happening and stopped, as did the cars driving in the opposite direction. There's a rush of emotion for you. As you can imagine, it was not at all embarrassing to catch up with the dog in the middle of the street when half a dozen drivers are staring at you. Here's hoping that is the first and LAST time anything like that happens.
- Michael told me the other day that he wants to be God when he grows up so he can die and come back to life.
- After a little chat about the fact that he probably won't grow up to be GOD, he decided he'd just really like to be a helper at our church when he grows up.
- The kids are on spring break this week and have each had a turn sleeping over at Matt's parents' house. They claim to miss each other. I do not miss the sound of them fighting.
- Tonight is Michael's night away and Harper and I went to see The Lorax. We both enjoyed the movie (although Harper thought a couple parts were a little scary), especially because we were the only people in the theater.
That's all for now - I am thinking it won't be three more weeks before I post again. I've missed you Internets.
Tuesday, March 06, 2012
The State of Things
I really don't know how any of you people who work full time have time to blog at all. I don't remember exactly how often I managed to do it that one semester that I worked but my guess is that I didn't get to it very often.
As tends to happen when I hit these blogging lulls, I have many ideas swirling around in my head and somehow lack the energy/motivation to get any of them down in this space.
Things are going on around here; a real job prospect, Michael's 4th birthday this week, minor home disasters, visitors, and lots of indulgent thinking about what I really want to do with my life.
Today, though, I'm going to talk about the weather.
As you undoubtedly know, last Friday brought a horrific storm outbreak to this part of the country.
We knew it was coming - the forecasts were so terrible that my stomach was in knots all morning. The PTO board decided to cancel the event we had scheduled for that evening; agreeing we'd rather make the mistake of canceling when nothing bad happened than the mistake of having hundreds of people at the school when a bad storm hit.
I've written here before about the intense anxiety I have about severe weather, especially since the children have been born.
While Michael napped Friday afternoon I spent an hour shuttling things down to the basement, anticipating that we'd be spending a lot of time there in the evening. By the time we had to leave to get Harper from school I'd had time to supply the basement with extra blankets, spare EpiPens, a first aid kit, water for all of us, non-perishable food items, a battery powered radio, flashlights, extra batteries, and the kids' inhalers.
You can laugh if you want, but the other thing I did Friday morning was look up the patron saint of protection against bad weather...Saint Medard, if you're curious, and I asked him to pray for us. And yes, I remembered to thank him when the most severe weather sort of fell apart before reaching us.
We've had this extremely mild winter, unlike anything I can remember, and I worry that it will somehow translate into a very stormy spring. Sigh.
*****
If you want to know how you can help the victims of last week's tornadoes, American Red Cross is a good place to start.
As tends to happen when I hit these blogging lulls, I have many ideas swirling around in my head and somehow lack the energy/motivation to get any of them down in this space.
Things are going on around here; a real job prospect, Michael's 4th birthday this week, minor home disasters, visitors, and lots of indulgent thinking about what I really want to do with my life.
Today, though, I'm going to talk about the weather.
As you undoubtedly know, last Friday brought a horrific storm outbreak to this part of the country.
We knew it was coming - the forecasts were so terrible that my stomach was in knots all morning. The PTO board decided to cancel the event we had scheduled for that evening; agreeing we'd rather make the mistake of canceling when nothing bad happened than the mistake of having hundreds of people at the school when a bad storm hit.
I've written here before about the intense anxiety I have about severe weather, especially since the children have been born.
While Michael napped Friday afternoon I spent an hour shuttling things down to the basement, anticipating that we'd be spending a lot of time there in the evening. By the time we had to leave to get Harper from school I'd had time to supply the basement with extra blankets, spare EpiPens, a first aid kit, water for all of us, non-perishable food items, a battery powered radio, flashlights, extra batteries, and the kids' inhalers.
You can laugh if you want, but the other thing I did Friday morning was look up the patron saint of protection against bad weather...Saint Medard, if you're curious, and I asked him to pray for us. And yes, I remembered to thank him when the most severe weather sort of fell apart before reaching us.
We've had this extremely mild winter, unlike anything I can remember, and I worry that it will somehow translate into a very stormy spring. Sigh.
*****
If you want to know how you can help the victims of last week's tornadoes, American Red Cross is a good place to start.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
A Tip or Two for Managing Sick Children
Around 8:30 last night Harper woke up crying and I walked in to find she'd lost her supper all over her bed. Awesome.
One by one the members of our family (and the house guests who visited over the weekend) have succumbed to a stomach bug. Last night I was up every ten or fifteen minutes helping someone with his or her various needs.
I don't have a lot of tips for dealing with sick children, but here are the two that seem most important in our house:
1) Set up a portable DVD player and quarantine the sicko in his/her own room.
2) Line the sick bucket/bowl with the smallest sized garbage bags for quick and relatively gag-free changing. I'm in favor of anything that minimizes my contact with the, er, symptoms.
One by one the members of our family (and the house guests who visited over the weekend) have succumbed to a stomach bug. Last night I was up every ten or fifteen minutes helping someone with his or her various needs.
I don't have a lot of tips for dealing with sick children, but here are the two that seem most important in our house:
1) Set up a portable DVD player and quarantine the sicko in his/her own room.
2) Line the sick bucket/bowl with the smallest sized garbage bags for quick and relatively gag-free changing. I'm in favor of anything that minimizes my contact with the, er, symptoms.
 |
| How we handle high fevers and or stomach viruses in these parts. |
 |
| FYI Caillou is the choice for Michael. You can protest his whining all you want, but no episode has ever been too scary or sad. A very important consideration for my little guy. |
 |
| Sick bucket, lined and ready. |
We don't do this every time one of the children has a little cold, but we have had some success at limiting the transmission of more serious illness with our quarantine solution. And I know mother earth does not care for my garbage bag solution, but desperate times and all that. Fortunately it is not a tactic we have to employ often.
Here's hoping you don't need either of these tips any time soon!
Here's hoping you don't need either of these tips any time soon!
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