Tough Two Days

My poor little guy--the last two days have not been very pleasant for him :-( Yesterday, he broke another tooth--this time one of his top ones. He was crabby and upset last night. He woke up at 3:30 crying so we fed him 4ounces and he went right back to sleep. Then this morning, only 20 minutes after Dad dropped him off, another little boy took a bite out of my baby's cheek. Bennett was playing with a block that this little boy wanted and he bit him. You can see the top teeth and bottom teeth bruised on his cheek. As a parent, I felt angry because I couldn't understand why someone would want to hurt my little, sweet boy who is too young to defend himself. At the same time, I tried to see if from the point of view of the other child's mother. I don't know how I would tell a one year old not to bite because I don't know that he would understand. All the daycare ladies felt horrible and apologized over and over. None of them wanted to make the phone call to tell me what had happened--one of ladies even cried :-( So, I know that Bennett is loved and well-taken care of at his daycare, but it makes you feel so bad! I'm hoping that tomorrow is a better day for my little guy!

My poor little guy--the last two days have not been very pleasant for him :-( Yesterday, he broke another tooth--this time one of his top ones. He was crabby and upset last night

Day 20

Today was day 20 at school. I'm wondering where my sweet bunch from last year has gone. The start to this school year has been . . . well . . . challenging to be nice :-) With the addition of four new students, the whole dynamic of my room has changed. But I breathe a sigh of relief--no one was hitting or pushing today, I didn't have any other teachers tracking me down to share how sad my kids were acting, and no one had to fill out an incident report, so I consider that a success! I have two kids that are causing me so many headaches, but I feel like we are starting to make some progress with the help of my fabulous colleagues who continue to send new ideas to try my way. At the beginning of the year, I was really looking forward to having my same crew back--now I'm not so sure. They are all so comfortable with each other that they are very chatty--did I mention they were like that ALL the time??? I'm wondering if looping really is the way to go. And I'm not completely sure the best way to teach what I am supposed to teach. I've never taught 1st grade before, but my stress is probably rubbing off on the kids. Here's what we're working on right now:
- all kids have individual spelling list and they take their test when they are ready--great for the kids and their individual needs, but difficult to organize and very time consuming
- in math, we were working on shapes. In this unit, we will begin working on addition sentences
- this week, the kids brought in a special item and we will be writing about those
That's just a glimpse at our day--sadly, I haven't even found 5 minutes to squeeze in an afternoon bathroom break for the kids--and I still don't have time to cover everything I'm supposed to! I have running records to start and I'm supposed to test all 15 kids on the 104 sight words (did I mention that was supposed to be done last Friday and I haven't even started yet???). Can you tell that I'm a little stressed :-) But I have made great progress and am not bringing anything home at nights if I can help it and NOTHING on the weekends. I'll continue to keep you updated about my littles throughout the year.

I do have one thing to celebrate--I finally fit into all my pre-Bennett clothes again! Yahoo! What's strange is that the 4 weeks prior to school starting, I was working out 1 hour a day, 6 days a week and felt like I didn't lose a thing. But in the 4 weeks we've been at school, I've dropped quite a bit. At least my stress has been good for something :-)

Fun Furnishings

This is my new favorite decorating idea!! I was talking to my friend Angie one day about how I wanted some wall art for above the family pictures of Bennett. I told her I had found a saying I liked, but it didn't come in the color I wanted. She told me she had a catalog for a company called Uppercase Living in which you can purchase wall sayings or create your own. I am totally hooked! The above picture is the saying I wanted but I chose the color, font, and size, and created this one myself. The word "together" was supposed to be a more creamy color, and I was really disappointed when I put it next to my wall and it was the same color! So, I had a little rearranging to do. I love it on the green dividing wall!! I can see it as soon as I walk in the door.

I also wanted something with the meaning of Bennett's name. It was partly the reason we liked his name so much. I was going to order a wooden sign with it painted on, but didn't really wanted to spend $50 on something that he may not want displayed in his room forever. The sayings are fairly inexpensive and sort of easy to apply. I had the hardest time transferring my letters to the sticky top sheet, but they easily applied to the wall. This company had the neatest sayings, lots of color choices, and fun ideas of how to add a little pizazz to a wall. I may have to order some more!

Boot Scootin' Boogie

My New Trick

Bennett has learned how to open drawers--definitely time to get those baby-proofed!

Fall Fun At The Pumpkin Patch

A few weeks ago, I received an e-mail from a friend about a fall fun day going on at a nearby pumpkin patch. Normally, this is not something I would think about doing, but as a new mom, I was very excited! So, we packed into the car, stopped for breakfast along the way, and headed out into the country. It was not much of a fall day, though. By about 10:00, it was already 70 degrees outside. When we arrived, we first looked at the animals--chickens, roosters, a donkey, ponies, and a goat, which Bennett pet. Next, we started to look through the already picked pumpkins. We had to take a few pictures along the way!

Next, we headed into the pumpkin patch in search of the biggest and brightest we could find! Bennett got to pick out a pumpkin that is just his size.

After we picked out our pumpkins, we took a short hayride. Once you have kids, its funny how things you wouldn't think twice about doing become more fun than you've had in a long time!!

Here is what we came home with! We had a great time, and Bennett was wiped out! He has been sleep for the last 3 hours!!

Taking Out The Trash

Bennett's new favorite toy--the recyclables!

Weekend Project

Several months ago, I decided to redo the upstairs bathroom. I shopped and got everything I needed, then decided I didn't like the set I had boought and scrapped the whole idea. But I gotten a new medicine cabinet for the bathroom. This weekend, we finally got around to attempting to put it up. As you can see, I had a lot of patch work to do. Now, Ryan and I are no "fixer-upers" but we've done okay for ourselves--we've installed new light fixtures and a ceiling fan. For whatever reason, this seemingly simple task turned into a disaster! First, we took down the old cabinet and had 2 small holes and 2 larger holes (from the anchors) to patch. No big deal--the new cabinet would cover it. Then we attempted to get the holes ready for the new one. Well, five holes later, it's finally hanging on our wall. I think we tried to put the anchors in about 3 or 4 times, never successfully. One of the anchors and nails are somewhere in our walls as we speak. The nail and anchor that are in the wall currently--well, let's just say that the cabinet didn't fall down last night and the wall is still intact, so I'm thinking that's a good sign. It's up . . . for now . . . and we hope it stays that way :-)

Computer Update

On Sunday, Ryan took our computer over to Best Buy and it was great news! Somehow, we don't really know why, our computer created a second user. So, when we turned it on, it came up under a second user--that's why none of our documents were showing. Luckily, once we got back in under Ryan's name, all of our things appeared! I can't tell you how relieved I was! We're thinking as our Christmas present, we're going to get a new computer. Until then, I have saved everything on my flash drive and will continue to do so--I don't need any more scares like the one this weekend!!!

8 Months Old--A Few Days Late

On Sunday, Bennett turned 8 months old! I can hardly believe how fast the time has gone! He's so funny these days--he crawls without tucking his legs, so he kind of drags himself but it's amazing how fast he can move! Still only two teeth. He sometimes sits alone when he wants to and he stands up by himself when leaning against something. He is such a talker and smiles all the time. On Monday night, I attempted to take his 8 month pictures. I snapped a few good ones before he started to crawl and roll away and got really spunky! He didnt sleep much at daycare, so that's my excuse :-) There are a few that show the real Bennett. He's our little angel!

Lots Of Laundry!

Over the last few days, I have been noticing that some of Bennett's spring clothes are looking a little small. Today, we even had to go buy some new jammies. It was time to do some drawer cleaning. I pulled out all the clothes I needed to check to see if they still fit. That led me to start pulling out all of the clothese that still really don't fit (some of which is 3-6 months!) but hopefully will soon. Bennett was not having fun while I attempted to try clothes on, but he sure enjoyed playing with the hangers! All the clothes to be packed away and all the new clothes to put out all went into the basket to be cleaned! So two loads of laundry and a lot of folding later, Bennett will have a whole new wardrobe!

More Bad Luck

So I was just saying yesterday (proceeded by some wood knocking) that I had gone several days with no disasters, and I was hoping the bad streak was over------well, I was not so lucky :-( So, I can see how my last post was funny--as my sister told me last night, it is pretty humorous when adults take a tumble, but this is no laughing matter. Last night, Ryan asked if I had wiped out the computer--I said no. The picture we had on the backdrop was gone and the folder where I keep all of Bennett's pictures was gone. No big deal, I thought. I purposely don't erase any pictures from the camera until I put them all on a CD, so I knew nothing was really lost. But today was another story. I went downstairs to see what the damage was. I opened up the My Documents folder to find it empty, and I felt really bad! All the stuff that I had just lost at school was at least saved at home--until now. As I was sitting there staring at the blank folder, suddenly I was hit like a ton of bricks. The power point I was creating as an end of the year video for my students was gone, along with ALL my pictures from last year. Okay, it could be worse. And then I realized my most prized possession was gone--I have been keeping a journal for years--since I was in 5th or 6th grade. Thankfully, I printed a majority off years ago, but then I started a new file just a few years ago. Among other things, I documented details during my pregnancy and about Bennett's birth. And every month on his birth date, I journal about the changes in his life and the things I felt as I watched him grow--it is all gone. That's when I started to cry! Ryan quickly called his sister and she thinks it may be possible to recover the files, so we'll have to take it to Best Buy and hope and pray they have some magic to work. Sometimes I hate technology!

The Last 7 Days

Let's recap what has happened in the last 7 days:

Mon 1st: first trip to ER
Tues 2nd: first day of school, Daddy leaves school to take Bennett to the doctor
Wed 3rd: mom's not feeling well, Bennett screams for 1 1/2 before mom goes to school
Thurs 4th: 1st accident report from daycare--Bennett was reaching for a toy and fell on it with his forehear, mom running fever and has headache
Fri 5th: headache again
Sat 6th: mom goes to urgent care for stabbing shoulder pain
Sun 7th: 1st call to poison control, mom has fever
Mon 8th: just when everything seems to be getting back to normal besides my ongoing fever, I had to fall down our neighbors stairs--their stairs are steep and narrow. I was carrying a plate full of food which include ketchup and my foot slipped right out from under me. Down several stairs I went and landed with a thud on my tailbone and a great big "ouch!" Then embarrassment took over when I realized there was ketchup everywhere (this was after Bennett had spit up on their carpet twice already that evening).

I'm so ready for some good news so if you have anything to share, please do!

Pucker Up!

Bennett giving himself a great big smooch!

Wiggle, Wiggle

I've been waiting to get this on video! Bennett did his wiggle dance before he got into the vaporizer inhalant, so I can't blame it on that, but it is darn cute!

And not only can he dance on this back, he can do it on his belly, too! He's also done it in his highchair, which really takes some talent :-)

1st Call to Poison Control

My day began great this morning! Bennett slept until almost 7:30 and then I brought him in to our room to cuddle for a little bit. I took him in to change his diaper--he rolls so much now we may have to start changing him on the floor. So, we get done, and I put him on the floor while I went to wash my hands. When I came back, something didn't feel right. He was laying on the floor playing with a folder he had found. I looked at his vaporizer, and it looked really shiny, like the inhalant cup had spilled. So I turned back to Bennett. He had the slippery stuff all over both hands and on his cheek by his mouth! I grabbed him off the floor just as he was about to put his hand in his mouth. I ran into the bathroom and started scrubbing his hands with warm water and soap. I laid him on the floor and continued to scrub his face--staying ver calm, of course. My next though was poison control--and immediately I remembered my sister giving me the number. So I ran to the kitchen--no number! I ran to Bennett's room and grabbed my scrapbook. Aha! Sure enough--there was the number! I dialed 1-888-222-1222 and waited for someone to tell me my baby was going to be okay. Well, I don't know who my sister has been calling for poison control, but that was not it! (I won't tell you what I think the recording said!) As I'm logically trying to think, I called the number on the box for the company--big mistake! I kept getting menu after menu. About 5 mintues have now gone by, and I quickly turned on the computer, patiently waited as it slow came to life and typed in google. There I easily found the number--thank goodness for the internet! The real number is 1-800-222-1222, for anyone who may need to use it someday! The nurse was wonderful--she assured me that just a little taste was going to be fine. Whew! Crisis averted! I think I handled it well for a first time mom and a first time caller. I didn't start crying while I explained I had left a 7 month old who gets into everything alone on the floor. But, to be honest, I never even thought about it! This morning was a great wake-up call. Anyone else out there with a great poison control story??

THANK YOU!!!!!

I felt the need to put my thank you out to our family who generously helped Ryan and I by taking care of Bennett while he was sick and unable to go to daycare. Had it been any day other than the first two very important days of school, either one of us would have gladly taken a day off. But those first days are so crucial to setting up the classroom, and with 4 new students in my room, I felt it was necessary for me to be there. And since he was sick, I'm sure he wasn't all that fun to be around :-( On Tuesday, Aunt Kristin came and then Grandma T covered when Kristin had to leave for work. On Wednesday, Aunt Kelly came until she had to leave for class and then Grandma R graciously took an afternoon off from school to be here for the rest of the day. We TRULY appreciate your offers and willingness to help out and we couldn't have done it without out ANY of you!!!!

First Day Complete

The beginning of my school year got off to a rocky start. Last night, we took Bennett into the ER. He was running a high fever, was cranky, drooling, runny nose, not eating, etc. We gave him a lukewarm bath and his hands and feet turned blue and he was shaking. We packed him up and drove in at 8:00. After looking at the waiting room, we realized it would be a long night. So, I called my sister (thank goodness for a nurse in the family!) and she gave me some things to try at home. We ended up leaving the ER at 9:00 with the probability of not being seen until around 11:30. This morning, he woke up a complete bear--I've never heard him cry that much!! Ryan left school today to take him to the doctor and of course, it's a virus. Thankfully, his fever has broken and he seems more like himself, but it was definitely not the start to the school year I was hoping for. And we can't take him back to daycare yet, so not sure what the plan will be for tomorrow--as my wise sister said, "Welcome to being a working mother."
Anyway, first day was a breeze! I love looping because I got all my kids back from last year and the day went really smoothly. I have four new students, three of which are going to be such a joy. The other is . . . well . . . a bit challenging. I had one dad who was upset because things weren't as organized outside this morning (which was not my doing), I had one child crying uncontrollably and had to go to the office to calm down, and my challenging student from last year was in rare form--was peeking under bathroom stalls, then was caught by a teacher and continued to say he didn't do it, was name calling, and goofing. Welcome back! I am looking forward to all the new things I get to teach and I think I'm going to like what 1st grade has to offer--less prep and more independance on the part of the kids. Not that I'm counting but 1 down and 179 days to go :-)