Keeping Track of Lauren & Jack » March 2007 Journal Entries » AboutMyBaby - online baby scrapbooks, photo albums, videos, birth and pregnancy announcements

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Fri, Mar 30, 2007 11:41 PM
I can't believe almost a whole week has gone by. Sunday Mike and I actually went out to a dinner party. It was the first time we left the kids with Sara and everything seemd to go fine. We were glad we didn't bring them,( the hosts had said they were welcome) because beyond the fact that it would have put them both out way past bedtime, it would have been no fun for us because they had a pool with no fence around it, and Jack would have spent every chance he got trying to fall in. Then they also had cats and I'm sure Lauren would have spent every moment trying to get scratched! I guess this is why we have babysitters . . .

Monday it was back to the usual routine with school. it was sort of a shock to wake up so early after a week of sleeping in until 8 or 8:30! Tuesday I had great ambitions all morning to do all these errands and I just couldn't get out the door.

Wednesday we hosted Jack's playgroup which is an interesting time to see how Jack fares sharing with kids his own age. He actually didn't do too badly, but he's also bigger than everyone, so between brute force and his screaming he usually gets his way. Unfortuantely he's learning that's an effective way to get what he wants. Ugh. We also had a playdate with Taylor that evening. Lauren and Taylor continue to just adore each other but they also wind each other up. I'm a little concerned about this Fall if they're going to be in the same class in school, I wonder if they'll distract each other.

Thursday we had Lauren's playgroup at the Kidz Club which they really enjoyed. They never seem to tire of that place! I escaped for Mom's night out and they seemed to survive without me. . . somehow!

Today was hectic as usual. They had some moments where thay were playing so nicely together. Jack is even learnining to play with playdough and not put it in his mouth. He's even starting to get the "Playdough belongs in the playroom" rule!

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Sat, Mar 24, 2007 10:56 PM
Jack has been pretty difficult lately, the screaming fits are happening ALL THE TIME. I think part of it is frustration at not being able to express himself, but he just has a hissy fit if he doesn't get his way with anything. Lately he's added a food strike into the mix, so on top of his general crankiness, he's also probably hungry. I know he's teething, I can see his incisors coming through, but that can't account for everything. Tonight he threw his dinner plate halfway across the room, and he was just hysterical after his bath, getting his diaper on, taking his vitamins, getting his teeth brushed. It's extremely exhausting.

We did take a nice walk this afternoon in an effort to tire them out and rouse their appetites. Jack like to hold the leash and "walk" Sadie although he doesn't seem to realize that I'm holding her too in case she decides to chase aftewr rabbits or something. Both kids are getting very good at climbing and they both swang on the grown-up swings for quite a while. My arms sure got a workout!

Lauren has been a little under the weather although her cough and sniffles from yesterday have almost completely dissapeared. She's still Queen of the delay tactic about going to bed though. Tonight she was up until 9:30PM! I don't know how she does it, but it seems to get later and later every night. I've been a little lenient because she had Spring break this week, but we've got to get back to normal if she's ever going to get up for school on Monday.

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Thu, Mar 22, 2007 8:47 PM
Wednesday we went to "PUMP IT UP!" which an indoor playspace with bouncehouses and big blow-up slides. The place was packed because of spring break. It was a little hectic with both kids all on my own because all Jack wanted to do was run around, but Lauren did great climbing up into things on her own. We even had time after it was over to get dogfood and do some shoe shopping. I can't believe Jack is already going up another shoe size! I got him some very cute sneakers which have a lot of mesh so that should be cool for here in Florida.

Today we went to another store and I got him some cool sandals which have a base like a sneaker and a covered toe but not really any leather and lots of mesh which I've decided is the perfect Florida shoe. Lauren got some lavender Crocs which are all the rage here. They look fairly ugly but they're supposed to be really comfortable. Then of course we had to buy her some Jibbitz which are these little things you can stick in the holes to decorate them. So now she's right in there with the trend. I'm such a sucker!

This morning we went to the park which was great because school was out so we practically had the place to ourselves. Jack fell on his face and got covered with dirt at one point, but otherwise they just had fun running around screaming!

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Tue, Mar 20, 2007 11:31 PM
This morning we went to the Kidz Club which I thought would be really busy because of Spring break but it was the opposite. I think a lot of people go out of town on vacation. So the kids had fun frollicking in the ball pit and riding the mini rollercoaster and climbing up in the playhouse. We almost had the run of the place and they certainly made the most of it.

Things are going well with the new nanny Sara. I have a feeling that Ashley may not be coming back to us, between her health problems and the fact that once school ends in May she'll be leaving town for the summer. So I'm glad to have someone new. It just takes some time for everyone to get adjusted, but so far so good!

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Sun, Mar 18, 2007 10:37 PM
So we finally made it to the Renaissance Festival today. I managed to talk Mike to going as well, because every once in a while I think we should forgo the words we live by, "Divide and conquer", but actually do things as a family!

It was challenging at times, but I really enjoyed it and Lauren had a blast. She got a big ladybug painted on her hand because for some reason she didn't want it on her face. We went to the petting zoo and fed the baby animals. She had a pony ride and jumped on a trampoline with a tether harness so she was able to do backflips! We saw bagpipes and went to the kids area where she made a magic wand and had it tested out by Merlin. She went on another ride that had some cars hanging on ropes that they pushed by hand and was amazingly effective, which was perfect for her age and size. King Henry VIII walked by on his way to a knighting ceremony and he said hello to Lauren. She did a little curtsey which she's been doing in ballet class which was very cute.

Poor Jack just wanted to run around and because of the crowds we couldn't let him so he was frustrated being confined to the stroller. He did eat well when we had lunch though. Lauren was chasing another little girl around a tree while we were finishing eating, and she fell down in the dirt about 5 times. She got so dirty! Oh well, that's what washing machines are for right?

Finally we just decided to go home to let the kids nap. Jack passed out a minute after he got into his car seat, but alas, did not transfer once we got home and didn't really nap after that. Lauren surprisingly did sleep and we had to wake her up at 5:30pm.

This evening the kids were playing together so well. They were doing their usual running in circles around the family room, but they were holding hands at one point which was adorable, and they were also collaborating on pushing the shopping cart around which took real teamwork. Those sorts of moments warm my heart. It makes up for all the times they seem to want to kill one another!

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Sat, Mar 17, 2007 11:16 PM
Yesterday we got Jack a haircut and he's looking very sharp now. That was about all I got accomplished yesterday!

Today Lauren had ballet class and I forgot that it was parent observation day and we were allowed to come into the classroom so I forgot the video camera. I had a one time use camera in my bag but I'm not too hopeful about the quality of those shots. Oh well. Wah : (

We had plans to go to the Renaissance Festival with Allison and Taylor, but Taylor wound up spending the weekend with her grandma. I told Lauren we could go anyway, and we headed down there, but she fell asleep in the car on the way there. I didn't have the heart to wake her, so I kept driving and wound up at an outlet mall about an hour away. We managed to hit some great stores in search of more dresses since Lauren pretty much refuses to wear anything else. I was hoping to find Jack some shoes in the Stride Rite store, but there were no extra wides to be found. Lauren's favorite store had to be Claire's which is all accessories where she scored some fake pearls, plastic bracelets and rings for her dress-up ensembles, and a princess purse. Shopping with her present is definitley different. Everything takes twice as long, but she's developing very distinctive taste for what she likes and what she doesn't. She picked out a white dress and a yellow one that I would not have looked twice at. But on the plus side, she can try things on and she's pretty fun as company too.

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Thu, Mar 15, 2007 9:31 PM
We hosted Lauren's playgroup at the house and it was very low-key because only one person came, Nicholas. Lauren was more interested in his little baby sister Avery who is about 8 months old and very cute. Their mom Michele even let Lauren hold her which was beyond thrilling for her.

After naps we went out to the back yard to play on the lawn, but then Lauren was begging to go out front to the driveway. Against my better judgment I let them, and it wasn't 10 minutes before Lauren pushed Jack. Not very hard but it was enough for him to lose his balance and he fell over on his head and grazed his forehead and temple. Poor little guy. I am officially not letting him play out there anymore, he's just not ready. And Lauren is not careful enough with him. Since he's so big, I think she wants to treat him like kids her own age, and he just doesn't have the coordination. I keep reminding her that one day soon Jack will be bigger than her and she needs to be nice to him or he's going to push her around when he gets the chance. She seems to think this is a very funny and is not convinced that it's going to happen. But mark my words, as soon as he hits a height spurt he's going to catch up to her fast.

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Wed, Mar 14, 2007 10:58 PM
Wow, I can't believe it's been a week since I blogged. It's been sort of a tough week becuase Ashely is having some health issues and couldn't come a few days that I was expecting her. I did hire someone else temporarily, Sara who I had interviewed at the same time as Ashley. But Sara is gome on Spring break, so I'm just facing the reality of what it's like with no help. And some days have been fine, and some days I want to pull my hair out! I've just been doing what everyone else usually does, bring the kids with me everyhwhere I need to go. It isn't that bad, things just take a lot longer!

Although saying that, Friday I took Lauren to the Strawberry Festival with Allison and Taylor and we left Jack home with Mike because it was right through nap time. Lauren can miss her nap and still function, but Jack generally has a complete meltdown, so we made it a girls day out. I felt sort of guilty because I think he would have found it a lot of fun, but he'll just have to wait til next year. I was amazed at how much easier it is with just Lauren. We didn't even need the stroller most of the time, although for some reason she insisted I still bring it from the car. Allison's in-laws have a booth there every year so we parked it there most of the time. We went on lots of rides and there was a pupet show and we ate tons of junky fair food. Well, I bought tons of things for Lauren and then I ate them when she refused. Everything was great up to the point when taylor bit Lauren ob=ver a dissagreement about which ride to go on next. That's when we knew it was time to head home. Lauren did pass out in the car on the way home, but unfortunately did not transfer. I think she's been trying to catch up on sleep ever since!

The weekend was relatively uneventful. Lauren's dance class went well, so I signed her up for the show they're doing in May. I hope it won't be too much presure for her very first class.

We went to a buffet style restaurant on Saturday where Jack proeeded to pitch a complete screaming fit, refusing to eat because he just wanted to get down and run around. I think I officially want to avoid buffets in the near future.

Sunday I made a big excursion on my own to Target during nap time, returning with 3 balls of varous sizes that the kids threw around in the hallway for about an hour upon my return. They also both insisted on putting on their new swimsuits, Litte Mermaid and Finding Nemo respectively.

Monday we had a play date with Taylor and we had them play outside in the driveway and the cul-de-sac. Everything was fine until Jack fell over on the asphalt and tore half of his pinky nail off. It was not fun washing him off and getting a band-aid on. I don't think he's quite ready for the cul-de-sac yet. I'm going to make an effort to hit the playgrounds and parks more often. They usually have softer surfaces to land on.

Today there was a play day in the park with the Mom's club. Jack became anamoured of another boy's sand truck. They played together nicely in a sort of parallel way for most of the time. But then the boy wanted his truck back. Jack just wailed and wailed. I don't know what to do, because of course I want him to stop screaming, but I also don't want him to learn that that is the way to get what he wants. Sharing is going to be a tough concept for him I think. Lauren discovered the balance beam and went on it again and again. She particularly likes to dismount by jumping off at the end. It's only about a foot of the ground, so I'm not sure why she finds it so thrilling! But hey, whatever floats her boat.

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Wed, Mar 7, 2007 10:30 PM
Lauren was fine in dance class on Saturday, so my best guess is that we need at least 20 minutes for her to get acclimated before going in. Now we are getting ready for them to be butterflies in the spring show. Her first stage performance! I'm sure I'm more excited about it than she is, but she will get to wear a costume which I'm sure will be ecstatic about.

We went out to dinner on Saturday which was fine, better than usual until right at the end when things got a little hairy. But I'm convinced that the more we do it, the better it will get.

Sunday we took a family walk to the playground which was cut short because Lauren wet her pants. I think she's just too busy playing to stop and deal with it. The big surprise is that Jack can climb up this rope ladder thing they have. It goes up about 6 feet and he just climbs right up it!

Lauren has been insisting on wearing dresses just about every day, which is difficult on days when she has PE at school. I have to get creative with what to put under the dress. My new favorite thing is capri length leggings. I forgot they had school pictures on Monday and luckily she looked pretty cute. Oh well, we'll see how they come out!

She's also been staying on the potty before nap and bedtime for a really long time, and when I try to maske her get off after about 20 minutes, she gets hysterical. I think it's mostly a control issue, and also delaying going to bed. But I'm also worried that she's constipated and having trouble going and that's why she's so upset. I've been trying to increase her fluid intake, but it's not easy.

Jack woke up yesterday and promptly said "I wanna see Dada", which I'm used to, but then he said "I wanna see Ashley" over and over, which made me feel like . . . What am I, chopped Liver? I'm actaully glad that he can form attachments to other care-givers, but I can't help but be a little jealous. I shouldn't be really since he usually ends every phrase with Mama.

Yesterday we went outside to play in the yard and then the kids wanted to go out into the cul-de-sac to play with our neighbors. So we ended up staying out there for 2 hours! They had fun chasing each other around and Dominic, the 4 year old next door brought out his matchbox car collection. Jack was in heaven! I tried to get them to ride their tricylces, but they weren't really interested. Most of the time I sat in a folding chair on the driveway and interceded only when I thought it completely necessary. Lauren even hit her first baseball! They had a blast, and they ate well for dinner , so I think we should do that as much as possible before it gets too hot outside.

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Fri, Mar 2, 2007 9:46 AM
One of Jack's favorite new activities is turning on lights. He's not tall enough to turn them off again unless his sister is in cahoots with him, so I keep finding all the lights in the family room/entry hall on as well as the ceiling fans. He's also discovered that where we store the learning tower is right next to all the light switches in the kitchen, so he climbs up there and gives us a light show. He looks like a little D.J in his booth!

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Thu, Mar 1, 2007 11:22 PM
Today we had playgroup at a nearby park which is right next to an elementary school. It was fun until all the kindergardeners came out for recess and were running areound screaming like banshees and I'm not exaggerating! It's amazing to see how much they grow in just a few years. I can't believe that Lauren will be one of those kids in just 2 more years! But I am amazed that every time we go to the park, Jack is able to do more and more on his own. I'm trying to stop hovering so much, but I had to step in with all those kids around because he was getting mowed down! Even Lauren got intimidated, and she's pretty unflapable most times.

Lauren's bedtime ritual is becoming painfully drawn out. Tonight it took a full hour to actaully get her into bed, and she was still screaming 20 minutes later to have her fan turned off. This is the fan that she insists I turn ON before I can leave the room in the first place. I just feel bad because she has school tomorrow and she's going to be so tired she won't want to wake up.

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