Week in Review

I can't believe another week has flown by already.  My principal and I moved into our new building on Monday, and it's been a whirlwind since.  We spent all day Tuesday in off-campus meetings, by Wednesday morning we had computers and phones, and as of today we were trying to tie up loose ends because we'll be downtown in AVID training everyday next week.  Our school is absolutely beautiful ... we've enjoyed showing it off to a few colleagues who've stopped by to see it.  I'm so thrilled to be part of opening it.  Before that can officially happen, though, there is so much to do.  Yesterday afternoon we were in a meeting over bussing routes, and the letters that need to be sent to each neighborhood stating whether or not they qualify for bussing based on their distance from school, whether adequate sidewalks and crosswalks are available, etc.  This is just one of many issues that has to be addressed when starting from scratch.  And like most issues in public education, it's one that will probably come with its fair share of parent phone calls, so we spent a lot of time analyzing the letters going out to various neighborhoods.  I know this probably isn't interesting to most of you, and I'm actually not even sure why I'm still writing about it ...

Moving on, Sara had a better week at daycare - at least in the mornings.  No tears at all this week, which has been a huge relief to me.  Still, Steve and I are struggling to decide whether she's in the right place.  Just when I think she's not, something happens to convince me that she is ... and vice-versa.  We left one place that we just loved, and I sort of feel like we've "settled" for this new place.  It covers all of the appropriate bases as far as childcare goes, but I'm just not sure yet whether it meets my expectations (and I'm not totally sure I even know what those are).  People have told me, "You'll know if it's not the right place."  Problem is, I don't know.  My mind changes everyday.  Maybe the fact that my mind changes at all is the answer.  I never had doubts at our last place.  We can't make a decision. UGH.

Sara had her 18-month check-up today. She weighs 27.4 pounds, and is 32 1/2 inches.  She had one shot, and received a fairly clean bill of health.  Doctor McD said he can still hear wheezing through the stethoscope (remember, we started her on Singular around the end of April for her wheezing (Side note on the Singular: I mentioned on here that the prescription was super pricey at our go-to Walgreen's.  My mom told me that one of her friends said that Walgreen's can be notorius for having the most expensive drugs, so we transferred to Target pharmacy on a whim - why not? we're always there anyway - and Sara's Singular was 1/2 the price!  So worth it.)), so he put her on a different nebulizer med that she'll have daily in the evenings.  He put her on the highest dose, and when we recheck in three months, hopefully he'll be able to lower it.  For the first time, he referred to Sara's wheezing as - not just bronchialitis - but as the A word: asthma.  UGH again.  Still, I can't complain ... Sara is otherwise totally healthy and growing like she should.  I told Doctor McD that Sara has recently started announcing her poo-poos, and he said it's time for her to try sitting on the potty!  This just gets more and more exciting ...

                                         

This evening we went outside to slide and blow bubbles.  I ran inside for just a couple of minutes, and when I came back out, Sara had been stripped to her diaper, the hose was going, and she and Daddy were playing Water Slide.  You should've seen her fly down that slide onto the grass!  We got some good laughs.  Of course by the time I went back in for my camera, she was about ready to call it quits, so I only got a couple of shots.  Though it was short-lived tonight, I think that Steve's invented Water Slide game will have a repeat performance or two in the very near future.

Tomorrow we're having 18-month pics taken at good ol' JC Penney's.  We don't have a lot of money to spend on pictures right now, so we're going the coupon route because I so desperately want to capture Sara in this moment.  She'll barely sit still long enough for me to get a picture of the top of her head, let alone her smiling face, so I need the help of a better camera and a little entertainment.  Hopefully we'll get a few good ones tomorrow.  Of course you'll see them, too.

Have a great weekend!

Book Review

I met with my book club over breakfast at Cafe Brazil - yum - this morning to discuss last month's pick (made by me, recommended by my mom), The Art of Racing in the Rain.  Most of us read the book in just a matter of days or, in a couple of cases, a matter of hours, which makes it perfect summer reading material, if you ask me.  The story of Denny, his wife, Eve, and their daughter, Zoe, is told by Enzo, their beloved pup.  Emotions run the gamut throughout the story, and at one point or another, all readers can connect on some level with the characters, the circumstances, the relationships, or all of the above.  This morning as we were discussing the book, one girl made a comment about the fact that the book didn't end after the event we all thought would bring "the end" occurred ... the story - and life - kept going even after the very worst, which made the story real, raw, and engaging all at once.  If you haven't yet read about Enzo, put it on your to-do list this summer.  This book will make you give your own pup an extra scratch or two behind the ear, and it'll give you pause as you consider how much animals, especially family pets, really do understand about human traits, quirks, and capabilities.

Next up for my book club is Like Water for Chocolate.  I picked up my copy at Half Price Books on the way home this morning, and plan to start at least a few pages tonight.

In other book review news, Sara has been requesting these best-selling page-turners constantly:

It's looking like it will probably be another afternoon at the pool for us.  We went just briefly after work yesterday, and Sara was getting so brave ... we'll see what today brings.  Our HOA is handing out popsicles at the pool today.  I knew all those dues were going toward something important.  Ha-ha-ha.

A Contradiction

Just ask her: she'll tell you she's not a baby.

Tonight as Sara walked from the bathroom to her bedroom after her bath, I was overcome with thoughts of the baby girl that once required such delicate handling (especially when wet) in order to get from one place to the next.  The one who took delight in being bundled in a towel and snuggled tightly after bath.  The girl walking in front of me tonight was talking the whole way, giving opinions about which books to read, and acknowledging her daddy's sneezes with her own little "achoo". And delicate handling?  What's that?  She brushes off a slip here or there without hesitation.

My brain tells me that she's growing and developing just as she should, and there certainly is relief in knowing that she's normal, healthy, happy.  It's just that tonight my heart is already aching for the baby she was not so long ago.  It thrills me to watch her become a little girl.  I love listening to all she has to say, I'm amazed at the things she knows, and I'm delighted that she brings laughter to each day.  And though she'll always be my baby, she's growing up too quickly, and she already knows that she's not a baby.  It brings happiness and heartache all at once.  A contradiction, indeed.

Sara Loves Sega

Remember a couple of posts ago when I said that Steve had been teaching Sara to play "Aladdin" on Sega?  Well, now she's hooked.  In fact, when she woke up from her nap today, she walked straight to the office where the Sega is stored away, and demanded a round or two.  Not good, I know.  You know the feeling of power that comes with holding a gaming controller?  Yep, she's feeling it.  She's also not wearing bottoms.  Power and freedom.

Did anyone else have a very long short week?  Even after all of our rest last weekend, we found ourselves just dragging through this week.  It was the last week of school for students, and my last week at my current school.  All ended well, with only a few tears ... while I appreciate all I've learned at my current school, and I'm so humbled by the support and words of thanks I received this week from teachers, I'm very ready for my next step.  We can't actually move into the new school until June 14th, so I'll work at my old school this coming week because ... well, I need a working spot.  It will be very quiet, so I should be able to really get moving on the new school projects I've been saving.  I'm totally aware of the fact that I can't even begin to anticipate the work that comes with opening a new school, but together with my new principal, we have until early August to figure it all out and to tackle it.  It's very exciting!

As for an update on everything else, Higgins visited a new vet today for his annual exam and shots.  I liked our old vet a lot, but this new one is much closer to home and offered to keep Higgins and call when he was finished so there was no hour+ wait like we frequently had at the last place.  Since I dropped him around 8:00 and picked him up around noon and he missed all of his morning napping opportunities, Higgins has spent the rest of the day sleeping.  It's hard work being a dog.  Truth be told, though, Higgins probably would've slept through the entire day with or without the vet visit.

We were back at the pool for a while this afternoon.  Sara is getting more and more brave in the water, and managed to drink quite a bit of it today.  Chances are that we'll visit again tomorrow.  This year I've discovered spray-on sunscreen.  If you don't already use it for your kids, you must.  It's SO simple.  Instead of the lathering routine we had to go through last summer, now I simply bring Sara out to the garage, stand her up, and walk around her while spraying.  Can't get much easier, and ease is what my life needs.  Yours, too?  Spray-on is the answer.

Anyway, Sara was so tired after our swimming escapades today that she went down for a surprise second nap sometime during the 5 o'clock hour.  We figured she'd be out for 45 minutes or so, and then that she'd wake back up for evening play.  Well ... she's still out.  Really out.  O-U-T.  Thing is, she'd already taken an almost three-hour nap earlier today.  Maybe she's going through a growth spurt (which we'd recently suspected based on her increased appetite), maybe she's just super tired, or *hopefully not* maybe she's just looking for her opportunity to start our Sunday around 3:00 in the morning.  Only time will tell ........

Captain Underpants

Over the weekend we did some laundry, naturally.  After completing a dryer-to-basket, washer-to-dryer exchange, I was doing a few things in the kitchen.  When I turned back to see what Sara was so quietly up to in the laundry room, I found her like this: draped in my undies.  Don't worry, they came from the clean basket.

Perfect Weekend

If there is anything we are not, it's perfect.  But I have to say, we had a pretty close-to-perfect Memorial Day Weekend, just the three of us.  While we completed many of our normal weekend to-do items (laundry, a trip to Target, yard work, etc.), we took plenty of time to leisurely enjoy our extra time together.  Saturday we hit up Half Price Books (they were having an additional 20% off for the holiday weekend), and we ate a late lunch/early dinner at Gloria's.  Since we were there, I enjoyed a house speciality mojito.  They never disappoint.  Beyond our outing on Saturday, we spent a portion of each weekend day at the pool, we read books, we napped, we feasted on lots of grilled food, and we just generally enjoyed spending time together.  Sometimes in our busy schedules, we simply "put off 'til tomorrow" being with one another ... but not this weekend.

Tonight, along with grilled chicken and lots of fresh grilled veggies (what is summer if not the season of grilling?), we had our first corn on the cob of the season.  It was goo-ood, as Cousin Eddie would say.  Sara didn't fully understand the concept of eating side-to-side, but after each bite she did say, "Mmmmmmmmm." 

(Funny story that my family will appreciate: after we got home from the pool today, we decided to go ahead and make an early dinner.  Sara was very hungry, evidenced by the fact that she was crabby and impatient.  When we sat down to eat, Sara's mood changed after just a few bites: she was so much happier than she'd been.  I made a comment that Sara might be just like her Uncle Melvin (actually Aunt Melissa, but that's a story for another time), a little on the crabby side when she's hungry, perfectly happy when she's fed.  Sara's response: "Uh-ohhhhh."  We laughed over that one ... the kid has excellent comedic timing.  Sorry, Mel.  Love you!)

There was a great commentary on the radio Friday morning about the fact that we often fail to remember that Memorial Day is more than just a day off work, a weekend of sales, an excuse to BBQ.   It's true that we tend to overlook the true meaning behind the holiday, as we do with many holidays throughout the year. It is important today - and always, really - to remember the men and women who have sacrificed, and who will continue to sacrifice, their lives so that we may live in a free nation.  Because of those who are willing to fight for our freedom, we can choose our careers, our clothing, our places of worship, our spouses, our lifestyles.  We are so blessed to live in America, land of the free and home of the brave.  A special thanks to my cousin, Tim Merhar, and his wife, Toni, who are actively serving in the U.S. Air Force. 

Hope you've all had a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend, and hope that you've taken a moment to think of those who have given their lives so we can live to pursue our dreams.

Mine

Sara insisted on wearing her backpack around the house while she played yesterday. She knows it's hers, which is why she not only calls it a backpack, but she also calls it, "Mine." 

She has been using that word frequently lately ...

...especially when she's eating or when Higgins is hanging around (as you've probably guessed, these two events often coincide).  While wearing her backpack and munching on some grapes yesterday, I heard Sara say to Higgins, "No, no, Dog.  Mine."

Higgins has figured out that, when it comes to food, "mine" only means "mine" until Sara inevitably decides that he needs a bite or two, also, so he's forever tagging along!