Down and Out

We haven’t had a very good week…Charlotte has had a bad cold. To say she is a bad patient would be the understatement of the century…she literally whines and cries CONSTANTLY. She asks me “when am I going to feel better?!” about 6,000 times a day. And of course I feel bad for her…no one likes to feel sick, and I hate to see her unhappy and uncomfortable…but after a few days of constant whining, my ears hurt and I need a lot of WINE (of the different variety).

Just to make things interesting, Henry is getting a few more teeth (including molars) and is cranky too…so not himself. He also has a fungal infection on his finger…the pediatrician said it has to stay dry and have the air hit it, which is a major problem being that it is the finger he sucks constantly. She even said his nail might fall off…gross :(

So, we have all had a boring week…no school*, no work, no gymnastics, no park, no visitors. Very much looking forward to getting out of the house when everyone feels 100%!!!

*I refuse to be one of those mothers I despise who bring their kids to school sick and get everyone else sick! Ugh. Even though I could’ve used a few whine-free hours this week, haha.

Xoxoxo

Not Quite Wordless Wednesday

Charlotte put on Henry’s size 6-12 month pants…the scary part is that they fit!

Henry is a climber…he climbs on toys, furniture, or whatever is around at the moment. The other day I walked into the living room (from the kitchen) and Henry was standing on top of the toy box. He is going to give me a run for my money! I didn’t get a picture of that, but here he is standing on his “house”, trying to figure out how to get to the roof, haha.

Comes with the territory when you have a big sister, I guess…

My sweet girl going to school last week…she looks so old. It kind of makes me sad in a way…but then I think about the fact that she still fits in 6-12 month clothing, and I feel better! :)

 

And a few videos…

Henry “jumps” on cue :)

 

More “jumping”

Our morning walk to school

Xoxoxo

Gymnastics Fun

Charlotte enjoying the trampoline…

Flying! I think my mom probably gets a stomach ache just looking at this :)

 

Learning a back tuck…think she needs some more body weight to get the rotation she needs!

…and Henry is exhausted after riding the balance beam like a horse

 

Xoxoxo

Almost Wordless Wednesday :)

Playing school with her babies…

Totally aloof…no reaction at all.  Until you take him out—then he has a temper tantrum!

Out for a walk with her baby

Busy mommy

Interesting way to walk with the stroller

There really are no words*

And here is a video of the kiddies playing together.  Too cute.

After dinner play time

 

Okay, off to get some stuff ready for our yard sale this weekend!

Xoxoxo

*I am soliciting funds for a therapist…let me know if you want to make a contribution, haha :)

Big steps

We went to school without any tears today!!! Yeah…so exciting. She told me all morning that she wasn’t going to cry, but given her track record, I didn’t really believe her! :)

Here is Charlotte walking to school…

My little girl on her way to school

 

Coincidentally, when we got there, Miss Christina was arriving, so Charlotte was excited to go see her.  Although when we finally caught up to her, Charlotte acted all shy…this is the teacher Charlotte talks about all the time, saying how she wants to give her a big hug and how Miss Christina must miss her so much.  And then she would barely talk to her, go figure!  Adrienne was also there with Kaylen and Lily, dropping Kaylen off for the 2 year old class, so Charlotte saw a lot of familiar faces the second she walked in the door. 

So, we were standing in the entryway talking, and Charlotte pulled on my sweater and said “I wanna go to school”.  I wasn’t about to miss this opportunity, so I left mid-conversation, walked her to her classroom, and she walked right in!  She didn’t even so much as turn around and say “goodbye”, haha…I consider that a very good thing!  She even forgot to take off her rain jacket and backpack, so I had to chase after her.

I am so proud of her…hope she has a good day so this becomes a non-issue going forward :)

Xoxoxo

Flying Charlotte

Charlotte started back at gymnastics this week, and as usual, she loved it. I’m not sure why gymnastics class is the one time she can leave my side, but she doesn’t have any trouble walking away from me when it means she can flip and jump! :)

Here is a video of flying Charlotte!

The entire class she was asking Miss Patty when she could “fly”, and she finally got her chance :)

 

Charlotte and one other boy are actually the only kids enrolled in the class, which is kind of nice. They just have one instructor, and they obviously get a lot of attention…it is right up Charlotte’s alley.

And the best part is, since there are so few kids in the class, Miss Patty said Henry can participate in class and play on the equipment! That is such great news, because he was NOT going to sit in the stroller or have mommy hold him for an hour…he was itching to get out there in the gym. So I am relieved that I won’t have to wrestle and wrangle him for the entire class :)

Here is a video of Charlotte “practicing her routine” before we went to class. Good times!

My little performer :)

 

Xoxoxo

Maybe school isn’t all that bad?!

Big improvements today, big improvements!  Charlotte was saying all morning, “I’m not going to get upset at school. No…why would I? That’s so silly! Mommy always comes back to get me”.  Essentially, just trying to talk herself into staying strong :)

So, we got ready, walked down without a problem, into the hallway, she said “have a nice day mommy”…and then realized they were going into the bigger classroom (not the smaller one they had been in).  Well, that set her off…her lip started quivering and then she lost it.  So, the director came over immediately, scooped her up, and said “goodbye”.  I left…and didn’t hear from the school at all! Not one phone call (unlike yesterday).  I assumed that was good news, haha.

When Henry and I went to pick her up, she was as happy as could be, and the teacher told me she had a great day.  And then the director came over and told me she was “like a different child today”…she stopped crying after a few minutes, fully participated, etc.

SOOOOO…I am mildly optimistic about Charlotte’s scholastic future now :)

We shall see what happens on Tuesday…I’m hoping one of these days we totally lose the tears!

Xoxoxo

We don’t need no education…

That could be Charlotte’s mantra.  I could just say that she wasn’t a fan of school this first week, but that would be a major understatement.

Let’s take a step back…this past weekend, I told her she would be starting school soon.  She told me she didn’t need to go to school, because she “just wants to be a mommy” and “mommies don’t go to school”…oh, and my personal favorite, she “doesn’t want to learn”.  Of course I explained that everyone goes to school, I went to law school when I was a mommy, you have to go to school BEFORE you can be a mommy, etc.…it didn’t matter, though-- it all fell on deaf ears.

So, fast forward to Tuesday, her first day.  Mamie was here, and I got her psyched for school by getting her Dora backpack.  She seemed to get excited about that, and we were able to get her out the door for the walk to school.  And of course I took the obligatory front-door photos!

One with mommy too!

And then we were off…me, Charlotte, and Mamie with Henry in the stroller. Here is a video of the beginning of our journey :)

Charlotte’s walk to school

 

You would think, based on the fact that she was running and all cheerful, that she was excited for school and wouldn’t give us a hard time. Think again!

She was still in good spirits when we got to the front of the school, and happily (kind of) posed for pictures with us.

And she was very happy when Hari arrived…she ran over to his car to see him and Nicholas.  So Kara and I took the opportunity to get some pictures of the two of them together in front of the “United” sign.

Here is Charlotte playing coy

Hari reaching out for her hand

Got it :)

And from there, it all went downhill.  We went in, and by the time we got to the classroom, she was clinging to my leg and hysterically crying.  She was so upset she was literally hyperventilating.  And strangely enough, she was the only one…the other kids were looking at her like she had 6 heads!  I thought this was a pretty typical thing for nursery school students, but I guess not, haha. 

Hari was so cute.  He kept on bending down, looking in her eyes, telling her it was okay and trying to take her hand and lead her in to the class room.  She wasn’t falling for it.

So anyway, the teachers tried to take her and have me go into the other room and wait…they told me kids always calm down in a few minutes.  But after 10-15 minutes, she still hadn’t calmed down, so they came to get me and set up a small chair so I could sit in the doorway of the classroom.  Charlotte stayed on my lap for 15 minutes or so, and then when they went to the big play room, she was adventurous enough to venture out and play…but not without checking on me every 4 seconds to make sure I didn’t move an inch! And so that is how we spent the first day.  I didn’t have high hopes for today, but I didn’t think it would be worse than the first day…ugh.

Once again, we walked to school without a problem, but when we walked down into the classroom, she lost it.  She was more hysterical than the first day, so once again, the director went and got me a chair to sit outside the class.  But this time, she wouldn’t even let me sit there…she was literally climbing up my body…as I was holding Henry, and he was trying to throw himself OUT of my arms to go play with all of the toys, haha.  At one point, Kara just took Henry from me because Charlotte was absolutely catatonic.  So, once again, the director came up and told me I had to just pass her over and leave.  She literally pried Charlotte out of my arms, hysterical, and I had to walk away.  Ugh…not an easy thing to do.

So I walked home, and the director kept on calling and giving me updates…the first time she told me she wasn’t hysterical anymore, and she was only whimpering.  The second time she told me she had been fine, she was playing in the big room, and asked to go into the “mommy bathroom”.  When they said she couldn’t use the adult bathroom and she could only use the little girl bathroom, she lost it again…she started saying “but I AM a mommy, I can use that bathroom, I have a baby!”.  I had hoped her delusion about being a mommy and having a baby and being pregnant wouldn’t come out during the first week of school, haha…so much for that :)

BUT, all that being said, when we went to pick her up, she was so excited to see us…she ran right up to me and Mamie and acted as if nothing had happened!  Happy as a clam. 

Although she has already told me she doesn’t want to go to school tomorrow, so wish me luck!!!

Xoxoxo

Wordless Wednesday

I’ve been kind of lax with the picture taking recently, so I don’t have any pictures to share…but luckily, I have some videos (or “bideos”, as Charlotte says)!

Can’t tell if she’s excited or petrified!

 

Daddy thought he had better fess up before Charlotte got too freaked out, haha

 

There are no words :)

 

Henry playing…such a busy boy!

 

Xoxoxo

This is war

Remember when I said I hoped I had gotten that mosquito before he got Henry? Well…I didn’t. He got him 5 times!!!! My poor baby has 4 bites all over his face, and one on his belly (he was eating without his shirt on). Look at this kid…poor thing looks like he has the chicken pox!

Don’t worry, buddy, mommy is going to have NO mercy with these damn mosquitos! It’s on!!!

Luckily, in typical Henry fashion, he doesn’t seemed too bothered by them…such a good boy :)

Xoxoxo

10 Years

Hard to believe it has been 10 years. A decade. Sometimes it seems like yesterday…I can remember every detail of that day with more clarity than I can remember any day last week. I remember what I had for breakfast, the outfit I was wearing, the beautiful September weather, standing by the fax machine as I heard a loud noise, looked out the window and saw papers flying around, running down the stairs without having any idea what was going on…and once we got outside, I remember trying to avoid flying debris, being told by the police officer that we “were all going to f-ing die”, the smell, seeing people jump from the towers, running down the West Side Highway with thousands of New Yorkers…but most of all, I remember the all-consuming fear. All it takes is for me to see one image from that day, and it comes flooding back immediately…

Then other the other hand, sometimes it feels like a lifetime ago…we were so young, at such different times in our lives. It is almost as if I don’t remember what it was like before September 11th…I don’t recall a time when terrorism wasn’t at the forefront of my consciousness. 

My friends and I were new college graduates, ready to face the world and the big city, excited to start our first “real” jobs…to say that we all lost our innocence that day would be an understatement.  But we are the lucky ones… 

It is hard for me to watch any of the footage. I can’t imagine what it is like for people who lost their children, spouses, parents, siblings, friends, etc.  Especially now, as a mother, I cannot fathom the heartache…panic…dread…helplessness…of knowing your loved one was in the towers, and watching the events unfold.  My heart just aches for them. 

We didn’t ever go back to work at the WFC, and worked out of a hotel for about 6 months until our new offices were ready.  Here is a picture of 3 WFC…our offices were right where the ledge starts.

We didn’t get back to our apartment again until October 11th, when we were shuttled in by the military in army trucks, wearing gas masks, and told to grab as much as we could in 10 minutes. Here is a picture of our apartment taken on 9/11; our building is the one enveloped in smoke, right on the water. Crazy.

I think if there is any silver lining in these horrific events, it was how New York City, and the world, came together in the days/weeks/months after Sept. 11th.  The city thrived…if you go to downtown NYC today, it is more built-up than ever, with more restaurants, more people, more families.  And that is just one of the reasons I still love NYC so much :)

~We will never forget~

Xoxoxo

All about Henry

I was reading an article in the RVC newspaper today about how horrendous the mosquitos and bees have been recently.  Essentially, they have been all over the place because they a) lost their nests, trees, etc. in the hurricane and b) love wet/rained on leaves and trees…so all of the rain and downed trees and branches have created the insect perfect storm :) 

Unfortunately, we haven’t been spared by the mosquitos…every time we go for a walk or to the park, I feel like we are inundated.  Before we left for Labor Day weekend, we found out the hard way that Henry has an allergic reaction to them…we had to go to the doctor, and he was put on antibiotics and she told me to give him Benadryl.  Poor guy…look at the reaction he got on his forearm.

I think I have FINALLY found a repellent that works, but they are somehow getting into the house, even though I make sure the door is only open for a millisecond when we go in or out…I killed one ON Henry’s forehead today while he was sitting in his high chair, so I am hoping I got it before it got him :(

Anyway, while we were at the doctor, she weighed him, and he was 19lbs, 12 oz (which I think is about 6 oz more than what he was at his 1 year check-up a few weeks ago).  Such a big boy. 

(Just an aside: I weighed Charlotte this morning, and at almost 3.5 years old, she is holding steady at 25 lbs…don’t think she has gained any weight in quite a few years, haha)

In other Henry news, he has definitely made strides in understanding what I am saying, communicating his needs, and in “talking” in the past 2 weeks.  He is noticeably more verbal, although we still can’t really understand anything besides “dada” :)

Here is what his babble sounds like these days!

Henry “talking”

 

And he definitely lets his desires known now and really knows what he wants…if he wants me to read him a book, he throws it right at me.  If he wants me to turn on a toy for him, he throws it right at me.  If he wants me to open something, he throws it right at me.  Get the gist? :)  So cute…I love this age.

Okay, I’m off to relax! :)

Xoxoxo

Goodbye Summer :(

Well, Labor Day weekend has passed, which essentially means the Summer is over…yes, I realize it isn’t TECHNICALLY over for another few weeks, but it certainly feels like it is over now.  And the crazy amount of rain we’ve been having definitely hasn’t been helping  :( 

We had a good weekend though, and luckily, we got a few more beach days in before leaving our Summer house :)  Saturday was very windy at Tiana, so we had to go to the bay side.  The kids had a good time, and it was a momentous occasion, because it marked the first time we went to the beach and Henry didn’t eat sand, muscles, oysters, dead crabs, seaweed, etc.  What a difference that made…so much more civilized, haha.  Unfortunately, they couldn’t explore the little pools of water that form there, because it was filled with large blue claw crabs…if either one of us liked crab, we might have gotten dinner :)  Sunday we headed to Tiana, and it was windy but still beautiful.  Jon dug a big hole for the kids, which was a big hit.  Charlotte also played some toss game with John Mal for a while, which made her very happy.  And once again, Henry refrained from eating any sand!  Big steps I tell you, big steps!  Monday was kind of overcast, so we just went to the Old Harbor Beach with Nicole and Nicholas. And pretty much for the past 3 days, it has been raining non-stop…not quite the best transition back to to real life :) 

We had a great Summer, though, and I love the Fall, so I am looking forward to being back in our own house and spending time as a family (talk to me in a few months when we are freezing and it gets dark at 4pm, and I might not be so happy about the changing seasons!). 

We are back in RVC now, and we are slowly but surely getting back into the swing of things and settling into our routine. We have been spending a lot of time at the park, going on walks with “our babies” (i.e., Henry and Abby) in the strollers, and playing all over the house (with all of the rain, we have needed frequent changes in scenery!).  The kids especially love running around and playing in the living room…here are some videos.

Henry had an important phone call

Just some after-dinner playing…

 

Playing with the tennis ball…

 

So much fun!

 

Okay, I am off to watch television ;)

Xoxoxo

Teacher Meet & Greet

Today we went to go meet Charlotte’s nursery school teachers, Mrs. Hurlihy and Mrs. Lucas (and the helper, Mrs. Donehue).  I knew she was nervous about it, and she kept on telling me beforehand that she “doesn’t want to learn” and that she “just wants to be a mommy”.  The meet and greet didn’t go so well, though…she wouldn’t let go of my leg, and she was panicking that I might leave her there.  That, combined with Henry trying to wiggle out of my arms (unlike his sister, he would have gladly joined the kids playing), made for an interesting 30 minutes!

I guess that is pretty normal behavior for a 3 year old, but given Charlotte’s history with ballet and soccer and swimming, I don’t have very high hopes.  Next Tuesday is “orientation”, where they only go to school for 1 hour…same thing on Thursday, and then on Friday they go for an hour and a half.  Mrs. H said that usually they ask parents to just drop off the kids and leave immediately, so as to ease the separation problems, but they don’t like doing that during orientation week (lest the kids get a negative association with school).  I get it, but I am so not looking forward to next week…there is NO way I am getting out of that school.  And unfortunately, it happens to be right smack in the middle of Henry’s nap…luckily, my mom will come in on Tuesday to stay with him, but I am guessing Thursday and Friday’s antics will make for a very tired baby (and mommy).  Wish us luck!

Here is a picture of Charlotte after the teacher meet & greet…so happy and relieved to be home :)

Xoxoxo

Screaming & Dancing

Good times :)

Charlotte & Henry compete to see who is louder

 

Scream fest! And downward dog :)

 

Henry dancing

 

Wiggling Henry :)

 

Xoxoxo