Clair's first week is in the books!

Clair's first week of school has been less eventful than I thought, but not as smooth as I'd hoped.

Like most families, I suppose, we've been on a roller coaster of emotions.

Day 2 was Lester's early day at work, so he had to take Clair to school, since I had to wait for Michelle to arrive.


During summer camp, when I asked Lester how Clair did at drop-off, he lied spared my feelings by saying she did "OK," or "just fine." But on Clair's second day of preK -- the first time we left her there alone -- he couldn't even sugar coat it: "Oh, she was so hurt," he said, sadly. "She cried and cried. It was terrible."

Day 2 was a half-day, so I left work to pick her up and bring her home. When I got to her, she was all smiles, and her teacher said she only cried at drop-off and not a tear after that. "She did great today," she said. And on the car ride home, Clair even told me what she did at school! "My teacher reed a book. I see my friends [not that she actually has any.] I eat some snaaaack."
It was great! I don't think Cary and Dean have ever re-capped their day for me. Ever.

On Clair's day 3, Lester dropped her off again because I had to be in Annapolis at 9 a.m. with the boys (long story). His report: "No tears. Minimal clinging. I was pleasantly surprised."

But I was still worried because Day 3 was the first ever "nap in the class" day, which seemed to me to be a potentially high-octane event, just ripe for meltdowns and nervousness. So after I dropped the boys off at home, I went to her school and peeked in on her in the class. Imagine my surprise - and happiness -- when I walked in on this:

That's her teacher, Miss Michelle. I can't tell you how good it felt for me to walk in unannounced and see her teacher sitting there with her hand on my baby girl, comforting her as she slept. Or pretended to sleep.

The closer I got to Clair, the more I could see her eyes flitting about under her eyelids. So I don't think she was actually asleep here. But she was trying! They said it was naptime, so my girl was doing her best to take a nap! Brava, Clair!

I was soooo relieved. I still got weepy seeing her in there trying so hard to do what the teachers wanted her to do. What a good girl! And also, what a poor baby, having to sleep in class and not in her own little bed in her own little room. Ugh. My little baby girl! But I felt like maybe we were on the right path. The pre-school director hugged me on the way out the door. I'm such a sap!

Then this morning, I dropped her off again and guess what? TEARS galore. Ugh!

So I suppose the roller coaster is still in full force, and likely will be for awhile, as next week is another crazy week, getting the boys acclimated to school. She'll even have to get picked up by Miss Arlene -- the new babysitter -- who she has met twice (and thrown her shade both times) and I know that is going to freak her out!

Bottom line: I will be really glad when we are in a solid, predictable routine again. For her sake, and for mine.

Two cute/funny things from this week to note:

In Clair's classroom, the teachers put labels in the cubbies so they'll know who's full-time, who's half-day, who's three days a week, etc. Except for some reason, instead of writing "full-time" on Clair's label, they accidentally wrote "fun time." This tickled me to no end. Clair Davis: Fun times, man. Fun. Times. Hahahaha!

And Cary and Dean - who are so confused as to why Clair's in school and they're not -- got handwritten cards from their new teacher in the mail! They were SO excited!

Isn't that cute? I'm looking forward to them starting school next week. And dreading the craziness that next week is sure to be.

Hello, roller coaster. Please go away soon.

Photos from first day of 3s class!

Unlike last year when I could barely get any information out of their teacher, Miss Michelle has already sent out an introductory email, letting us know what to expect this year and what the kids will be learning. In addition to being organized and clear, it was also full of exclamation points and smiley faces! My kind of pre-school teacher!

Also, she sent photos!! I think I love her!

Cary, Dean and Miss Michelle!

Cary doing his absolute favorite thing: reading.

Dean, manipulating some gadget. Also one of his favorite things!

Miss Mandy is the aide in the classroom. Clearly, she's taken a liking to my boy. Can you blame her?

Storytime!

Snack

Snack

And more snack.

Looks like it's going to be a fun, colorful, story-and-snack-filled year! I am so excited!

1st Day of 3s Class!

The boys started in the 3s class today!

There were no tears at drop-off -- for me or for them. There was no excitement at pick-up, mostly just a mix of  "Mommy, can we go to Abby and Maya's house?" and "Mommy, I didn't get to finish my peanut butter crackers!"

I'm thrilled the day was so uneventful. And, as I said before, I'm excited for the boys' growth this year. I think Miss Michelle will be just what they need. (Now, if only we can keep the confusion about Michelle the nanny and Miss Michelle the teacher to a minimum!)

As usual, my two can barely contain their excitement.

For comparison, here they are on last year's first day of school. Look how much more babyish they seem here.

The boys and their buddies, Avery and Marcus. I was hoping to get Penelope and Abby and Maya in the photo, but they wandered in fashionably late -- I guess it's a girl thing? Their friend Jeffery is in the 3/4s class this year, so I hope we get to see him a little bit.

Here they are after school let out. See? No tears! And this was Maya and Abby's first day of school EVER. Impressive!

It was also the first day of school for my big boy nephew Russy, who is in the FIRST GRADE. Lord. Look how big! I can't stand it.

And it was the first day for Kadija's kids, too! Kalonji is 12 and in the 7th grade. Alahna is 7 in the2nd grade; Aminah is 8 in the 3rd grade and Kwahli is 5 in kindergarten. I remember when all of them were teeny babies. Time goes so quickly.

Happy first day of school to all the babies and big-kids-who-will-always-be-babies-to-us!

Have a great year of learning and fun! We love you!

Big events in the life of the Davis boys

My big boys had two big events happen this week.

First, they had their 3-year-old check-up, which is the big boy check-up. It was their first time doing the eye chart, their first time getting a big kid hearing test, and their first time getting their blood pressure checked.

Looking at these pictures, I am struck by how much Dean looks like a big boy and Cary still looks a little like a baby.

Cary always finds the books, wherever we go.

Cary is 36-and-a-half inches tall and weighs 28 lbs. Dean is 39 inches tall and weighs 33 lbs. That puts Cary in the 10th percentile for height and the 25th for weight. Dean's in the 50th percentile for height and the 75th for weight.

We take Cary to the ENT tomorrow to see about his ears, but other than that, both boys are healthy, strong and wonderful! Praise God!

And in other big news:

Today was the boys last day of pre-K 2!! Can you believe it?

The class had a little "graduation," which involved the kids performing "Jesus Loves the Little Children," and "Itsy Bitsy Spider," with spider web hats and raindrop necklaces. I had a work meeting so I missed this part, but Lester took this adorable photo. Soooo cute!

And there was a picnic outside on the school yard, which Lester and I were both lucky enough to be able to attend.

Enjoying the cookies at the picnic.

Look at those big confident boys sitting there on a hill, eating snacks. It seems like just a minute ago they were frightened, sad little 2-year-olds, nervous about having to go to school for the first time.

Not too long before that photo was taken, I remember Lester and I going back and forth about whether we should send them to "real school," whether they'd gain anything more from school that they wouldn't get at home with Michelle. We struggled with whether the considerable expense would be worth it.

I'm 100-percent glad we made the decision we did. It's been a really great year for us, and a tremendous year for them. They've grown and blossomed and learned so much. They started as babies -- and left today as little boys.

I know they won't remember this year, not in any real way. But one day, they'll look back at this blog and remember the love they had for Miss Toni, who loved and hugged on them and called them her boys:

And they'll hopefully remember their friends Jeffery, Penelope, Makenzie, Avery and Marcus (to name a few):

Avery

Marcus

And they'll know ... I hope they'll know ... just how proud their Mommy was of them every single day. (And their Daddy, too, of course.)

 

Congratulations on surviving your first year of school, boys! You did it!

First "No Tears" day!

Hooray!

There was no whining on the ride to school, no whining walking into the building, no whining at the doorway of the classroom and NO TEARS when I left. In fact, Dean refused to even give me a kiss good-bye. And not in a "I'm mad at you for leaving me here" kind of way. More like a "Mom, go to work already!" kind of way. Which was, strangely, kind of nice.

Everything moved so smoothly, I even got to work super early and had to turn off the alarm and start the coffee!! I'm always one of the first ones at work, but I'm not always THE first one at work.

I'm hopeful this is the way things will go from now on. No tears, smooth transitions, get to work early, get my coffee, and quiet time at my desk to read news stories and blog. Whoo-hoo!

Sidenote: I did make an appointment to meet with Miss Toni tomorrow to discuss what I consider to be some significant issues with the way she is reporting on the boys' day. I don't want to go into too much here until after the meeting. So stay tuned. (Pray *I* don't leave the meeting in tears. LOL.)

Meanwhile, I leave you with this musical gem from yesterday:

 
CRACKS ME UP!!!

Day 5: TGIF

As the week winds up, three things are clear:

The boys are still not so sure they love school. But at least they have each other.

Clair is absolutely sure she loves having a little bit of time to herself in the mornings.

And Mommy is happier than she can ever remember that a long weekend is here. One week of school down. (Only a few hundred more to go!)

Day 4: Reprimanded!

I did drop off today by myself for the first time.

I guess I did it wrong, because there were tears! Cary clung to my leg and tried to follow me out the door, tears streaming down his contorted little shiny face.

Miss Toni told me I stayed too long and kicked me out. It is SO hard, symbolically and literally, to turn your back on your crying, clinging child and walk away. But I did it. (Sniff!)

The rest of the morning, I felt like I had swallowed a tennis ball.

Good GRIEF, this is hard. I know it's fine. I know they'll get used to it and so will I. I know. I know.
But seriously, I need a hug!

I'm grateful that today I was able to leave work to go pick them up at 11. (Tomorrow Michelle will start picking them up).

But when I arrived, Miss Toni reprimanded me again. She said (in a friendly but firm way), "You can't stay in my classroom. You got to get to gettin'..."

The lingering exacerbates the crying, she said. So I just need to go!  (Tanika M. Davis, will you please go now?!)

I told her I'd improve and I really, really will. Since I'm going to be doing drop-off four days out of the week, I guess I'd better. For the boys' sake and for mine.

Here's a small clip from today's iPhone video of Miss Toni telling me to knock it off. (And, in true Baltimore style, calling Cary "Curry." Sigh.)

(Also, you can see a small glimpse of the B/G twins in their class, Miles and Isla. They are so darn cute!)

Day 3 of pre-school = quiet time with Clair

Lester dropped the boys off by himself this morning at school. He SAYS there were no tears.

We'll see what Miss Toni has to say about that in the Daily Report.

This aberration in the drop-off routine (Lester goes; I stay) is what will happen on Wednesdays now, which means I get to have a full half-hour alone with Clair before Michelle comes.

Can I just say, it was soooo great! A half-hour doesn't sound like a lot, but it was really a good amount of time to just sit on the floor with her, read a couple of baby books, play with toys, play Peek-a-boo and tickle and snuggle with her. It's quieter and I could give her my full attention! I so enjoyed it and so did she.

I also decided to break out some of the boys' old toys, and this singing puppy was a huge hit!

The bottom left photo cracks me up! She was SOOO excited! "It talks! It sings! It tastes good! Hooray!"

All in all, it was a very good morning. And I think it'll prove to be really nice for Michelle, too, not having Cary and Dean for two solid hours in the morning. She'll get to play with Clairzy, and maybe sneak in a little downtime, when she takes a nap around 9:30. Win-win for everybody!

(And also, because I was already all dressed and ready to go -- not having two toddlers running me ragged all morning -- I could leave the house as soon as Michelle got there. That meant I was ON TIME to work! What a concept!)

Did I say #winning?! Yes, yes, y'all! Winning!!

Day 2: Relief

Today we left the boys at pre-school for the first time.

We came in to the class, and while the boys were happily playing with trucks, we announced that we were leaving and waited  a couple seconds for the realization to sink in. Both boys looked distressed. Cary began to bawl. Being the wuss that I am, I hurried out, while Lester lingered a little longer to offer more hugs. Dean angrily pushed him away, tears welling up in his eyes.The hugging just made Cary bawl harder.

I moved faster for the door.

Once in the hallway, we both paused for a minute, unsure what to do. And then Lester walked back, peeked in and said both boys had stopped crying!

I was relieved.

Since school was only 90 minutes long today, we dropped Clair off at home with Michelle and went to our fave coffee shop/bookstore for coffee and a quick breakfast. It was nice to have breakfast together and talk incessantly about our boys and the ever-changing, ever-busy schedule we keep.

We purposely arrived back at school 5 minutes early to pick them up, so that I could peek in and see how they were doing.

Me, doing exactly what Miss Toni told us not to do: standing in the doorway, peeking in the window.

They were both playing and loosely hanging out, not looking exactly thrilled but not crying either.

I was relieved.

We came in to get them. Both boys grinned so wide and said, "MOMMY! DADDY!" so happily, it made my heart melt. Then they played some more while I talked to the teachers.

I'm not saying a word about what each boy was doing, because I refuse to reinforce Cary and Dean stereotypes.

I'm not saying a word about what each boy was doing, because I refuse to reinforce Cary and Dean stereotypes.

But talking to the teachers threw a huge wet blanket on my relief!

Both boys had a "rough" day, the Daily Report sheet said.

Written on Cary's sheet, a handwritten note said, "Cary cried 1/2 the day."
Written on Dean's sheet, as well: "Dean cried 1/2 the day."

Miss Toni said they really only calmed down toward the last 10 minutes of the day -- when it was snack time (why am I not surprised?)

But they looked fine when Lester peeked in on our way out, and when I peeked in on our way to pick them up! I'm so confused. When did they start crying again? And why? And for 75-plus minutes?? What's that all about? I know this is normal and that it will get better over time (probably not before it gets worse first) but still ...it makes me a little melancholy.

The good news is, as we were leaving, both boys said good-bye to Miss Toni, who gave them each a sticker, and they truly seemed to be just fine, no worse for wear. They even said, "See you tomorrow!"

Hugs and stickers make everything better.

On the way down the hallway, Dean said to me, panicked, "Mommy! Where's Cware??!"
Isn't that sweet? He thought we forgot her somewhere, the same way we obviously forgot them at pre-school. Hahaha.

Oh boys, we'd never forget you. All I do is think about you both all day. And even though I'm not 100-percent sold on Miss Toni, I can tell that she is a warm person, who gives hugs and stickers freely.

And that means a lot.

Also, thank you so much for being SUCH awesome boys, and sending Mommy flowers today to let me know that you are really enjoying school, despite crying "1/2 the day."

This came for me today from Cary and Dean!! What a lovely, lovely surprise.

And, as I figured, you are clearly smarter than Miss Toni. (As evidenced by the note that came with the flowers).

That's why you cried and cried and cried some more today. You're so freakin' smart, you knew she'd give you a sticker at the end!

Thank you, thank you, thank you for cluing me in, boys.

I am so relieved.

First Day of School!!

Today was Cary and Dean's first day of school ever.

On our way to school!

 Awwwwwww! In the plethora of milestones in a child's life, this one has got to be right up there at the top. It's a HUGE first -- exciting and bittersweet.

From the photos I've been seeing on my friends' Facebook pages, though, I can already see that every first day is exciting and bittersweet.

So I guess I'll be writing some version of this post for the next 16 years. :-)

Things were slightly less disorganized today (mostly because they split the class up for the first day, so there were far fewer people crammed into the class) but still not at all what I expected. Instead of a mini-version of the actual school day, it was pretty much Meet the Teacher night, part 2: more discussion about Pull-ups than I ever needed to hear.

This teacher has a lot of experience, apparently, so maybe she's just seen over the years that parents of 2-year-olds need to know a lot about her diapering expectations. I dunno.

I guess I should stop having such high expectations about "school" for 2-year-olds. It might be even better if I didn't have any expectations at all.  Then I'd be pleasantly surprised, perhaps!

Anyway, tomorrow, we actually LEAVE them in the class for the first time.  LORD!!

Can someone please send me a fainting couch and a church fan, a couple Valium and a glass of wine?

Thanks!

Pre-school Open House reflections

We had Open House at the kids' school last night. 

Here we are modeling "sitting quietly" and "listening to the teacher."

Here the boys are completely ignoring my modeling.

I have to be honest and say it wasn't what I hoped.

The boys had serious over-the-top anxiety before we got there, and cried and panicked and refused dinner and just acted really manic, which was unexpected and totally threw me into a state, which totally made Lester short with me, which totally made the whole first part of the night sucky.

Once we got there, the school was running a little behind, so we had to stand outside. It was hot and sticky, and I was in no mood. Then, people started arriving with their kids, and everyone was all smiles. The Open House was for the whole school, so we met mostly older kids, but they were all so cute, it took my mind off of being anxious. And the boys perked up, too, once they were surrounded by little people.  So I was sure things were on the upswing.

But once inside, I was struck by how disorganized things seemed. It was really noisy and hot and chaotic, and completely unscripted. I imagined we'd all come in and hand over our paperwork and supplies, and the teachers would say "Hi Cary! Hi Dean! I'm Miss Toni! I'm Miss Christina! Welcome to your classroom! Here's your cubby! Here's the play area! Mr. and Mrs. Davis, let me show you where we will store their lunches and wash their hands and blah, blah, blah."

Then I thought there'd be a cheerful, chirpy little speech to the whole classroom full of nervous, new parents, complete with a jaunty little list of the kiddies enrolled. Something along the lines of, "In this year's class, we have Jordan A. Jordan, where are you? (Jordan's mom and dad wave.) We also have Mia! Mia, say hi to everyone! (Mia looks shy and her parents smile and wave). We're lucky this year to have TWO sets of twins in our class: Miles and Isla, and Cary and Dean! Where are our twin twins?? (Everyone laughs. We all wave)...etc. etc."

Instead, we all mostly milled about, bumping into one another and introducing ourselves. Then the teachers stood in the front of the room and mainly told us a bunch of "don'ts."

Don't send this kind of Pull-up. Don't send them in nice clothes; they will get dirty. Don't think our class isn't clean because your kids get sick a lot this year; they WILL get sick. And then they will get sick again. Your kids are going to cry - maybe for months. Don't linger too long while they cling to your leg; this is not helpful. Don't stand in the doorway, peeking through the window. Don't send food you know your kids won't eat; we won't force them to eat it. Don't send party invitations unless you invite the whole class. Don't. Don't. Don't. Don't. Don't.

I asked for a list of the names of kids in the class so that I could start talking about all their new friends over the weekend, and one of the teachers said she didn't have it yet. Really? You don't have a list of the kids in the class -- which starts Monday??

And it was then I noticed that her classroom wasn't even put together yet. Bulletin boards were half empty; boxes needed unpacking. She KNEW we were coming. Why wasn't that done yet? Has no one ever told her about "first impressions?"

See? Look at the board behind me. Where's all the stuff???

The disorganization, frankly, made me nervous.

The boys are only going to be there for three hours a day. With 12 kids in the class, all needing diapers changed at various times, noses wiped, help with snacks, continuous corralling, occasional disciplining, etc., I have no idea when all the good stuff is supposed to happen, if these people don't have the schedule down like trains running. When will they have organized circle time? When will they sing songs? When will they get hugs? When will they learn anything?

Oh! And then on our way out, the teacher told me that my bins -- the ones I decorated for the boys with love and clip art (lol!) -- they're both too big. Cary and Dean have to share a cubby (which kinda bothers me) and when both bins are stacked in the cubby, they won't be able to fit their coats, too, she said. So she asked me to either put all their things in one bin, or buy two smaller bins. Of course, I am opting for the two smaller bins. Cary and Dean are two separate people. Individuals. It's bad enough that some of the other kids get their own cubbies and my boys have to share. They can at least have their own bin. Dammit.

Since everything was running so ridiculously behind, we couldn't stay for the ice cream social, because it got to be 8 p.m., already past the kids' bedtimes, and they hadn't even started scooping.
So we even missed that. Sigh.

What a night. Honestly, in the scheme of things, it was probably just fine and some chaos with a crowd of 2-year-olds is probably to be expected. Lester thought it was just fine. So did Michelle, who came with us. Maybe I just had too high expectations?

Anyway, for what it's worth, the boys very much enjoyed playing in the classroom with all the new toys, and meeting their new classmates.

They played together.

They played with new friends!

Look, Mommy! Starbuilders!!

And Miss Christina already told me that she can tell she's going to fall in love with Dean (he was being such a sweetie!) [When I told him to ask the teacher if he could play with a certain toy he wanted that was up too high for him to reach, he went over to her and said, "TEACHER! I want the toy. Pleeease." And when she gave it to him, he said, "Thanks!" It was cute. ]

And, most importantly, in the car on the way home, both boys said, "I like school!"

I hope I will too.

Bonus pic of Clair and Lester, just because it's cute.

Change is good

The boys start school a week from today.

To prepare, I wrote out a new schedule for the family that has me and Lester getting up at 6 a.m., and going to bed at 10 p.m. In between those hours, it is go, go, go, go go.

It is a very ambitious schedule that requires us to be on. the. ball. at all times, and leaves little room for spontaneity or screwing up or slacking off. In other words, I am sure I am setting us up for failure.

But we shall see. We're going to dry-run the schedule this week and see how it goes. Lester wants to start tomorrow, but we were at my Mom's all weekend, which means we did no grocery shopping/cooking or laundry, which means I have to cook tonight, which means I am already behind the 8-ball schedule-wise. So I think I will propose we start Wednesday. Or Thursday would be even better. Friday? Do I hear Friday?

Honestly (as you might sense), I don't really want to start at all. Mostly because I am NOT an early morning person, and I think I never will be.  I am sluggish and sloppy in the mornings, and not my best self. Also, I just fundamentally do not like change. I have realized this over time. I like things the way they are, because I understand them the way they are. I have a little bit of latent anxiety about certain changes in life, and this transition is proving to be one of those ones that is making me a bit crazy.

What if waking up earlier makes me highly unhappy?
What if waking the boys up earlier makes THEM higly unhappy?
What if the boys hate school?
What if the boys hate US?
What if Michelle has trouble getting things done now that she has to leave the house every day -- with Clair -- to pick the boys up from school? What if that makes HER highly unhappy?
What if this pre-school stuff just disrupts everything?

These are the kinds of hyperbolic things I think about when I'm fretting about the change on its way. I can see intellectually that I am making mountains out of molehills. But emotionally, I can't stop myself. Hi, I'm Insane. Nice to meet you!

Anyway, I am also -- in turns -- excited about this new chapter in our lives. The boys will love school and their new teacher and friends, I know. And a month or so into this new schedule, it will seem as familiar as the one we live by now.  C & D will learn so many new things, and Clair will benefit from at least a few hours every day of one-on-one time with Michelle, which will be very good for her, too.

It'll all be wonderful in the end, I know.  Even if I'm a thousand times sleepier -- and I have to be a hundred thousand times more organized, it'll all be fine. There's coffee at the office. And Google docs.

Change is good, I keep telling myself. Change is good. Change is good.

Happy 6-months Clair!!!

My baby girl turns 6 months today. A half a year has gone by like THAT.

AS I think back on the last 6 months, the most overwhelming thing I feel is grateful, because she is a pure joy to have as a daughter. Truly.

Check out this video of her with her Dad the other night. She's SUCH a happy girl.

 I'm blessed to have her. Our family is blessed to have her.

In other news, Lester and I went to Parent Night at the boys' new pre-school (which starts in just 11 days!!)
Among other things, we learned that the school does not want the children using backpacks, but instead wants them to use tote bags, which they provide.

So those adorable little zebra and elephant backpacks I bought? Useless.

See what happens when I stop procrastinating for one second?!

So, now I need to buy lunch bags, instead of backpacks, to keep their snacks in. I started looking last night and it's hard to find what I want. Which is:

• Relatively inexpensive
• Insulated
• Easy to open
• Easy to clean
• Small enough to fit in a tote bag
• Big enough to hold snacks and a thermos
• Kid-cute, but not covered in cartoon characters

I haven't found all that in one spot just yet. But I'll keep looking.

Also, please know that  I am focusing on these seemingly-inconsequential things to keep from thinking about the fact that my babies are going to SCHOOL. In 11 days!

Preparing for pre-school

Hard to believe it but the boys start pre-school in 25 days!

I finally started talking to them about it and preparing them by reading books (Llama Llama Misses Mama; Maisy Goes to Pre-School) etc., and surprisingly, Dean is the one who keeps saying, "Mommy, I want to go to tool!!" and Cary just looks a little skeptical and slightly pouty.

It'll be interesting how this all actually plays out at the end of the month, when we have to leave them at school. I am imagining tears and panicking and shot nerves (all around).

Meanwhile, I have started preparing myself for that emotional occurrence by ... shopping!!

I soothed my bubbling anxieties a bit by ordering the books I mentioned earlier and also adorable little kid backpacks, sippy-cup-style thermoses, reusable snack bags and labels with the boys' names on them.

Aren't these Skip Hop bags the absolute cutest? Although, I am now wondering whether a backpack with so much white in it is a good idea for a 2-year-old boy. The zebra may come back to bite me.

I'll have to deal with my actual emotions later, I know, but for now, I am feeling pretty good.

Thanks, retail therapy!

Big Day in the Davis household!

Yesterday was a big day for the Davises.

After my appointments, the doctor called in the afternoon and said they have scheduled me for an induction on Monday, Feb. 20th!! So there it is -- Curve Ball's birthday already penciled in!

I can't believe it's less than a week away, but somehow it still seems like an eternity. Mostly because I am not sleeping hardly at all anymore, thanks to discomfort and last-weeks-of-pregnancy insomnia. So I'm exhausted all day long, no exaggeration. And consequently, I have no patience for my three guys when I'm at home. They probably think I am the world's grumpiest person.
I also keep going back and forth between feelings of excitement that my baby daughter will be here next week, relief that I will no longer be pregnant, and anxiety about all things induction-and-labor-and-delivery-related, newborn-related, and adding a third child to a family-related, too. My brain is constantly going, going, going, with so many disparate and heavy thoughts.

And of course, I'm still thinking about all the tedious leftover things I have to do. Last night, I had the beginnings of a sugar low, so I got up at 1:30 a.m. to eat a snack, and while eating, I made ever more lists of stuff to do, including things I need to finish at work, and personal things like get Thank You cards written, addressed and mailed, figure out how to put the Bundle Me on the infant car seat, and send out paper invitations to my sister's baby shower. All before Monday.
So, yes, my brain is going non-stop!

Add to the mix the fact that we also got word yesterday that Cary and Dean got accepted into the pre-school we wanted them to go to! HOORAY!! Sooooo exciting! Pre-school!

We have options, too, about how often we want to send them, which makes my brain hurt even more.
We had been considering the 5-days-a-week half-day plan, which would have them in school from quarter to 8 until 11:30., giving them an introduction to school, a steady weekly routine, and giving Michelle a very small break, since she'll also have Curve Ball now to care for.
But because there are plenty of openings, we were told we can also send them three days a week, half-day; or three- or five-days a week full-day (which would end their day at 2:30).
Three days a week, half-day would be cheaper, saving us a little money (which is always welcome, especially during the Year of Austerity).
But to make Michelle's life easier, we're now leaning toward the three days a week, full day.
This way, she'd have three days a week where she is mostly home with only one little baby. And two days a week where she has all three munchkins.

Those of you who have been through the pre-school thing before, what do you think?

• Is 7:45 to 2:30 too long of a day for 2-and-a-half-year-olds? (They'd be starting in the fall).
• Is it better for kids their age to be in school 5 days a week for continuity's sake? Or is it sorta nice for them to transition into school slowly, and still have two days at home with their beloved babysitter? (This is my line of thinking, btw.)
• If you were a sitter of three kids, who was woefully underpaid, which school scenario sounds more appealing to you?

Either way, we are quite excited about our boys going to school in September, carrying little backpacks and leaving their baby sister at home, like the BIG boys that they are!

Big boys in school! New baby girl at home! Life is pretty exciting around this house these days.

I just hope Curve Ball doesn't decide to add any more excitement by arriving earlier than Monday! Please Curve Ball, in this case, don't live up to your name! :-)

Better early than never, I guess.

Today, Lester and I took the babies to an Open House at a pre-school around the corner from our house. Pre-school. Already. Cary? Dean? Get your backpacks and Elmer's glue ready!!

OK, we're not really going to send our almost-9-month-old babies to pre-school right now, but apparently, if we do decide to send them to this (very sweet little) school, we would have to sign them up THIS October. That is insane! But I'm learning that it's not uncommon.
If we sent them to the 2-year-olds' class, we'd only send them for two half-days a week. I may think differently later, but right now, I think that's about as much "school" as a 2-year-old needs. And even then, signing them up this October for two half days a week starting next September, we'd still be on a waiting list. That is mind-blowing.
Also mind-blowing is the idea of my two little babies, who just have barely gotten the hang of holding their own bottles, going to an actual school. Even one as great as this one seems.
Hopefully, I'll be mentally prepared by the time the day actually comes. Right now, I'm not there.

Here's Cary and Dean all dressed to go visit their (possible) future pre-school. They look totally underwhelmed, probably because we had to get them up from their morning nap to get them ready:




Non-sequitur of the day: Note to Moms who have baby showers coming up. Buy a box of wipes to go with your gift. We got so many big boxes of wipes at our baby shower that we just went to buy our first box of wipes this weekend. And our boys will be 9 months on Feb. 11. And we have TWO babies.
So all those wipes from all those wonderful people who blessed us at our shower were definitely a Godsend. Thanks, all!!