Time to Catch Up

I know my last few posts have been pretty devoid of any information on how life is going. It's busy! With ferrying Jamie to and from school three times a week, a huge chunk of our time at home has gone away. Less time to do laundry, dishes, household cleaning, general clutter-clearing. Which means I am scrambling to fit these things in throughout the day (often losing a good portion of my "Tree" time), which equals less blogging. So there's my excuse!

Jamie is thriving at school. We recently had our first Parent-Teacher Conference (and I had butterflies in my stomach about it even though I did not get to go, just Shawn). You want to hear the teacher say how much they enjoy having your child in the class, what a well-behaved child he is, what a smart child he is. Thankfully, Jamie's teacher said all three about him! She was surprised to discover that this was Jamie's first year of school and said he was very academic. As a former geek myself, I loved hearing all this. Even though Jamie attending his private preschool is a sacrifice in some ways for us, everything we put into it is more than worth it when we see how excited he is to go to school each day, how he has already grown by leaps and bounds in two short months, how Jamie and school are a perfect fit. Outside school, Jamie continues his weekly swim classes. What a fish that boy is! He loves the water and is a better swimmer than I am! As you can see by the recent photos, superheroes are still the #1 obsession in our house, and our house is a much safer place since Batman lives here.

Clare also enjoys her swim classes. She has finally started to "get it" in swim class. She will kick when I instruct her to and loves to "jump" into the water. We are working on climbing out of the pool. She has not been able to do it on her own yet (as she has not figured out how to climb anything yet - stairs, furniture, etc.), but she loves to repeat the instructions: "elbow, elbow, knee, knee." I hear her reciting them throughout the class. Her language has really taken off. She is not always understandable, but we catch bits and pieces of phrases. She has started to string words together as well. Her first two sentences were (typical of Miss Clare): "Emmies in a bowl?" (her word for M&M's, the all-time favorite food around here - we hear this question about twenty times a day) and "I have boo-boo" (whenever she gets a band-aid, which is quite often). Clare will mimic anything and her new catch phrase is, "Eight, nine, blast-off" (from the Little Einsteins TV show - a popular one with Jamie and Clare). She wants to do everything Jamie does these days and has discovered the fun of stickers and markers (as the photo illustrates). We are gearing up for our big road trip in less than two weeks down to Kentucky and West Virginia. Clare will see Dr. Mervis, the WS expert, for two days, and then we're spending time with my grandparents and family. I am looking forward to the trip to receive some input and insight into the world of Clare, but I am also nervous about what the doctor will have to say (not to mention the 14-hour-plus car ride each way with three kids - thankfully my sister is coming with us!).

Simon turned six months old today. I cannot believe he is already six months old! Where has that time gone? He is such a happy, easygoing baby. Everyone comments on what a happy baby we have. Even now, when he is cutting his first tooth, he is still all smiles. With a lot of drool and chewing on his fist, but still all smiles. Simon is definitely our easiest baby so far. (I keep saying he has to be, being #3!) We are all enjoying how precious it is to have a baby in the house again. I love that Simon's needs are so simple because (1) it makes life easier for me (always thinking selfishly!) and (2) it reminds me to stop and enjoy each and every moment because Simon's first year is flying by. My little man loves all the attention his brother and sister give him, loves to be sung to (which can be tricky because Clare usually loathes to be sung to), and has recently entered the world of solid foods. So far, he is not sure what all the fuss is about.

Throughout the busyness of life, Shawn and I are enjoying this time with three little ones in the house. It is often loud and crazy, but also full of love and laughter. (And it took me only four days to complete this post!)