IKEA

We enjoyed lunch, shopping, and hours of entertainment for $10 this afternoon. My favorite thing about IKEA is that we have the same high chairs at home so everything feels familiar.

Jackson wanted to sit in the kids area so he could immediately play after he ate. We sat across from him.

The kid's showrooms provide plenty of fun for all four kids. There are tents, tunnels, inflatable toys, stuffed animals, puppets, tiny furniture, and more. Everything is perfectly designed for their size.

This area was a popular spot today among exhausted, pregnant mothers of toddlers. I had no clue which child belonged to which mom since no adult seemed to be supervising any child, but at least mine were easily manageable today.

Our exciting purchase was new tupperware. We have a bad habit of giving ours away (or others have a bad habit of not returning it). Either way, I love the IKEA containers. They are cheap but the lid seals nicely. They don't stain when you heat up sauce or other colorful foods. They stack neatly in the cabinets.

IKEA never disappoints!

Happy Birthday, Jesse!

In case you can't decipher this Walter White inspired breakfast, Jesse turned 28 today! 

He took advantage of the free birthday breakfast at Denny's before work. Since it was a workday and he didn't need to go in before 8, Jackson accompanied him. 

As soon as Jackson was dropped off, we got to work on baking the requested carrot cake. Jackson can be trusted with every step of the recipe, with the exception of peeling and grating carrots.

The kids and I brought Jesse lunch at work. They had Open House last night so the classroom was neat and orderly. I think James and Amelia had a secret mission to reverse this. James has a sixth sense on where to find cords. It is always the first thing he finds in a room.

The girls raced up and down the hallway

until Maddie surrendered in exhaustion.

Jackson played the role of teacher by talking on the phone, typing on the keyboard, and writing on the board.

Our kids will never be able to escape the classroom setting.

Jesse enjoyed his lunch and birthday cake.

One of his colleagues also celebrated a birthday today, so his team surprised them both with lots of snacks. I'm relieved that Jesse seems genuinely happy with his new school and team!

Once Jesse returned home, Jackson presented him with various gifts that Jack had collected throughout the house. 

My mother made such a big deal out of birthdays. I'm subconsciously training Jackson to be the same way. We sang "Happy Birthday" multiple times throughout the day.

Dinner was Chinese take-out per the birthday boy's request. Jesse has begged me for years to stop inviting the whole family over for his birthday. I finally gave in this year and honored his wish, though it felt counterintuitive. Jesse's mom must have felt the same way, because she stopped by for a late visit, along with our sister-in-law and nephew.

I hope Jesse was made to feel special today and that he is continuously blessed with good health and happiness in the upcoming year. Happy Birthday, love of my life!

Ramblings on Classroom Teaching, or Lack Thereof

The start of school will always be bittersweet for me as long as I'm not in the classroom. Last August the triplets were only a month old so I never considered returning to school. This year I have a wide range of feelings about staying home, including relief, resentment, gratitude, and boredom. I know I could enjoy being a working mom, but I also know we would struggle financially whether I had a full time job or not. I think about how drastically the kids, especially the triplets, changed last year and I am genuinely thankful that I was able to witness it all. In the upcoming year, James, Amelia, and Maddie will go through major developments, learning to walk and talk. Jackson surprises me daily with his questions, vocabulary, and how much information he retains. While a huge part of me longs to set up my classroom with my fellow teacher friends this week, I definitely have more positive than negative feelings about staying home. 

With all that said, I was dying for an excuse to roam the hallways along freshly waxed floors, hear the stapler securing butcher paper on new bulletin boards, run my fingers along the spines of neatly shelved books, and feel the chatter and excitement about upcoming students. I had to run an errand that was just a few minutes from my former school, so I asked a good friend and former teammate if we could stop by for a visit. She has a slight obsession with all four kids, so I knew she'd be more than hospitable. She eagerly loved on the babies.

It only took James a few minutes to find loose cords and cables. The trio took turns climbing carts and going for a ride.

All four rummaged through boxes, cabinets, and crates. They mostly climbed and sorted things. (We did not leave a mess!)

My previous school has a high teacher turnover so there weren't too many familiar faces, but I did enjoy visiting with the office staff and a few teachers. The school playground is actually a community park, so we took advantage of the multiple playgrounds and picnic shelters. It's weird to think that Jackson could be playing on the pre-K playground as a student in a year.

James, Maddie, and Amelia ate a banana, chicken nuggets, peanut butter crackers, and some dirt. Oops.

Jackson was getting tired so he requested to sit in the wagon rather than walk back to the van. Amelia kept rubbing Jack's head with baby wipes and laughing. James stole Jack's cup and started grinning. Maddie looked confused and tried to scoot over.

I think I've romanticized the teaching career ever since I resigned. I dwell on the missed opportunities to inspire struggling students. It's similar to the feeling after a loved one dies. You forget their faults and are, instead, filled with nostalgia and longing, simply because they are no longer there. I have to remind myself that no job, including a stay-at-home mom, is free from stresses and challenges. I would much rather stress over the piles of laundry than the piles of papers to grade and file. I would rather break up a fight between James and Amelia than a fight between two fifth grade boys.  I would rather have to confront Jackson than administration. While I love and miss teaching, especially this time of year, who wouldn't want to spend their days with these four crazy kids?

Latta Park

Today we ventured out to meet a friend for a picnic at Latta Park. We got there an hour earlier to take advantage of the spray grounds that close in a few weeks. I loved how close the spray ground and playground were to one another. The park had great visibility and felt very open, even though it was nicely secluded from the nearby neighborhood and busy roads. 

This was the first time I allowed the trio to play in a spray ground. I dressed them in a swim diaper and swim shirt. Several people commented on my "three boys". The girls were curious from afar. Amelia was very cautious and skeptical about the water shooting up from the ground.

I put all three of them inside the gate to feel the water. Amelia immediately cried and crawled away. Maddie was happy to splash in a large puddle and clap.  James was more daring and continued to crawl straight into a fountain, then back to dry land.

It took Jackson a bit of time to really get wet. He had a lot of fun weaving in and out of the larger fountains.

James repeatedly crawled in and out. He seemed genuinely surprised each time he became drenched by the water.

I eventually collected the babies and put them on a blanket in the shade. I dried and dressed the babies while Jackson began climbing on the playground. We ate once my friend arrived. The four kids snacked on a banana, can of mandarin oranges, yogurt, protein bar, and veggie straws. 

I let the babies explore the playground, which inevitably resulted in Maddie and James putting mulch in their mouths. 

The water and sun wore the kids out. We went for a long walk in the wagon on one of the park trails. 

Poor James couldn't resist sleep any longer. He didn't even fuss. 

James' three siblings joined him in napping in the van. I have such an appreciation for a quiet ride home.

PT Update

Last Monday, Maddie's Early Intervention team met for the six month reevaluation. Because Maddie is still delayed despite making amazing progress, she will continue to receive weekly physical therapy. The case manager asked me what my concerns were for Maddie over the next six months. I explained that I feel confident with Maddie's abilities while Heidi, her PT, is working with her. However, during that hour we keep Amelia and James separate because they are so much quicker than Maddie and they frequently steal whatever toy we are trying to entice Maddie with. When Heidi leaves, Maddie is left to fend for herself. The three of them wrestle one another and fight for certain toys (or my cell phone). Maddie is almost always left crying as James or Amelia dominate.

The case manager suggested CBRS. If you are like me and have no clue what that is, here's a quick description from the CDSA:

Community Based Rehabilitative Services (CBRS) is developmental intervention uniquely designed to enhance cognitive, physical, behavioral, self-help, social-emotional, and language skills. This rehabilitative therapy for infants and toddlers is “play with a purpose.” CBRS is one service available to support children and families from birth to age three who have been determined eligible by the Children’s Developmental Services Agency (CDSA) for the North Carolina Infant Toddler Program. 

Maddie will now receive an hour of physical therapy every Monday, as well as an hour of play therapy on a different day. I don't really know what to expect, so I'll update after the first session (which will occur within the next three weeks).

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Today I asked Heidi for some more specific ideas to help Maddie strengthen both sides of her trunk. We have stopped making her wear the hiphelpers because they hinder her from pulling up to stand. They worked well to correct her form while crawling, but she now spends more time standing (with support) and cruising than she does crawling. 

Heidi's fun suggestion to help build bilateral strength was to make obstacle courses. She explained that anything that Maddie had to climb over would force her to use both sides of her trunk. She encouraged me to let Maddie crawl up the stairs and climb over pillows and couch cushions. We initially set up a course in the open part of the living room, but Maddie just crawled the long way around it. Our next course was narrowly between the couch and the coffee table. We put toys, a pacifier, and a sippy cup in between the pillows so Maddie would climb over them. She grew tired quickly, which is a sign that she's working hard!

After Heidi left I made a large obstacle course using the couch cushions in the hallway. Thank God we did not take the cushions off the couch while Heidi was there. I may have dissolved into a puddle of embarrassment if any other adult had witnessed what all was hiding in between the cushions. I vacuumed while the kids played in the hallway. This provided a lot of entertainment for them!

Once Jackson climbed on a cushion, James, Amelia, and Maddie joined forces!

I let the three climb the staircase to their room. Amelia does this regularly, mostly on accident because she is so fast. Maddie made it to the top all by herself. James refused to go beyond the first two stairs.

It looks like we'll be spending a good bit of time climbing the stairs and pillows this week.

Last Day of Summer

Our last day of summer vacation was nothing like I had planned or wanted. Jesse returns to work on Monday with workdays; then his students will return to school the following Monday. I had wanted to do something as a whole family, preferably something I cannot do by myself (i.e. go swimming, ride the train at the park, or take a day trip to the zoo). Unfortunately, Jesse was writhing in stomach pain after making one too many bad food choices the previous night. (Ever since we cut grains and sugar out of our diet, Jesse gets violently ill if he consumes excessive grains/sugar.) 

With Jesse out of commission, the kids and I were on our own. So much for our last summer day together. I don't do well around sick people and Jesse needed rest so our only option was to go out for the day. We headed to Frank Liske Park. Each time I decide to go to this park, I seem to only recall the beautiful lake, green rolling hills, multiple playgrounds, shaded picnic shelters, and open fields. I always forget how exhausting it is to push the stroller through the thick gravel trails, how aggressive the geese are, and how far the bathrooms are from the lake. While it's a gorgeous park, it will be more enjoyable when the kids are older.

I got everyone dressed and I prepared and packed lunches for a picnic. I couldn't help but laugh when I turned around to see Jackson eating the bread I packed for the geese.

The beautiful scenery did not disappoint. I can't wait to go in the fall when the leaves change colors.

For some reason Jesse took the wagon out of the van after the kids were loaded up. I was quite aggravated to open the hatchback and realize I only had the double umbrella and Ergo. This meant I had to carry my purse, lunchbox, and picnic basket, all while pushing the stroller. I refused to also carry our queen size blanket, which meant the babies had to eat on the ground. It was pretty gross (even for my standards), but they didn't mind.

Jackson ate his lunch lakeside.

After we fed the ducks and geese our bread, we walked around the lake. I noticed this sign for the first time. Eh...I guess the damage was already done.

Though Jesse would not have condoned it, I let the kids play on the rocks. Jackson climbed high while the trio mostly sat there and ate their graham cracker. I'm a firm believer that kids need to explore their surroundings and nature.

We refilled our water bottles and cups, took a restroom break, and played on the playground. In the last few weeks Jackson has really excelled at rock climbing walls. He climbed up and over this one for the first time.

James was very happy collecting and attempting to eat mulch. The girls were so tired they just sat on the sidewalk.

After a few hours of playing hard, all four were fast asleep within minutes of the car ride. I drove the kids to their MiMi and PaPa for a visit and to drop Jackson off for his first backyard camping experience.

Jesse had regained an appetite and strength when we returned home.

And that's how our summer ended.

Bowling!

Jackson had yet another "first" this summer. We registered for the Kids Bowl Free summer program and met up with several friends to go bowling. Before going, Jack and I had an in-depth discussion about what to expect. Jackson almost never wears socks, so I had to explain that he would need socks and that he would be given special shoes at the bowling alley. Like most things in his 3-year-old world, he referenced an episode of UmiZoomi where they go bowling.

When we got to the bowling alley and I handed him the shoes, he actually said, "I'm just like Bot. These shoes are comfy and stylish!" It was the most ridiculous statement ever.

We didn't have one of those ramps, so Jackson had to push the bowl down the lane with whatever force he could muster. Several of the kids' bowling balls had to be retrieved midway down the lane because they had lost momentum.

Jackson was literally biting his nails waiting to see how many (if any) pins would be knocked down. His face stayed like this the first several frames.

After a really enthusiastic start, Jack's attention span fizzled. His friends cheered his name when it was his turn. While I thought it was adorable, Jackson was not a fan of the attention. He covered his ears and began to shut down. He was more interested in the arcade games, using the bathroom, and dancing with me. I didn't force him to continue bowling, but I did make him stay the rest of the game. Perhaps we should have left while he was still in a good mood, because he had a full tantrum when the game ended:

Despite a rough ending, Jackson was only positive when retelling his first bowling experience to Jesse. That's my favorite thing about kids. They seem to always remember the good. Based on his initial excitement and his recap, I would say bowling was a success!