J-E-L-L-O

3 isn't ALL bad

When Evan shoots me smiles like this one, when he tells me "You're the best mom ever," (with no hidden agenda -- he's too young to understand that) or when he gives me hugs and kisses for no reason, I get a glimpse of the sweet (and sometimes sensitive) little boy that he is. That goes a long way to make up for the other not-so-sweet times.

Saying "yes" for a change

I can't tell you how much better it feels to say "yes" to your kids when they ask you things like, "Can I get in the crib with Grant?" Saying "no" becomes so commonplace and expected; it's so much more fun to give in to the whims of children.

My, how they grow

Seeing the pictures from the post below reminded me of a similar scene of the four kids back in January. Amazing what 9 months can do!

In other news...

A couple of days before the hospital excursion, the boys and I spent the night at my friend Heather's house. The four kids played, ate, fought, played some more and slept mostly through the night.

Update on Grant

Thanks everyone for your well-wishes, comments and phone calls. Grant is doing very well. He slept most of the day -- well needed rest. He was cranky and tired, but perked up this evening and started playing again. No more fever or breathing issues, just a healthy, productive cough. We go to see his pediatrician tomorrow morning for a follow up.

Ambulance rides are fun!

So, Cara, how did you spend your weekend?

Well, dear reader, let me tell you.


Sunday morning started at 6:30am with Grant having severe breathing difficulties. After a trip later that day to the after-hours care and a diagnosis of Croup, we were ushered quickly to the local ER. After oral medication and three breathing treatments, we were admitted to the hospital. But not the nearest hospital, mind you -- they had no more beds left. No, instead we were transported by ambulance to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, about an hour north. After finally getting a room at 11pm, Grant and I settled in for the evening. He was released today with a mostly clean bill of health, much improved breathing and just a few minor symptoms lingering from Croup. Grant and I arrived home (after Jason drove us all home in a torrential downpour -- have you heard about this?) around 4pm today. Grant went to bed at 5:30 and why I'm still awake, I have no idea! A photo essay from our adventure:

In the ER, receiving treatments. Grant just LOVED the breathing treatments.

And he got so tired, poor thing. Thank goodness for his thumb -- it has never been more helpful than it was the last two days!

Grant's room.

A picture of the sad little boy, complete with baby hospital gown, electrode wires strung here and there, and prison-quality metal crib. He was still so cute despite looking so darned pathetic.

Beachy fun in Hilton Head

Here are the pics I promised from our Labor Day weekend in Hilton Head.


Grandma Soon spent her childhood at the ocean and she loves sharing that enjoyment with her grandkids.

Aunt Heather in the baby tent with Connor. Can you believe this woman had a baby less than 3 months ago? She looks great!

Grant being picked up and returned to our campsite for the 45th time that day.

The boys building the traditional sand hole/wading pool.

Apparently my mommy bag-o-tricks doesn't work on every kid!

Grant attempts to bond.

Grandma Soon and the newest boy in the Terreri grandkid brood.

Baby gear giveaway

Hey readers, a friend of mine is hosting a giveaway on her blog for a baby bib and "splat mat" (if you have a highchair-bound child, you probably know what that is!). If you're at all interested, check it out and enter! (ps- no strings attached here, just a giveaway!)

http://www.randomneuralfirings.net/contests/great-giveaway-win-a-splat-mat-and-matching-bib

Slight mental breakdown

Oldest child is not napping. At all. I knew this would come but was hopeful that he would be like the other kids (that BabyCenter writes about) and would take naps dutifully until the age of 5. This is sooooo not cool. And yes, we can do "quiet time" and all that, but it's just not the same. Just not the same, I tell you!

Too busy!

For those of you only looking for pictures, this won't be your favorite post. Sorry for the lack of posts lately, but it's been busy 'round here! In a nutshell...

Pre-school for Evan and Morning Out for Grant, which means... making lunches, having clean (and presentable) clothes, bringing in snacks, filling out forms and Scholastic book orders (can't believe I get to do that again--love it!)

Kids are home with me (and only me) now three. full. days. per week, which means... activities, arranging naps, playing referee, art time, library time, park time, errands with kids-in-tow, lunches to make, snacks to hand out--and lots and lots of coffee.

Work, work and more freelance work, which means... late nights, early mornings and fading brain cells.

Training again for a 15K race, which means... struggling to fit in at least 3 runs a week.

Oh yeah, and then there's the boring day-to-day of dinners and house work (which lags waaay behind). But you get the general picture, right?

We did take the time this past weekend to take a nice trip to Hilton Head to see G&G Terreri and Uncle DJ, Aunt Heather and new baby Connor. It was a great weekend-- the weather was beautiful! Wish we could still be there! Pictures to come...

First day of preschool

I wish I had a better picture to document the occasion, but it's not easy to corral Evan and Grant side-by-side for a photo op. Kinda like herding cats, as my Grandpa might say. Anyway, the first day went much better than the photo shoot. Evan and his teachers reported back very positively. While it's not full-swing school mode, preschool is a lot more like real school, complete with individual cubbies, field trips, snack & party volunteering, etc. All except for homework -- and thank goodness! And Grant enjoyed his "morning out" program -- like I expected, he didn't even look back as I dropped him off.





PS - It may look as though Evan pushed Grant down in this sequence of pics, but surprisingly this time, he did not. Grant was being what we call "Grumpy Grant."

Transitions

Last Friday, Evan went for the last time to the daycare provider who has helped him grow and learn since he was 1 1/2 years old. His first day of preschool is tomorrow. We were sad to say goodbye to Ms. Renne, but excited about taking the next step. Tomorrow marks the first day of what will be many, many, many years ahead in school (if only he knew how many!).

Concentration

I've noticed with Grant that the more difficult a task becomes, the wider he opens his mouth. See below.

Edited to add: Grant now completes this task effortlessly. And thank goodness! Do you know how tough it is to watch someone struggle with something and not just reach in and do it for them?!

Back to triathlon

For the first time in a long time, Jason competed in a triathlon this past Saturday in Peachtree City. It was a sprint distance (.3 mi swim, 14 mi bike and 3.1 mi run), so not an Ironman, but difficult in its own respect. Evan, Grant and I were all there at the finish line to cheer him in. Didn't get any action shots, but here's one of Jason with the rest of our friends who competed.

Nature walk

(I just now noticed the spider in this picture; can you spot it?)

If only you could bottle it up

Monkey do

Grant picks up a whole lot of things from Evan, including how best to play with cars.

For my dad, a video of Grant

My dad wanted to see Grant in action with his walking-- he remembers how funny Evan was when he first started walking with what he calls the Frankenstein walk. Anyway, the first clip is walking, the second is just cute.

Conversations with Evan: About brothers

After riding two seconds in the car this morning, Evan starts whining and yelling at Grant (Over what, you ask? Because Grant is pretending that the toy dinosaur he's holding is a car and Evan says he shouldn't do that. Well, you asked!). The conversation ensues:

Me: Evan, Grant can pretend that the dinosaur is a car--stop yelling at him. Remember, Grant is your brother and you like to have fun with him.

Evan: I love him?

Me: Yes.

Evan: Why?

Me: Because you do.