ROADTRIP DAY 5: Tennesse to Arkansas, no Memphis

DAY 5: Nashville, TN to Little Rock, AK
12/31 Friday

After picking up a few more things at Wal-Mart, we drove to the local Cracker Barrel for breakfast, after checking satelite maps to determine whether there was appropriate parking etc. Oma and I have been using her laptop and my iphone for EVERYTHING, scoping out parking/driving suitability, finding travel plazas (there's a free map-based app to find the cheapest diesel :) We had such a ball at breakfast: the kids were very charming and charmed, the waitress was all "honey" this and "darling" that in her Southern accent, and I picked up some mini activity books from the country store.

The rest of the driving that day did not go very smoothly.  We decided after looking at lists of kid-friendly activities to do # 10 of 945 (http://attractions.uptake.com/tennessee/memphis/family/375471799.html) playground at an elementary school, so we knew we'd be able to get in and out w the RV. It turned out to be a super sketchy neighborhood, house next-door had blown-out windows and grafitti, block away a memorial that we're guessing was a victim if a shooting based on the people hanging nearby. The rest of Memphis that we saw from the freeways didn't look much better, and we didn't want to chance going into downtown Memphis with the RV and getting stuck, so we gave up and crossed the Mississippi into Arkansas. The kids were having a really hard time staying quiet and in their seats that morning and I was extra looking forward to the chance to let the kids escape. We were really bummed - I'd always liked the sound of Memphis - and settled for a rest stop to picnic and let the kids run in the grass. Then Riley accidently hit me in the forehead with a frisbee, and my temporary crown fell out when I ate a caramel.  We stopped a little early for New Year's Eve, at an RV park on the shore of the Arkansas River in Little Rock, Arkansas.  Opa took mercy on Oma and I and took the kids for a hike to a local playground. I made pizza, breadsticks, and apple crumble in the RV's mini kitchen for special New Year's Eve food.

After the kids went to bed, Opa and Oma and I sipped sparkling white grape juice, had cheese and crackers, and plotted out our route for the remainder of the trip. Unfortunately we've been plagued by cold weather, which the kids are loving (or at least not minding) but caught the adults off guard - below freezing temps were forecast for our route no matter how Southerly we drove - Texas? New Mexico? Arizona?!

ROADTRIP DAY 4: Virginia to Tennessee

DAY 4: Roanoke, VA to Nashville, TN
12/30

Our little snag this morning was getting the RV out of the parking spot because the rear-wheel-drive tires were spinning on the ice that formed overnight. But a little gravel scooped from the road under the tires did the trick, and we were soon on our way.

Today was a perfect example of how unjaded our kids are. Our big outing/stop of the day was at a McDonald'splayplace in Abingdon, VA. Riley took the opportunity ot throw a few snowballs at mommy. We shopped at Food Valu (?) and I signed up for their (frequent) shopper card. Oma and I laughed at the idea of collecting them at various grocery chains as we crossed the country. Parking the RV in the parking lot was a little tricky, and Oma almost gave us a heart attach when she yelled "wait, stop!" as we were pulling away. (she had forgotten to pick up her prescription after having it transferred to that store)

We wanted to put in some extra miles after the kids went to sleep, so we decided it would be a good night to try parking the RV in a Wal-Mart parking lot. It was great, picked up a few necessities at Wal-Mart and neighboring Lowes that night and in the morning without having to separately park. The RV can be self-sufficient, so a night without hookups is fine and of course easy on the budget. Supposedly the founder of Wal-Mart was an RV person so he allows RVs to park for a night without hassle unless the local government has a problem with it.

here's some pictures from yesterday, taken with my phone:

12/29: the RV and the Prius being towed behind it at a rest stop in VA somewhere? the perspective is a little exagerrated, but it's a "big rig" for sure

12/29: Hailey and her buddy Dora (they were sharing a seatbelt and Hailey kept showing her what she was playing on the DS hehe)

12/29: the "girls" plus a glimpse of Opa (driving) and Oma (navigating) in the cockpit

12/29: the boys being all cozy, Elliot watching Riley play a DS game. they don't have to sit this close (though they share a big seatbelt sometime) but they've been all sweet like this several times now :)

12/29: less backlit, but still a strange photo. the license plate on the RV reads "OPAOMA" and the Prius reads "HENK" :)

ROADTRIP DAY 3: Grand Caverns

DAY 3: Harrisburg, PA to Roanoke, VA
12/29
We were thoroughly unimpressed with the Harrisburg, PA campground, and got out of there as quickly as possible in the morning.  At least there was no snow, but still very cold.  We parked in the parking lot of the local K-Mart and picked up a few supplies, then got on the highway.  The kids are getting the hang of RV travel - they've developed their "sea legs" and now think they can stand around in the aisle of the RV while it is driving 55mph down the highway, oops!  They are really good, passing the time with lots of activities and minimal reprimanding from mommy.

The highlight of the day was definitely seeing the Grand Caverns in Grottoes, VA.  The kids each had their own favorite parts which the excitedly tried to tell dad about on the phone :)

I was also amused to stay at the Dixie Caverns and Campground, which brought back lots of memories of a trip Jeff and I took to Abingdon, VA about 10 yes ago, which included checking out the local pride and joy "Dixie pottery".  We were surprised to see snow all over the campground because we hadn't seen any all day.

ROADTRIP DAY 2: lots of driving

DAY 2: Tuesday, 12/28

Day 2 was our big driving day.  We had the water supply hose freeze and burst and of course were delayed by the blizzard, so we were very eager to put the snow and frigid temps behind us.  After a few more snags hooking up the Prius behind the RV, we finally hit the road!  We drove 95 South to RI, then followed it West along the coast of CT.  We drove through a corner of NY and NJ, crossing the Hudson on the Tappan Zee bridge, and then drove for a few more hours until we reached our destination: an RV park near Harrisburg, PA.

Riding in the RV is an adventure, somewhere between flying, riding a greyhound bus, and taking a subway.  Especially the first day, when Opa had to drive it through mysteriously heavy traffic and wind gusts of up to 40 mph!  You mostly need to sit, and only walk when you have to go to the bathroom or get something out of a compartment or the kitchen.  There's lots of places to sit (obviously driver and passenger, plus two couches with 2 seatbelts each and a small table with 2 seatbelts on each side.  We've got DS's, a portable DVD player with 2 screens, coloring books and notebook/journals, puzzles, legos, toy cars, and stuffed animals.  Then of course there's the scenery flying by.  The kids admired the highway overpasses being constructed, the tall buildings, the bays, the sunsets, plus commuter trains, towboats, barges, and cranes.

The kids are enjoying themselves, and the day went well, all things considered.  I figured out how to set up the kids' beds while Opa & Oma were driving, and the kids were in bed and sleeping soundly before we reached the RV park for the night :)

ROADTRIP DAY 1: the blizzard

DAY 1: Monday 12/27


We started the day (that we were originally slated to start driving) literally digging out. we took advantage of the wonderful hot shower and laundry facilities at the RV park and Jeff and the kids made the most of the extra day by playing in the snow, especially the giant banks piled up by the snowplow. In the afternoon we said goodbye to Jeff, and Opa drove him to the Logan Express so he could go hunker down in a hotel and hopefully do a little work before his flight on Wed am. Opa cleared off the RV and Oma and I organized and stowed our stuff. We'll leave in the morning, hopefully early!

The RV is so cozy, though it's unsettling when the whole RV shakes from the wind or overly enthusiastic kids. Their energy levels are sweet but also frustrating. We haven't even started driving yet and they're already stircrazy. or maybe it's just me. Today after playing outside for an hour in the snow they are still literally jumping up and down! Maybe they do it at home too, but it doesn't usually make the house sway :)

I took pictures of the snow etc with the good camera, but then realized I have no way of getting them off the camera until we get back to LA, so as of Wed I've been taking cellphone pics instead which I will attach (hopefully)

ROADTRIP DAY 0: the sendoff

DAY 0: Sunday 12/26

We stayed overnight at grammie & grampie's house in Ossippee, NH last night and had breakfast with them this morning.  Jeff spent a lot of time online and on the phone trying to figure out how and when he was going to get back to LA since JetBlue canceled his flight for that evening.  The best they could do was Wednesday morning, crazy because we hadn't even seen the start of the blizzard yet.

We packed all our stuff (barely!) into the car and drove to Jamaica Plain for the Oolders family holiday gathering (and bon voyage party) with Lisa & Shannon (and their 2 kids), Jack & Meg, Niamh & Steve (now engaged, yeah!) and Opa & Oma.  Outside the snow started piling up, but we had fun swapping presents, holding baby Lucas, and watching the cousins playing so cutely together.  Then we loaded up the cars and headed to Foxboro where the RV was parked.  We set up all the beds and piled on the blankets.  It really was a blizzard - winds up to 50 miles an hour rocked the RV and left snowdrifts deeper than my knees around the cars and buildings.

potty trials and tribulations

Elliot is now potty trained, it's so exciting.  Today is day 9 of being totally dry all day!  He's the first one to have my relatively undevided attention for the potty training, and everything up until about 3 wks ago we referred to as "practice".  Then we switched him to undies only (except training pants if we were out) and he stayed dry the very first day.  And that night, and almost every night since then.  But for another week or so he'd have at least one accident usually in the middle of the day.  Then he stayed dry the whole day, and the rest (as they say) is history!  I'm particularly impressed/baffled by him mastering night training first, but know better than to complain.

The unfortunate and ironic thing is that I can't totally claim "yeah, all my kids are (finally) trained and out of diapers!"  I put Hailey back in night diapers "underjams" a few months ago, realizing that she just seemed to be too sound of a sleeper to heed the warnings and it was much more acceptable to me than washing sheets all the fricken time.  It also helped me keep from taking it as something she was doing on purpose to make me lose my mind.  So now my youngest stays dry at night but his 17-months-bigger sister doesn't, which is definitely awkward.  But since kindergarten started a month ago, she is now also wetting her pants almost every day after school and lying about it.  We're not going to offer her toys or rewards (her 5th birthday is in a few weeks) but are considering staying dry all day or night as one of those things she should be able to do at her age for which she earns a "gem" just like chores *deep sigh* 

It's so awesome that I get to hand off the 3/4 box of diapers to a friend!  No more diapers ever again! 

Hailey, standing next to me, offers hopefully "maybe I can use them?" *roll eyes*

multiples

we've been multiplying over here lately.

several weeks ago, after chiding Hailey about her grumpy mood, she declared she had an identical twin who was actually the grumpy one.  We all had a good laugh over that, and encouraged that Hailey to stay away.  (you'd think their own mother would know they had an identical twin, as I was there at the birth ;)

now all the kids will bring up their identical twins in hilarious and random ways.  Riley (whose middle name is Scott) was explaining over the weekend how his (identical twin) brother has a store.  His name is Riley Scotter, and Riley goes to gather stuff for Riley Scotter to sell in his store.

Elliot meanwhile mentions casually in conversation how he used to have two of this particular toy, but his old mother threw it away.  His old mother, am I his new mother?  Yes, he calmly explains (without offering a reason why he changed mothers) and then a few minutes later mentions how he has 5 mothers. 

I guess I should be proud of how open minded my kids are about what makes up a family, but I am glad that all these extra family members don't take up real seats at the table or beds at night LOL

school days

Riley and Hailey had their first day of 1st grade (!!) and kindergarten (!!) yesterday.  Elliot started 2 hrs, two mornings a week preschool today (!).  Mommy is certainly excited, and thrilled that the kids are all enjoying themselves so much right off the bat :)

Riley summed up his first day with a very enthusiastic "awesome!!!"  His new teacher's name is Ms. Mangos and she seems nice.  He has several kids in this class that he is friendly with from last year, and will probably be friends with a few more by the end of the week.  His favorite part of the first day was recess, because they get to be on the "big apparatus" all week.  They don't have assigned seats yet, guess the teacher is shuffling them around to find the best spot for each of them.  He explained how there were several tables, one with the teacher for those who need the most help, and that they wanted to be at the one that would challenge them.  No homework yet, but now he'll be getting 30-35 minutes a day Mon-Thu plus 20 minutes of reading each day.  He enjoys being the older brother who already knows how everything works too, and mostly he's very kindly about explaining it to Hailey :)

Hailey's first day went very well too, which didn't surprise us considering she started her first day all smiles and confidence and not a tear was shed!  She has the same teachers and classroom as Riley did last year, which helped her feel right at home.  She's been full of stories of her first day and the kids in her class.  Her first friend "Jetson" (most likely "Jackson") and her played on the playground equipment together, though she sternly informed me that they were not allowed to climb (up the slide evidently).  She also befriended a girl "Mimi" (probably "Mia") who "has blond hair like me, and like Katie with the red hair!"  (For laughs, I don't think there's another kid with light hair in her class, never mind strawberry blond :)  She had some trouble with lunch the first day, not understanding yet how the buy-lunch thing worked, and then not having enough time to eat it once purchased on credit (the $1 was in her bag)  But she didn't cry or get mad, just explains it with disappointment in her voice.  This is part of why we think she'll be great at kindergarten regardless of how easily the academic stuff comes to her.  She's a smart cookie and very outgoing, but has gotta be one of the youngest in her class considering that she doesn't turn five for another 6 weeks.  She'll get 15 minutes of homework reinforcing that day's lesson plus 20 minutes of reading/being read to.

Elliot (walking along to drop R + H off for first day, and carrying his lunchbox to be just like the big kids) is loving having mommy all to himself, but also did better than expected for his first time at preschool this morning.  I worried that he would be very clingy and crying a great deal when I tried to leave, since he was so slow to warm up to new people and situations this summer and complained at the idea of school.  But after a few minutes of shyness he was doing the worksheets and projects, smiling and cooperative.  It probably helps that his teacher is the same one Riley and Hailey had for preschool and he's been in the classroom many times when I volunteered.  He loves going to the playground and on errands with mommy, and is so much chattier and funnier when he gets one-on-one time.


Luckily I wrote the above before school let out the second day.  Another time I'll write about the disaster that was the first day of homework. *sigh*

potty mouths

We have several vulgar but amusing-to-us phrases we use related to diapering etc.  To confirm that the odor we smelled is indeed our kid with a poopie diaper, we say "he's packin'"

Hailey, twice today, has informed me that "Elliot's packed, mommy!" LOL

then just now, when I asked smelly but mischievously grinning Elliot how he got so stinky, he replied cheerfully "by poopin'!"

big boys

Elliot is wearing a fireman hat and sunglasses.  He smiles at me, looking over the top of the sunglasses and arching an eyebrow.  mommy, laughing "I think you're probably the cutest fireman ever!"  Elliot "I know!"

Riley, when rummaging through the workshop found a small leaf rake, which he uses to rake a handful of leaves out of the grass.  He is pondering out loud how much of a bonus he'll get for being so helpful. "...and in the Fall, I'll be raking all the time, and I'll be singing a song while I do it, like this 'do tee doo tee do'..."

more mini stories from cell phone

Riley, to new playground friend "... and those girls are the Protoss"
friend gives him blank look
Riley "they're our enemies"
(he's been watching daddy play Starcraft 2 - used to be he would play Mario pretend games at the playground)

we're in Target picking up a few things.  Elliot has the shopping list and pen because mommy foolishly wrote it in his notebook.  They're discussing amongst themselves what additional things need to be put on the list.  Hailey (who can't spell) to Elliot (who can't write) "add apples, first you write a K..." :)

Hailey, surveying our very messy master bedroom "your room... is a collection of... dirt"
In our defense, it's not piles of dirt, but it does look like a disorganized storage unit it's so full of junk :)

my wise guy Riley

Riley "mommy, you have a 2011 on your car"
Mommy "that's my registration sticker.  I have to tell the state I'm going to use my car here, and they give me a license plate.  the sticker is when it expires, and I have to pay for another year"
Riley "I get it - it's like a music box!  if you don't put more money in it, it will stop working"
Mommy "... that's exactly how it is " (adding to self "with the State and cars - you gotta keep putting money in it") :)

latest LOL's

Elliot, discussing Fuffy (the stuffed frog) 's family "... and the polar bear..."
Mommy "Little Bear?"
Elliot "yes, he's Fuffy's mommy, and the other guys are Fuffy's daddies"

Elliot (in car) "I have something in my pants. You have to guess what it is!"
Hailey makes a few incorrect guesses
Elliot pats the front of his diaper "It's in here!"
did you guess?  It was a super bouncy ball! (yes, in his diaper)

part of what makes the Elliot stories so amusing is his pronunciation, and part is the total seriousness with which he says these absurd things :)

overheard recently

Hailey to Elliot, in high-pitched voice "did you drop our baby off at Firetruck Mater's Castle?" Elliot in low voice "yes"

Riley continues to refer to his foam-dart-shooting gun as a "nerd gun"

mommy & daddy were discussing the expensive dental work mommy needs.  Riley's solution "we just need the right tools" (I'm all for spending a little money on tools and doing handywork of certain types ourselves rather than paying (a lot for) a professional, but dentistry is not one of those types :)

Elliot, noticing mommy's leg stubble "you got a lot of feathers!" mommy "feathers?!" Elliot "a lot of hair, your legs are all 'pikey" LOL

Hailey, a little too loudly, when we're eating shrimp at a chinese restaurant "we're eating dead fish!" (this led to a feeble explanation about how there's some things that, although true, shouldn't be said loudly in front of other people)

glimpse into the future...

it's been like having three teenagers in the house, with the attitudes I've been getting the last few days.

a few days ago, we were driving home from the grocery store and all three were berating me because I wasn't going to McDonald's.  Riley starts with the "if you won't ___ then I will ___" and Hailey agrees "if you don't take us to McDonalds, we're all going for a walk!" (she means running away)  This is the type of thing that makes me want to retort "I don't negotiate with terrorists!"

yesterday, while I'm making dinner, I hear Hailey loudly and angrily explain "I'M NOT YELLING!"

earlier today, we are leaving Target/the mall, where all three were complaining about me not buying them hot dogs for snack (it was 5pm and I'd bought frozen pizza).  suddenly Hailey is crying loudly.  I asked her (exasperated) why she was upset now, and she says sobbing "because I want it to be my birthday tomorrow!"  Riley immediately responds in a disgusted voice "now that's just stupid!"

just now, Riley is complaining (bitterly) because we're having cherries for desert and not ice cream.  Elliot warns him "you say that one more time, I'm going to count. and then you're going to get a time out!"

mostly this is ridiculous enough to make me laugh even in the middle of them doing it.  I try not to laugh too loud so as not to encourage the behavior one way or another, but good grief!

kid updates

Riley is reading so well, I just can't get over it!  He just casually reads a huge variety of words, and now I have to watch out as he'll read over my shoulder when I'm typing a txt msg or e-mail :)  He's had a wiggly tooth for months now, though we may have to the dentist check it if it doesn't fall out soon.  He loves playing videogames and is extremely good at it.  He can ride a bike without training wheels, and is getting pretty good at swimming (they teach them the crawl first which is a tough one) and is loving all the things he's learning at his gymnastics/tumbling class at the YMCA.  I can't believe he is going to be in first grade in a few short months!

Hailey is writing her name, and her siblings' names, and copying other words, and making beautiful and clever artwork.  She can tie knots and is close to being able to tie bows in her shoes (which her older brother doesn't have any interest in).  She is such a smarty pants, and is going to do awesome at kindergarten even though she won't be 5 until a month and a half after the start of school.  She also is really enjoying swim class and her tap class at the YMCA.  I don't know if mommy's ready for real dance classes yet, but this cheap summer diversion is fun anyways.

Elliot is talking so much more now, easier to understand and so funny.  He idolizes his big brother Riley (who gets a bit tired of it, in typical big-brother fashion), and loves cars and trains etc.  he also likes to draw and color, though nothing's recognizable yet.  In the last few days he is suddenly going to the potty himself, which is exciting because he refused to try as recently as last week :)  He's been very shy lately (and saying "I too shy") but finally got into his gymnastics/tumbling class yesterday and gave it the same ear-to-ear-grin enthusiasm he gives his swim lessons!

All three are playing quite well together some times and fighting like cats and dogs the next moment.  They enjoy watching (the new) Dr. Who with daddy, playing PBS Kids Play on the computer, watching Riley play games on the wii, running in the yard and riding their scooters in the driveway, meeting our friends at playgrounds, telling horribly unfunny jokes, and helping good-humoredly around the house.

our primary kids' website (http://rileyscott.aboutmybaby.com/) has been renewed so we'll go back to posting most photos there and on facebook, though you can also view recent pics at http://sunnyd1975.shutterfly.com/292

new funnies

Elliot, to Oma, on the stairs up to Hailey's tap class at the YMCA "that's where the tap happens!"

Daddy let Elliot try his grapefruit juice, Elliot makes a face and says "that is yucky to me.  is that yummy to you?"

Hailey "everybody has feet, even Michael!"

Ollie the Octopus - by grammie for Elliot :)

big Fred

I have a stuffed bear that I was given when I was a baby.  I brought "loose bear" to college with me (so named because after 18+ yrs he was very floppy) and then eventually he was put in a box that lives in the garage.  He was originally called "big Fred" and I had another bear of a similar orange-brown color called "little Fred".  Recently we were telling the kids about how daddy lost his Curious George when he was a kid, and how mommy lost her "little Fred" teddybear, and how upset we were.  I mentioned that I still had big Fred, and the kids were intrigued, since they are all VERY attached to their respective stuffed animal best friends.

When I brought out big Fred (who had on a LHS band trip t-shirt from 1990), the kids loved him and introduced him to all their stuffed friends.  he gets lots of hugs (which is especially fun because he's about as "tall" as Elliot :)  I do have to remind them to be gentle with him, since 35 is quite old for a stuffed animal.

Yesterday, Hailey wanted to bring him in the car on the way to preschool.  while she was at school, I propped him in her carseat, and when she got back in the car she thought that was very funny.  Then later I was at the computer, and she comes up giggling, showing me Big Fred, who she dressed in Riley's clothes (I guess because he's a boy bear).  He had on shorts that came below his feet and a striped polo shirt - very cute and really made mommy laugh.  Then when Riley came home from school he says "mommy, did you see Big Fred?"  and I turn around - evidently Hailey didn't just put clothes on him, she even put a pair of Riley's underwear on him!  LOL

(right: Big Fred, just chilling in the outfit Hailey so adorably chose for him :)

little stories that never made it out of my cellphone

some little things that happen, especially when we're out-and-about just get texted to a few people.  since my phone is complaining about being full (again) - I'll copy a few here while I'm thinking of it :)

today
Hailey hands me 2 stubby clover flowers "here, these are for being the goodest mom!" aww, guess I'll keep her a little longer :)

last week
Elliot "when I'm big like daddy, I'm going to watch the gay movie!"  guessed every word I could think of, but was always met with "no mommy, not the (GAY) movie, the GAY movie!"  daddy figured out eventually that he meant the SCARY movie (drop the s and barely say the r, and it turns out 'ca'y movie does sound like that LOL :)

Elliot to Hailey "I nee(d) you (to) te(ll) me where b(l)ue toad is, or you're fi(r)ed!"

previous week
Elliot took off his diaper, put on a pair of Riley's underwear, then changed when he peed them (1st I knew of it was when I realized he was wearing different clothes)  right idea, wrong order :)  could this be my child who potty trains before age 4?

Riley, in the middle of changing into his swim clothes "I can do a weewee stand!" mommy "uh, what's a weewee stand?" Riley "you have to keep your weewee straight" and demonstrates something that vaguely resembles a "3-point stand"

month ago
evidently, neither of us changed Elliot's diaper this morning.  he threw his diaper in the trash and went commando when he put on his pants LOL.  discovered it when I asked how his pants got wet, and he cheerfully explained it was pee :)

in a fit of temper over being locked in his bedroom for nap, (3 year old) Elliot not only dumped the box of legos, he ripped a door off his bureau!  "I couldn't get it back on" he says mopily.  (it was so hard not to laugh)

my work is done...

Elliot wants juice to drink with dinner.  Riley observes with a sigh that Elliot always wants juice and not milk.
Riley "Elliot, you have to learn to like just milk.  Do you want to go on big rides?" Elliot "yeah"
Riley "if you want to go on big rides you have to grow big, and you need to drink milk to grow big"
Riley repeats this argument a few times
Riley "do you want to go on big rides, Elliot?"  Elliot, surly "I want juice!"'

a moment later, Riley "when Elliot is a grownup and married, he's going to give his kids only juice and never milk"

LOL :)

I'm gonna be a grandma (someday)

Riley, matter-of-fact-ly "I wonder how many kids I'm going to have.  maybe 12." Mommy, looking up "how many kids?" Riley "...that I'm going to have when I grow up.  maybe 30." Mommy "30! that is a lot of kids!" Riley "we'd have to have a 3 story house.  and 32 bedrms" LOL

Hailey cracked up Grammie and Grampie (and us) while they were visiting by summing herself up as "silly. and beautiful." which she repeated again earlier today.

Elliot is also saying funny things all the time now, I'll try to write them down so I remember to immortalize them here :)

attention issues etc

I've been running behind on blog entries, and there's so much more fun stuff to talk about, but right now I'm so frustrated!!!

I grew up with siblings with ADD/ADHD and a mom who was a special Ed teacher, and a lot of awareness and sympathy in general for all kinds of special needs.  I knew attention deficit disorders are inherited, so there was a good chance one of the kids would have some degree of it.  Yet I feel totally blindsided by Riley's transition the last few months, and very frustrated that even wading into the system I am already facing lots of hurdles.

Riley started his kindergarten year as the kid who was so focused and attentive that they put other kids next to him hoping they would be calmed by his influence.  He was friendly to everyone and so lots of different kids liked him and vice versa, and all the material seemed to be coming pretty easy to him.  After the middle of the school year, he started having more and more trouble staying focused and kept getting into trouble for not staying put, not staying quiet, not staying focused, and not listening when a grownup asked him to settle down.  He got some criticism for his handwriting and homework being too messy but otherwise was doing great, and got increasingly resentful about having to do homework, and complaining about going to school in the morning.  He's also been relying on clowning around to get kids to like him, and when they look at him funny or tell a teacher he's misbehaving, it's very hurtful to him.

Maybe a month ago I started talking with Jeff and other moms about it, and looked up the symptoms of ADHD, and was startled how well they matched.  I mentioned this to one of Riley's teachers, who kind of shrugged it off, saying she always managed hers well by eating less sugar and more protein.  Since she didn't respond in a way that was confirming his classrm behavior matched, I let it go, but continued to be frustrated by Riley wanting to be good, and trying really hard, but still not be able to do what all these grownups wanted of him.

Then last week, his other teacher asked if I was the one who wanted an SST done (a Student Success Team meeting to assess his needs) and I said that was probably a good idea.  Then today (after talking and reading more about ADHD in the last week) I brought it up again, and the teacher said to start with the pediatrician.  The pediatrician said "no, first you need to have a Connors assessment done by the school psychiatrist".  The school special education coordinator said "oh no, you can't have one of those done until you've done an SST, and that takes 60 school days, so it probably won't be done until September."  GRRRRR!

Riley wants so much to be good, and tries so hard to get it wrong over and over again!  I want to fix it, to help him, but now I feel like I'm totally on my own again.  It's so hurtful to him and to me as a parent who can't figure out how to make it better!

Off to get the kids to swim class - last one where they're all in the pool at the same time.  And we'll probably be late, and I'll be aggravated because I can't even yell at them to get them to move faster because of the lingering laryngitis.

bah.

recent pics of Hailey

here's a few pictures of Hailey from the last week or so:

(still getting the hang of this, bear with me please)

 

on Easter, overlooking the Pacific:

 

sitting on the "new" kids' swing on the front porch:

at Disneyland 4/11/2010:

*giggle* look mommy! I'm dressed like a coconut! *giggle*

Elliot turns 3

amazing that my "baby" is now 3 - when we moved to California he wasn't even born yet!

the stats from his 3 year checkup: (3/24/10)
36.5" tall (25th %ile, used to be ~50th)
30 lbs (50th %ile, has been 10th or less since he was 6 months old :)

the pediatrician is very pleased with all he can do: he talks a lot now (though his pronunciation is still funny), climbs and runs, plays well with others, sleeps at least 11 hrs a night, eats lots of fruits & veggies and other good stuff.  she's not concerned about potty training (and honestly, neither is mommy, considering Hailey still has her days and isn't night trained yet).

he even did well on his eye and ear tests, which they do at that age only to get them used to the idea, since most of them won't give useful answers.

hilarious trainwreck of a conversation

this is one of those had-to-pull-over-the-car-because-I-was-laughing-so-hard-and-wanted-to-write-it-down-before-I-forgot-the-exact-words conversations

Hailey "you are your husband's wife"
Mommy "uh, yeah"
Riley "when did you get married"
Mommy "almost 13 yrs ago, in June"
Riley "why can't you make babies until you're a grownup?"
Mommy laughs really loud.  eventually I'll have to come up with a more appropriate response :)
Hailey "how can you make babies when you're a grownup?" (Riley "that's not what I said Hailey")
Hailey "how did you get us in your tummy?"

all, btw, in the 2 minute drive from the YMCA to our house

oy.

He's onto you, preschool television!

We were watching Jungle Junction just now, and as usual, a character asks the viewer for help.

Riley "I just noticed something cool.  If you don't say anything, they will say the answer themselves!" LOL

Peter Pan chips

We used up all the pita chips eating hummus.  Later when I was putting together a shopping list Hailey pipes up "don't forget we need Peter Pan chips!"

Riley's 6th birthday party - cupcake lessons

to match Riley's Mario birthday party theme, mommy had the fun idea of making cupcakes shaped like the mushrooms in Super Mario (red=makes you bigger, green=1up, small blue=makes you small)

unfortunately, the cake mix tastes good, but makes very strangely shaped cupcakes in the normal size.  the mini cupcakes came out with a nice even dome:

I was able to pick a few normal size cupcakes that had a dome and hadn't overflowed, now contemplating whether to bake another batch or buy nice shaped cupcakes or muffins from the store and then ice them to match.  The few I was able to do came out cute:

The other thing I didn't think through was the frosting. I forgot to pick up a can of frosting when I bought the cake mix, so I "whipped up" some buttercream frosting which was surprisingly easy (and of course yummy).  Except buttercream frosting melts and sags when it's nice weather, and probably shouldn't be left on the counter until tomorrow's party.  doubt I have that much room in my fridge...

the dots were supposed to be white candy melts btw, you can see on the green one that the scale is wrong, so I guess I'll just make dabs of white frosting.

-Deirdre

Color Explosion Explosion - 0 Oxyclean - 1

Oxyclean has vanquished yet another foe.  Turns out that not only does Oxyclean take baby poop out of clothes, grunge out of grungy lovies, and sharpie permanent marker off of microfiber upholstery, it also takes dark blue ink off everything.

Color Explosion products are a crayola thing where you start with a black piece of paper, which you draw on with a special marker that magically dissolves the black layer and shows the multicolored pattern underneath.  If you touch the paper with wet hands, you'll discover the "black" is actually very dark blue, and that water takes it off too, though not as effectively.

Evidently, if you rub a baby wipe on a sheet of Color Explosion paper (like that Riley got for his birthday and seemed like harmless fun) you can get the wipe to turn dark blue/green.  Then the wipe can be used like a paint brush to draw on walls, carpet, sheets, doors, and of course can get it all over your clothes and your hands, etc.

(Silly mommy was trying to clean the dining room table and psych Riley into starting his homework when Elliot made this discovery.  Small wonder I'm losing the battle keeping the house clean!)

The "good" thing is finding out that a solution of Oxyclean powder makes the color just disappear.  Off the walls, the kids' hands and feet, the carpet, the clothes, the sheets, and the door.  *sigh*

deep topics and other things that make me laugh

the kids come out with the funniest things, or sometimes very unfunny things that make me laugh none-the-less.

In the car today, Riley asks (completely out of the blue) "what happens to our skin when we die?"  I almost spit out my lunch laughing, then begged him "can I please answer that question later, like after lunch?"  He didn't bring it back up, don't really know how to answer that one.  (he's previously asked things like "when is (someone) going to die?" which is ironically much easier to answer.)

In the same car trip, I was explaining to the kids why we were going to a doctor's office.  "mommy doesn't sleep good right now" Elliot replies loudly "oh no!" then he wanted to know "why you no sleep good?"  At the office where they were fitting me with the CPAP machine Hailey tells me reassuringly "you're going to be okay mommy!" then goes to tell Elliot "don't worry - mommy's going to be okay" :)

Hailey keep cracking me up by formally saying things about "your husband" - like "you miss your husband" when I'm trying to talk in kid terms about how many days 'till daddy's home.

She has recently drawn characters with a heart in their tummies, which I thought was her way of representing pregnancy in her stick people.  Evidently she is sure that is where your heart is (in your tummy) and she even argued with me when I tried to explain that no, your heart is in your chest :)

the funny Elliot story I keep forgetting

I was doing homework with Riley while Oma was here. We're all sitting at the dining rm table, nibbling on snacks and the younger kids are coloring while Riley does his homework (one double-sided sheet of writing + one double sided sheet of math + 20 minutes of story time).  After we finished the writing, I said "ok, now it's mathtime!"  A split second later, Elliot runs over to my chair, stripped down to his diaper and very excited "I ready!" - he thought we said "bathtime!"  so we ran a bath for him and Hailey, how can you say no to such sweet enthusiasm :)

first library book borrowed from library

they finally got to the point where the kindergarten kids can take books home from the library.

is it just me, or is that he signed it out himself the cutest thing ever? (along with that he was super excited about the book itself :)

Riley's story about puppy

 

(edited to add picture Riley made recently at school. the writing says "Riley's Dog" 

 Note the purple face is actually accurate because the fabric mommy patched him with a few reconstructive surgeries ago is dark purple rather than brown fur like the rest of him :)

Puppy was born on planet Cy.  Planet Cy is 25 miles away from planet Earth.  And the planet was totally blue.  There's a flag that has a "p" on it.  Some people call it the planet of the puppies.  And some people call it the planet of the lizards.
25 miles away there was a big meteor that destroyed the planet so puppy had to move to us.  His old friends had to move to a new planet that was 81 miles away from Earth.  A rocketship couldn't even go that far.
Puppy loved his new home because he found me.

-Riley

and more kid funnies

and more kid funnies:

Hailey in the car on the way home from preschool, where they made Dr. Suess hats "oh, and tomorrow is Dr. Who's birthday" Mommy "right! no wait, did you say Dr. Who?"  I think the kids have seen part of one episode (generally too scary) but have obviously heard us talking about the show (of which mommy and daddy are big fans)  Hailey went on to explain she doesn't like Dr. Suess (not sure what she was talking about at that point)

Elliot - there was another story from before, and I only remember it when I'm not at the computer. *sigh*

misc recent funnies

Riley, eating breakfast at our friends' house "mom, Jamie is a better cook than you" holds fork over his fingers "she is this level and you are this level"  Mommy, chuckling "what could I do to catch up to Jamie?"  Riley "use more ketchup on more eggs!"

Elliot was in the backseat when a car cut mommy off, to which mommy's response was "dude!"
Elliot, the rest of the ride home "dood! why you in d'way of mom's car?"

Elliot, in response to Oma's story about how she also lived close enough to walk to kindergarten when she was little (can you believe Oma was once little?) "Oma, when I was a baby you and me were in kindergarten together!"

I know there's more, been slacking a little bit about writing them down...

five year old problems

yes, that can accurately be read both ways - the problems five year olds face, and the problems I am having with my five year old.

after a very moody afternoon starting at pickup, and me telling them all multiple times to get inside and stop running onto the lawn, and that he'd have to do his homework before we could go to the playground, and would they please get ready, and then (goddamit) we couldn't go to the playground anymore it was too late, Riley had enough.  He said he was running away, and I replied (a little panicky) that where was he gonna go that had a bedrm for him, and food, and that had parents and a brother and sister that loved him even when he was mad?  To which he replied "good. bye.", turned on his heel and walked down the driveway to the sidewalk. 

Thankfully he stopped at the end of our neighbor's driveway, giving me a chance to put sunglasses over my teary eyes and throw barefoot Hailey + Elliot in the stroller to give chase.  At the corner of our street he conceded to talk to me and we sat there for a while before I put him on the handlebars and pushed our weird little parade back home.  (Riley was wearing his school backpack, a knight helmet, and high-heeled dress-up boots.  for a not-quiet-6-year-old I guess that's prepared)

Now he's sitting next to me, grudgingly doing homework so that he can play Mario wii.

*sigh*

only parents will probably understand how you can simultaneously love your children and hate your job parenting them.

pronounciation and mispronounciation

As Elliot is starting to enunciate more carefully, the odd ways he says things are starting to become more obvious.

When his beloved stuffed animal Froggy was missing, he corrected me "name not F(r)oggee, it Fuhfee!" - Hailey already said it that way and we thought that was cute, but until now we didn't realize he had named it Fuffy rather than him mispronouncing Froggy

I thought I'd heard him saying Riley's name like "Rodney", and tonight in the bath I got him to say it a few times.  He's actually using an "n" instead of an "l" sound - Haynee and Ryenee are his sibs.  Though I feel bad, when I had him repeat it for daddy he got all sad.  Until now he was using a "y" sound instead of "l"s (which despite having the tongue-tied fixed he still doesn't say right) - but it sounded more natural as a "y".

Another phrase we've started using to get him to pronounce the "tr" at the beginning of "truck" correctly (still starts with an "f" a hundred times a day :) is "trick or treat" - usually "tick o(r) feet".  *sigh* we'll get there someday, still too early to start worrying since these are the hardest sounds to make and some kids don't master them until kindergarten.

kids and marriage, part 2

Hailey "there's going to be a wedding tonight!"
mommy "oh yea? who's getting married?""
Hailey "me and Riley!"
mommy "oh sweetie, you're supposed to marry someone who's not already in the family"
5 minutes later
Hailey "Cassidy and Carrigan aren't in our family yet. Maybe I can marry them!"
mommy, laughing "well, maybe one at a time" :)

our smarty pants

Riley's into time estimates right now.  (He is partially motivated by when he will get to play Mario :)

When we were driving home from Palm Springs, I estimated we'd be home by 7:30, and it was currently 7:12.  Riley pipes up "so that's 8 and 10 more minutes".  Jeff and I were very impressed - he's only in kindergarten and already making subtraction sound easy?

Also partially inspired/taught by his videogame playing, he can recognize numbers into the thousands - "look that sign says six-thousand-and-nine"

Then yesterday he really floored us when we were all driving home.  He asked mommy for an estimate (25 minutes, so we'd be home at 7:36) - then he says (casually) "in 49 minutes it will be 8 o'clock".  That not only involves serious subtraction (they only started basic subtraction today in kindergarten) but knowing that the hour is equal to 60 minutes!  Mind you, we asked him a few more "now it's this time, how many minutes until 8 pm?" to which he gave wild guesses, but still.  Will he be one of those kids who knows the answer to a complex question but can't show his work? :)

He almost knows all his rainbow words too, which is so exciting for us and for him :)

potty training trials and tribulations

our darling 4 1/4 year old is potty training. again.  She was finally all trained at Halloween after many infuriating months, then backtracked from Thanksgiving to Christmas, was dry again for 9 days, and now is back to multiple accidents a day.

I finally brought her to the pediatrician's office, to verify there was no physical cause and to get some suggestions.  The rules for training two year olds just didn't seem relevant anymore!  Doc says stick to positive reactions and gave me a specific example for an incentive system appropriate for a 4 yo.  She also (tried to) reassure me that this does happen, and it's nothing personal, and she won't be doing it anymore when she turns five.  I'm trying to think of it like learning to walk - just because the kid has the skills doesn't mean he/she is ready to do it all the time.

So she's all excited to earn the flowered socks from Target (4 dry days in a row), but had an accident at the end of the first day, and then three accidents yesterday, all of which she lied about.  *sigh*  maybe today will be dry day one...

funny language

Elliot is talking more all the time, but his pronunciation can still be pretty wonky.  the most amusing is that he won't say the "tr" at the start of "truck", which is a word he uses constantly.  he starts the word with an "f" sound instead.  This has led to several amusing conversations, though we try not to laugh too loud so that they catch on it's an interesting word.

mommy "Elliot, it's TRuck, with a TR.  TRuuuck"  Elliot, using the exact same deliberate pronounciation "yeah, fuuuck"

daddy, trying a more subtle approach "Elliot and I have been working on some words.  Tell mommy how you say turkey and tree"  Elliot "turkey" then turns around and says "say f*ck daddy!"

mommy in the car "look, there's a dump truck"  Elliot "what's a dum' f*ck?"

and since he has so many toy trucks, sometimes he's can't find all the ones he wants.  "mommy, where m'other f*ck?"

I swear I'm not making this stuff up :)

new home on the internets

Since finding out that Aboutmybaby.com will stop hosting baby scrapbooks, I've been pondering what to do instead. The kids' website has served as a babybook for all three over the years, and allows us to keep family and friends all over the planet informed. Keeping a blog can't be that hard, right?

gotta go...

mommy "I have to get off the phone - the child wearing the pajamas I was going to return is chasing his brother around with a butter knife covered in peanutbutter"

(just a day in the life of the Dixons)

child-administered haircuts

"we can be little cutie patooties, we can cut each other's hair" says Hailey - I turn around and she's holding scissors and a lock of her hair a few inches long... amazed we've made it this long before a child-administered hair cut *sigh*