Preschool 2010

I'm researching preschools for the 2010 class year. Yep, 2010. You can get on these lists when 'in utero' so we are behind. But we still have a decent chance of getting in if we sign up right now.

Will, Evan and Lily would be three, turning four a couple weeks into the 2010 school year. I'd like for them to have some exposure to a 'school setting' and all the learning activities prior to kindergarten. Many of these programs have toddler classes so Holden could attend a 'twos' class at the same time two days a week.

So far we are on two lists:

First United Methodist (FUMP)
M/W/F or T/Th 9 to 1pm
Our neighbor sent all three of her boys to this school and gave the school a strong recommendation. The school is downtown so David could help with drop off.

Covenant Presb.
T/W/Th 9 to 1pm
Small community atmosphere. It's close by and several kids from my neighborhood attend. They will have all new buildings and playarea by 2010. They require one day a month of volunteering per child three and over - grandparents can pitch in or we can pay extra. Otherwise I would be there almost every week.

I'm also interested in Good Shepherd Episcopal. I like that church and it is nearby in Terry Town but the waitlist fee is $125 per child. I'm going to check it out and be sure it is still top of my list before plunking down $600.

For you Austinite moms, here are other schools that have been recommended to me:

• St Matthews Episcopal Day School
• First Presbyterian Day School
• Bethany United Methodist School
• All Austin Cooperative Nursery
• UT Lab (over 500 on waitlist)
• Discovery

The number of choices and application fees are daunting. That's why I didn't make much progress before. But now time is of the essence. Need to get these kids in line for a school!

Costco

It poured on Sunday. Our backyard became a lake and we were trapped inside ALL day. David decided that it would be a good day for us to go to Costco and stock up. The big Costco carts have a seat in front for two children so we can easily take the whole family.

We try to make a trip at least once every other month to get cases of diapers, wipes, tons of fruit and of course wine. Our bill comes to somewhere between $600 and $1000 each trip. I wanted to take a photo of our full carts but as we were leaving I broke the eggs, the kids were getting restless and David was not appreciating my efforts as family historian.

The Baby

We often call Holden simply 'the baby' as in 'would you hold the baby while I pour us another glass of wine?'. I need to start using his name more. I wrote a thank you note to David's company last week and said 'thank you for the gifts for Hunter'.

Note to self: Hunter is Lisa's baby, your baby's name is Holden. The office manager posted the note on their bulletin board, but she told me not to worry, she would white out the name and correct it. Priceless.

Machinery!

I've mentioned Will's intense love for machines including trucks, buses and airplanes.

In particular he has a penchant for tractors. Last week I took him on a special outing by himself to go visit a tractor and he went nuts. He said 'gac-or, gac-tor, gac-or!' then a slew of incomprensible things about the tractor. We left grandma G a message that I wish I could find a way to post (I have the mp3 file).

I thanked the shop owner and mentioned Will's love of tractors. He said 'Of course - machinery!'

Will said 'bye-bye gac-or' the whole way home.

Earth Day

A movement is taking hold to protect our Earth. It is now 'cool' to care. I like the direction we are headed. It is going to take time but it feels good to see the shift in perception.

Now that I'm a mom I've become more conscious about our waste and the example I set for our children. We are shamefully using disposable diapers and are working towards filling our own Team Freas landfill. From what I've read even cloth diapers are not a perfect solution because of all the washing that is required. We also waste a ton of food so I'm trying to get smarter about meal/grocery planning and am researching composting.

It's not just about reusing and recycling. This sea change in thought is also manifesting in a growing awareness about the chemicals in our environment and the impact of the pesticides and additives to our foods.

I'm sick about the new findings on BPAs. We used both Avent and Dr. Browns bottles for our triplets which are on the 'bad' list now. There have been rumblings about their safety but the latest research findings have raised a big red flag and these products have officially been declared 'concerning' particulary for the smallest of us, infants, and especially when heated. And to think we heated ALL of our bottles for our babies. Findings of premature development and cancer in animal studies are frightening. I hope we haven't harmed our children.

So last week after the latest report came out I bought new Born Free BPA free bottles. They are a nice bottle, good design and no leaking. The down side is that they are almost $10 each and have too many parts but no BPAs.

I try to limit the amounts additives like high fructose corn syrup and trans fats we ingest. I believe evidence will continue to mount that these substances are damaging to our health.

As far as organic foods go we buy organic milk and I tend to buy organic processed foods like ketchup and cereal because they use less modified ingredients. I'm also considering adding the top 12 foods that have the most pesticides to my organic grocery list.

I came across a handy article yesterday that outlined when it is worth it to go organic and when it is less important. I posted highlights below or go here for full article.

'When is it worth buying Organic?:

The top 12 foods that contain a lot of pesticides:
peaches, apples, sweet bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, pears, imported grapes, spinach, lettuce and potatoes.

Foods that you eat most frequently or in great quantities.

Foods eaten by pregnant women and children under age three:
During pregnancy and the first three years of life when the brain and organs are developing, kids are more susceptible to carcinogens, neurotoxins and hormonal disrupters.

It doesn't pay to buy organic when:

buying the 12 fruits and vegetables with fewest pesticide residues:
onions, avocados, frozen sweet corn, pineapples, mangos, asparagus, frozen sweet peas, kiwi, bananas, cabbage, broccoli and papaya.

It's a food you don't eat often.

Foods grown locally and consumed in season (peaches in summer, apples in the fall, for example) also tend to have fewer pesticides.

You're buying fish.There are currently no USDA standards for fish. So if a fish is labeled "organic" there's no guarantee that it actually is.'

So happy earth day to you. May your day be filled with less BPAs, additives and pesticides.

**Update**

Did you see yesterday's Oprah? It seems like we've just scratched the surface of re-evaluating our foods and products. They brought up a whole new host of concerns about our toxins in our water and beauty products.

Good gosh. How did we get to this point? It really makes you want to get back to the basics. I think I'll whip up a batch of their recipie for home made veggie wash and window cleaner for my friends (in my spare time).

New Roof

The second story is completely framed and we have a roof. The will be finishing out the eves and adding the shingles over the next week.

I love this new larger dormer window overlooking the park. The window seat will be about nine feet long and over three feet deep and will be a great place to hang out. It looks like may have views of downtown and possibly the UT tower when we trim back our bamboo.

A view of the new roof line at the back of the house.

before

Welcome Hunter

I'm delighted to report that Lisa had a healthy beautiful baby boy last week. Isn't he adorable?

Early Summer

It feels like summer already. We inflated the baby pool and broke out the Otter Pops. We will be doing a lot of this in the coming months. Although we could use a larger baby pool. And maybe I should get some new swim diapers so that the boys don't have to wear Little Mermaid pants. Sorry about that guys, I really didn't realize I bought princess diapers.


While the kids play outside, Holden has been napping in the shade. He should enjoy camping in the great outdoors when he is older.


Also lounging in the shade is my friend Lisa, Lily's godmother. She is scheduled to deliver her baby boy tomorrow! Our boys will be less than three months apart. They will be chasing the big kids in no time.

Progress

Our contractor took advantage of a dry day to start the framing. Woo-hoo! Let's see how much they can get done before the big storms hit this Friday.

Good Tempered Chunk

It is hard to balance the camera and get Holden to smile at the same time but here is my attempt from this morning. He is really the sweetest, easiest baby. I have started to worry that maybe there is a problem because he does not cry. Is that possible?

He does require being held in the evening after the big kids go to bed, but other than that he is super low maintance.

At two and a half months he is wearing six month clothes and a size 3 diaper. We had two nights this week where he slept from 10:15 to 7am! This morning he slept until 5am, nursed and slept until 8am. I will be starting work soon so I'll need to feed him around 6am anyway so that I can get ready.

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18 Month Well Check

Well, I missed the 15 mo check which meant that they got tons of shots at this 18 mo well check. Four for Lily and Evan and five for Will since I had delayed his MMR. Otherwise it was a great visit.

Holden and I took Evan in the morning and I took Lily and Will in the afternoon to limit the chaos and help them get a good exam. It really is better if they have their own individual appointments but it takes a ton of time. I spent half the day at the doctors office and had just been the previous week for Holden's well check.

Lily said 'doctor' and 'V' for our favorite nurse Mrs. V or Vernetta and fell all over herself showing her nose and belly button. Both the boys were social and were happy to give high fives to the doctor. Evan and Lily have over 50 words and Will has over 20. I asked the doctor if she was concerned about Will and she said they only look for six words at 18 months and some kids aren't speaking yet, so they are all doing great. The one area we didn't meet was knowing the colors so that is what we are working on now.

Here are the stats:

Evan

weight 23 lbs 4 oz (20%)
height 33 1/2 in (80%) our tall guy
head 47 1/2 cm (70%)

Will

weight 23 lbs 5 oz (20%)
height 31 1/2 in (25%)
head 47 1/2 cm (45%) not sure how both boys can have same head size but different %, maybe it's not right.

Lily

weight 22 lbs 3 oz (20%)
height 31 1/4 (40%)
head 47 1/2 cm (75%)

She wasn't concerned about their low-ish weights. I told her I would be happy to give them pedisure or more healthy fats but she said they were fine and getting all the nutrition they needed for good development.

Easter Family Snapshot

Easter Sunday

7:00 AM The Easter bunny has arrived.

7:05 AM Holden catches a glimpse of the bunny.

7:30 AM The 'big' kids are up.

We kept things very simple. I started to second guess not getting more but the little baskets ended up being the perfect size for them to carry around and we had plenty of trinkets.

The eggs were filled with small cars and stickers.

Will with his new matchbox cars. He loves trucks, cars and buses and can spend hours immersed in driving them around, putting them in his riding toys and pushing them around or taking them in and out of little hiding places.

9:30 AM The egg hunt commences. We told them to grab their baskets and go outside. Lily wraps her basket around her to leave her hands free.

Will grabbed two baskets and handed one to Evan before running out the door.

The eggs were filled with a fruit gummy treat or animal cracker.

Will hunting.

Each time they would open an egg they would say 'wow-woww' and 'more'.

Evan hunting.

Will

Lily

Evan

Last few eggs before headed to Pacha for coffee then the park.

4:00 PM Easter dinner with family at the Caffrey's. Lily and Papa read a new book.

Lily, Will and Evan with Grammy Clare.

Tia Christy with Holden.

7:30 PM Home.

Let The Light Shine In

Yesterday they were to start removing our roof for our remodel but instead we had torrential rains, rivers flowing down the street. But today there is not a cloud in the sky and they have already made great progress. As the framing goes up we will finally get to see our project take shape.

*End of day update*

Views from what was previously our kitchen.


View from dining room and den.

Rub My Belly for Good Luck

Holden celebrates St. Patricks day by napping after drinking too much milk. That's Will's shirt from last year.

Someone called Holden a 'Butterball' when I was out running errands with him last week. It's true, he is wearing the boys 6 month clothes already. I project he will be the same size as Lily by next month.

Little Prince

Holden will be eight weeks this Friday. He is a doll. He has big blueberry eyes with a ring of sky blue around the pupil. His hair is turning a soft brown and will likely keep getting blonder like his siblings. He has been pushing up now for a couple of weeks and is beginning to give us some big smiles and an occasional 'coo'. He rarely cries and if he does he can be calmed in moment by simply being picked up or nursed.

He doesn't really need to cry, he is held a lot of the time and gets fed as soon as begins bobbing his head like a woodpecker and making little grunting sounds. He seems long and has a buddha belly. He is a little chunk compared to our other three when they were infants. Our two month appointment is coming up, I won't be surprised if he is close to twelve pounds.

Holden goes most everywhere I go and is most content when being carried around in my Ergo pack. I've learned how to nurse him while he is in his pack which is helpful for our morning walks or at the park or when I'm preparing lunch for the trio. I learned this trick from one of my favorite blogs - amazing trips - another mother of triplets plus one who has some amazing tricks for managing her four by herself.

Holden is still sleeping in his bassinet by our bed at night. He has been consistently sleeping a good stretch between 10pm and 3am. The time change helped us out because I tend to not get in bed until 11pm, and with the time change he slept from 11pm to 4am. At 4am when he made his little grunting sounds, instead of picking him up and nursing him like I usually do I gently patted his back and he returned to sleep for another hour. We may be close to sleeping from 11pm to 5am regularly which sounds like heaven to me. After the middle of the night feed he goes back to cluster feeding and likes to nurse off and on until morning. But at least I can doze while snuggled up to him.

My little prince does not always get first class service. Yesterday Carmen and I gave Holden a bath, one of only a handful since he has been born. At the end of the day I seem to run out of energy to give him a bath. Anyway, he seemed to enjoy it. He was bright eyed and calm and didn't protest one bit.

Today I put Holden on the sofa in his car seat while I was unloading the groceries. When the kids came back from the park, Evan came over to take a peak and pulled the car seat off. Holden came tumbling out. Thank goodness he was not hurt. He cried but stopped as soon as I scooped him up.

Usually, we keep him in the bassinet in whatever room we are in. Even when he is in the bassinet I still have to keep a close eye on the trio. They like to climb up on the side and peer in, and sometimes 'give' him toys or their sippy cups.

I'm sure Holden will learn to be tough having three older siblings. But he will also always be our baby.

Weekend

Chasing bubbles.

Hanging in the playhouse.

Playing a favorite game 'boo'. They like to chase each other around and when they find each other say 'boo'.

Picking flowers 'fow-ers' together, even Will said 'fow-er' today.

Goodnight.