September Notes

Fall is almost upon us and this pregnant Mommy can't wait for some cooler weather! With doctor's appointments every week and school for Reese, September has been a busy month for us. Highlights include:

* Reese went to her buddy, Reed's, birthday party. She had a blast playing in his sandbox, and happily helped eat a piece of his birthday cake.

* Reese continues to enjoy school. There's no problem getting her to her class in the morning. Her reports on what she does at school are still a little sparse and mainly include "I played games," but occasionally we get a new piece of information; yesterday it was, "I played Legos." She comes home dirty and with an empty lunch box (which her teachers confirmed is evidence that SHE'S eating all of her food), so we're all happy.

* Reese enjoys going to Mommy's "baby doctor" appointments with her. She knows my doctor's name (Dr. Blumhagen), and pronounces it rather well considering it's such a mouthful. She's even told my doctor, "You're going to take baby sister out of Mommy's belly." Dr. Blumhagen has three daughters himself and interacts with Reese wonderfully. Last week, out of the blue, Reese told me, "Baby sister is in Mommy's belly and is growing, and growing, and growing. She's getting bigger and then she'll have toys."

* Reese had to go to the pedi last week for a case of athlete's foot. It came on suddenly and was pretty bad--her toes were peeling and cracking. Instead of over-the-counter spray they recommended a prescription cream. We put it on before nap and before bed and call it her "tickle cream" since it tickles when we rub it between her toes. On a side note, after two or three weeks of nighttime wart treatment, the wart on her finger is gone.

* Reese has claimed a small stuffed elephant that was part of baby sister's play mat for her own. She now likes to walk around with TWO elephants. She has christened the smaller elephant "Elfie." Let's hope the pachyderm pack stops at two.

* Reese LOVES her subscription to Highlights magazine (the 2-6 version) from Aunt Kate. She particularly enjoys the hidden pictures. While they were always a favorite of mine as a kid, I don't recall if I was doing them at age 2. Her magazine has a semi-easier version of the hidden pictures with larger colored images and she finds the pictures rather quickly. Her recent magazine came with some "bonus" material, though, including a 10 page hidden picture insert. We had to have "hidden picture time" EVERY afternoon after its arrival. The insert had some of the more traditional hidden pictures that I remember as a kid--the black and white graphics. I thought that they would certainly be too difficult for Reese, but she immediately looked at a carnival scene and pointed out at least five hidden objects in about two minutes. We've tried doing them online together since our next magazine is a month away, but she doesn't seem as interested.

First Day of School!

We made it: today was Reese's first day of 'school!'

Last night we picked out clothes to wear, and Mommy began packing her lunch box and double checking everything for labels.

When Reese woke up (at almost 7:30AM, kind of late for her) and I asked her where she was going today she got very excited and almost sprang out of bed shouting, "School! I'm going to school today!" The excitement wore off when our morning routine continued semi-normally after that, unfortunately school doesn't start until 9AM.
(To kill some time we took pictures and a video to document this momentous occasion.)


Once she had breakfast and was dressed, she insisted on wearing her backpack and carrying her lunch box for nearly a half hour leading up to our departure. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to convince her to surrender the back pack for the ride to school. Luckily she realized they wouldn't fit in her car seat.


When we got the school, masses of moms and kids were converging on the parking lot and walkways. Reese gawked at all the kids and donned her backpack and lunch bag for the walk to class.

As we approached her classroom all other sounds were drowned out by screaming children. While Reese was the fourth or fifth kiddo to arrive, from the door I could only spot one child that wasn't in a state of absolute melt down. I had to wait a few minutes for the teachers to tag-team their barricade of the door so Reese could walk in without letting any of her distraught classmates escape. I was worried the sight of other kids crying would send her over the edge, but to help her and the teachers out, I said my quick good bye and high-tailed it out of the building. When I left, she was standing by a table staring at the kids who were crying.

Daddy is working from home in the afternoons now (a recent change after our most recent baby #2 check up), so he came with me to pick Reese up around one o'clock. On the drive there we placed bets on everything from how dirty she'd be (paint, dirt, and/or food), if she'd even be in her original set of clothes, to how much of her lunch she'd have eaten.

When we arrived, the teachers were a little busy, so I didn't get a full run down on her day from them or if she cried when I left, but one teacher mentioned, "She's SO smart," and the other said her backpack and lunchbox combo were "absolutely the cutest." I don't mind that they didn't have more time to chat--I know first hand how hectic the first day of school can be, and with 2-year olds I'm sure the drama is magnified.

Reese was excited to see us at the door and was all smiles on the way to the car. When we asked her about her day she told us that she played games and sang songs (the ABCs and "The Wheels on the Bus"). That was about all we could get out of her. It's strange to not know what she did for part of her day and to have to rely on her recall. From past experiences, we know that her interpretations of things get a little muddied in the retelling sometimes. But, I guess it's a good thing to get used to--for both of us.

We got Reese home and got her ready for nap. I was hoping the school experience would have worn her out and produced a long power nap, but no such luck. Her lunch box didn't contain a scrap of food so we figure 1. she ate it all (what a shock that would be) 2. she "shared" her food with other kids or 3. the teachers threw away any left overs. Regardless, she seemed to be in a great mood this afternoon and was very happy and cooperative. Let's hope that trend continues! We'll see come Monday.


On a side note, we went out for hamburgers tonight at Mighty Fine as a special Friday treat. To our surprise, Reese devoured most of a 1/4lbs burger. Watching her hold the burger and take bites was pretty comical and we wished we had brought our camera. (This was her first hamburger experience of any kind.) She particularly enjoyed eating the lettuce and tomatoes. Initially she took the meat patty off the burger, but in the end she gave in and tried the meat (with hearty helpings of ketchup of course) and loved it.

Potty Time?

Oh potty training...Surely there are things that are harder to teach than potty training; in fact, I've probably taught some of them during my time as a teacher. But for some reason, this is the skill that's got me the most nervous. I'd rather teach a blind dysgraphic child to write in cursive than attempt this feat. I've found myself actually wishing Reese was in day care lately, so her daytime care takers (surely people with more potty training experience than me) could help me out on this one...but no such luck.

It's a combination of factors that's making it tough: she shows interest one day and not the next, she doesn't want to wear a diaper but also doesn't want to make a poopie anywhere besides a diaper, she'll sit on the potty when it's her idea but not when asked or prompted. The tried and true method of making frequent trips to the potty in order to reinforce success is completely lost on Reese (at least when Mommy tries). The mere mention of, "Hey, let's go sit on the potty" if she hasn't mentioned that she might need to go or want to go can bring the house down.


To Daddy's dismay, she's spending most days running around the house without a diaper or panties in hopes that she'll feel the urge and make it to her potty in time. It's just about guaranteed that if she's in a diaper or panties, she'll wet them and then immediately ask to be changed, but with the semi-naked approach the jury's still out. We've had some major successes, but also quite a few messes on the floor. (I'm super grateful we have limited carpet in the house now.) I'm sure she won't be in diapers when she enters kindergarten, I just don't know if we should continue on our path or give it a rest and try again later. Is it that she's not ready, or will being inconsistent and giving up now just delay the process and make it harder later?


Some 'nakie' and 'semi-nakie' photos from our recent time around the house--Reese sure doesn't mind the minimal clothing option.

School Orientation

This week Kevin and I attended the parent orientation night for Reese's school. We had the opportunity to meet her teachers, see the classroom, and get the run down on school policies and procedures. It was a surreal experience to be on the "parents" side of the table for the event. I've held countless parent orientations, curriculum nights, and parent-teacher conferences, and it was hard for me to grasp that all I had to do was show up and listen...well, and sign up to make homemade play dough for the class in December, but that was it.

Reese's class this year will have ten students--all young twos with birthdays between April and August. I thought she'd be the youngest in the class, but one boy is four days younger than she is. The class ratio is ideal--10 kids; 5 boys/5 girls, and 2 teachers. She will also be one of four students to welcome a baby brother or sister this fall--big bellies were everywhere at orientation night. I guess a two-ish year spread between kiddos is a popular idea.

On Friday the students were invited to school for a brief visit to meet the teachers and see their classrooms. Reese was very excited about the idea of going to school. She had a minor melt down in the parking lot on the way in involving holding an umbrella by herself (yes, it was raining), but otherwise she did well. She marched in and began playing with the babydolls and kitchen area immediately. About half way through the forty-five minute session, though, she started to get clingy and insisted on being within arms reach of me. I think it's going to be a tough morning when she realizes that school means mommy doesn't stay and play with her, but we'll just have to wait and see.


Waiting in Reese's cubby for her was a school t-shirt and a visor with her name on it. She decided that they were the perfect afternoon wardrobe. No surprise, the size XS tshirt is practically long sleeved on her, but she doesn't seem to mind.