Monday, August 30, 2010

1st Grade

the final outfit!
This morning dawned the first day of first grade. I had reviewed our morning "to-do" list with Alexa last night so she knew what to expect. She first woke around 6, asking me if it was 7 yet. Finally after asking me every other minute I told her at 6:15 to go ahead and get up. I did have to explain that if she got up before 7 it was okay, it meant she'd have more time to play once she got her list done.

showing off the new backpack, that will hopefully be the last backpack being LL Bean!
And I'm glad we did because the bus came nearly 10 minutes early today! I did mange to get pictures and keep from crying too hard. I did well up as the bus pulled away and Liz mournfully said "I miss Lexy." And then again as we drove past Alexa's friend E and her brothers getting on the bus.
Next week we get to do another first day of school - for the twins!


tried to get all 3 but Jake always runs off just as the bus arrives!

Monday = 4 days in

A deep breath and a moment to pause before starting.

Sunday ended up being a lazy morning combined with a beach venture for the afternoon. It was a hot one and much more comfortable right on the ocean. Everyone got very sandy, very wet and thankfully, only a little red. Best of all - everyone wore themselves down. We came home and showered and then I got to work on dinner. L and D joined us for dinner and dessert.

Eventually bedtime rolled around. Alexa got her clothes picked out by me for the next day. She grumbled a bit about not being able to watch a movie but ended up being okay with the 30 minutes I allowed her before bed. She was out by 8pm.

Now if only everyone could have stayed out. As usual I'm not sure what time everyone started arriving, I just remember that Alexa was the first. Turns out she was scared someone was going to come inside and get her. Hopefully our chat reassured her that won't happen. Or that my bribe of everyone who stays in their own bed will get a lollipop with breakfast.

Monday - 1st day of school! I'll do that in it's own post. But it was another toasty one. The little ones and I just hung at home. They played and watched some tv while I tackled laundry. I managed to get them to take a nap, although they were out of bed 3 times in the first 30 minutes. I had to wake them to go get Alexa at school.

And from there we headed off to Penbay for Alexa's blood draw. It was a long wait, made even longer by the lab not understanding what the test was to be. They had to wait for a call from Dr. Lew. An hour later we were free. The kids did great and I decided to take them to dinner at the ClubHouse Grille. Smart choice because it was a better meal than fast food and cheaper thanks to the fact that two of the kids ate free. Home again, a bit of singing for the girls, teeth brushing and books. Now only the oldest child is left standing.

House status: Laundry - maybe 2 loads to fold/put away, 1 to wash. Dishes from lunch need doing. But the toy area is under control and the couch is free of everything. So far so good!

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Saturday = 2 days in

Today marks the second full day of solo parenting, unless I choose to count Friday. I did get to spend the entire afternoon and evening as solo parental unit while Chris rode the train south to Boston.

My thoughts so far...

Friday night made for easy bedtime. A long drive combined with heat, food, no naps, and a tiring bout of school shopping would make even the strongest person tired. I basically brushed teeth, replaced diapers as necessary, and tucked them into bed.

And sometime in the wee hours of the morning found myself with company. First to arrive was Jake. Then Liz. Who immediately ran into Alexa's room for some reason, which woke her up. And of course Liz had to be next to mom but next to Alexa, right where Jake was. Solution - just sleep on him! Eventually all were shifted and we slept till about 6:30.

Saturday: Yard sale day across the street. I ended up dropping $20 and got my money's worth for sure. I'm not sure how much Alexa ended up spending. She handed over quarter's like folks tossing candy out at a parade. We did come home with 1 thing that I took over. But out of all that I donated, I'm okay with that. Dinner was easy since they were having a benefit supper. $13 to feed all 4 of us. Of course mostly desserts were consumed but at least bellies were full. Once again everyone was tired after uncomfortable sleeping and playing all day. Our friend C spent a lot of the day here playing with the kids, which they loved. I was able to get some housework done plus get Alexa's clothes sorted out.

I started trying to write up a meal plan last night but didn't make it far. I may go searching for recipes today to find something more inspiring to eat than mac & cheese with hot dogs or chicken nuggets.

Only a week left to go!

the end of summer

Woo-hoo! Today is the final day of parental torture 7 days/week, 24 hours/day. And finally Alexa is somewhat excited about going back. Excited to see her friends and play but not so psyched for the math tests. Not sure if they even have math tests in 1st grade, but it's something that bothers her.

This summer hasn't been the one I originally planned out. We did manage to make it to the beach a few more times than the previous summer. And some good outdoor time in the sandbox at the beginning of the summer. I had wanted to go do some more things locally but babysitting sort of prevented that due to lack of space in transportation. Plus I'm finding that my eldest has turned into a greedy monster - she just wants everything.

Camping, amusement parks, swimming, barbecues, sleepovers, movie nights, oh my. All rolling to an end. Tomorrow Alexa gets back onto the big yellow bus and heads to school from 8:15-3pm. And the little ones and I get to do whatever for a week. Then on the 7th they start preschool. So from 9-11:30 Tuesday/Thursday I will be all alone, or at least childless!

Jacob's milestones

  • weight/length @ 7: 55.6lbs, 48.75"
  • weight/length @ 5: 42lbs, 43.5"
  • weight/length @ 4: 36 lbs, 39+"
  • weight/length@ 3: 32lbs, 36.5 inches
  • weight/length @ 2 years: 26lbs, 33.5 inches
  • weight/length @ 1 year: 18lbs, 29 inches
  • walking: 11/17/08
  • standing: 3/31/08
  • crawling: army, 2/5/08
  • first time rolling: 9/30/07, belly to back
  • first smile: 9/7/07
  • birth date/time: 7/8/07, 12:49am
  • birth length: 19.5 inches
  • birth weight: 6lbs, 1oz

Elizabeth's milestones

  • weight/length @7: 53lbs, 47.75"
  • weight/length @ 5: 40 lbs, 42.25"
  • weight/length @ 4: 34lbs, 38"
  • weight/length 3 years: 28lbs, 35.5 inches
  • weight/length 2 years: 24lbs, 6oz 33 inches
  • weight/length 1 year: 18lbs, 1oz 27.5 inches
  • walking: 9/1/08
  • standing: 4/4/08
  • crawling: army 3/16/08
  • sitting alone: 2/29/08
  • first time rolling: 11/23/07, back to belly
  • first smile: 9/7/07
  • birth date/time: 7/8/07, 12:50am
  • birth length: 18.75 inches
  • birth weight: 5lbs, 8oz

Alexa's milestones

  • weight/height @ 10 (really 10.8): 186, 5'3"
  • weight/height @ 8.4 years: 113 lbs, 55.5 inches
  • weight/height @ 5 years: 61lbs, 4oz 45.25 inches
  • weight/length @ 4 years: 49lbs, 42 inches
  • weight/length @ 3 years: 38lbs, 38 inches
  • weight/length @ 2 years: 32lbs, 8oz 35.75 inches
  • weight/length @ 1 year: 22lbs, 3 oz 29.5 inches
  • 1st day of preschool: 9/3/08
  • solo somersault: 3/4/08
  • whistling: 3/2/08
  • potty training: 10/7/05
  • walking: 12/21/04
  • standing: 8/23/04
  • crawling: 8/21/04, only a week, then became a butt scoot
  • first wave: 7/27/04
  • rolling: 5/2/04, belly to back
  • sleeping thru the night: 3/1/04
  • first smile: 1/20/04
  • birth date/time: 12/4/03, 10:41pm
  • birth length: 20 inches
  • birth weight: 7lbs