Catching Up

I'm finally sitting down to write for the first time in over a week! That's what happens when I don't get a day off, LOL. Let's see. . .where was I. . .

Logan's first day of preschool was postponed to this Wednesday (tomorrow). My mom and stepdad left yesterday after passing through Omaha for an appointment, as well as my cousin & fam from Wisconsin are in Nebraska this week for a work-family trip and wanted to meet Logan for the first time. It made me realize that Monday is probably the worst day of the week for Logan to go to preschool because we often need that security blanket from the weekend. Even though for the past couple of months he's been going to Gail's on Mondays, that's just because I know I can change it any week that I have something going on. But preschool is more of a commitment -- even though as long as there is an opening Logan can go any day of the week, I have to keep him going that day until I change it and then it has to stay that way for another length of time. (Whereas with Gail I can change every single week if I want to.)

The good news is that we received a discount when we signed Logan up, due to where Joe works, so we only have to pay $81 for his two days opposed to the original $90. But unlike what I said in my previous post, I DO have to pay if he doesn't go (unlike at Gail's), however rather than the $81 it's $25 for the weeks that he doesn't go -- so that's better than full price.

Needless to say, when we went for our parent orientation last Wednesday I told the director that we would just do one day a week (Wednesdays) until there is an opening on Thursdays and then he'll go two days a week. She said that would be fine. . .but then talked me into doing Fridays, LOL. I'm sure it's easier for their paperwork and billing and all of that to start at two days if that's my ultimate plan (plus more money for them :p) so even though Fridays are currently full, it is only during two hours while there is a boy who then leaves for the rest of the day so they said going over the limit for just two hours should be fine.

SO, Logan will be going on Wednesdays and Fridays. (He'll miss Spanish day now but will have music and soccer day!) That should work better for me because then I get an extra start to my weekend, although I told her to still let me know when a Thursday opens up because I like the back-to-back days best because then if I'm doing something one day that I don't finish (typically something writing-related), I can finish the next day.

Anyway, they pointed out that Logan was already more comfortable during our orientation on Wednesday compared to two days before when we went for a refresher to our original visit last fall. He went right over to the table that he had played at previously and played with the magnet blocks that had been his favorite (the pictures are on our photo site). There are ten boys in the class and two girls, and one of the girls who had been interested in him the first day stayed by his side the entire time during our second day, haha! It was really cute, I think he's already made a friend :-)

He also talked a little to the teacher this time and happily accepted two stickers that she gave him. He dumped out some different shapes on the table and began putting them into piles according to shape so the teacher was impressed that he just randomly did that. I told her he loves to organize!

They have a cubby for him now with his picture (they actually got a good one of him smiling on Wednesday) so we brought pull-ups and wipes, a sheet and blanket for nap time, and a change of clothes to keep there at all times.

We've continued to talk about preschool with him and he definitely understands what's going on so I think overall it'll be easier than when I left him at Gail's for the first time at 11 months old. . .but I still told Joe that HE'S going to be dropping him off from the first day on! I will say my goodbyes tomorrow morning at our house, as he burst into tears on Sunday evening when my parents said they'd watch Logan if Joe and I wanted to go out to eat and that was hard enough! The last time they watched him had been the first time he'd done that and I'd hoped it was just cuz he had that constipation-issue, but this time he had been happily playing and changed like a light switch! I'm sure I will still cry knowing that he is, but it will be easier if I don't see him. :p Plus, having both of his parents leave him might actually be more traumatic than just one, so we'll immediately start with the drop-off plan that we plan to stick to which is that Joe will take him on his way to work and I will pick him up. For his first week (both this Wednesday and Friday) I am picking him up after lunch at 11:30, so next week will be his first full days. . .maybe that will help the transition.

It will be nice to have this security now with the baby coming. I always knew in the back of my mind that Gail could decide at any point to quit (I just hoped it wasn't either when I was having morning sickness or right when the baby was born!), and there have been a few other times when situations on her end have changed the regular schedule, so at least this way I know it's FOR SURE. If the teacher is sick, they have someone else to fill in and they already have their holidays and days off scheduled, etc.

I am pretty sure that once Logan adjusts he will like it as well as he likes Gail's house. Speaking of Gail, I still am not clear on what's going on. As I said in my last post, I emailed her to let her know I was praying for her and I asked how things were going; she said she'd have more info after her surgery this Friday. Well then yesterday I emailed her to ask if I can stop by sometime this week to pick up Logan's two outfits that he has there and she said "any time except naptime."

Huh?

The funny thing is that Joe had said just a couple of days before, "What if you go pick up Logan's clothes and all of the other kids are there?"

I guess it makes sense, I mean, when she told me that she was taking immediate time off I thought, I wonder what all of the other parents are doing since they work? That wasn't much notice for them to find somewhere else for their children to go! So Joe thinks that she told everyone the same thing, but for the parents who don't have any other option their kids are still going until her surgery this Friday. But are they using this time to find someplace new for after her surgery??? That's why I'm still confused. Over a week ago I asked her if she is for sure returning and she didn't reply. So now I don't feel as bad about starting Logan in preschool. . .I hadn't wanted it to appear that I had abandoned her in her time of need when I tell her that he won't be coming every week now that he's started at La Petite. But this is her third week off from watching Logan and I still don't have any idea if her time off is temporary or permanent so hopefully she will understand.

Regardless, I pray that after this Friday it will all be put in the past for her and her family and she will make a full recovery.

In other news, last Wednesday after our orientation at La Petite, Logan and I went to "the party store" to buy stuff for his birthday party! I can't believe it's just a month away! He has definite ideas of what he wants this year. He wants a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse theme and insisted on party hats and balloons :-) (He talked me into letting him have one of each until the big day.) I also ordered his cake and cupcakes (he wants both so I chose a small white cake and chocolate cupcakes). I wanted to do a Mickey Mouse head cutout for the cake but I was surprised The Cake Gallery (where I ordered from) can't do it (and I am not talented enough to make it), but that was fine because Logan said he'd prefer Mickey Mouse in an airplane anyway. I didn't know what he meant and then I saw a cake on their website of Mickey Mouse in an airplane -- perfect!

In the check-out line and on our way home in the car he started crying and shouting because he wanted his party NOW (Wednesday was our only bad day last week, thankfully the other days he was his usual joy/they weren't like the week prior -- but I still see a change in him now that he's nearing three). When we pulled into the driveway I said firmly, "Logan, we can't have the party today because nobody knows to come yet!" So he got out of the car, walked out on the driveway, and began calling in a very sweet voice, "Kids? Kids? Come to my party, please!"

I had to laugh.

That's the thing, with him not behaving as a robot lately, he is getting even more enjoyable as I'm seeing more and more of his individual personality. Let's face it, as a parent it's much easier to have your kid do everything you say without any complaints, or saying no, or talking back! But I've always known that it's not realistic and he's almost been too good to be true when it comes to all of that the past three years, so I think it's all subconscious as he's moving on to a new phase. The reason I say subconscious is because during that "handful week" a couple of weeks ago I was brought to tears and he came over and hugged me and said, "It's going to be okay, Mommy, your daddy will be home soon." Ha! Like a child, he thought I was missing Joe, I guess? Then today when I started raising my voice, clearly getting upset, due to him complaining and complaining, he went over to the crayons and paper and said, "Can I make you a heart so that you'll be happy?"

I thanked him and said yes, I would appreciate that :p He still prefers to be a good boy, so now when he starts doing something that I know will make me upset, I bring it to his attention that he's not behaving like a good boy and then he usually says "oh, sorry Mommy, me a good boy" and then stops! He just doesn't immediately realize that I don't find it as fun as he does to chase him around the house to get him dressed :p I've also started now to bribe him -- i.e. "if you do (a) (what I want), then you can do (b) (what you want)" which is working 99% of the time. So, just like last week, this week has been better than two weeks ago, too. Still, it'll be nice to have a three-hour break on Wednesday and Friday this week. :/

On Thursday we had nice weather so he had fun sitting in his stroller while I pushed him around the neighborhood (I noticed those pinches in my abdomen again but I've learned how to walk so that they aren't as bad!), then to the park and then we played outside in our front & back yard the rest of the day.

On Friday we met Brooke and Kaelyn at the zoo for the first time in 2011! We just renewed our zoo pass so we can go weekly for another year :-) It was GORGEOUS that day. I had dressed Logan in a sweatshirt and coat but it wasn't long before we took off our coats, and after a couple of hours in just our shirts we were HOT! We stayed almost 5 hrs and still neither one of us wanted to leave! Those hills are going to be a killer for me while pregnant, but at the same time I felt GREAT so I look forward to many more walks around the zoo over these next few months.

On Saturday Joe took Logan again :-) I stayed home and cleaned the house; as I said at the beginning of this post, my parents came on Sunday and watched Logan while Joe and I went out for a nice meal at Biaggi's. When they left on Monday, I put Logan down for a nap, and then just minutes after he woke up my cousins arrived (dad's sister's son named Paul and his wife Kim and their three kids). We had a really nice time chatting. I hadn't seen Kim or the two oldest kids since 2003 and had never met the youngest. Logan was shy at first but ended up having a blast playing with the kids, especially Lydia the middle child who is 9. He kept asking the rest of the night (and even this morning) when they are coming back!

We went for a family walk with Joe and the dogs around the neighborhood last night, as this week is wonderful weather, too.

Today I took Logan to get a couple of shots since it's been awhile. He only has one more and then will be completely caught up (a year-and-a-half later than what is typical). I needed to get a copy of his vaccination records to bring to his first day of school tomorrow so I figured we might as well just pick up the copy in person. My pediatrician is sooo far away, 45 minutes, at the new Methodist Women's Hospital -- a few months ago I actually thought of changing to a different pediatrician near our house once the baby is born, but Joe talked me into keeping Dr. Arispe cuz he is in fact the most perfect we can imagine, haha. Anyway, we hadn't planned on ever giving Logan the chicken pox vaccine, but the only option for the MMR is a combined version of that and the chicken pox so that's what he had today. All that's left is the final Hep B.

I just read the post that I wrote during this time of being pregnant with Logan (My Birthday In The ER) and it made me see how I really did change at that point, as I felt I had during my 28th birthday month. This pregnancy has had much less anxiety, more confidence, etc. I can definitely understand how mothers tend to go more with the flow with their subsequent children.

There really isn't much to report for me pregnancy-wise (I'm in that great period of pregnancy!); I am at the end of my 20th week (starting #21 tomorrow) and am up 17 lbs. Logan has adjusted to the baby being a girl, haha. He now tells everyone happily that he's going to have a sister :-) I think they're going to be great together. He said the other day, "When the baby comes, me going to hold her and rock her and sing "Twinkle Twinkle" while giving her a bottle." I think my heart melted!

My next doctor's appointment isn't until April 8th at 1:45 (I'll be in my 24th week) so hopefully my pregnancy will continue to be uneventful!