first day of school 2010

Av started back to Friends today. She was so excited. She woke up early even before John and I were out of bed. We could hear her bouncing around in her room. She looked so cute in her “school day outfit” and backpack. It was just a normal day for Camille but she of course had to be in the pictures. Aren’t they sweet??? At school I stayed for just a bit with Av and then she came over and said, “give me a kiss momma.” I bent down and gave her a big hug and kiss and asked her if she was ready for momma to leave? She said, “yes!” So off I went. I am sure she will have a great day!

school

Av starts school this week (Thursday), her last year of preschool. Some of my friends have kids starting kindergarten this week. It has really thrown me into a panic! I am so not ready for my baby to start kindergarten. This time next year it will be us. I will be a mess of a mom for weeks leading up to it. So hard to let your kids grow up. It will be hard to stay positive, happy and excited in front of Av and not let her see me sad. I am sure she will be apprehensive and seeing me a mess will not help her at all. Anyway, the other reason I am in a panic is just thinking we have a year left to get her ready for kindergarten. I need to make sure I do all I can to get her ready. We finally have her verbally spelling her name right and constantly thanks to John!!! Av and I were working on it last week and she just could not keep it straight. I was so frustrated when John got home from work. She knows her letters, she can pick her name out of anything and everything, why can’t she spell it then? Ugh!!!!!!!!! John came in, made up a simple song of it and now both Av and Camille can spell Avery. The song is in my head pretty constantly now. Hhehhehe A-v-e-r-y. We have been reading a lot. Simple books and I point to all the words for her. Camille got out animal flash cards yesterday and I was able to use them to work with both of the girls. Camille to learn the animals and sounds (which she really already knows them) and Av I would point to the picture and ask her what animal that was. She would say then I would point back to the word that said the animal and tell her that’s what that word says. Then I told her she was reading based on the picture on the card. She was so excited! She is getting it that the picture matches up to the words. She was “reading” to her babies yesterday. It was too cute. We also have been playing a lot of memory and yesterday she drew a pic of her family for the first time. She did a great job and got it off the fridge to show John as soon as he walked in the door. I have learned that once a child can draw a stick person well they have every stroke mastered to write all the letters. So we have taken a step back and are practicing stick people. I hope that helps to give her more confidence with her letters. We went and saw her classroom yesterday and met her new teacher. Av was really excited and didn’t want to leave. I think it will be a great year!

week 34

He has a name! We have decided and both really love it! I am thinking it in my head when I think of him and it’s not a name I think I can let go of. So that’s what makes me pretty positive it’s the one!!!! Sorry I am not going to put it on here yet. Just not ready to share it with the world. Avery does not like it though. Every time we say it she says, “I don’t like that name!” Camille on the other hand says it over and over again. So I take that to mean she likes it. I have told Av, “sorry but I think you have been out voted.” I have also given her a nickname that she could call him and she likes it. So I think he has a name!!! Now this weekend to get his room ready! We are getting there. It’s happening fast all the sudden.

Lake

This weekend we went to the lake with the Shumans. We had the best time!!! Marci and I loaded the kids in the mini van and left early on Friday. We were all very excited. We stopped for lunch and then made it to the house about 2:30. We let the kids play and explore while we got settled. About 4:00 we took the kids down to the water to swim off the dock. Avery and Jackson jumped right in and loved swimming and jumping. Even the little two became big swimmers. By the end of the weekend they were jumping off the boat themselves and swimming around in their life jackets. They all loved it. About 6 we went up to the house to make the pizzas and to wait for the dads and the dogs. That night we went for a boat ride and put the kids down about 9. Everyone slept pretty darn well. On Saturday we left on the boat at about 10:30 and stayed out till 4:30. It was quite a big day for the kids but everyone had a blast. We swam, jumped, tubed and played forever. Everyone was tired by the end. After a shrimp boil the kids were in bed by 8. Marci and I were in bed my 10. hehehehe On Sunday we pretty much did the same thing. Played in the water all day. We didn’t get on the road until about 6 pm. Stopped for a quick dinner then back in the car. We thought for sure the girls would fall asleep but nope. They hung in there but they were very glad to climb into their own beds that night. I love the lake and I love having great friends to share it with. We are very lucky.

Ps….I forgot my camera so pics to follow when Marci gets them to me. Could be awhile seeing how I am still waiting on GA pics from her. Hehehehe

Week 33

OMG I can’t believe he is almost here!!! Time to really start to focus and get ready. Next weekend we will turn the guest room/room where Camille’s crib is into his room. It has the guest room furniture in it but no one has slept in there for over a year now bc Camille has been. Only her crib is in there though. We have a lot of furniture to move out of there and NO place to put it. Plus I am still not so sure where Camille is going to sleep. We really really really need a bigger house. In a year from now the girls sharing a room would be great and is ultimately what we want. But if you read the handful post you can see why them sharing a room right now is not really going to work. Plus not mentioned in that post is the fact that Camille gets up every morning before Av (by usually an hour). For a while Camille can stay where she is bc I am sure ncb will sleep with us but ideally when he is 6 weeks I would like him in his room. Or whatever will be his room. I just don’t know. It will work though, it will just have to. The room is still green and we will move all the gender natural stuff back in that we had when we didn’t know what Av was. After all the pink in my life that stuff seems so boyish now. I have made a list of things we need to get for him or do before he comes. I am excited. I can’t wait to meet him and hold him. I hope nursing comes as easy for us as it did for Camille and I. I need to start reading some posts from when Camille was a baby to figure out how we got her to sleep so well (other than being up twice a night until she was 9 months). I feel okay. Heartburn is bad and my poor lower belly muscles are about done but otherwise I am hanging in there. As long as I don’t eat anything (or drink water or brush my teeth) an hour before bed I can manage the heartburn. I am just big. My belly is huge and it’s uncomfortable. I’m sleeping well as long as the heartburn or anyone does not wake me.

PJ party

Today is Av’s last day at Cornerstone. She seems decently sad that she will not be going back. She says all the time that she will miss her new friends. I have given her the choice a few times about staying there or going back to Friends and she always picks Friends. Since both schools are great I feel confident that she can make that decision herself and I will respect what she wants even though it makes my life so much easier when she is at Cornerstone. So anyway, they were having a PJ party in her class today bc there are a few kids leaving Cornerstone and a lot of kids moving up to the 5 year old class (kids that miss the kindergarten bday cutoff). She has been so excited for weeks to wear her PJ’s to school. So this morning she went off to school in her favorite bright pink obnoxious princess nightgown with spaghetti straps, very loud pink and purple striped socks, tennis shoes and her very fancy bright pink flower headband. She looked just oh so sweet and was very smitten on herself. She kept saying, “I look pretty!” She slept in this morning so I was not able to get a pic as we rushed out of the house but I will for sure this afternoon and post. I hope she has a great day!

Never got a pic. So sad. She was so tired by the time we got home that day and very grumpy. She had already taken off the socks, shoes and headband so the outfit was pretty much gone. Total bummer.

handful

Camille is still of course a handful. She would not be the Camille we all know and love if she weren’t. She has moved into this “mommy” stage and that comes out of her mouth a million times a day. I can’t do anything or go anywhere in the house without holding her and carrying her. I wonder if she senses the big change that is coming?!?!?!

After being a TERRIFIC sleeper for about a year now she has moved into this monster of a sleeper. She wakes a least once a night and screams this terrified scream until someone goes in there. She screams “mommy, mommy, mommy!” but is just equally as happy if daddy comes to her rescue. There is a mirror tied to her crib that has been on there since Av was a baby, so a long time. The other night she woke up and it freaked her out. She was screaming and pointing to it. J showed her it was okay and since then the mirror has been fine but she still freaks once a night. It’s not too bad though bc once you go in there and give her a hug and tell her everything is ok she goes right back to sleep but then I’m awake for awhile afterwards. Ugh.

Putting her to bed has also become a challenge. She used to just play in there and go to sleep. Now she screams. You have to keep going back in there to calm her down. It is somewhat sweet though she wants a hug and you to sing to her. She stands and I hug her (not picking her up) and sing, “you are my sunshine” twice. Then leave her to go back and do it 15 minutes later. Usually it takes about twice.

I know I am going to regret saying this but we have not had a biting incident in over a week. She has not bit Av or anyone else. Is she starting to get it??? I hope. The girls still wrestle and it still makes me nervous but lately it has not turned nasty. They just giggle and love it so much.

Camille really gets her feelings hurt when you sternly reprimand her these days. Her little lower lip comes out and quivers and she gets so upset. The emotions are good though; hopefully it means she is getting it!!

Mister Dustin, a teacher that is in both of the girls classrooms a lot, said to me the other day, “Camille sure is a bruiser.” Av’s teacher overheard “brusier” and thought he was talking about Av. We both laughed and said “no way.” I said “the two of them could not be more different” and he laughed. He said, “boy is she cute though.” She is too. She is cute and sweet and smart. She amazes me everyday and I love being her mother.