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

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Wed, May 30, 2007 9:20 PM
I finally got the swimming lessons arranged, and we start next week. Now of course that means we can't go anywhere for at least a month. Oh well, it's very important. I guess I should have started earlier!

I also went to look at another preschool, which was very nice but they only have full time, 5 days a week, and I just don't think we're ready for that yet. So I registered Lauren at Bright Horizons, which was my second choice last year when I was looking. They have a similar 3 day a week program to the one she's already enrolled in. They've got a good curriculum, a nice facility, they're not as expensive, and we know lots of people who go there. The biggest plus is that it is MUCH closer than her other school was. It should only take me about 10 minutes to get there, tops. It's still hard to know if the move with her other school will actually happen, but now at least we're covered if they do.

Today we had Jack's playgroup and (since she didn't have school )Lauren came along, which was fine since our host Grace's older brother Ryan was there and he used to go to school with Lauren. I spent most of the time picking Jack off the furniture, he's really quite a climber these days!

Tonight I tried to give Jack his milk in a bottle with a soft sippy top instead of a nipple and it was a complete failure. He kept saying "Read!" and I told him we'd have no stories if he didn't drink his milk. But he was having none of it. I relented and got him a bottle with a nipple, and decided to just keep trying. I had told myself his second birthday is the time to wean from the bottles, so I'm going to just keep offering him sippy cups. It's funny though, becasue he'll drink juice and water out of a sippy cup fine, but just refuses to drink milk out of one. I would have weaned him much earlier except for his toddler diarrhea. I still worry about his fluid intake,and I'm supposed to keep away from water and juice, but he's been muchbetter this week, so I'm hoping this is the beggining of the end of that problem!

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Sun, May 27, 2007 9:00 PM
Wednesday was Lauren's last day of preschool for the year, and it was Rodeo day. Her class sang a performance of "I've been working on the railroad" which was quite adorable. They were all dressed up in cowboy boots and hats and bandanas, and Lauren was swinging around a lasso! Then there was lots of fun to be had with pony rides and hay rides and games and crafts and food. It was a nice way to see the school year out.

I am in a quandry about Lauren's school for next year because it seems pretty certain that they are moving to a new location and it's another 10-15 minutes away. I already feel like the school is too far away, so I'm seriosly considering moving her to one closer by. The ones closer by that may have still have room are more like day-care, but I've heard good things about the two I am considering. One is far more expensive than the others, but I still haven't taken a tour there yet. It's sad because I did really like her school and there really isn't anything comparable right nearby. We need to make a decision soon, probably this week.

Friday we went to our community pool which made me realize I have to get serious about swim lessons because it's just too harrowing otherwise! I had Jack in a floaty suit AND a swim ring and he still swallowed a lot of water. Lauren I was a little less worried about but she still wanted to jump in a lot and I was constantly worried she was going to hit the edge or a step or something.

Saturday was busy because Lauren had ballet class and then a birthday party right afterward. It was at a bowling alley and she had a blast. Jack stayed home with Daddy that time. Today we had another birthday party and we all went together, which was nice for a change! It was a pool party at another community center and they had a great kiddie pool. The only problem was there was a complete invasion of love-bugs, which don't bite or sting, but they bother the kids and they were EVERYWHERE. Jack kept screaming BEE!!!(I guess it's hard for them to know the difference) Jack kept wanting to go in the big pool, and he paddled clear across to the deep end, so at least he's not afraid. The only problem is that he's not afraid at all so he thinks he's invincible.

The great thing about all this pool time is that they napped prety well and they were actually hungry for dinner! And when we got home we had a message saying that there was a cancelation and we could start lessons the week after next! Hurray!

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Tue, May 22, 2007 11:18 PM
Okay I am appalled that it's been over a week since I blogged, but we did go out of town so I do have some excuse! We went to Jupiter Florida which is right next to West Palm Beach. I had this annual audition/workshops weekend with theatres from all over Florida. It was just a three hour drive but Lauren was very excited to be going on a trip. The tough thing is that even if you're just going away for 2 nights, you still need all the gear. It turns out we didn't use the travel boosters or the stroller at all. I have the sneaking suspicion that Jack is just about done with being in the stroller. Which is a bit alarming at this point.

The biggest surprise is how well they both slept. Jack seemed to actually LIKE the packnplay, which is puzzling. I swear he slept better than he does at home! We got two rooms which worked out well, but I had to run to Wal-Mart to get a new baby monitor, because our old one pretty much died on us.

We had some fun at the beach but it was sort of rough and a bit windy. I forgot how different it feels on the Atalantic as opposed to the Gulf. Lauren was so ecstatic to be there she did her happy hopping dance for about an hour in the sand!

I finally arranged Jack's Birthday party. I've learned my lesson this time. No ordering online and no party supplies that have been discontinued and are impossible to find! I decided to go with a Thomas the train theme, even though Finding Nemo is his current obsession. I just thought that would be too much like Lauren's Under the Sea/Litte Mermaid party. I'm sure he won't really care too much one way or the other. Next year he can tell me himself what he wants to do, just like Lauren did this year!

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Mon, May 14, 2007 1:06 AM
Happy Mother's Day to all you Moms out there. It's nice to have a day where we get SOME appreciation, right?

It was a great Mother's Day. First of all I got to sleep in a little until some little punk who shall remain nameless (OK it was Jack) infiltrated the sanctity of the boudoir. The children got me a gift through their ever-helpful father, (amazing how he knew what they wanted to get, isn't it?) It's a wonderful heart shaped necklace with two little foating hearts inside of it, with each child'
s birthstone. Lauren's is garnet and Jack's is pearl which makes a beautiful combination. Engraved on the back it says "A mother holds her children's hearts forever"

Then we had brunch at a nearby country club which was nice not to cook or have to do dishes! The kids were fairly well behaved, especially because Mike had the brilliant idea not to feed them breakfast beforehand so they were ravenous. Lauren was very interested in their silk flower centerpieces. She kept wanting to smell them! Then Mike took Jack home and I headed off to a birthday party at PUMP IT UP! for one of our neighbors and former playgroup member Tobin. WE got there a litte early so I took the opportunity to do a little shoe shopping at the discount shoe store nearby. I got Jack some Crocs since he seems to like Lauren's, and also some leather sandals. Since Lauren was with me she just had to have some flip flops, so I relented asnd got her some even though she needs more shoes like a hole in the head. But hey, it's Florida, flip flops will always come in handy, and she can put them on by herself which is a big plus!

The birthday party was tons of fun, lots of bouncing and sliding and cake and frosting everywhere. This was Lauren's third day without a real nap and it's really taking a toll on her. At one point she just wanted to lay on my lap, but then she got a second wind and there was no stopping her. Jack was in good spirits when we got home because he does NOT function well if he misses his nap, he just has severe meltdowns. I'm learning it's better to leave him home, even though I miss him, especially on Mother's Day!

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Sat, May 12, 2007 10:48 PM
Today we had Lauren's big first ballet show and she did very well. She was so cute in her little baby butterfly costume! Yesterday at the dress rehearsal I was laughing hysterically because they come out as a catepillar where they're lined up with their hands on the shoulders of the girl in front of them, (like a conga line). Well, Lauren broke off and wandered upstage, bringing the rest of the line with her and then she tried to get the girl off her shoulders too. She then proceeded to have her back to the audience for most of the time! They whispered for her to turn around and she did a full 360 degree turn (I can't really call it a pirouette). For the performance she was much better but they make a circle and she got shut out of it, but she was facing toward the audience most of the time, so that showed great imrovement!

We left Jack at home with Sara since the show was right through his nap time, and I'm glad because I don't think there's any way he would have sat still for the entire hour. Lauren was upset we didn't get her any flowers so I got her some AND a balloon on the way home. Then I asked her if she wanted to go out to dinner to Cirlces (a nice family-friendly restaurant nearby). And she said, "No, not Circles, Chili's!" I can't believe she's already getting picky about restaurants! The kids were fairly well behaved through dinner but they didn't really eat very well. I don't think there is anything anymore that we can order and know that they will definitely eat. Oh well, let's hope it's just a phase!

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Thu, May 10, 2007 11:01 PM
We had Lauren's audiology appointment and her hearing is absolutely perfect, which is was expected but nice to hear anyway. Next we have the speech evaluation. I'm starting to think maybe I'm being overly cautious, but I guess it can't hurt to check it out with some experts. I really think Lauren's speech is mostly fine, but there are some sounds she can't say and she slurs a lot of things together. I asked her pediatrician if that's appropriate to her age and he said that maybe I should have her evaluated if I'm concerned.

Jack continues to express himself, with some words like help, open, JUICE!! (which he demands at the frige door),Blue pen (his favorite activity is coloring-himself, the floor, etc), I've lost track of all the new words but he's babbling away all the time.

Another of Jack's favorite activities is to push this big red car around the house. It's the kind you can sit in, so it doesn't fit everywhere, and when it gets caught and stops, he goes hurtling forward and face-plants right into the car. Ouch! He had two bruises on his cheeks, but that hasn't seemd to deter his interest in the car. He also chases Sadie with it and she's lucky she's fast because he terrorizes her with that thing!

Lauren's dress obsession continues and has extended now to nightgowns. I am having trouble finding simple cotton nightgowns in her size. They're all polyester with huge garish cartoon characters and I just refuse to get any of those even though she'd probably like them. Oh well, more internet searching is in my future.

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Sun, May 6, 2007 11:25 PM
Friday Lauren had a field trip to the Zoo, so I made the executive decision to leave Jack home with Mike. Once we were there I regretted that they both didn't come with us instead, but maybe it was for the best becuase Jack had an mysterious rash on his chest and it was a REALLY hot and humid day. I just thought that it wouldn't be fair to Lauren becuase I would have had to chase Jack around the whole time. I promised myself that we'll go another time once school is over. I was impressed that Lauren sat and listened to the presentation and waited patiently in line to pet the snake they brought out (a large pyhton!) We also did a craft where we made an elephant headband complete with ears and trunk. Later we sort of dispersed into smaller groups which made me wonder why they call it a field trip if the teacher doesn't keep everyone together and lead everyone around. We eventually ended up at the water play area where Lauren had a blast running around through these fountain-like spray things shooting up out of the ground. Of course she passed out in the car but the surprise was she actually consented to sleep in her bed when we got home. Jack had just woken up so he came with me on an excursion to Target. BIG MISTAKE! I just needed to get a few things but Jack wanted everything he saw and just wailed every time we moved on to something else.

If that wasn't exhausting enough, Saturday was extremely busy. Noy only did Lauren have her regular ballet class, but she also had a rehearsal for her big show next week (right through nap time thank you very much!) Then we had Taylor's Birthday party which featured a huge bouncy water slide. Of course there was a huge thunder and lightinging storm right when we got there, so we all had to stay indoors for a while. Eventually it cleared and warmed up, and I have to say, both the kids fearlessly climbed up and slid down that thing. There were 5 year olds that reufused to go on it, but Lauren and Jack both just went without any hesitation. I think I can see a lot of worrisome dare-devilish activities in their future! Ayayay! As if I don't have enough to worry about! We had to help Jack climb up, and than catch him when he landed in the little pool. Lauren wanted to be caught even though she was fine by herself. Every once in a while she swallowed a litle water because she had her mouth open with a big smile when she went into the water. But we had to drag them way from that thing. It was the first night in a long time that Lauren actually admitted to being tired.

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Tue, May 1, 2007 11:59 PM
We had Africa night at Lauren's school on Monday evening which was really cute. They've been studying Africa the whole month of April, and they had little passports and we got a stamp in each room which represented a different country. There were craft projects in each room, we made a headband, necklace, bracelet and keychain. Lauren tried couscous and hummous and coconut candy and went digging for "diamonds" in South Africa. I was glad I left Jack home with Sara because it was hectic enough. Of course Lauren's favorite thing seemed to be the free play out on the playgrund at the end, and I just couldn't get her off the trampoline!

Jack woke up screaming last night at 3AM and I went to see what's wrong and it appears he threw up,but it was very solid which was weird, just some chunks of cheese. It's been proving difficult to put him down to sleep in his crib though. He is fine while being rocked but wakes up the second you try to put him down, which is how it used to be all the time before we started putting him to bed while he was still awake. Today he was OK until he woke up after half an hour of his nap and wouldn't sleep anymore. He went down early tonight but woke up a short while ago, so I hope he's doing better in the morning. Poor little Bubba.

Today we went to the KidzClub this morning where I inquired about Jack's birthday and was dismayed to dicover the morning time is gone for the Saturday after. The late afternoon time is available but I'm not sure I like that time, it's sort of close to dinner time. Now I'm wondering if maybe I'll just do a Michael's craft like we did for Lauren's 2nd, or maybe just something at home. But then I'd have to REALLY clean, and that's just too much pressure! Although maybe it would be good to have a deadline!

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