Happy Birthday, Uncle Chris: A Letter from Ian

Uncle Chris,

I am going to New York City where Aunt Sooz lives. I will be going there to New York City and I'm going to see you there.

I want to go to New York City with you, Uncle Chris. We'll see you there at the airport. I want you to play Legos with me, because you're good at Legos.

Ian

Uncle Chris helps with Legos.

Uncle Chris takes Connor to see Wall-E.

We are looking forward to hanging out with you again this year.....and we all wish you the happiest of birthdays!

My Day Job

You see so many photos of my boys, so I figured I'd mix it up a bit. Here are my second graders singing a song for their school assembly this morning, using sign language. The school has one of the nicer elementary school amphitheaters. Some of the poor kids were baking in the sun by 9:30am though. That's me conducting off to the left of the photo-which is a rare occasion nowadays. I don't teach choral music anymore and I only do occasional grade level programs-usually kindergarten and I realized that I don't really miss conducting all that much. I am angling for all kindergarten/special education next year and trying to keep my itinerant position instead of teaching full time at one school.

Off to learn chess from the master......Ian.

The Broken Bridge

Ian and I are busy planning our YNC (Yew Nork City) trip. He is concerned about if there is a LEGO store there (there's not, to my knowledge) and if he can get his brother another secret agent voice changer "so he will stop taking mine." Aunt Soooz and Uncle Jeff sent him a card with the Brooklyn Bridge on it, which he terms the "Broken Bridge" and he wants to go stand on it. So, note to Aunt Sooz-we need to add the Broken Bridge to the itinerary.

Ian is also earning spending money for his trip, with several entrepreneurial ideas for getting maximum funding. Perhaps he can stimulate this friggin' economy single-handedly.

"I will draw pictures and SIGN them! People can buy them!" Who knows, friends? An Ian autograph might be worth some big bucks in the future....invest now!

"I can do lots and lots and lots of chores." This is true-considering he helped me around the house for an hour on Sunday afternoon, including folding laundry and cleaning the mirrors and counter in the bathroom. He is also cleaning the table after meals and occasionally making lunch for Connor and himself. Arizona friends, if you have chores for Ian, let me know and I'll send him your direction. He does pretty good work for a four-year-old and he makes a mean peanut butter and jelly saltine sandwich and a butter and parmesan cheese sandwich as well.

"I can practice reading!" Ian and I read each night and he is very interested in the Nate the Great Detective series. He is reading several words from the books along with me and I have been rewarding him with some coins for his wallet and savings jar.

Ian is also planning on bringing his camera to NYC, along with toys-but not too many because I told him he is carrying whatever toys he choses to bring on the plane. We also discussed the weather, because it is a balmy 86 degrees here but since New York "isn't the desert, it's going to be sooo cold!" He is actually hoping it will rain. How sad is that! I am hoping it isn't too cold because my poor Phoenician blood might freeze.

Sibling rivalry abounds tonight, so I must go and settle some bedtime arguments.

Rock A Bye, Lyra

From February 2009

This is for Aunt Julie and Uncle Sean.....

Connor has been entering the house and saying, "Where's Lyra?" every day this week. He also thinks that "the puppies" went to "Grandma's".

After Ian created a hide and seek spot for the dogs that they couldn't fit into, he fashioned a huge napping spot for the dogs on his bedroom floor. Then, the boys tried serenading the dogs to sleep just I usually do with them. However, at one point, Connor was trying to actually "rock" Lyra by moving her back and forth. He is so lucky she is so tolerant. He also gave her a Lightning McQueen back massage, which she didn't seem to mind so much.

Enjoy the videos!

From February 2009

A Long Awaited Welcome

My friends Stacy and Dan welcomed their first daughter to the world early this morning.

The journey is just beginning! Congratulations!!!!

Crochet for Dummies

Crocheting is a full-out or nothing at all craft for me. My mother-in-law, Sheila is a crochet queen and taught me-a crazy southpaw-to crochet right-handed. I did a million blankets years ago and then stopped cold turkey.

A year or so ago, my friend Cindy taught herself to crochet, which is not surprising, given her gift in all areas crafty and culinary. She convinced me to pick up crocheting once again, which I did for a bit. Then, I apparently gave her all of my yarn when it started to sit around unused because I was uninspired.

For whatever reason, and I really cannot pin down why, I decided that I was going to make a coin purse-crocheted AND felted. I spent a good portion of my morning at various craft stores looking at yarn and patterns, not buying anything. Then, I scoured the internet for free patterns (because I wasn't going to spend money on the expensive crochet books when I could find it for free) and found a cute purse. Then I went back to the craft store to obsess on what color yarn I should buy and if I should do multi-colored or solid and that's when Ian decided he wanted to make a hat.

I crocheted the rectangle of single crochet (not hard at all!) for the little purse and then did Ian's hat. I wanted to turn up the brim on it, so I made it a little longer for that reason. Ian wasn't home when I finished, so Connor become my model.

Ian decided he would rather wear it hoodlum-style, low on the eyes and no brim at all. He also wanted a pom pom, then he didn't. Now he wants a "dot" on top. I am not sure what that even means.

Connor got a hat of his own the next night-his with a pom-pom. He called it a "spider" and has already worn it to school.

This is my yet-to-be-pressed felted purse. The sewing part isn't so fantastic, because I don't own a sewing machine that I can operate and I just wanted to finish it anyway. I added a shell button on it. I'll probably get around to ironing the top this weekend.

I am not certain what my next project is. But I know what it WON'T be.

Check out the sc2Toggers blog for that.

Ian Gets A Boost

Ian has been holding at 39.5 pounds, waiting to get into the booster seat and out of that "baby" car seat. I finally decided that he was close enough to 40 lbs. He chose his new booster, complete with specky cup holders and aqua blue coloring.

Tom put his new seat into the car yesterday. Ian is very impressed because he is able to click himself in and out of the seat and I must say that I am rather delighted with that ability too.



Here, Ian not only shows off his new seat, but includes his new-found patriotism, which involves putting his hand over his heart in all recent pictures and looking very serious. He is able to recite the pledge ("....for which it stands, invisible with liberty and justice for all.") and I hear many recitations on our car rides. He is growing up in so many ways.

I realize I have been behind in blogging. To be honest, I am rather crabby tonight after changing Connor's diaper 6 times this evening. He is a miserable kid with a nasty rash and a sore bottom, so it's been quite an evening for all of us. I was hoping to include a few more things, but not tonight. I think I am going to curl up and read a book instead.

Don't worry-haven't forgotten that Wheel Pose....it's coming, I promise!

Check the Mail!!!

My boys have developed a solid routine when we arrive home in the afternoons. They both hop out of the car and go directly to the mailbox. When Ian was little in the pre-Connor days, he would hop out of the car and say "Check the mail!" He still loves it. For awhile, Connor wasn't interested in the mailbox, but now he enjoys opening the door and shouting "MAIL!!" Of course, there is some bickering over the opening of the mailbox door, but what else is new?

Yesterday, Ian AND Connor both got Valentine's Day cards from Aunt Terri and Uncle Mike. The excitement was off the charts. Ian loved his frog card and got 4 quarters from Terri, which he immediately put into his savings/spending. (he has a cool electronic bank for his savings and a frog wallet for spending money and he divides his earnings in half)

Connor wasn't sure what to do with his card, but once I showed him how to open the envelope, he was set. His card was a monkey, which he cried, "Wook! Monkey!" He enjoyed looking at it several times over the evening. (Terri, did you know they were doing an animal unit at school? Perfect choice! Oh, and those beloved monkey pajamas..)

I have encouraged Ian to begin writing letters and sending some of his school projects to family. He enjoys writing the letters (don't worry, Grandmas, there is a letter coming to a mailbox near you soon!) and we choose a project that he has worked on in school-one goes on the fridge and we send one or two if they are not too bulky. He also wrote his Valentine cards out last night, which he replied, "Why do I have to write my name so many times?"

Today, I did a little valentine shopping and picked up a craft for the Valentine party at daycare tomorrow (opted for that over sugary treats) and then I got the boys one small M&M heart and a few small toys. Connor will get a small Lightning McQueen car with a cool little book showing all of the cars (feeding the obsession, I know) and Ian will get a small Lego Pirate set to complement the ones from Julie. We'll probably frost some cookies on Saturday and make heart pancakes, but I am really trying to keep it a low-sugar event. Ian had a frosted cookie at preschool today and was a total maniac and incessantly blabbing for a good half hour in the car.

Anyway, thanks to all of our family and friends who are sending the boys mail. Simple things to make little boys very happy.

At Our Wit's End

Connor has come a long way and I think we can all agree. But, this child persists in wandering out of his room at least 8-10 times each evening after his 7:30pm bedtime. He is put back every time and I am not sure if he doesn't get that it is time to stay in bed or if he just doesn't sense our mounting frustration. Neither Tom or I will allow him to stay up with us just because he is awake and cannot sleep. We are both firm on bedtime and we both really, really need that time off from 7:30pm to do work or just relax.

I have a feeling that his naps are at a point where they need to be curtailed or stopped altogether. Unfortunately, I do not see that happening unless we are home with them, since they go to daycare with all of the rest of the children who are expected to nap.

Ian usually comes out with Connor, as the Informer, as Bill Cosby would say. Connor will come out, followed by Ian who is explaining that Connor is being too loud and not going to sleep. Well, our righteous brother does get it, so I quashed that informer bit with the classic Lego removal move. And I actually took away the Lego Pirate set this morning due to a serious procrastination on his part. He gets that we mean it, but Connor could either care less or just doesn't seem to get it. Or we haven't found the way to get him to get it.

Ian came into our room last night because he was chilly-which their room is drafty. In the car this afternoon, he told me that we need to find someone who wants his bed because he cannot sleep there anymore. Tonight he told us that he had buggies in his throat-indicating that perhaps he is not feeling well.

Practicing yoga breaths.......calm is on the way. Boys are finally asleep.

New Feature-LOOONG read

Okay, in light of my renovated eating habits and increased yogic activity, I am going to try to post about my weekly progress and include some weekly goals for myself, beginning on Sundays. I don't have any catchy titles for this yet (feel free to suggest one) but if you care to include your health goals either on your blogs or in comments, you will have a supportive ear.

One of the biggest points about making a goal is telling other people about it, so they can support you and check on your progress. Mr. Meza taught goal setting in karate last month and the mantra is:

Know what you want
Have a plan
Take consistent action
Review your progress
Renew your goals

My overall goal right now is to feel better without having cosmic zombie zone-outs due to low or high blood sugar issues. With a better diet, I can feel that goal is already within reach. Additional goals would include an overall drop of about 25 pounds or two pant sizes. I tend to focus on how my clothes fit vs. the scale (I am very OCD about numbers in a not-good way). I also need to create a goal of consistent exercise over the week-at least three days a week for now to create a habit.

My plan is using the South Beach diet as recommended by the doctor and nurse as part of a healthier approach to eating. I am trying to make a goal of eating at home 5 nights and then we have one night of eating out. (I am already envisioning Pei Wei Chicken Lettuce Wraps here) This is a tricky goal, one that I don't know if I will keep in all honesty. I have already cut out soda, but need to up the daily amount of water. I also plan to continue and expand doing home yoga practice. (cost-effective and I think I have learned enough to practice on my own.)

For this past week, I have been eating on South Beach Phase 1 and as reported, I would love a nice bowl of that Newman's Crackly Pepper and Buttery Salt Natural Popcorn-but I have been very responsible in maintaining the diet as written. I have cooked several versions of chicken, including Salsa Chicken, Chicken Capri and tonight we made hamburgers from scratch with lean, grain-fed beef (sorry vegans and vegetarians) and I made guacamole as a topper, along with green beans. Also included were a spinach salad with tuna this afternoon and I also made some kidney beans with onions and peppers that lasted a few lunches and sides for dinner. I do not miss sugary treats, even when my husband broke out the Americone Dream ice cream last night. I do miss fruit but my kids are eating enough for me. (Seriously, Connor could eat fruit all day long-he has no off button) South Beachers, I did try that ricotta cheese with splenda and cinnamon and could not stomach it, so I had some sugar free jello instead.

I have practiced yoga three times this week, including with Thomas yesterday. Connor was awake and wreaking havoc on our yoga session-including a diaper change, wanting water, wandering into the kitchen and then calling out "Eva! Eva!" during meditation, which I almost got a case of the giggles from that alone.

Anyway, my yoga goals are different, because some poses are challenging and I get it into my brain that I must try and accomplish them.

Example: Headstand. I asked the yoga teacher (who isn't teaching any longer-Billie, you were awesome!) to teach me/us headstands. I was exhilarated to perform a headstand in the first place, but then I was frustrated that I couldn't kick up without a spotter. So, I read and read and look into what I could do to improve my kick-ups. So, I made sure that I worked more on the core muscles and included several mock kicks in downward dog. Now, I have done a headstand in every session successfully, on my own and I can even control and move my legs around a bit. I do need a bit more control on the descent, but I consider that headstand challenge as met.

Meaning I need a new yoga goal! So, I have chosen Urdhva Dhanurasana which means "upward bow", also called Wheel Pose. This pose is another inversion (meaning your head is upside down) and it is challenging because I don't have a lot of arm strength to hold the pose well or long and my back doesn't feel completely flexible for the position with the poses leading up to it. So, my intention this week is to research the pose, come up with a decent sequence and be able to hold the pose for 10 seconds 2 to 3 times in a row. I can do one time for just about 10 seconds right now. Hilary-if you are lurking out there.....email me pointers!

Finally, my sons have begun an eating rebellion here in the Murphy household, where Thomas and I have had to remind these little headstrong manipulators that we are the ones in charge. That all may sound harsh, but we are FED UP with the dinner antics.

Connor will eat 25 grapes in one sitting, go to the refrigerator and get the entire grape basket and ask for more. (he does know they need to be washed-"Mommy, wash!") If denied, he will either pitch a fit or go back to the refrigerator, get the bowl and try again. This goes on all day. It's not like we don't feed the boy. At dinner, he proceeds to get out of his chair, ignoring dinner and/or requesting grapes or other foods. Or he will just mess around until we have to tell him to eat or go to bed. Let's just say that he was put to bed last night and a few other nights after a series of procrastinations in eating dinner.

He also still wanders out of his room about 10 times each night (no joke, we actually count). Today, I did not allow him to nap, so he was exhausted by dinner time after being a bit of a pill all day. He fell asleep in my arms at 7:45pm. I am happy to report that he has remained in his room asleep since then!

Ian gags on anything vegetable, but since I presented him with one kidney bean this week ("Mommy, what IS that?") and three green beans last night and labeled them as 'magic beans'. He was intrigued enough to ask questions and I was vague enough in response ("You could get taller, you could get super smart, you could magically fit into the booster seat, you just don't know until you try!") He ate the entire kidney bean. Last night, he ate all of his green beans and tonight again-with a reminder-he cooperatively ate his green beans. However, he was also put to bed last night without books or play time after dinner because he was a complete pill about eating. Thomas was impressive in his tough love approach and I bet you anything, we will see some serious mealtime behavior adjustments. This afternoon, he took two hours to eat a lunch that he requested, helped to make and refused to eat. The fare was English Muffin pizzas. Connor ate two of them. I ate zero because of the muffins. Ian took two hours to eat half of one. He lost his game time privileges for tonight as well. I also told him yesterday that if he set one foot out of his door past bedtime, I was packing up Legos, beginning with his beloved Pirate set that Julie got him. We didn't see him for the rest of the evening. Connor, on the other hand, doesn't understand what that means and will argue, ("No, I apple juice! NO, I APPLE JUICE!") until you just have to keep returning him to bed. It's exhausting.

You might wonder why I am regaling you with these stories in my supposed health goals post. I do have a point. The boys need to eat well. They are on board with fruit and most chicken. We have decided to include Ian in the dinner process, where he participates in the choices and preparation-including vegetables. Not every night, but I am making a once-a-week goal for now, until I can see how that will go. I am also going to continue working the magic beans angle because it seems to be working. Ian was completely surprised about his 3 pound weight gain yesterday and I attributed it to those magic beans. I'll get that kid to like a vegetable yet.

Next week, I'll actually POST a picture of Wheel Pose with yours truly and give you another update on Sunday evening. Meanwhile, I have some yoga to do!

Puppy Photo Shoot

Our house guests were treated to runs, walks and backyard romps.

Connor would place the occasional toy at their feet, including a stuffed dog, Lightning McQueen and at one point, a pillow and blanket, all welcomed with patience.

A few late nights led to afternoon snoozes.

Reading books with six on the couch (four humans, two dogs) was a tight fit, but they didn't mind our sharing the couch with them.

No matter how much fun to be had, Mom and Dad were still missed.


Exhausted but happy.

Purple Belt Leader

Ian graduated to his purple belt this evening, which included a demonstration from the group and the board breaking ceremony. The board represents your goal and breaking the board means you have met and gone beyond the challenge.

We got a sitter for Connor so that Tom and I could make it special for Ian. We treated him to fro-yo after the ceremony. (no indulgences for Thomas or myself, btw)

The song I added to the photos from Fall Out Boy is one of Ian's current favorites. The lyrics aren't exactly kid-perfect, but he makes up his own rendition anyway. It actually is one of the songs that Mr. Meza has on his iPod karate song rotation and it's on my iPod too.

From Exported Videos

Scab Picker: Day 2

I have a few moments to write while Tom re-wraps Connor's non-healing wound. Scab Picker sounds like a bad horror flick, but we are trying to get him to leave it alone so it can heal. He is also fixated on the actual bandaids, which either don't stick or are peeled back for maximum scab access. (we have SpongeBob aka Hot Bob or Sponge Bob Hot Pants bandaids, which also are a point of fascination)

Again, I say, YICK.

Turns out Connor didn't charm everyone in the class as previously mentioned.

The teacher explained that he had shifted his preference from the color red to the color blue today. The coveted blue spot on the rug was taken by another child who got there before Connor. Connor was made to sit in another spot, where he apparently was crying and carrying on. His classmate (with autism who is dealing with the arrival of a new sibling at home..) turned around and gave him a good smack in the face. The teacher dealt with that, but told me that he actually stopped crying after telling her "Don't do that again!" I forced Connor to wear an orange shirt today, which took some effort. He's a pretty willful child.

I have officially begun South Beach today. And let me tell you, I am ravenously hungry right now. I'd like to eat some serious popcorn. Which I have a strong feeling is not South Beach/Phase 1 friendly.

But our daycare provider said today that she thought my hairstyle looked pretty and my makeup was pretty and I just looked healthy and well-rested. Well, shucks! If that isn't motivation, I don't know what is.

Ian visited the Leadership Class at the martial arts studio tonight to observe. They do a lot of martial arts routines and a bit more advanced curriculum. Ian was very impressed when Mr. Meza kicked a block cushion to the ceiling and into his office. Mr. Meza has asked us to consider moving him into this class and from what it looks like, Ian is very interested. He said he could "rememberize" the routines. Tomorrow night is graduation and he will move from orange to purple belt. Then, we might try the new class and see how he does.

Until then, I better go help out with the scab picker and martial artist.

Turning on the Charm

Connor has had a difficult week at preschool. His fixation on Lightning McQueen has now crossed over into colors....red is called "Lightning McQueen", green is "Chick Hicks" and so on. He insists on wearing his Lightning McQueen jacket and/or the color red and/or his Lightning McQueen shirt.

His teacher informed me on Monday that he was having a rough day due to the fact that they were using the color purple and not the color red. On Tuesday, she said he was a bit whiny, but was impressed that I managed to dress him in blue and not red. He also has a medium-sized wound on his hand from getting it caught in the t-ball holder this weekend. She said he was fussing with it a lot and I informed her that he is indeed a scab picker. One of the grossest things about little kids is their ability to pick scabs until they bleed. In my classroom, I have little sympathy for scab pickers. When I discovered that my own child was a scab picker, I was horrified. We ended covering his wound with a bandaid and then wrapping it in first aid tape so that he didn't peel off the bandaid to pick it. Yick.

So, I get home on Tuesday evening and unpack Connor's school bag. Inside is a note about his day, reflecting on his dramatic behavior and then this:

"Connor is quite the ladies man. All the girls want to play with him. It's pretty cute."

An update on my blood testing from last week....I spoke to the nurse today and my test results ranged normal and said that due to the blood sugar reactions I was having, the doctor has recommended a higher protein/low-carb diet to keep everything in normal ranges. Exercise is in there too, but she said that it would be wise to do the blood work every 2 years and more often if I notice the symptoms returning. Since I have been eating little to no processed foods, I haven't had any real spikes or zombie effects. The plan is to keep it that way.

I took out a bunch of books from the library on Monday and will probably begin South Beach officially, although I am looking at a few different plans. I am actually hungry tonight, but trying not to snack, so I might do some yoga instead.

Anyway, that's the scoop.

Kindergarten Scientist

Kindergarten looms on the horizon.

Unfathomable, considering it feels like a minute ago that he was born.

As I have stated before, I am not a proponent of school vouchers. I won't belabor the point, but I don't feel that Arizona is doing the best service for their children. We'll see after the next billion they want to slash from the education budget how much worse it will get. Anyway, I did end up utilizing the voucher system. The only consolation that I feel is that I chose to put him in a different type of program instead of a similar one.

My son's neighborhood school is a few blocks down the street. He has been eager to go there ever since the preschool program he attended there last summer. I took him to register on Tuesday night and he seemed to be rather happy about it. The teachers held activities in the library while walking around and speaking with children and parents.

One of the teachers talked with Ian (in an annoying, saccharin-toned voice) and asked him to replicate a color pattern that she made. He countered by asking her to build the pattern that he had made. She was surprised that he didn't need any help with colors or patterns. I told her this was his area of expertise. She chuckled. I wasn't kidding.

I asked her to tell me about what they learn in Kindergarten and what the day is like. She explained that this particular school is very literacy-based and they do reading work for the entire morning and after lunch. They have one special (music or PE) and then they do a little math and writing at the end of the day. No art projects, no science-based curriculum. They get stickers and red light-green light discipline. (I like to call that the carrot system) She said that they would begin by learning the alphabet and that letters make sounds, letters make words, etc. I asked what they do with children who either can read or are beyond those skills. She said that the advanced kids get to take out a library book and read while the teachers and aides assist the children who are not reading yet. And science isn't really part of the curriculum.

I could feel boredom also looming on the horizon.

You might think that I am being a little weird, maybe a little neurotic about kindergarten. You would be right because I tend to lean toward over-analysis. Yet, my instinct alarm was going berzerk and I knew it wasn't going to be the right environment for him.

You see, Ian is very curious and extremely cerebral. He pondered whether he wanted to be President (he was very disappointed on Inauguration Day when he discovered Barack Obama won. "That's NOT who I chose! I chose John McCain!") He thought that being President would be great because he could create "lots of rules." But he quickly decided he would rather be a scientist because he is "good at thinking." No kidding. This from a child who is actually learning how to play chess at four years of age and constantly builds Legos meant for 7-12 year olds. Scientist isn't a far stretch. Chess club might also get a charter member.

Anyway, Tom and I talked and he agreed that Ian would not be well-served in this particular school, even though it does sound like a great place for kids who need and deserve the extra attention for reading skills and essentially learning English. The teachers were kind and devoted to what they were teaching. I also found the discipline philosophy to be too heavily carrot-based and not enough placed on the expectation of good behavior because it's just the right thing to do.

I finally called the school that offers a Montessori program, just two neighborhoods over. They suggested we come in to observe the class and then decide if we would like to enroll Ian. There was no waiting list at the moment, but she encouraged us to come in right away. Tom and I met on Friday and walked to a little set of portable classrooms and a small courtyard filled with three or four gardens.

The classroom was bustling with a variety of activities, as is the Montessori way and every child was on task working on something. Two were huddled in a corner reading a book on some beanbags. One was at the table practicing writing. Two more were listening to a book with headphones. Another student was sitting on the floor with plastic animals and placing them on little continents based on where the animals live. Three were working with the teacher and another few were working with the full time aide. All were carrying around little clipboards.

The teacher explained that it was a kindergarten/first grade combination class and showed us the clipboard that the kids use to organize their day. Each day, they must do activities in reading, writing, math, cultural, science, word building and practical life/sensorial. Much of the time, they do activities on their own or with a partner. She does have group lessons but not as frequently as a regular classroom might-part of the philsophy. The kids have a garden that they maintain and go out to observe each day and that afternoon they were going to plant sunflower seeds. Sometimes they pick vegetables from the garden for snack. They work at their own skill level and spend much of their time in self-directed activity.

The discipline doesn't include rewards. There is a peace table to work out problems and from what it appears, there really aren't many discipline issues. The expectations are high, which is what we expect of Ian anyway. There is a real sense of community, so I think Ian will learn to make friends a little easier.

We enrolled Ian in the class for the fall and I feel comfortable that this will be a much happier place for him to learn and grow. So many friends have children in Montessori programs here and are very pleased. The only catch is transportation and we have to drive him there and pick him up. But we are becoming very adept at those type of schedules. The truth is that we could both picture him in this classroom and flourishing. We could see him getting all of the knowledge that he is truly curious about and making discoveries for himself.

Now, I just have to get used to the idea that he is going to be in Kindergarten.

Saying an official goodbye to infancy, toddlerhood and preschool looms on the horizon too.