By definition of Homework......

I often forget how literal 3 year olds can be.  No, seriously I do, even with my 3 year old shadow talking to me constantly, I do.... I forget.  This week Noah had a homework assignment for his pre-school class.  Now before you all freak out, it was to decorate a collage about things he LOVES.  Very cute I know.  I have to say I'm getting to be a mighty fine collage maker.  This is the 5th one I've made in the last three years, I'm sure #6 is a week or so away.

Back to the story, his HOMEwork was to make a collage.  He got the assignment last Monday and had a whole week to do it.  It was due yesterday.  I completed it Sunday...I like to teach my kids procrastination.  See I can't even complete this story without going off topic multiple times....it's late....forgive me.  Yes, 8:44pm is late these days.

Okay trying agan....the HOMEwork was due Monday.  We completed it and I have to say it looked darn cute for pulling things together Sunday morning and printing pics right off my computer onto card stock.  I listed all the things Noah loved....well most of them...he's pretty loving.  He then colored it with his big sisters help.  And when it was done we talked about it so he would know what to tell his classmates about all the things he loves and then packed it neatly into his folder and schoolbag.  I was proud of my our work.  He seriously did color it, with a lot of help from his sister....at his request.

So off to school we went Monday with our collage.  As I walked him in, I saw all the kiddos laughing, smiling and holding their collages proudly.  I couldn't wait to hear about what everyone loved and what he told the class  about his when I picked him up later that day.

So imagine my surprise when he gets in the car that afternoon and I open his folder and see the collage that I had did we had did.  My first thought was.....what the hell....I mean come on Mrs. P, you could have at least kept it one day....I worked so damn hard!  I was perplexed.  His teacher last year had hung them all year and sent them home in a scrapbook at the end.  Surely his new teacher could keep them a night....right?

Hey Noah....did Mrs. P not want to keep your collage at school?

"Uh-huh"

Uh-huh she did or Uh-huh she did not.

"She did"

"She did want to?"

"Yeah....but I cwried"

You cried?

"Yeah I cwried because I didn't want to"

You didn't want to what?

"I didn't want to weave mine....so I cwried and her let me take it home."

Did any of the other kids take theirs home?  Or just you?

silence


Noah did the other kids hang theirs up or take them home?

"They hung dem...I taked mine home becuase I cwried"

Buddy, no we have to send it back....you have to leave it at school like your friends....we can't take it back home.

And the crocodile tears started.....so did the hysterical crying and incomprehensible speech.  I finally got him to calm down enough to explain to me that...

"Momma it's HOME- WORK....I don't want it at school....I want it at HOME!"

I'm not exaggerating when I tell you that the crying  and negotiating went on for an hour over the homework.  I tried explaining that homework is sent home to do, but goes back to school.   He has still not mastered the definition of HOMEwork.  I promised to help him make another collage for at home...I also promised that one day we would get this one back.  But none of these promises pacified the little guy.  So I had to use the tough love approach when I explained the collage was going back to school and that he would get it later when all the other kids did.  Tears or no tears.  He finally accepted that.

He wanted the homework on that board up there apparently.  

Today I didn't send it back though.  I walked him in to talk with Mrs. P to see if Noah's version of the story was true.  Especially since I learned that his little friend Bella brought hers home too.  Well his story was true.  Apparently when she went to hang them, Noah started crying.  It took Mrs. P a minute to figure out why.  Once she did, she told him he could take it home, she didn't want to upset him.  After that he started a domino effect with the 3 year olds and they all wanted to bring theirs home....Mrs P, being the wonderful, sweet teacher she is, let them.  But this Mamma is a stickler for rules and tomorrow it's going back.

Yes, my Noah is very literal, poor little guy.

In hiding....

I've sat down to blog in the last couple of months a million times, but each time I got up right after logging in.  Because blogging, like my life, has become overwhelming.  I mean it's not that I don't have much to say, it's that I have too much to say.  Life is changing rapidly  here and while I am now confidently treading the water of being a mom of three.  Every now and then our pediatrician life throws us a huge tidal wave.

Lots has happened....lots of changes....lots of news....lots.  So I figure if I don't just jump back in, there will never be a good time to start blogging again.  It amazes me how much one more child can add to your plate.  Life with two was pretty great and pretty easy.  Not to say moms of two have it so much easier than me.  I think it all has to do with what's on  your plate.  My life with two was easy.  Three tikes has spread me so thin I don't know if I can do it all.  Granted Margot has more doctor appointments than your average bear and Meredith suddenly and unexpectedly made a huge school change.  We went from a small playschool to a preschool at a real school.  Those few things alone have added so much to an already full plate.

I mean between doctor appointments, dental appointments, kidney stones, field trips, Christmas programs, lunch dates with mere, drop off and pick up and meetings for the various organizations I belong to, I don't know how much more I can  handle.  And so it was at that point I had to start cutting things from my to do list.  Blogging was one of the things I put on the back burner, along with baby books, housework, baseboards, and laundry.  But when the whole family wore dirty jeans to a birthday party and Josh wore dirty scrubs to work, I decided the laundry had to be permanently put back on the to do list. 

Blogging did not make it back on the to do list, but I've missed it.  And I'm sure you have missed hearing all about my so called life.

So let's start with a few updates....

Margot

She is 6 quickly approaching 7 months old.....I guess that is tired speak for 6 and a half months old.  She is sitting with minimal assistance, she is cooing like a champ, she is eating like a champ - when she is not sick.  She loves her baby food and thinks puffs are great too.  We have come a long way with my little Margot.  She has been in more specialist office in the last 6 months than the other two tikes put together.  She has a diagnosis of congenital hypothyroidism and we have an appointment with a pediatric neurosurgeon in March.  She is a pro at having blood drawn for lab work and that just breaks a Mommas heart.  She is the worlds best baby.  She sleeps in her baby bed all by herself.  She falls asleep on her own, but will also let her Momma rock her.  She loves toys, keys or anything she can get those little chubby fingers around and when she does it all goes straight to her mouth.  She laughs uncontrollably at her big sister and hides in fear from her brother.  She loves him, she just really loves it when he doesn't torment her.  She loves to nurse, however she prefers to do it at 9pm, midnight, 3am and 6am....because the daytime is way too busy to stop and eat.  If it is time to eat and we just can't for whatever reason she is totally cool with that and will wait  patiently.  She's my shoulder baby....meaning she will fall asleep while I'm holding her by laying her head on my shoulder....that is a first for me and I freaking love it!   Laid back doesn't even begin to describe my smiley, happy baby girl.  If I could be guaranteed 4 more like her I'd beg Josh for 4 more....kidding Josh....kidding....well sort of.  I'd beg for just one more.  Her favorite toy is a pink rattle.  Her favorite snack is puffs I guess or breast milk.  Her favorite food is sweet potatoes.

Noah
Noah is a little over 3 and right smack in the middle.  That is my Noah.  He is in the middle constantly, he is shuffled to all of his big sister's activities and all of his little sister's doctor appointments.  He walks to the beat of his own drum.  He goes with the flow, but makes it known he is going with it because it is his choice.  He does nothing quietly and if he does...you can bet the middle of the oreos are gone.  I feel bad about the him being in the middle.  I strive to make sure he gets as much attention as the first who is always experiencing something new and the baby who needs lots of attention.  Noah is smart.  He gets things.  He can watch something for a minute and he has figured it out and if he doesn't, he will ask.  He has the vocabulary of a 5 year old....I laugh when I think about how I had him evaluated for speech.  He is my only child who never shuts up.....EVER.  He is constantly telling you something, asking you something or talking to himself.  Surprisingly he never runs out of things to say.  He loves the colors green and white.  LOVES them, even though he will say his favorite colors are pink and blue....because that is what his big sister says.  He adores his big sister.  Most of the time, like 98% of it, they are best friends......the other 2% I want to run away screaming.  He loves school and is fiercely independent.  He can drive a power wheel like no body's business.  My neighbor thinks he is a better driver than most of the other cars that drive through my neighborhood.  His listening skills need major improvements and he will tell you that. He will randomly tell you throughout the day that he loves you for no reason.....and it will melt your heart.  He loves to be social and isn't really shy, although he's not super outgoing either.  He's right in the middle, which is a great place to be.  He has the absolute best personality.  He wakes up extremely happy and has everyone around him in stitches all day.  He rarely gets angry, but when he does watch out.  He's a ham bone and so loved.  His favorite toy is a toss up between trains, his fire engines and his big 18 wheeler.  His favorite book is "The little engine that could."  His favorite snack is Oreos.  And he recently decided he hates bananas, but when he gets that you wont' give him any other snack but a banana, he WILL eat it with gusto.  His favorite food is spaghetti and meatballs.

Meredith

Meredith is 4, but soon to be 5.  Most of her little friends are already 5 and that is devastating to her.  She is now in pre-k 4 at the local Catholic school here.  She wears a uniform and goes to school for far too long each day.  It still makes me sad to think about it and I'm sad all week long and can't wait until friday of each week when she is home.  We moved her mid year, which is hard, but she has adjusted way better than I ever thought she would.  Her teacher said she is doing great and making friends.  She can write her full name, she can read various sight words, she can recognize color words and shapes.  She can write her numbers.  She LOVES computer time at school and also LOVES music class.  She doesn't like to color and she will tell you that.  She is not fond of her new school, because it's long and frankly I agree.  Moving her to a new school was one of those decisions as a parent that you don't want to have to come across.  We moved her for big reasons.  Big reasons that kept us up late at night.  We made hard decisions that we knew would not be easy to follow through with, but we did.  Because we knew that, that was ultimately the best thing to do for Meredith at the time and because that is what parents do.  I hope one day she realizes why we made them.  Because right now she still doesn't want to go to  her new school in the mornings....and that is hard.  She loves to play school at home though.  She loves to read and write.  She loves to be the teacher and hold  up flashcards for me and noah ALL DAY LONG.  While I play along with it....let's just say Noah is not a star pupil after about 2 minutes.  She loves to dance.  She can come up with a song and choreograph a dance in no time.  She's got lots of rhythm.  LOTS.  She is a great helper.  She can change a diaper and believe it or not is always willing to help me out with the younger two tikes.  However when it comes to helping herself, she still likes to be the baby at times.  She's shy....painfully shy.  She's just like I was, so I know she will be okay and outgoing one day.  She's not a morning person and she definitely has her mommas mood.  While Noah may be all smiles, Meredith is all attitude...it just depends on the day of the week.  She is still very much a mommas girl and that is okay with me.  Her favorite colors are still pink and blue.  Her favorite singer is Madonna.  Her favorite toy is her barbie dolls right now.  Her favorite book is any book, my child has a serious addiction to reading....she is her mother's daughter.  I will often catch her reading to her brother and sister and her brother will sit intently listening to her.  And no she cannot really read, but she can pick out sight words out of lots of books.  By reading I mean she has most of her books memorized.   Her favorite snack is anything with sugar.  Her favorite food is Chinese or shrimp pasta and dessert.  My baby lives for dessert. 

My kids think I am the world's best cook.  I wanted that written down for proof....in case they ever change their mind.  So there we are...all caught up.  HARDLY.  But I will be back and give more updates.  I PROMISE!

What she says....the fairy

 Blair this one is for you....

So a few weeks ago a friend of mine and fellow blogger posted a story about a special fairy.  This fairy is the clean up fairy.  After countless days of begging and pleading for Meredith and Noah to pick up their toys....and threats of throwing their toys away if they didn't pick them up, I took Blair's idea and went with it.  I told Meredith about the fairy.  I told her how she came at night and picked up any toys that were left out and gave them to boys and girls that didn't have any toys.

After my preschool explanation of this fairy and how she worked, my daughter began to cry.  At first I thought it was because she was so sensitive to the fact that some boys and girls had absolutely no toys.  I went into lots of detail about that and here she was sobbing about how some kids had no toys and she was going to share them.   I was impressed.....about to pat myself on the back...who said parenting was hard?  It wasn't but a few seconds later and then I realized that she was crying because she didn't want that fairy to come and give her toys to anyone.  It wasn't that she wanted to share with others who had no toys, it was that she didn't want to share with anyone....toys or no toys!  I know I will continue to work on that sharing thing, right after I get this clean up thing working.

Anyway I digress....back to the fairy.   So I go into detail and explain and re-explain how it works.  That night when the tikes are in bed, the play room, and their bedrooms are spotless.  I helped, but they did the bulk of the work.  Meredith worried about the fairy and Noah picking up due to his sister's persistent begging so that the fairy won't come.  The next night same thing.   In fact their have been times where we couldn't leave the house with the play room a mess in fear that the fairy would come by while we were out. 

A few days go by, the picking up continues and I realize my child is genuinely afraid of this fairy.  She is losing sleep over it, literally.  She can't sleep at night in fear of the fairy coming in her room at night to get her toys.  I am frustrated.  I didn't paint this fairy out to be the bad guy.  I didn't say she looked like a wicked witch and pulled toes.  So I really didn't want to have to say she was pretend and go back to living in a pig pen, but let's face it....we all need sleep....and by sleep I mean in our own beds.   So I did it, I broke down....I told her the damn fairy wasn't real.  She was just pretend.  She could sleep, there was no fairy coming.  It was just me and I was just going to throw those toys away if they were left out. 

My moment of truth did not change the mind of my 3 year old.  To her that fairy she still exist and I am just saying that she is pretend so she will sleep.  We still pick up at night.  She still stays up at night in fear of her.  I guess I need to make sure that the fairy brings a few surprises to let Meredith know she is a good fairy.

But today, the fairy thing backfired completely.  Meredith, Noah and I were in the backyard playing outside, when they started moving the pea gravel that is in the sand boxes under the swing set and dumping it all over the yard.  I quickly halted this and told them we needed to pick it up and put it back.  PRONTO!  They just stared.....

"Guys....NO, NO, NO,  the rocks stay under the swing set!"

"but why?"

"Because....I do not want pea gravel all over the yard."

"but why?"

"Because....it will kill the grass"

"but why?"

"Because when we cut the grass it will get shot across the yard by the lawn mower."

"but why?"

"Because IT BELONGS in the boxes under your playhouse and that is where it needs to stay"

"but why?"

"because I freaking said so.....BECAUSE, BECAUSE, BECAUSE!"

"but..."

"No...stop right there...let's pick up....RIGHT NOW"

"No mom, let's just leave it.  Da fairy will come when we are sleeping and just throw it away.  Okay!"

I realize I was outsmarted by a 3 year old this afternoon.  Lord help me when she is 16.

On days when she just dresses herself

My diva.  She has a fashion sense that is totally her own.  Some mornings we completely bat heads over the wardrobe.  Many of you may think like my mother, why on Earth do I give her the choice.  Well let me just say.  She doesn't always get to choose.  Sometimes when we are going somewhere or on Sunday mornings, I choose for her and that is that.  She knows that and typically does not fight me on this.  As long as the outfit meets her very picky standards.  Most of time I let her pick between two things.  And others I let her have free reign.  I figure what does it really hurt if she gets to pick her clothes for the day.  I'll tell ya, not a damn thing.

  It has gotten easier since I have gotten to know what she likes and what she does not like and will refuse to wear.  Remember when I said I only bought pink things, I did that way I didn't' have a drawer full of clothes not being worn because they weren't Pepto Bismol pink.  I started buying clothes that meet her very high standards of 1)not being tight around her arms  2)not being empire waisted and being tight across her chest 3)not being tight on her waist  and 4)not containing too much frilly stuff....then we got to a place where we are good.  I hated wearing stuff I did not like as a child.  I'm changing that with my own children. Here are some examples...

She loved this one....didn't want to take it off.

She totally put this ensemble together....do you love the shirt hair?  Yes, a yellow shirt she wore all day on her head like hair.....ALL DAY.  To the grocery, McDonalds, Target....ALL DAY!

Dress up at the discovery center.  She loves dress up and totally gets into character when she does. 

More dress up...this is my recent favorite princess ansemble she has put together.  We typically always wear her green dress, with a crown, heels and a purse.  See her side picture for an example.  However today, she totally mixed it up and had on a blue dress with two or three tutus underneath it.  This totally broke her no tightness around the waist rule, oh well.  I guess rules were meant to be broken.  Oh and when we are in princess garb, we have to play the part and refer to her as princess Meredith.  Today she waited for her little prince to wake up from his nap so he could dance with her.....he didn't cooperate when he awoke.

I wanted you to see the multiple layers under that dress.  I like to encourage her creativity and decision making skills.  I love it!

Preschool Photo Shoot

Today Meredith started 3 year old preschool.  She could not wait!  We have been waiting for this day for weeks.  I thought she would get a little nervous and change her mind, but as you can see..... that did NOT happen! 

What a difference a year makes.

Ready to leave...."Can we go now?"  This was after three outfit changes and tears over what she could wear.

Her cheesy grin....it's what I get when I say smile....or say cheese!

When I told her to pose like a big 3 year old going to preschool, I got this....hmmm.

The obligatory preschool bricks shot, I think I got this last year too.

The I have had enough pictures....seriously mom....my friends are in this parking lot.

Her new classroom.

She jumped right in and played.   I even got a you can go now mom. 

Here she is with Mrs. K! I love her already. I wish Meredith would have taken the time to look, since this is the only picture I got with Mrs. K. Oh well. I have lots of others from today!

What she says.....Three year old drama

This truly happened....

"Meredith if you keep it up we will not read books tonight......I mean it, we will just say prayers and sing the goodnight song.....no books.....stop throwing a fit or WE WILL NOT READ BOOKS!"

Well lately I realized I am a big ball of threats that are not carried out......the fit continued.

"That's it, no books tonight. Let's go march up the steps....no books"

"BUT I WANT BOOKS.....WAH!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"Nope, sorry, I told you, you were going to lose books....that's it."

She stops crying, we brush her teeth, she climbs in her bed, I climb in too, she is actually smiling, we sing the good night song, I say her prayers with her, I give her a big kiss and go to leave the room. The wailing starts.

Josh explains..."Meredith, Mommy is not reading you a book, here are your books, you can read them if you want, but you lost that privilege tonight. Do you know why?"

"WAHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!! BUT I DON'T KNOW HOW TO READ.....DAT'S NOT FAIR!"

All of this because I filled a pink sippy cup for her to bring to bed and she wanted the princess one. When I refused to switch and dirty an additional cup she lost it, she never recovered, despite the fact of losing her "mommy reading books to me" privilege. Life is never dull.

What she says....At least she's honest

Meredith and her little friend Adalyn in a private conversations....

Adalyn - "My house is always clean."

Meredith - "Well my house is NEVER clean"

Where's the logic....what she says

Tonight I was tucking my exhausted tike into bed. We were talking all about the Easter bunny coming tonight and how she had to go to bed so he will come to her house too.

"Go to sleep bug, the Easter bunny will be here soon?"

"Where is he?"

"Right now he is at Grace and Adalyn's house and if you go to sleep he will be here next?"

And then she sings "here comes peter cotton tail, hopping down da bunny trail...hippity, hoppity, Easter's on it's way.....he's got jelly beans for noah, colored eggs for Merediff too.....Momma I no want da jelly beans, I want da colored eggz"

"That's right, now go to sleep, I think I hear him"

listens intently to the noise the "bunny" is making downstairs

"Mom is dat him?.....I wanna go see him....les go!"

"No bug, you can't go down and see him, you can only see him at the mall"

Then she looks at me puzzled "but why momma, why I can't see him tonight....why only at da mall?"


You know kid, it makes no sense to me either, it's just the way it works. When you have a brand new three year old and a 17 month old and are exhausted from a day of birthday party festivities, an easter egg hunt and a crawfish boil, then you will see the logic too!

Three years, two trips to the hospital, two very different outcomes

On April 9, 2009, at 10pm I told Josh that we needed to go to an immediate care. They were closed, so we wound up in the ER. I woke up yesterday morning feeling really off, nauseated, stomach cramps, totally not myself. By 1pm I had thrown up and let me tell you it wasn't pleasant. For the next 9 hours I continued to vomit, with no relief. I couldn't hold anything down and was so weak and felt awful. Josh gave me some nausea medicine and it did nothing for me, so that is how we found ourselves in the ER where I was treated for dehydration and given some meds that took the edge off the nausea.

On April 9, 2006, at 6am I told Josh that we needed to go to the hospital because my water broke. It definitely did, well at least it had the second time I told him. We jumped in the car and headed to the hospital. There I was admitted and began to wait for the arrival of my first child, my Meredith.

On April 10, 2009, I came home at 1:30am still nauseated and the only thing I got from that trip was a pink bucket to vomit in and some prescriptions.

On April 10, 2006, at 12:03am I welcomed the most beautiful baby girl into the world. She was tiny, she was loud and she was perfect.

Today my baby girl is three. It seems like just yesterday she was born. However, yesterday I was sick and she was so sweet and wanted to take care of me.....where does the time go? I don't know how we got to this point. Sometimes I wonder what I am doing? if I am doing things right ?and then I look at her....her manners, her kindness, her personality, her positive attitude, her little quirks and I know that I am doing something right.

Happy Birthday my sweet girl!