Happy Feet - Week 1

Last Sunday was Jackson's first foray into organized sports. We had talked it up for several weeks now, and were excited about the low-key introduction to soccer. The concept of the Happy Feet league fit what we wanted in his first organized activity: 1 practice/scrimmage per week for an hour. Each Sunday afternoon, the kids spend the first 30 minutes practicing skills, running drills and playing silly games. The last 30 minutes are spent on a 4 on 4 game versus an opposing team. Jackson's team is the Red Rockets (Ben has enjoyed making jokes about this team name for a month now). Jackson T. & Jackson P. (as they are referred to in school) really cause some confusion for the coach!






While the first half of the deal was awesome and Jackson had a blast running, kicking and playing, the second half was a different story. Let's just say that the week prior to the game, I had emphasized scoring goals and did not even prepare him for the fact that the other team would be trying to stop him from doing so. So on the first play, he got the ball and was driving for the goal when another player managed to kick the ball away from him.

M-E-L-T-D-O-W-N.

Throwing himself on the ground, kicking & screaming that, "I didn't win, I wanted to win." Talk about a team player. Ben spent the next 20 minutes trying to calm him down and convince him to get back out there and try again.



He eventually got on the field but as soon as the defensive team came within range of him, he lost it. I guess its our fault for not explaining that unlike kicking it around the backyard, the actual soccer field consists of two teams who are competing for the ball. But more importantly, this has given us an excellent opportunity to teach sportsmanship, team-mentality and that its not all about winning.

On the upside, he does look adorable in his tiny shin guards.


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Julie's Baby Shower

A couple weeks ago, a few friends and I threw Julie a diaper shower to help celebrate the upcoming arrival of baby Liam.




It was so much fun to host the shower and actually use my fine china and crystal (for only the second time in 7 years, I'm ashamed to admit). We had a really good turnout and Julie should be stocked up on diapers & wipes for at least a few months!















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My neck. My back. My neck and my back!

Well not really back, just neck. But I couldn't resist using one of the few movies lines that I actually know.

Anyways, Jackson woke up at 4:30 AM on Monday morning in screaming pain. His neck was hurt and he could not move his head without major discomfort. Neither Ben or I could get him calmed down so we called the peds after hours line and the nurse basically told us to go to the ER because neck injuries were serious. While it was not injury-related, we had never seen Jackson so hysterical and in so much pain. He did not have a fever or rash, so the nurse's theory of meningitis was scary but not realistic. But when Jackson said he was okay with missing that day's pizza party at school and that yes, this was an emergency and he needed to go to the hospital, we decided to air on the side of caution and make the first of probably many trips to the ER.

We loaded him up in the carseat and braced his head with towels and he was somewhat comfortable {for all of you former lifeguards like myself, don't fret -- this was not a spinal injury that needed proper bracing}. Of course, the children's ER is clear across town as opposed to the hospital that is literally less than a mile from our house.

By the time we get to the ER, Jackson had calmed down and the motrin has started working. He quietly laid in the hospital bed in the ER and watched Full House while we waited on the doctor.




Upon consultation, they suspected that he had a crick in his neck, or had jarred it somehow the day before, and that, combined with a mild upper-respiratory infection and swollen lymph nodes, he had severe localized pain in his neck. We got a bottle of amoxycillian as a consolation prize - because one of his ears was "slightly inflamed" - and were sent home with orders to rest and take motrin every 6 hours. And the gummy Halloween sucker I had thrown in my bag as a Hail Mary didn't hurt either.




Jackson was passive until about lunch time, but by the time we picked Weston up at 2, he was bouncing off the walls, the medical drama from the wee hours clearly forgotten.
We are thankful that it was nothing more serious, but next time, unless it is a definitive emergency, we vow to wait an hour or so to see if things improve as opposed to listening to the on-call nurse's CYA approach.

Three days later, I had to literally hold Jackson down in order to cut off his hospital bracelet.




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Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho, to Oma & Opa's we go

A few weeks ago, we headed down to Brunswick to spend a long weekend with Oma & Opa, Uncle Jon and William, Tinka & Cora. Let me preface this by saying that the week prior to our trip, Ben was traveling and had plans to fly directly in to Jacksonville, meaning I got the privilege of driving the 6-hour trip with both kids solo. What a treat. Lets just say that I do not plan to do that again any time soon. We did stop in Cola for a little intermission at Sally's house, and the kids loved seeing their buddies.






Jon is moving to the Seattle area this month and he will be there for the next 3 years. So our weekend in Brunswick also served as a farewell send-off for him. We baked cookies, went out on the boat, went to the waterpark, ate and ate and ate, and just enjoyed spending time with family that we don't get to see nearly enough.



























On Saturday night, we did a big low country boil with all of Lill's extended family. We enjoyed seeing everyone and had Ben an early little birthday party with the most delish red velvet cake I've ever eaten. Jackson thought it was the greatest thing to have a "party" for Ben.



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Fall Fun

Over the weekend while Ben was consumed with getting our rental house finished up, the boys and I hit up a few fun fall activities.
On Friday afternoon, we went to Freaky Friday, an annual fall carnival fundraiser for a local elementary school. While the name alludes to a scary theme, the afternoon festivities were not scary, and included rides, bounce houses, midway games and lots of food. We met up with some friends and the boys had a blast with all the activities.









On Saturday, I took the boys to the local pumpkin patch. They had so much fun running through the pumpkins, seeing chickens and chicks and climbing on the "horses" made of saddled up hay bales.










The hayride...not so much. In theory, it sounded like a great idea, but one Mommy wrangling two squirmy kiddos on a hot, bumpy, 30-minute hayride was not the best decision I've ever made. About 10 minutes into it, Weston wanted down. And of course I didn't have any snacks or drinks to pacify him with, and we are clear across the farm so we really can't jump ship unless I want to carry the kids on through cornfields and barnyards to get back. So needless to say, we were all very thankful when that overloaded wagon pulled back into the barn.

Progress

We have been trying to transition Weston into preschool and it hasn't been an easy task.

Initially, he was moved from the 1K class down to the baby room since he has a mid-August birthday and was not walking, not weaned and cried the entire day. I was not a happy mama about being "demoted" but I agreed that it was a better fit for him at the time. The 1K was was primarily older 1s (18+ months) and he seemed like such a baby compared to the others. But I certainly didn't want him to get pigeon-holed into being held back just because he was a late walker in his first year of life.

However, whenever I dropped him off 9am, they'd swoop out and get him in the hallway so that his crying would not wake the sleeping babies. And when I'd pick him up at 2, he'd be in the stroller, where he'd been strolled the majority of the day in order to keep him from disturbing the babies in his "classroom". Read: He spent very little time in his actual room.

Well after 4 weeks of "rough days", I decided that either a) he needed to be put in the correct class so he could adapt & adjust without being bored, b) we needed to find another program that had a younger 1's class, or c) pull him out until after Christmas when he would be more ready.

I checked into another program and after seeing their atmosphere, level of teacher/child interaction and quality of activities, I was confirmed in my opinion that our preschool is beyond compare, and I was not going to find another program that I would be happy with (at least, not at this age). Not to mention the hassle of dropping kids off at two separate preschools.

And as an answer to prayer, the same day as our visit at the other preschool, as I was returning Weston to his class for the day, our preschool director was waiting on us to explain that she decided to go ahead and move Weston up to the 1K class, but have an additional teacher in the room to be specifically with Weston. (We like to call her his "coach".) So when he gets fussy, or when they walk to the gym, or outside, or he gets tired during storytime, she cares for him one-on-one to make sure he is being accommodated. This arrangement will be for a month or so until he is adjusted well enough to interact independently with his class.

I am so thankful for our preschool's willingness to accommodate. Gradually, Weston is crying less each day and becoming happier while he's away from me. And he even got his first GOOD note home:



That ones going in the baby book!!!

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Location:Valley Fall Ct,Greer,United States

The List

Earlier this week, we were running late leaving for preschool (as usual). I had made an extensive to-do list, complete with my shopping needs at each of my two dozen stops, but apparently left it on the counter as I was rushing out the door. I typically make the list on my phone but had just jotted it down in a hurry that morning.

Then of course, it was trash day, and I had forgotten that I needed to pull my neighbor's trash can to the street for them. As I was backing out of their driveway, later than usual, I realized that my list was still at home and mentally made a note to swing back by to grab it after the kids were at school. At that exact same moment, Jackson tells me from the backseat that, "Mommy, you forgot your list." I ask him how he knew that and he just shrugged. But he insisted that I go get my list so I "know what to buy". I told him I'd get it later and started pulling out of the neighborhood. But he started urgently urging me to "turn around at go get your list." Something told me to listen to him, so we did a 180 and ran home to get that list.

After I dropped the boys off, I could not help but wonder if Jackson's urging to fetch my list was divine intervention. That one little deviation in the timing of my morning may have changed the path of my life. Did I avoid a fatal car accident by being 5 minutes later? Did I dodge something else since my route was different by not going back by my house? Or was God just using my son to make me slow down my pace, practice flexibility and learn to be okay with changing my path at the last minute?


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