Favorite pictures

I love these guys.

wanting to be just like mommy

Poor little babies

So, the first week of day care went really well.  In fact, fantastically well, as in 'too good to be true-well'.  Our weekend started out great, but was definitely marred by the fact that Finn did not feel well.  Saturday night was miserable for us all and the poor guy ended up sleeping in our bed--which he NEVER does!  On monday, Zar took Finn to the doctor and it turns out he had an ear infection.  He was started on antibiotics and felt better right away.  Both he and Maeve went to school on Tuesday, but at noon I got the call that Maeve was sick.  So Tuesday night was spent with Maeve having a very high fever, shaking chills and sweats.  We took her to the doctor this monring and she also has an ear infection.

I knew that both of the kids would be exposed to new germs at day care, but ear infections so soon? In the middle of the summer? What is going to happen in the fall when they go their new school?  Talk about feeling major mommy guilt.  You want to do everything and be everything for your family, but it just isn't possible.  I am so torn because I know that Maeve needs the interaction of a school and learning center, but Finn is just so little and should be home with me just like Maeve was.  I feel like no matter what, I am choosing between two wrongs, and I guess this is just preparation for a long road ahead of difficult decisions.

Wish list

I am coveting these items for Finn's first birthday.  I thought I would post this just in case my fairy god-mother reads my blog.

Graco Nautilus car seat

This bedding at Land of Nod

 Awesome Fire house from Land of Nod

 Perfect for school! (Land of Nod)

 A trampoline like this one. This would be awesome during the winter months!!!

A Train table like this, that will grow with him as he gets bigger plays with more intricate train sets or cars, or whatnot.

Day 1 of Day Care

Today was the first day of full day 'school' for the kids.  They call it a school, but let's be honest, it's really child care.  Overall, they both did well, and I actually made it through the day only calling in once to check on them. Drop off went very well, and I think that's because both Zar and I were there.  Finn got a little misty eyed, but started playing right away.  Maeve barely looked up from the toys to wave us off to work.

Finn is in the Ocean Room, and he has three rotating teachers.  His main teacher, Miss Theresa, wasn't there today and I look forward to meeting her tomorrow.  His first nap only lasted for 30 minutes, and he was able to sit outside in the shade and read books with his teacher while the other kids napped (I think this is code for 'we wanted to keep the room quiet while the other kids actually slept').  He ate well for lunch and today's menu was "Rib tip with baked beans and orange pieces".  Seriously? That's much more gourmet than what he would receive at home.  He took a great afternoon nap (two hours!) and was just finishing a snack when I went to pick him up.  His teacher said that he made a friend (Penny) and the two of them chased each other around the gym area all morning.

Maeve is in the Turtle room and her main teacher is named Miss Liz.  Maeve quickly made friends an had a great time playing with her new friends all morning.  She learned everyone's name and amazed her teacher with her memory skills.  Miss Liz said Maeve's favorite time of the day was 'dramatic play'--no surprise there--but she also had a great time at the sensory table doing water play.  It took about an hour to get Maeve to nap, but REMARKABLY, she did.  I thought for sure it would take her a week before she was able to sleep on the cot, given the fact that she rarely sleeps anywhere except for her 'polka dot bed'.  On the ride home from school Maeve talked to my mom on the phone and told her about the class fish named Monster, and named all of her new friends.

Here's to hoping that tomorrow goes just as smoothly as today!

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all the wonderful men out there who have influenced and nurtured me along the way.  Now that I am a parent, I can really appreciate a lot of the things my dad has done for me along the way.  Here are just a couple of fond memories:

• When I was about 7 or 8, I was obsessed with lizards.  I would catch them all the time and build them little terrariums.  I didn't know this until later, but they would often die in my temporary little houses that I would make for them.  And my dad, being awesome, would pluck the dead ones out, catch new identical ones, replace them in the terrarium, and encourage me to let them go outside before they perished. 
• Around the same time, I was a pretty bad student in school.  We had parent teacher conferences a lot and finally figured out that I wasn't doing well in my classes because I was never doing my homework.  My parents were dumbfounded because as far as they knew, I never even had homework.  That's a little lesson not to trust an 8 year old.  So, my dad took matters into his own hands, and completed helped me complete the next two projects for with me.  I got F's on both of them.
• I had a terrible habit of leaving my bike in the driveway, causing my dad to have to get out and move it before paring his car when he came home from work. After many times of telling me that if I left my bike out in the driveway it could be stolen, one day it simply disappeared.  He was right, and I was heart broken for a week. Until he pulled it out of the back of truck, that is.  Lesson learned.
• One of the more tender memories I have is when our dog, Duchess, passed away.  I had been home alone and there were workmen at the house completing a renovation.  One of the men asked if I could call my dad because he had a question, and although this was odd, I complied. My dad rushed home, and told me to take our dog, Sydney, for a walk.  He looked like a completely different man to me--serious, sad, and gentle all at the same time. When I came home he explained to me that Duchess has passed away and he had buried her under the orange trees.  We made a tombstone for her.  Many years later Sydney was buried there also and he made her a white cross tombstone.
• He used to take me all over the state of Florida for day trips--Eggmont key, Coconut Grove Arts Festival, The Webster Pepper Festical to name a few.

I love you, Charlie!

Such a big boy

Finn is growing like crazy and turning into such a big boy.  He just got his first tooth, and it is still barely visible.  We are hoping that he will have some teeth by his first birthday, but it's not looking likely.  He says a few words now: Mama, dada, daddy, cat, ball, baba.  He had stood up on his own only a couple times, and takes a couple of steps while assisted.  He cruises around, pulls up on everything that he can (including Guinness, our dog) and crawls very around furiously.  He is into climbing the stairs whenever he can and sneaks away to do so.  He also loves eat the dog food and splash in Guinnie's water dish.  So, as far as we can tell, he is ALL boy. :)

Big Changes

We've had some big changes around here lately and I'm sorry that I haven't updated the blog in while.  My cousin Rose has been staying with us for a little over a month now and has been watching the kids while I go to work.  She has been accepted to a doctoral program for Physical Therapy at ODU (Go, Dr. Rose!), so she is headed back to Virginia on Monday.  Insert my sad face here.   I know it's the best for her, but I was really hoping that she'd go to grad school in St. Louis because it has been incredibly awesome to have her companionship. And free babysitting, but mostly companionship.  So on Monday we say good-bye to Rose. Insert my really sad face here.

Monday is also the day that I will officially start my job full-time.  I was originally planning on starting in September, but we found a great day care with full-time openings, so we had to jump at the chance.  I figured it's like ripping off a band aid--I just need to do it and get it over with.  I am a bit sad that we won't be having lazy summer days hanging by the pool, but let's be honest...there's no such thing as a lazy time when you have two kids under the age of three.  The kids will be attending a day care that is near Zar's office and Maeve has talked non-stop about her new school since we went to visit it last week.  She is definitely ready for more stimulus from a school environment, so I am very excited about this opportunity for her.  I am a bit more worried about Finn, but as Zar reminded me, Finn is no longer a baby and he will enjoy the developmental stimulation as well.

Wish us all luck on Monday!