Going to School...

At the bus stop

Carter sees the bus coming

Getting on the bus

Carter's First Day of School

All week we've been gearing up for this morning, Carter's first day of kindergarten. I had a parents' meeting on Monday night, then Carter got to meet his teacher and see his room yesterday afternoon. He seemed apprehensive, but he's more like that when I'm around. His teacher, Mrs. Lund, completely understood -- one of her daughters is the same way! We took his supplies in as well, and he picked a desk.

I had been debating whether to take him the first day or put him on the bus. After getting advice from a friend and former K/1st grade teacher, I decided to have him ride the bus. Carter is, after all, a very routine-oriented kid and I do think that starting him off this way will be the best for him and his teacher. He'll ride the bus home this afternoon too. I talked with him about bus safety, made him learn his bus number, and told him to be sure to get off the bus at his stop (which is down the road a bit, at a cross-street). He was actually the only one there this morning, but I suspect there will be more kids next week, if not tomorrow.

So now it's the big day... I set my alarm last night (no, I'm not a morning person!). I actually got to sleep after 2am so I was not looking forward to waking up earlier. And no, 7:30am is not early to most people, but it is to me! I had Carter's clothes pulled out and in the living room so we wouldn't disturb Lauren. Carter actually got up around 7:40 on his own, which I was thankful for. Sometimes he's a grump if you have to wake him up! I got him breakfast and went over his class schedule for the day, and also told him about raising his hand and making sure he asks to go to the bathroom. He seemed more excited today and fine about riding the bus.

We did have a few setbacks... The button on his shorts was hanging on by a thread and I couldn't find my needle. So I had to get him another pair to wear. No biggie. Then both Lauren and Hayden were awake, so I had to get them ready to walk down to the bus stop, which just took more time. We ended up rushing out the door to get down there to wait for the bus. I only got a few pictures, but will take some more when he gets off the bus this afternoon.

I hope he has a great first day of school. I have to admit that I was a little teary-eyed after he got on the bus. It just hit me yesterday that he's actually going to be gone at school all day! I think he'll do great and have a fun year of kindergarten. :)

The End of a Beginning

Yesterday was Carter's last day of preschool. Most parents get a little teary-eyed when it comes to sending their kids to school, but I think the last day was harder than the first day! Carter was so excited to go to school, and it was such a great experience. I'll admit that it was a little different at first, since I wasn't used to him being out of the house much without me. It was SO quiet too, since Hayden wasn't born until a few months in! Anyway... to me, the last day of preschool marked the end of a beginning. It made me realize that Carter is getting older -- he just finished preschool! He's already looking forward to starting kindergarten in August, and I'm excited to spend more time with him this summer. I know he'll miss school, his teacher, and his friends, and it will take us both a little time to stop that routine. Wow... Am I really the mom of an almost kindergartner?

Adjusting to the Changes

We've been home from the hospital since Wednesday afternoon and everyone seems to be adjusting really well. Hayden, especially! He's nursing great, sleeping fairly well at night, and overall comfy in his new environment. I find it amazing how noises don't disturb him (and his hearing is just fine). I know they say that babies get used to sounds in the womb, but this is just astonishing! Lauren can scream loudly, the dog can bark, Carter can bang on toys -- Hayden doesn't even flinch! But trust me... if I talk he looks for me. When Matt talks while holding him, he turns his gaze to Matt's face. He hears just fine. :)

When we left the hospital, Hayden was 8 lbs 15 oz -- losing weight is normal, esp since my milk isn't in yet (it did come in the day we left the hospital). I took him to the doctor Saturday morning for the usual first checkup and he was already back up to 9 lbs 2 oz. The goal is for him to be at birth weight by the 2-week checkup -- I think he'll make it. Especially the way he eats! :)

I am finding it easy to transition from two to three kids. Of course, I've only been home alone with all three for a couple hours so far! But overall I'm less stressed about having a new baby and I think that comes with experience. Either that, or I just don't have the time to be! :P Lauren seems so big to me now. She's communicating so much better and sleeping in a toddler bed -- it just seems like she's so much older than 18 months! I just hope that having them close together won't make me lose those little "baby" moments with her. She has stepped into the role of big sister -- looking after baby, giving him plenty of pats and kisses, and watching him while he sleeps. And she loves being Mommy's little helper.

Carter has also stepped up his role as big brother. He's fascinated with Hayden and is always asking if he can hold him. He eagerly awaits for Hayden's eyes to be open so he can talk to him, and Hayden just watches Carter when he's around. Carter not only helps with the baby, but helps a lot more with Lauren -- especially when I'm nursing!

I've got a wonderful family and feel truly blessed. I'm looking forward to all the new moments that await us, and how our lives will change with each one.

An Update...

I had a dr appt this past Monday (36 weeks) and still haven't posted about it! I was a little more than 3 cm dilated and dr was pleased with my progress. He said I basically just have to actually go into labor! Oh, but when I do... don't mess around -- just get to the hospital! I think because of the way I'm progressing now, he thinks it will be a quick labor. We'll see, as you never know. The plan is to still induce on Nov 25th, if I make it that far (and that's according to doc). This week I have been having more Braxton Hicks contractions with my stomach "balling up". I've also started losing my mucous plug, but that could be due to the dilation.

Other news from the appt... Dr doesn't think he'll be bigger than Carter, but he could be as big (9 lbs 12 oz). They don't want him to get too big, but know that I delivered Carter easily. My strep test came back negative, my blood pressure is great, and I lost 1/2 lb this week (up 27.5 lbs overall). All great news! I'll go back on Monday morning for another check.

Matt has been in California since last Saturday so it's been a little rough on me this week. Of course, this is the week that I got super uncomfortable walking, lifting, bending over... The kids and I were in Cincinnati for Amber & Eric's engagement party on Saturday, then my parents came home with me. They helped me (like crazy!) around the house Sunday-Tuesday. It was really nice having them here, and we got so much done! It all makes it very real that baby could be here anyday.

Lauren and Carter are now all moved into Lauren's room. Lauren has adjusted very well to her toddler bed -- we moved her on Nov 2nd. Carter is actually excited to sleep in the same room too! I'm still getting all the clothes and toys situated, but at least the priority stuff got done. Carter's room is set back up like a nursery and it made me a little sad that it wasn't his room anymore. But we'll have a new little guy in there, and that's exciting!

I feel like I've been doing non-stop laundry all week too. All the baby's clothes are washed and (almost) put away. I also pretty much finished buying Carter's and Lauren's winter clothes. Plus the normal laundry, towels, sheets... It never ends!

Matt will be home very early Saturday morning (closer to Friday night). It'll be nice having him home, and will let me worry less about going into labor! Luckily, I have so many great friends "on call" should something happen before he gets here. They've also been keeping me busy and company while he's away. We're headed to one's house for dinner tonight, and another's for dinner tomorrow. It's so nice having company and not having to worry about it! I think I would've gone crazy without my parents and friends this week -- thanks, everyone!

Kids Say The Darndest Things

Yesterday Carter and I were eating some Moose Munch from Harry & David (it's really yummy caramel corn!). I was putting some in a bowl for him and he asked for the "funny" one, meaning a big clump of it. He already had a big clump in his bowl, so I told him he already had a "funny" one. He looked right at me and said, "Does it look like I'm laughing?" I could've burst out laughing right there, but I held it in to tell him he shouldn't talk to Mommy like that. I got my laugh in when I told Matt later that night. :D

A Busy Day!

We had a busy day around here! Carter started preschool this morning, Lauren had her 15-month checkup this afternoon, and Matt left for a hiking/camping trip in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park this evening. When I have a little more time, I'll post more detailed blogs about the first two events. :)

Carter Turned Four!

Wow, I have a four year old... Talk about the time flying! Today is Carter's birthday, and he's been counting down the days to it for a while now. In fact, he's already talking about when he turns five! We had a nice (but warm) party at Bryan Park with friends and family this past Saturday. When I get the pics uploaded, I'll post a link to them. Thanks to everyone who made this day very special for Carter!

Carter's Vacation, Day Two

Wow, what a full day! He didn't want to get up this morning because of a late night last night, but they needed to be to the zoo by 9am. Carter and Grandma Cindy grabbed a donut on the way (he also ate an apple and an orange) and made it to the zoo. Carter had fun -- he rode the log ride, the train, and the merry-go-round. He wanted to ride on the "couch" on the merry-go-roung... why not an animal going up and down? Who knows... :)

After leaving the zoo, the whole group (two of Cindy's coworkers, their daughters and granddaughters) went to Clara's Pizza. Then off they went to Marilyn's house to swim! Last year Carter had so much fun, but he's become much more comfortable in the water this year. Cindy said he would go down the slide, but only if someone would catch him at first. After jumping off the side and then the diving board, he exclaimed that he liked going underwater and began sliding by himself. Lately at the pool he has been going underwater more, even keeping his eyes and nose open!

They headed home to rest a little before heading back down to Hoagland Days. They caught the demolition derby, which Carter seemed to enjoy. While riding with Matt, he often tells him to bump cars or will tell me I need to pass someone -- I think he's been playing too much Mario Kart Wii! He did tell Cindy that he was tired and wanted to go home at one point, but was fine. They played some bingo and had ice cream and sno-cones before heading home. Tomorrow, he'll sleep in as late as he needs! Sounds like he's having a great time. :)

Carter's Vacation, Day One

We called for a report on how Carter's first day out of town went. He ran some errands with Grandma Cindy in the morning and spent time at Hoagland Days in the afternoon/evening. He lost his baseball hat, but did get it back. He took it off in the porta-loo and someone from the information desk happened to go in after him. So when Cindy checked with the desk, they had it there! Carter also participated in the greased pig contest. He was in the third heat of the 3-year olds and did well! We weren't sure if he'd be scared or not, but he was excited about catching a pig (I tried to talk it up all week!). Aunt Roi, Marty and Erin were there to watch too -- Marty and Carter snorted like pigs! Cindy said he seemed to miss opportunities to grab a pig, almost like he was a little scared, but eventually did grab one and put it in the middle square. It was just after another little boy did it first! I'm glad he had fun. :)

We'll check back in tomorrow to see how the second day went. It's supposed to be a busy one!

Carter's Big Day

Carter went to the dentist this morning for his bi-annual checkup. He got his teeth cleaned, fluoride treatment, and his first set of x-rays. Dr. Roberts said everything looks great -- teeth and gums are super healthy, and we're doing a great job at brushing. Carter is starting to brush his own teeth, but either Matt or myself will check and do a final brushing. One thing did show during his x-rays though -- he has an extra front tooth! It looks like a little sliver of a tooth, and they said they'll deal with it when it starts to push out. His bottom (permanent) teeth looked pretty close to his baby teeth, so I wonder when he'll lose those. Looks like experts say at 5 or 6... All in all, a great visit!After his dentist appointment, we took off to Castleton to meet Cindy and Grandma Goodspeed. Carter is going to have a little vacation at Grandma and Grandpa's house! He was very excited about it. :) We had lunch at Olive Garden and then did a little shopping at Castleton Square Mall. Lauren and I headed for home and Carter went back with the grandmas. I'll keep you updated on how his vacation goes!

Preschool

We got our commitment letter from St. Charles Preschool today. This is a great school and we absolutely loved it when we visited -- all of us, including Carter. We knew he'd get in, it was just a question of whether he'd be in the morning or afternoon. It has his class written as "P3A", so I'm assuming that means "preschool-3 days-AM". I'll call the office just to be sure, but I'm excited that it appears he got the last morning spot! :D Carter was very excited about school! He even asked if he'll go tomorrow! He starts school on Wednesday, August 13th, and will be there Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9-11:30am. It will cut our summer a little shorter than we're used to, but it will be nice having Carter relieve some energy somewhere else for a bit. ;) For those interested, you can check out his new preschool here.

Matt & Carter's Weekend Adventure (May 17-18)

On Saturday Carter and Matt went to Louisville to attend a picnic for a republican running for Congress and to the Ron Paul speech an hour later. On the way home they stopped at Falls of the Ohio State Park and took a few pictures.
http://picasaweb.google.com/iuwolf/FallsOfTheOhioStatePark

On Sunday Carter and Matt went to the speedway to watch the final day of qualifications. It was also armed forces day so Carter got a chance to see our tax dollars at work.
http://picasaweb.google.com/iuwolf/IndianapolisBumpDay

An Update on Carter

Okay, I figure I'll be writing an update for Lauren tomorrow after her one-year checkup so I'd try and catch you up on Carter. Carter really keeps me busy -- with all his energy, craziness, and activites -- but I love it. He finished his second basketball league at the end of March and had so much fun. He was happy to have both sets of grandparents at his end-of-the-season banquet, where he got to walk across the stage and get a trophy. Now he's started t-ball and is having fun. I think it tests his patience a lot more -- he gets bored in the infield and just wants his turn to bat! He's got a tee and bat here at home so he practices quite a bit in the backyard. His new friend, Bode, is on his team as well. He liked having Grandpa Norm as a "coach" at his first game!







I don't think I've posted any updates about potty training. I can now say that Carter is completely trained. He did so well after the initial time -- he just had to want to do it! While we were up in Ft Wayne for Grandpa Goodspeed's funeral, my Aunt Roi watched the kids. While there, Carter suddenly decided that he wanted to poop in the potty! This was the beginning on February -- since then, he's done it about every time! While we were in Ft Wayne a few weeks ago, I forgot to pack pull-ups for overnight. Now, Carter's dry many mornings when he wakes up anyway, but I was definitely nervous with him sleeping away from home. I didn't want him to have an accident in Grandma's pull-out! But, I'm happy to report that since then he's been wearing underwear 24/7 and is accident-free. :)

We've been looking for preschools for Carter for a while now. We had it narrowed down to our top two choices, we just needed to finish making visits and decide. All this was right when Matt had his surgery, then we just got busy. We decided last year to wait until he was four to send him to preschool for only a year. We finally visited one of our top choices -- St Charles Catholic -- and loved it! Carter got right in with the kids, playing and joining circle time. The teacher was really nice and we agreed with (and practice) many of her philosophies. She's been there since the preschool opened eighteen years ago as well. We were so happy to hear that there is one morning spot available this late in the year too! We'll be sending in the application and hope that he gets that one spot left!

We're definitely looking forward to summer. The nice weather already had Carter playing outside and many trips to the park. He's waiting for the pool to open already! Matt's planned a hiking/camping trip with him and they're both looking forward to that. They're also going to the last day of Indy 500 qualifications this Sunday, thanks to tickets that Matt won.

Carter's a handful, but he keeps me going. It's so hard to believe that he will be four this year! He's so independent and definitely has a mind of his own! I'll try to post updates more often. :)

Rough Night... and Into the Day!

I couldn't sleep last night. Despite not having much caffeine, and none after 2pm, I just couldn't get my mind to turn off! My body was definitely tired, but I just laid in bed wide awake... Then 2am came and I hear Carter "thudding" down the hall. For a 3-year old, he walks quite loudly! Anyway, he walks in asking for Mommy -- Matt answers him, and Carter again asks for Mommy. Matt says, "I think he puked -- it stinks." Great, why doesn't he want Daddy this time? He did, of course, puke -- all over his pillow and bed. So Matt takes Carter and gets him cleaned up and I strip his bed, Lysol, remake the bed, and get his sheets into the washer. By this time, I'm really wide awake since I got back up! But back to bed I go...

I'm finally in a great sleep, when Matt's alarm starts BLARING at 6:30am! He has no idea why it's set, but he's fumbling around unable to get the damn thing turned off! Here comes the thudding down the hall... We finally get it to silence, when Carter says he wants to sleep with us. Instead, Matt takes him back to bed and falls asleep with Carter. After his alarm goes off once more (evidently, only snooze was hit!), I finally get some more shut-eye.

I'm woken up by Lauren just like any other morning. Get up, and set the clocks an hour ahead. Great... not a lot of sleep, and I've just lost an hour! So now the schedule/routine is completely off for the day. The good news is that bedtime is coming an hour earlier tonight... :)