Jack

Jack was surprised to get a new kindergarten teacher a week or so ago. Apparently the kindergarten classes at his school had 30 plus kids in them, way more then the school expected to enroll. To get the class sizes down to around 20 a 1st grade teacher was shifted down to kindergarten; Jack was one of the kids moved. His new teacher is Mrs. Perry. I got to meet her once. She seemed ok, she has lots of experience with kindergarten I have been told. Jack was a bit nervous changing classes, as expected, but he now seems fine with it. I think just having less kids in his class made it easier plus his new teacher sometimes hands out gummy bears.

Amelia

Amelia is so cute and smart. Every time she sees the letter A she thinks its her name. She'll pick capital A's out of paragraphs or in the middle of words. Each time she gets a big smile on her face and says, "That's my name!"
She can also write the letter A very well. She writes it anywhere and everywhere now. She can trace the rest of the letters in her name very well but the A she can write by herself. She is already practicing her autograph.

Jack

Well Jack got stitches for the first time yesterday. We got a new apple corer and he decided to use it on his own. We didn't even notice because he didn't say anything. He just asked me to help him with a band aide. I turned around to see blood everywhere! He couldn't open the band aide because it was covered in blood along with the first aide kit from the car, the garage floor and all over the car. It was a lot of blood! It took me quite awhile to clean it all up.
I couldn't tell how deep his cut was but it was right across his right pointer finger's knuckle so I knew it wouldn't heal good with all the bending. We went to the same ER that we took him for his smashed finger. He was pretty upset on the way because he thought he may get stitches.
Same doctor we had from last time took a look at it. I had to look away when he pulled the skin back because it was pretty deep. The doctor wasn't sure if it went down to the knuckle but he wanted to wash it out really good. Jack's finger would have to be numbed. He cried as they stuck the needle in twice but he held still. His finger ballooned up from all the fluid. After he couldn't feel his finger he thought it was so neat; he kept pinching it or biting it.
Well He did pretty good until he saw the hook and was told he had to get stitches. He started crying pretty loud. Jack told the doctor it wasn't numb all the way. The doctor did some test pokes without Jack looking and told me Jack could feel about 2 out 5 pokes. He asked if he should give him another numbing injection. At that point though all the sterile stuff was out, Jack was being held down and for the most part he was numb so I told the doctor to do it anyway. Jack held still be he definitely didn't like it. It was the first time I had ever seen panic on his face, sheer panic from the experience.
After the stitches were in the nurse gave him a Popsicle. It took Jack only minutes to recover from it.
Now its just about healing without infection.

School Update

Well we are two weeks into the school year. Really the kids have had 2 4-day weeks. Jack got a cold the third day of school, which has been passed around including Dada. Jack also today didn't want to go to school. Oh the battle starts already! I know he was just tired and not feeling well but it is in times like these you must do a gut check and power through! I hope to brainwash him as a child not to give up on your daily activities and jobs just because you don't feel like. He may be fighting that fight his whole life.


PS- Jack came home from school happy. He had made pyramid today out of spaghetti noodles and mini marshmallows. It was pretty impressive, he was pretty proud of himself for constructing it.

Amelia

Amelia has started preschool. The morning of the first day she had her backpack on at 7:30 am (preschool starts at 9:00 am) telling us all she is a big girl ready for school. When we got to the school she let me take a picture of her. I asked if I could take a picture of her inside too. She told me, "Actually Teacher Brendan and Teacher Jan is not that exciting so no." Once inside she hung up her backpack, grabbed a toy and started playing. I barely got a hug from her as I said good-bye: no tears, no look backs as mom left. I am now wondering if anything new she does will be scary for her since she has two older brothers doing it all first!

Jacob

As of now in our family Jacob is the great neutralizer. I don't think he realizes how much his brother and sister count on him. The energy of his being is significantly absent even with only being gone one day at school.
 As I dropped Jack off at school today he asked if I was going to wait with him. I told him no parents aren't allowed in the gate anymore. He then said "What am I going to do then?" I reassured him to look for Jacob and there were lots of kids to play with. He looked so small as he walked ever so slowly to the gate, lingered on the outside looking in before walking threw it.
Just the presences of Jacob makes Jack braver. Even Amelia will stay somewhere without Dada or I if she knows Jacob is with her. We are so lucky to have such a terrific boy in our family. One that brings reassurance, comfort and confidence with just his presence.

Jacob's first day of 1st grade

Jacob went to first grade today. I think first grade is way more important then kindergarten, mostly because a first grader is at school ALL day. My little Jacob was the first to get on his bus at 8:07 and last to be dropped off (today at 4:40, an hour after school ended!).
The highlights of his day were he got to go to the library, was excused from lunch as soon as he was done eating (I guess at Livingston he had to wait) and the class talked about scientists. He said his teacher had the

class close their eyes and picture a scientist. The scientist he imagined wore a lab coat and created robots that shot lasers. I told him there were actual scientist that use robots with lasers. His eyes about popped out of his head, saying "Really?!"
I think Jacob's first day of school went real well. I pray he accedes at his classwork, makes good friends and enjoys his teacher and school.