2010_09_30 Thursday

No school today. We had a really nice morning, snuggling in bed and giggling. Then the day was up and down. Jonathan had to sit and think because he hit me. grr.

Elise figured out how to hold a bottle at dinner tonight. That was pretty exciting.

Jonathan has these capsules that expand in water that we use in his bath. As he was sitting on the toilet looking at the pictures of the animals, he said: "Mommy, what is that character?" about the sting ray. Toward the evening, I had a massive sneezing attack that lasted for a few hours. I don't know if there's high pollen/mold/? but it's really affecting me. When I tucked Jonathan into bed, he asked me, "Mommy, are you falling apart?"

2010_09_28 Tuesday

This morning, again, was a fiasco. Jonathan peed through his diaper and pjs and so was very upset to start with, and when we started to get dressed for school, he completely lost his mind, screaming and crying hysterically (naked, mind you). Once he calmed down, he said that he was too tired for school -- that's after 12 hours of sleep! -- and wanted to sleep more. Fast forward to drop-off: He asked me to walk him to the stairs, gave me a kiss and a hug, and he pranced into school hardly even looking back at me. And, when I picked him up, he came out without any problems or tears -- yeah!!! He made a flag with blue and red stamps on it today. Not sure why, but it's cute.

While he was in school, Elise and I did her study at Rutgers and went to a fabric store so I can try my hand at DIY pillows and curtains.

2010_09_27 Monday

Mom: "I love you from here to the moon and back."

Jonathan: "I love you from here to the moon in front."

On the way home from the grocery store, Jonathan blurted out "Mommy, my school is that way." and was exactly right. The interesting part is that we were coming from the opposite direction we typically do, but he still knew it.

2010_09_22 Thursday

Jonathan doesn't have school today. He's been asking to play "potato" for some time now, and I just don't understand what he means. Well, I figured it out: he means PlayDoh!!! ha, so we pulled out the playdoh, and he's thrilled.

2010_09_16 Thursday

Today was Jonathan's second day of preschool. He's a riot. He was super excited to go today, and he barely looked back once he got into the classroom. When I came back to pick him up, he was in the arms of one of the teachers, crying. I thought he was hurt, but he was actually sad to leave school again, saying: "I don't want to go home, I want to play more at school." So, we hung out in his classroom for a few more minutes until he was ready to go home. What a cutie. Faygi said "he's an extremely good helper and good boy." awww.

Meanwhile, Elise and I went to Nana's Playgroup at our local retirement community. She got lots of 'oohs' and "aahs' from the residents. I felt really good about being there and chatting with a few of the ladies.

Then came dinner time. For the past three nights, Jonathan has just not been interested in dinner. So, tonight I actually let him decide what to have: mac-n-cheese (which he also had for lunch). When I gave it to him, he nibbled a bite or two. It is so insanely frustrating to me because he just starts to meld down, sassing me and making bad choices. Again tonight, he went to bed very early and with minimal dinner.

After doing some research on this, I'm vowing to let it go. He knows I'm not going to make another meal (he doesn't ask for anything else), and he'll eat when he's hungry. Dinner lasts 20 minutes and then we will move on with our nighttime routine, and I will not be frustrated or upset about it going forward. Apparently, this is a very typical 3-yr old phase; I suppose that makes me feel better...sort of.

Elise, on the other hand, is loving solid foods. She gobbles up all the 'oatmeal' I give her. I've certainly been giving her more than one tablespoon, as recommended, and it's not runny at all. She also likes the zwieback cookies, although they get hard to hold onto. She's got the hang of eating...now if she could only pick up those melty cheerios.

2010_09_14 Tuesday

Today was a huge day for both kids!!

Jonathan: He had his first official day of preschool today! I made him a Schultute to celebrate his first day. He was really excited about going, even when we got to school. But, once we got inside, he was perhaps a little overwhelmed by the attention and newness of it all, and he cowered behind my leg. Mora Faygi asked him to color some shoes, which he wasn't into, but he was more interested in exploring some puzzles, and I made my escape. When I picked him up, he hid in the doorway, not wanting to go home! So, that is a grand success in my book!!

I'm not quite sure why his nap was a flop today; I thought he'd be exhausted, but he was not. And, as has become the trend, dinner is pure torture and drags out for 30 minutes of him wanting to be fed or just sitting there whining. At about 2 minutes until time, he said he just wanted to go to bed; I don't know if that came out organically or if he was just repeating what I had been saying. Off to bed he went with me steamed. So, tonight he basically had one bite of chicken/broccoli/noodle casserole (which he has weekly!). I think I'm going to cut dinner down to 20 minutes, for my own sanity.

Elise: While her big brother was in school, we continued with her study participation at Rutgers. But, more exciting, she had her first official solid meal today -- breast milk and cereal -- for dinner. While she technically had banana and applesauce at Oma and Opa's house yesterday, this counts as the first meal (photos are of both 'meals'). She gobbled it down like a champ and barely made a mess! I don't recall how much to give in the early stages, so I actually had to cut her off.

Just goofing around:

2010_09_07 Tuesday

Last night, Elise was up no less than four times. I'm dragging today! I think she's gotten accustomed to sleeping with me since that's what we did while we were away. She's already had two naps today, although I haven't had one yet.

Today was Jonathan's first day of preschool (orientation, really). He was really hard to wake up and kept saying how he wanted to sleep more (guess we need to go to bed earlier!). At school, he was just ok, not his stellar self. He met his teachers (Mora Feygi, Mora Yaffa, and Mora Frumie). We sat in a circle, and each child was offered a sample of honey (for Rosh Hashana), but he wouldn't take it. He did love all the vehicles, though, and the kitchen. I tried to show him where the bathroom was to avoid any accidents, but we'll see.

I got him into most of the nature center classes that we wanted, so that was lucky too.

During lunch, we watched a few episodes of Elmo. In one, they talked about what made them happy, sad, angry, etc. I asked Jonathan what made him sad: "when daddy goes to Atlanta to work." boo. But, when I asked him what made him happy, he said: "kisses from mommy and daddy." awwww.

2010_09_05 Sunday

We spent the long weekend in DC for Clair's bridal shower. I was lucky enough to visit some dear, old friends, especially two who live out of the country. It really was a wonderful visit. Dave and Jonathan got to hang with the boys (especially Bobby) while Elise and I hung with the ladies.

We also spend the afternoon with PopPop, Grandma, Sam, Vicki, and Samantha. The drive home on Sunday night was pretty much a mess, as Jonathan refused to sleep until nearly 10:30pm. Then, of course, Elise woke up around midnight, screaming. We pulled into our driveway around 1:30am.