Day 498 | Still More to See

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After all of grandma and grandpa's visits to the District over the last eight years, we're still finding new (and exciting!) things to see and do. Yesterday: bus tour. Today: the super fun ball drop. Tomorrow: another new outing planned (stay tuned).

It's hard saying goodbye to Chase when we drop him off at school while the grandparents are here for quality time but he never complains or asks to stay home. He must be having enough fun on his own!

Day 497 | Double Decker Bus Day

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That's right. After eight years of living in Washington, DC, we went on a double decker bus tour! The three year old in our group was beyond excited. A triathlon put a kink in our plans of seeing most of the monuments but we were really in it for the bus ride so we accepted a discounted ticket and hopped on to enjoy the wind in our hair.

Oh, and did I mention that it was glorious weather for the first time in a very long time? Yes, it was overcast. Yes, there were a few sprinkles. But 70 degrees after weeks of 90+? There will be no complaints from me. 

And the final verdict from the little man? He loved his first experience on the double deck but said, "it was kind of a long drive," at the end of our 1.5 hour tour. I guess we should have clarified what a bus tour really entails. Haha!

Day 493 | Year of Robbe

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It was Robbe's first solo circle time today at the Takoma Park Library. I don't think he was exactly sold on the idea. More skeptical, I'd say. He seemed to warm up towards the end, though, so hopefully that's a good sign for future visits. Hard to believe when Marshall was this age we were going all the time to various storytimes, circle times, playgroups, etc. Sorry, #2 child, that's just how it goes sometimes. We'll make up for it this year, my friend. We'll call it the Year of Robbe!

*Special note: In case you're keeping track, here's the last time we visited the Takoma Park Library (on the Maryland side). Such little peanuts.

Day 489 | Big Helper

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It's been such a crazy couple of weeks, I haven't even had time to get excited for our visitors coming tonight. Luckily, Chris handled housework along with child rearing like a champ and the house is looking pretty decent for his brother and his family. Can't wait to spend oodles of time with them!

But there were a few odd jobs that Robbe and I had to take care of today. As you can see, Robbe did most of the work while I supervised. 

Day 487 | Enough

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As if weeks of fighting summer colds and the corresponding limited sleep wasn't enough. As if dealing with a cat with a UTI wasn't enough. Today, I finally reached the enough point. 

I can barely move from some crazy back pain. Poor Chris had to stay home and manage everything related to the boys, me being sedentary, and taking care of meals. Luckily, he's amazing and did all that without complaining once. 

In hopes of a brighter tomorrow, today's photo is from our trampoline park visit a couple of weeks ago. Remember that time when I could frolick on a trampoline (not to mention just stand up successfully)? Someday, someday. 

Day 486 | Just Yelp for Help

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The shadow of one of Chase's Paw Patrol toys. Artsy, right?
If you're ever in trouble, just yelp for help!

 That's the catch phrase from Chase's newest obsession: the Paw Patrol. It's a cartoon that he has watched exactly four times. But he was hooked after the first episode (and a few books). It's a sweet show and Chase thinks it's fall-off-your-chair funny. Oh, and the main puppy is named Chase. Amazing!

So after hearing Chase repeat the slogan "...yelp for help," why did it take me three days of no naps at school to do just that? I needed the help of the Paw Patrol to incentivize (not bribe!) this much needed rest time. This morning it dawned on me how powerful this cartoon was as I told him that if he napped today at school he could watch a Paw Patrol episode (a reward usually reserved for haircut time...which makes him ask for haircuts all the time now, by the way). He immediately was on board. He was even so confident that he said he wanted to take a video of him watching the episode and send it to his dad so he could see him.

The verdict? He slept! And boy was he proud of himself, not to mention a wee bit excited to watch his show when he returned home. Incentives do work wonders, don't they? Now I just need to figure out how to keep the momentum going. I can't bribe him with a show every day, after all. I'm just hopeful that now that he's done it once, he has a better understanding of how to calm himself down quickly and check out.

In conclusion, thanks, Paw Patrol. I'll never doubt your power again.

Day 483 | Shhh...Don't Tell

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While Chase was at his second full day of school (more details below), Chris, Robbe, and I spent a lovely morning at the zoo (just don't tell Chase). We felt like part of our bodies were missing without Chase there with us but it was sure nice to let Robbe run to and fro as he pleased. He loved the quality mommy and daddy time. I think we will see his personality really shine through with all the extra attention.

Chase's first full week of school was a resounding success. He seems over the moon about all his new friends, his teachers, and all the new activities he's learning. I won't say the full days (yesterday and today) were perfect...there have been no naps, after all...but he's all smiles at the end of the day and always wants to go back. A good sign, I think!

Let's see what next week brings.

Day 481 | Meet the Teachers

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Say hello to Ms. Beatriz and Ms. Liz (oh, and the bulldog mascot)
Chase's teachers came over this afternoon for a home visit. Nicest thing ever, right? It was beyond wonderful to have the quality solo time with them and Chase was giddy to show them the house: his room, his toys, his cat.

We're feeling better and better about this new school. Think happy thoughts for a good day tomorrow. It's the first full day (8:30am-3:30pm). That means lunch and nap at school. I'm cautiously optimistic everything will go smoothly. I'll let you know.

Day 479 | First Day of PreK 3

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Chase posing with his new classroom mascot: the bulldog.
This guy started school today. And not another two hour stint this time. The real deal: five days a week, full days (except Wednesday, that's an early release day). Chase was ready for it. He was practically beaming from ear to ear the whole time. There was a brief period of anxiety when we arrived in the room for drop off and it was madness. Eighteen kids + parents + siblings = madness. There wasn't any real attention for him right away and I could tell he was yearning for someone to tell him what to do or where to go. Sounds like that was short-lived, though, because he had nothing but glowing reviews when I picked him up. And based on his narrative of the day, he's already gaining independence (He ate a whole apple...not cut up! He went potty all by himself without anyone helping with his pants or anything!), which is what we hope for him to get out of this experience.

So now, how did all this come to be after the headache of a lottery process (and don't forget how optimistic I was at the beginning!)? It was pretty uneventful, actually. Chris and I have been stalking the lottery website all summer and watching our numbers go down (and up on occasion) with every week. We felt pretty confident we would finally get in to our last pick (Bridges Public Charter School) and that's exactly what happened...two days before school started. Luckily we saw the writing on the wall and had been preparing Chase appropriately (as apparent from today's outcome). 

So, in the end, everything worked out. It always does, right? I mean, would we prefer to be making the four minute walk to the closer (more desirable) school? Yeah, no doubt. Are we still skeptical that this type of intensive schooling is the right choice for our little sweet pea? Yepper. But are we feeling confident that this is a good opportunity for him to learn and develop independent of me/us? Yes yes yes! And at the end of the day that's what we want for him.