Don't Flush Emily!

Emily has gotten to be big enough to share bath time with Josh.  To me, this is one of the great things about siblings - fun bath times.  And they really do enjoy it.

Typical practice has always been that when the bath is over, Josh pulls the handle to drain the tub.  And now that Emily joins him, we typically take her out of the tub first get her all squared away then Josh gets out. 

For whatever reason, one time Josh got out first and I pulled the drain while Emily was still in the bath.

Josh says: "Don't flush Emily!"

We're so lucky he looks out for her!

Preschool Begins

Funny that I came to write this post and see that the last time I posted was about my search for a preschool.  So maybe it's obvious that things have been busy since.

We picked our school, got our last summer fun in and prepared for the new adventure.

I gathered some really good ideas from friends about how to make this time special.  As I Googled ideas, I saw a lot of creative things, so I just had to pick some of my top favorite ideas.



The first was to make a special breakfast of whatever Joshua would want - even if it was chicken nuggets.  His first request was peanut butter and jelly sandwich, but then he changed it to Mickey Mouse pancakes.  Voila!

I also have been seeing a friend post monthly pictures of her baby with the age written on a chalkboard.  I thought it was so cute and wanted to do that to mark school years.  And I was surprised to find tons of photos of kids with chalkboards (I guess I'm not so original).  After a frustrating search for the right chalkboard I realized I could make one.  Voila!

It was recommended to me that we pick a spot to take the school photos in every year.

Another friend talked about making a banner.  Voila!

He saw this when he came home.

We tried to get Joshua to crash through it, but he was too hesitant.  Jim helped him tear it down.

We did finally have the PBJ for lunch (and pizza is on the menu for tonight).

I also found a couple variations of asking your child specific questions each year to see how they change.  Here is today's interview:

Favorite color: Red
Favorite character on TV: Mickey Mouse
What do you want to be when you grow up? First answer: "Up to the sky."  Second answer: "Mickey Mouse."

As for school itself, it all went really well.  We had a visitation day last week for Josh to meet his teacher and see his classroom.  Today was a short introductory day from 10:00am - 11:45am.  Normal class time is 9:00am - 11:45am.  He will be going on Mondays/Wednesdays.

We've been talking about going to school and trying to get him excited.  He seemed fine going in, but as we started to say goodbye, his eyes started to tear up.  I was actually surprised and wonder if it was more reacting to someone else being upset.  But we gave him a hug and said goodbye and he seemed fine.  And he was perfectly fine when we picked him up.  And thankfully he's excited to go back.

We are now the parents of a preschooler.  It definitely felt weird walking up to the school along with all the other parents.  And the mom-mobile brigade makes me laugh every time we pull into the parking lot.  We're looking to get a minivan pretty soon so I'm going to really fit right in. 

PreSchool

Who is supposed to be more prepared for preschool, Joshua or me?  If it's me, I'm not sure I'm there.

Regardless, we are officially in the phase of researching preschools.  I might be a little late to be starting, but I will blame that on my denial.  While I have had the intention of starting Josh around the time he turns three, I have been putting off actually pursuing it.  At first I blamed it on the coming of the second wee one, but now I think it was just because I didn't really want to be in this phase yet.

So I've been looking around and asking people for referrals.  I've discovered that there is a specific order of steps for me to decide.  1) Does the school offer the schedule I want?  2) Is the price acceptable? 3) Check out the school to see if I like it.  4) Will it work for the grandparents?

I met with the first school today.  I knew going in that they won't have any opening for another year, but I still wanted to check them out.  And I am know officially on their waiting list should things change.  Other schools I have spoken with didn't mention anything about space issues, so hopefully this is a solitary problem.  I'm aiming to find a good Christian preschool.

This past week as I have been compiling my list I've been excited.  But then today after being at the school, the reality of him being in that environment hit a little bit.  It will be weird.  My plan is for two half-days a week on the same days I go to work.  This will more than likely mean that the grandparents will need to take him and pick him up.  That makes me a little sad that I won't be the one interacting with the teacher on a regular basis. The following year my plan would be to switch to three days on the days I am not in the office.  But we will see how things go.

Somebody hold my hand...

Josh's Numbers

This is how Josh counts:

one
two
flee
four
five
six
eleven (then I correct with seven)
seven
eight
nine
ten
eleven
etwelve
ethirteen
efourteen
efiveteen
esixteen

BabyPalooza

Last Spring / Summer...uhm...apparently love was in the air.  Big time!

How do I know? Well, by the baby boom that has been going on around me.  I know a lot of people that have been having babies, and I know people who know people who are having babies.  Of the people I know personally, I was the first to kick things off in February.  Since then, I would bet I could easily list at least 10-15 people who have given birth since then and several more who are still expecting.

One of my circle of friends is women who all met at work.  Not everyone still works there, but we still get together for lunch as often as we can.  Of the seven of us, five - yes, five! - added children to our families between February and May.  Sounded like something that needed a celebration to me.

So last Saturday we got together at my house with the new babies and adjacent kids.  There were seven adults, six kids between the ages of 2 and 5, and five babies 5 months and younger.  And there were four kids missing of the moms who were here.

 

Natalie, Gina (Emily), Stacy
There was oogling galore! 

I was hoping it could just be some relaxing time to all be together.  So I ordered food in and we just hung out.  It was so nice.

Michelle and Liz

There were car seats every where! 

Emily and Ethan were just hanging out with each other.

The Gaggle:

The Babies:

Emily (4.5m), Brynn (3.5m), Sofia (3m), Ethan (2.5m), Kayla (1m)

The kids played along very well too.  There were no injuries, fighting or even crying.  It was a good day.

And there were also a lot of dirty feet...

I feel so blessed to be surrounded by such wonderful women to share mommyhood with.  They are all life savers!!

Disney/California Blitz!

As you may have figured out from before, we have annual passes to Disneyland.  We selected the pass that is blocked out Saturdays, holidays, and a good chunk of the summer.  Pretty much all the days you don't want to go anyway because of the crowds.  Our passes are about to be blocked out for the summer so we've been trying to squeeze in a few visits before that happens.

We received an email a few weeks ago about the opportunity to register to get in the park an hour before it opens.  Today was the day we made that work for us and it was really awesome.  We hit four rides in 30 minutes, walking straight on to each one.  The only bummer was that some of the things we wanted didn't open until the normal park opening.

 

Josh loves the carousel.  He always asks for the "horsey ride."

The Matterhorn Bobsled ride has been under renovation and just opened.  Below are the new sleds for those of you familiar with what they used to look like. 

 

No more awkward canoodling.

For anyone even remotely paying attention to what is going on at the Disney parks lately, you know that Disney's California Adventure has been under major renovation.  One of the biggest pieces is the new Cars Land.  It had its grand opening last Friday.  We are so lucky to have been able to get in to see it so soon after the opening and before our passes are blocked.  Here is just a glimpse of our experience.

  

Welcome to Radiator Springs

Three new rides premiered in Cars Land.  The biggest one is race cars and Josh is not tall enough yet to go on that one.  There is also a ride of flying tires.  We didn't make it near that ride, so I don't know yet if Josh could go on it.  But he was tall enough to go on Tow Mater's Junkyard Jamboree...

 

It's a similar concept to the Tea Cup ride.  Also kind of like a common fair ride which I think is called the Scrambler.  The Tractors move in an almost figure-eight pattern while pulling a cart behind it which swings back and forth as the tractor turns.  The music playing has a square dance feel as Mater sings some silly songs.

 

Can you spot Jim?

 

I think they liked it.

I have video of the ride, but it will take me a while to get the videos edited for sharing.  I'll try to get them up soon.

And now for a little tour of "the cutest little town in Carburetor County."

 

Cozy Cone Motel

Each of the cones sell a different concession.  There was ice cream, pretzels, popcorn, churros, etc.  This is also where Mater and Lightning McQueen come to visit the park guests.

  

Luigi's Casa Della Tires

Flo's V8 Cafe

 Can't forget Stanley.

Here comes Lightning McQueen.  It's such a cool little mini-parade when each car shows up.  At this point, Mater had been out for a while, so here comes McQueen.  As he pulls up, Mater takes off.  (Again, I'll try to post some video later.)

Josh really wasn't as miserable as he looks.  He's just so funny with pictures.  He's so shy when meeting characters, but then talks about it at length afterwards.

On the other hand, I felt like I was eight years old again today.  This new land was so much fun, and the character cars were a kick!

We could tell Josh's mind was about to explode from all the stimulation, so we headed over the Hollywood area of the park to do some calmer activities.  We watched the Muppet 3-D movie.  Then we headed to a Disney Jr. show.  This was brand new to me.  I don't know how long it's been there but it was just awesome.

It's basically a puppet show of the biggest hit shows on the Disney Jr. channel: Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Little Einsteins, Handy Manny and Jake and the Neverland Pirates.  It's about 25 minutes long, hits the main songs from each show and is just totally awesome.  It's exactly where we are with Josh right now as he watches all those shows all the time!  I think my head was going to explode this time.  Jim and I both loved the show and watching Josh enjoy it. (Video...blah, blah, blah)

Overall the makeover of California Adventure is pretty impressive.  We only saw a sliver, but the all-new entry is gorgeous!  We look forward to seeing more of the park in the future.

How do we know it was a good day...?

 What do you think?

Disney Date

Now that we have two kids, Jim and I want to be intentional about giving each kid special times one on one.  Of course Emily is too young yet to feel any impact from this, but it needs to be a priority with Josh now.

So Josh and I had a date night to Disneyland the week before I returned to work.  I scooped him up from his nap and we headed out for fun.

I really enjoyed our time together.  He has so much fun at Disneyland and is so good waiting in the lines.  We went on a Wednesday afternoon/evening and the lines were pretty short.

We always make a stop to see Mickey Mouse.  This time as we exited, Josh noticed the roller coaster and said he wanted to go on it.  I was surprised and didn't think he really knew what he was asking.  So I suggested we watch it for a little bit, and he still wanted to go.  I found the height requirement and he was so barely was tall enough.  The minimum height is 35 inches and he is just between 35-36.  Whew!

Here is that adventure...

His eyes are comically wide open the entire time.  But his eye were open the entire time!!!  I may have a new thrill-ride-buddy in the makings!  Hooray!  He so serious and just taking it all in.

After we got off, I thought he was asking to go on again.  But it seems he just wanted to watch it.  It's the second time that might be more fun to watch his reaction. 

Emily: 3 Months. Josh: 2 1/2.

Cuteness (in General)

It's time to just share some photos.

I am continuing the tradition of taking monthly baby pictures in the glider chair next to the bear we got from FAO Schwartz.  Below are the two month shots which are already too old.  It won't be long before I take Emily's 3-month pictures.  Craziness!!

 

I know these shots are similar, but I simply couldn't pick which one to share.  They're both so cute!  Emily's smile is just delicious!

Please notice her hair that is sticking up.  She was born with it and I love it.  It won't be there for ever, so we must appreciate it now.  Take a moment if you will...

One more moment.  Go ahead .

Josh is so in love with his little sister.  He asks to hold her a lot.  Emily lights up when she sees him.

Yesterday was supposed to be a rainy day, although the rain didn't arrive until about 10pm.  But it was dreary and cloudy all day which felt like a perfect time to teach Josh how to make oatmeal cookies.  He loved it.

Well, one part in particular.

Every time we added an ingredient he would say "Now eat some?"

Good boy!

Today's Lesson: Birthmarks

I've been educating myself. Aren't you proud of me? Since I'm not working, I have to keep my mind from turning to mush.

I'm learning about a couple types of birthmarks. The ones known colloquially as "stork bite" and "strawberry mark". I'm learning about them because my kids have them. So, let me share my wealth of knowledge (so far).

Stork Bite: nevus flammeus nuchae
reddish or pink patches often found above the hairline at the back of the neck, on the eyelids or between the eyes. These marks are caused by collections of capillary blood vessels close to the skin. Patches on the forehead or eyelids usually fade with time. Those on the nape of the neck usually don't fade but are covered by hair. (Mayo Clinic)

Strawberry Mark: hemangioma
a benign self-resolving tumor of cells that line the blood vessels. It usually appears during the first weeks of life and resolves by age 10. (Wikepedia)

Josh was born with several stork bites. The biggest, most noticeable one is on his forehead and comes down between his eyebrows just a little bit. He also has them on his head and neck. They have all faded to some degree with the one on his forehead practically unnoticeable now. He also has a mark on his tushy which I thought was a stork bite, but since doing research I think now that maybe it's just a birth mark. I love the one on his tushy and hope that it doesn't fade.

Here's the one on the back of his head at about 2-months old.
(Remember that mullet? hee hee)

This is what his forehead looked like at about 4 months.

My jokester dad always likes to say "I can Photoshop that out for you..."

Emily also has these stork bites. The back of her head and neck look pretty similar to Josh's. She also has a tiny one in between her eyebrows and a small one on her right eyelid. The one on her eyelid really becomes noticeable when she's been crying.

The newest development, however, has been these strawberry marks. Around the time Emily's umbilical cord fell off I saw a tiny little red mark just above her belly button. Initially I thought she had scratched herself or that the dried cord had scratched her. What became weird was that this "scratch" didn't heal in the normal amount of time for a scratch. It continued to get bigger and darker and eventually I could feel it raising up on her skin. I wasn't urgently concerned so waited to ask the doctor at her 2-month appointment.

That's when I learned the word "hemangioma."

The doc said it can continue to grow, but usually reaches it's biggest by 6 months. Then it slowly starts to fade and shrink. I've heard conflicting time frames, but the longest range seems to say that by the age of 10 it should be as healed as it is going to be.

One month

Two months

You can see how much it's changed just in one month. What I really love is that it currently is kinda heart-shaped.

In the week following this appointment, we became aware of a bruised looking lump on the back of Emily's neck. It was probably about the size of a small walnut. I didn't want to mess around with anything on the neck, or near the spine, so back to the doctor we went. Turns out this was a hemangioma too. It's just so deep under the skin, that's why it's blue not red. I really hope this one doesn't grow much bigger. Even though I know it doesn't hurt her, it looks like it should and makes me feel terrible.

All of this sparked a memory from when I visited my cousin several years ago and I confirmed with her that her daughter had the same thing. It was nice to get the first hand account of both a raised red mark and a lump mostly resolving.

It sounds like an obvious and over-simplified statement, but having kids sure is educational.

Fishing For Kitties

So I sent a picture to my sister with the caption "Fishing for Kitties." That seems to have tickled her and she wants to know more. So let me share.



We have two cat toys which Josh likes to call "kitty wopes". He's even designated which one is for Bailey and which is for Sophie. In the picture, Josh is holding Sophie's kitty wope.

These ropes are a great way for Josh to play with the kitties and all parties thoroughly enjoy it.

Next we have the fort. Josh is playing on it more as he gets older and more physical. The kitties like to lounge in the "dungeon" below. You can see a round portal from the dungeon. Sometimes you'll even see a kitty there.

Thus, we have a perfect spot for Kitty Fishing. Baiting the cat to pounce.

Much fun.