exploratorium

Danny had the day off so we headed to the city to go to the exploratorium. Danny was in heaven. Anyone who knows my hubby knows he is into figuring out how things work and doing experiments. He was wondering how he could get a job there and can see a possible early retirement from dentistry. We had so much fun. I would recommend it to all, both young and old. Here are some highlights....

Kira...she is an angel.

Magnet building.

Danny has a perfect ear and sat at this machine tuning it by his ear instead of the machine and would see how close he could get. He would get it perfectly. I don't have that talent.

Playing in the sand wheel using different tools.

Scott loved the termite homes!!

And of course making giant bubbles.

And the steam machine.

Thank You

Jerry was found. Thank you for your prayers and thoughts!!

Park Day

We enjoyed a BEAUTIFUL DAY playing at Arbolado Park. I LOVE LOVE LOVE having a spring baby. If planning really did work, which most of us know doesn't, plan a spring baby. It is so wonderful to go outside in the fresh air for babies, big kids and mommas!! Scott and Tyler were so good sharing their toys and playing with each other and little Kira is such an easy addition. Anything is easy after Tyler. I laugh remembering how difficult his first six months were with colistasis. Love Kira more and more each day. I envisioned myself being a mom to all boys, which I would have loved, but now having a little girl is magical. She brings a sweetness and pureness to me and my family. She makes me want to be more patient, kind and pure. My boys just make me want to be more boyish. It really is so different and I feel so blessed for the experience. In some ways adding a third child to the mix is so easy when you have two boys that play with each other. Today Scott wanted me to jump on the trampoline which I declined due to horrible hemorrhoids. Worst part of the recovery for me....much worse than the stitches. He immediately went to Tyler telling him I had henryoids (not knowing what I just told him) and that they needed to jump without me. Loving Life and Motherhood. I don't know if I ever treasured it like I do now. So much because of our experiences and to treasure the blessings we have been blessed with.

I am making a resolution right now to carry my camera with me. I haven't carried a camera in so long and there are so many moments I am missing. You can be the judge if I follow through with my goal.

Siblings

Scott loves having a baby sister. He always said this was a sister and wanted to name her Stacey...I am sure after Charlies mom who he loves.

My mom went to primary with him at church and when he got home he was soo excited to see his sister. He put a blanket on her, he wanted to hold her and he kept saying, "she is a child of god." I wonder if they discussed that at primary. We had the missionaries over for dinner that night and after the prayer Scott said, "she was very good during the prayer mom." He really is a sensitive sibling.

We were really afraid Tyler was going to have a really hard time with the baby. He LOVES babies until I hold them than he throws a fit. The first time I held her he was so sad and wanted me to hold him. After we sat down together and played with the baby, he has done awesome. It is so great that Scott and Tyler have each other to play with. It really makes a third easier in so many ways when you have two kids that enjoy playing with each other. It also forces Tyler to be more independent which is so nice and needed. I can see how last children become spoiled. Whenever I am busy I tell them to play with the other and they do. It is great. So far things are going well with the boys and they love their sibling. It is also pretty easy right now because she isn't that much work. We'll see if things change. I am trying to spend time with each of them and it is nice that I am not working right now to adjust.

Ok, now the funny things he has said. It is so great having a four year old with a newborn.

"mom, why is she eating out of your elbow? That is really funny. That is also really disgusting."

Scott really thinks nursing is disgusting. When I explained that he nursed when he was a baby he said, "Yeah, and I really didn't like it. It tasted disgusting."

Scott really wanted to give her a bath and I explained how she only gets sponge baths until her umbilical cord falls off. Later that day he said, "mom, has her penis falled off yet?" "She doesn't have a penis Scott, she is a girl," I respond. He says, "The penis that needs to fall off before we give her a bath."

"Mommy, look, a piece of pooh," Tyler referring to the umbilical cord. Who knew the umbilical cord could be so fascinating.

More Detailed Birth Story

Sorry for the long, detailed blogging. This has become my journal as well for this little one and our life. I decided that I am done with baby books. I did one for Scott and Tyler for the first year and quite frankly the blog is way more deatailed and true to real life. Plus, I just have better ways to spend my time and don't love scrapbooking like I used to. It is liberating to be at a point in your life to do what fulfills you and not do the rest. Unless of course you have to.


So I started having pretty regular contractions about 3 minutes apart at 12AM. This had been happening to me in the past but I actually felt a desire to have a baby this time. I called, they checked me and kept me because it was my fourth baby and I had fast labors. If it was my first I am sure they would have sent me home and I would have had the baby in 1-2 weeks. I took an antiobiotic for Group B which took four hours, got some rest and they decided to break my water at 8AM. It was nice getting some sleep. The water broke, but it took some walking around at 9ish to actually start feeling like I was loosing the water. The contractions started and I debated if I should get an epidural or not.


My experiences with epidurals: Scott came so fast and I was a little far from the hospital that it wasn't worth it. Tyler was so sick so it wasn't worth the risks. I got one with Carl that didn't work on my stomach, totally numbed my legs and made my back sore for days. This baby I had no feelings one way or the other except for my fears of being paralized and probably wimping out and getting one. The doctor and nurses were totally respectful of what I wanted to do. My contractions were totally bareable because I didn't go from a 1-10 in an hour. It is a way different story having more time. The contractions still hurt but are not as intense. After talking to the doctors about all the people or stories I heard about bad epidurals they ensured my things usually go fine. So I overcame my fears and went for it.


I have always told others to get epidurals when they ask and explained I just didn't have the guts to do it. Now I can say from my experience that I LOVED my epidural. The labor was totally enjoyable and pain-free, I had total control while pushing and I enjoyed my little one without being tired. It was so wonderful!!! No back pain. I was numb but not horribly numb that I couldn't feel my legs. I am glad I conquered my fears.


I felt the urge to push around 12:30. My cervix wasn't totally dialated so I did mini pushes to help me dialate. It worked and I started pushing at 1:25 and had the baby in about 3 contractions and 5 pushes. Noboby said if it was a boy or girl because nobody looked. Danny finally saw it was a girl when I was holding her. Danny did great!! He is such an amazing husband and daddy. We had fun, enjoyed the experience and LOVED our nurse, Jodi, and doctor. They were AWESOME. I am actually going to get together with my nurse who has a 10 month old and 6 year old. She was like an immediate friend.


It was wonderful holding her. Danny and I were set on the name Daxon for a boy which will have to wait if we ever have another boy. Our girl name was Brynn, but I was never set on it. When we saw her she didn't look like Brynn and Danny said, "I think she is a Kira." Loved it and it fit her perfectly.


Danny was really anxious about her health and his first reaction to her was wondering if she needed an echo and why she was so blue. It makes you realize how your past can affect your future.


Our baby Kira. I spent the day calling her a him by habit. She was so angelic and perfect. I just wanted to go home, but was too scared to override the hospitals suggestions of staying for about a day. It is the smart thing to do. Everything looked great. She had a heart murmur that was probably just the PDA not closed and it was gone the following day. It never worried me. You realize that murmurs can be fixed so easily. The one thing that isn't right is that she spits up and chokes for no apparant reason. They said that is normal the first couple of days. It isn't gettting much better. I will give it a couple more days and start investigating. Sometimes kids have acid reflux or underdeveloped areas that cause all the milk to come up. She is perfect!! We love her so much!!


It has been great being home. I love that the boys have each other to play with when I am taking care of Kira. She is just so easy to care for and I feel great. It is so nice not being pregnant. This pregnancy really kicked my butt. One of my goals is to get in shape. I really want to do the SF marathon in July but will see if that is enough time. I am determined to take care of my body and need a goal to work towards. What better thing that do something to honor Tyler, UCSF and heart kids. I will keep you updated. Loving life! Love having a little girl even though it still worries me a little bit. I am so used to boys and our lives are so boy oriented, but we will figure it out. I feel so blessed!! The Lord has sent me four perfect children whom I love dearly and an amazing husband who I get to share the journey with.

3 kids

Tyler as a newborn...

Scott as a newborn...

Kira as a newborn...

Kira and Scott definitely look alike except Kiras features are all so petite. She has the smallest little nose, lips and fingernails. Fun to compare. They all change so much in the first couple weeks and months.

Day 1 with Three

I love, love, love having Kira in our family!! She is an angel. I can't get over how easy it is to take care of a healthy baby. They actually do sleep and love being held. She seems calmer than my boys already. I am convinced boys and girls are innately different. It was sooo nice sleeping in our own bed last night. Our queen bed seemed gigantic in comparison to the hospital bed Danny and I have shared the past 1 1/2 days. Yes, Danny is scared of the germ infested pull out sleeper and I like having him close by. Kira slept in between feedings and it was DREAMY!!! Love that girl. I woke up to Scott coming into my room to see me and baby Kira. We had a quick bite and headed out the door at 8:30 for doctor appts.

Kira saw a nurse practitioner for her 1-2 day well check and is doing well. I learned the fundamentals of little girls...who knew they could get a baby-period the first week of life?? She weighs 7 lbs and the boys were so helpful at the appt. Scott was excited to show the nurse his new animal book he got at the musuem. He even got to weigh it to see if it weighed more than his sister.

Afterwards, Scott had his 4 year old check-up. He did great. He loved the hearing test of dropping balls into a bucket, his eyes look good and he weighs 35 lbs. Tyler wanted to do everything Scott did. He even lifted up his shirt when Dr. Hahn was checking Scott's heart. Scott told Danny, "Tyler even wanted a shot". Life with a kid too familiar with doctors. I was so happy how everyone was doing. Scott was so nervous about his appt and he did great until the dreaded shots. He HATED his shots and led to the one and only meltdown of the day which is pretty good for us. He got after-shot-stickers and quickly crumpled them up. Tyler starting crying and I started crying that Scott was so sad and mean to his brother by not giving him a sticker. Can we say pregnancy hormones!!

We left about 2.5 hours later and I decided we all needed a little McDonalds pick-me-up. Nothing fries and a shake can't fix. We all felt much better and for some reason I decided to conquer DMV at lunchtime for a handicap placard and drivers license renewal.

Once we made it through line one, we went outside and found a tree with gravel to play cars. Tyler LOVES pushing toy cars in the dirt. Luckily they announce your number over a loudspeaker so we could soak up warm weather and stay away from the germ infested DMV. I got in and out in record timing, about 1.5 hours, since one of my tasks was getting a handicap placard. I debated if I should get one or not with Tyler and decided, "why not?" Class 3 & 4 heart conditions qualify, which Tyler has, he doesn't love walking far and I can't carry him all the time. It will be nice when we go to musuems or the City. I am excited.

Came home, the boys jumped on the tramp, swam and played cars while I treasured my little one, visited with Heather and Roman and enjoyed the night. Scott did RC cars, Danny came home, we ate, had FHE on love at home and got the kids down for bed.

The day was a success and now I am going to watch some TV!

Announcing

Kira (KEAR-uh) Janine McMillan on 3/20/10, 7 lbs 7 oz, 19.75 inches. Heidi and I left home for Kaiser Walnut Creek in the early, early Saturday morning because Hedi started having contractions. Due to Heidi's group B strep, she was given antibiotics that needed at least 4 hours in the system. At about 8:00 am Saturday morning, Heidi's water was broken and Kira was born at 1:28 pm. We had originally thought that if we were having a girl, her name would be Brynn.

When Kira came out, she didn't look like a Brynn and we had to decide on which name fit her. We chose Janine to be her middle name because it is my Mom's birthday and her name is Janine.

The nurses got a kick out my RC helicopter that I was flying in the labor and delivery room, and Heidi seemed to tolerate it. We checked out of the hospital at 3:30 and are home now! Sweet. Now here are some pictures of the latest addition to the McMillan clan.

What I did On My Due Date

Enjoyed the day with my family. Scott and Tyler decided to ride the plasma car together. It was cute and they actually went pretty fast. I thought Tyler was going to fly off.

Enjoyed going to downtown Walnut Creek to soak up the sun. Had a fabulous lunch at CPK!!! Jamaican Jerk Pizza, yummy bread, Tortilla Soup, brownie sundae and strawberry lemonade. Need a 9 month old prego lady say more?? The kids love the water fountains. Do you blame them?? There is something so cool about water cascading down.

Went to the Lindsay Wildlife Musuem with the boys and Danny. Squirrels, bears, owls and reptiles ensure a great time for the McMillan boys.

After a great morning and afternoon we came home just in time for Scott to get really sick. Hope the little man gets better soon. He went to sleep at 5 with a high fever and hurting eyes. He has his 4 year old doctors appt on Monday. We'll see if he makes it to Monday or if we go in tomorrow. Hope Tyler doesn't get it.

Now doesn't that day (minus Scott getting sick) beat a day in the hospital enduring labor! I feel blessed that Danny and I treasure each day to its fullest. I think much of it is because of Scott, Tyler and Carl. They have blessed us with a great perspective on life. We truly are so blessed!!

Disney On Ice

Since Cars was a new addition to the Disney on Ice of course our boys wanted to go, and I am so glad we did!! It was a GREAT show. The kids loved it and we had such a fun time. I love that we live in a place that has so many fun things to do.

Look at those boys concentrate. Scott always has such a serious look on his face when he watches shows or plays. It is pretty funny and if I didn't know my son would say he wasn't having fun. They LOVED it!! Would recommend it to all.

My boys and Doctor Visit

It is BEAUTIFUL out and I am loving it!! Today after "pre-school" we met up with Melita and her three cute little boys. Scott loves playing with friends, while Tyler is still a parallel player. If Scott meets up with a friend he wants to do everything with them. If we go by ourselves he asks other kids if they will be his friend for the day. He is still a little shy and will have me help him, but once the initial meeting is complete, he is free to go and has a blast with his new friend. This is sooo different than how he used to be. I used to have to do everything with him and not leave his side. While I still do my share of pushing on swings, helping across the monkey bars and making roads in the sand it is so fun to see him doing things with other kids. One of your greatest hopes for your kids is that they will get along with other kids and be a good friend. It is also nice that I can sit and talk with other moms and my friends while our kids are having fun. Tyler has always been more social and independent. We are seeing more and more how Scott is a mini Danny in so many ways and how Tyler is more similar to me. It is fun to see your kids personalities, similarities and differences.

As for me, I have a couple more days until my due date. Danny and I are making the most of life with the two boys. It is so easy to go to dinner, movies, bike rides, etc with a 2 and 4 year old and know that that will soon change. While, we are excited to meet our newest addition, we are are surprisingly in no hurry to leave the stage we are in now. Is that a bad thing? Thats probably partly due to life being very easy right now as well as having two very abnormal births. We are both prepared for complications just because we don't know anything different. The more you experience the less naive you become.

My blood pressure is much better. It has been trending about 180/80-90. They tested me for pe which came back negative. This past weekend I felt like I was going to faint and my blood pressure was 100/70 when Danny tested it. When I went to the doctor on Monday it was a normal 120/80. I am dilated to a 3, 80% effaced and the baby is low. I laugh that they even give you numbers because I know all too well that they really don't mean anything, at least with me. You can be stuck at a 4 for a long time or go to a 4 in 30 minutes. This baby has been the toughest on my body with pelvic pain, blood pressure issues, thyroid issues, and being much bigger than I have ever been. It is so true that with every kid, the bigger you get. Not exercising since BYU swimming doesn't help the fact either. So the baby will come when it comes.

My greatest fear is not getting to the hospital in time or getting there and waiting 20 hours. If Danny is working in Antioch I will deliver close to his office. If he is in Walnut Creek or SF or if my water breaks I will deliver in Walnut Creek. I think we are having a girl about 60% of the time and a boy 40% of the time. I think it will be so fun to find out what the baby is. I am soo glad that we chose to keep it is surprise. It really is giving us something to look forward to amidst our concerns. Alright, I'll keep you posted.

Tahoe

My parents, Heather and Jason and Jason's parents went to Tahoe a couple weekends ago. We can't go because of the elevation and Tyler's heart. They took Scott and he had a great time. His favorite days were sledding and going on the gondola ride twice. Thanks mom and dad for all the adventures you take our kids on. Roman, Scott and Tyler are showered with tremendous love by Nana and Pop.

Funny Things Scott has said

I think I am just going to keep adding to this post about things Scott says. One of my friends says her son loves reading about the things he said when he was four. Here we go....

3/5/10 "Mommy, did you know some woman can be men too." "No they can't," I replied. "Yes, like Jas "man." We don't even know a Jasmin so I don't know where he got that from.

3/9/10 I try to put my kids down for a nap as I go to work for 1.5 hours each night. It is a total success with Tyler and hit or miss with Scott even though he totally needs one. When he was mad at me about having to take a nap and I was leaving for work he said, "Go to work and don't come back for 50 days and 50 nights because I am mad at you." Have to love a toddler whose nap time you are holding onto with dear life. And of course when he got up he was thrilled to see me.

3/14/10 Scott is only allowed to watch Church movies on Sunday. He was watching an old testament movie on Cain and Abel. When Cain slew Abel he got very sad and came to the conclusion, "that's ok though mommy because he is with Jesus now." He is a sweet little boy and very concerned about the well-being of others. I think a lot of it has to do with his role as a brother to tyler and carl.

When he watched the part on the creation, after every days creation he responded, "That is a great thing God did. Isn't that great mom?" I love that they are so eager to learn about Christ at such young ages. Kids are so pure.

Pregnancy in the a nutshell

I guess I should record some of my thoughts on this pregnancy before it is over. Each pregnancy has been so different for me with so many different emotions. We were so naive with Scott as first time parents and with the assumption that you simply have a healthy child. The pregnancy seemed to go so slow and we were so excited to become parents. Sitting and watching your little one grow up is magical. Every milestone is exciting and new.

When Scott turned 10 months, I stopped breastfeeding and in turn found myself pregnant again the next month. Things were similar for the first 26 weeks and we were excited for Scott to be a big brother and be 1.5 years apart. When Tyler was diagnosed with HLHS it was a surreal feeling. One of the hardest things about a pre-diagnosis is that you try to fathom the emotions, journey and fate of your little one when it really isn't your world yet.

When we were pregnant with baby number three I always felt he was my child of hope and indeed he was. It didn't turn out at all how we ever imagined, yet Carl was truly an angel sent to our family. He taught us more about eternal families and drew us closer to God than we could have ever imagined. We love him and know he is doing incredible things on the other side. I have gotten to know him in a different way than my other children. Throughout the pregnancy, I felt his spirit close and that has not changed since his birth and passing. The Lord truly has blessed us.

So here I am pregnant again. The beginning of this pregnancy was tough. I felt sick for about the first 20 weeks. The key for me was to force myself to eat and occasionally when I threw up enjoyed the relief for a couple of minutes. I tried to stay busy and stay positive. But amidst feeling sick, which doesn't compare to others, like my mom who was bedridden and on IV's her entire pregnancies, I felt overwhelmingly blessed to be pregnant.

For the first time, I felt my body was so tired, which it had reason to be. I have been pregnant every year since our marriage 5 years ago. And to make matters worse, never got into any type of exercise. I have been blessed and at the same time cursed with a body that naturally gets thin after pregnancies. So after this pregnancy, for my own well being, I will be doing something to get into shape and help my body.

I felt severely anemic. My doctor said it was progesterine changes but I knew it was more than that so I increased my iron. Finally, around 6 months, when I was having random palpatations, they did a complete blood panel. It still showed I was severely anemic, even though I felt MUCH better by this point and that I had a hyperthyroid. The palpatations were probably a result of my thyroid. The perinatologist said not to worry about it since it is borderline. I need to monitor it if the symptoms come back. I wouldn't be surprised if my entire family has hyperthyroids.

Around 7-8 months I started getting this horrible pelvic pain which I never had with past pregnancies. The doctors said that with every pregnancy you have your tendons seem to know what to do and it can become pretty painful I was ready to have this child and not be so uncomfortable. Once I hit my 9 month mark my body seemed to be doing well again and I am treasuring the last couple of weeks I have with the two boys. While I am excited to meet the baby, I am truly treasuring the time I have with the boys. It makes me a little sad that my attention won't be on just them. Having a 2.5 and 4 year old is magical when they get enough sleep. We can go and do whatever we want and they are both at fairly easy stages as far as having a normal life goes.

All tests showed that the baby is healthy, but Danny and I know all too well that the Lord will send us the perfect child for our family whatever that entails. I don't really have expectations of what we once perceived to be the perfect child. Of course you want a healthy child, but at the same time, submit to the Lords will and I am at peace with that. I really have no expectations of our child being a girl or boy and it really doesn't matter. I am of course more comfortable with a boy but excited for whatever addition we will have.

I never have a birthing plan which is kind of my motto in life. I couldn't understand how someone felt strongly about what they were going to do with their first pregnancy before knowing what it was like or the amount of pain labor it. I am not opposed to epidurals and would recommend others to get them, but for some reason go into labors with the assumption that I probably will not get one. I don't like not being able to be in control or feel my legs. That just scares me. I got an epidural for Carl which didn't really work. Of course they told me after the fact that that happens after they gave it to me. Go figure. When I talked to them about it with Tyler they recommended not to get one because complications can occur and it would probably not be worth the risk...hmmm, should that advice change with a healthy child??

Cruisin

Schedule with the 2 boys

If you can't tell, blogging has gone down on my priority list due to staying busy with the boys. Life seems too easy right now which always scares me a bit. I think what is around the corner?? I guess it is a way of gaining hope that we will survive with another child. We have our routine each day which is great and makes us better people. Since it is my way of journaling, here goes a quick update of our week more for me than you, but if you are bored or dying to know about my random thoughts go right ahead.

Monday we have Joy School which is fun. They have such cute ideas and activities for the kids. The moms we do it with are all so creative and fun. I went to library time with Tyler when Scott was at school and it was fun. They tell stories and dance. Tyler is such an easy going child and it is fun to have some alone time with him.

I talk to Danny about how when the kids get older we need to do one-on-one dates with them. It is special for them to know they are special and get undivided attention. My parents went to Tahoe this weekend with Scott, while Danny and I stayed behind with Tyler. It was like having an only child. Tyler can't go to Tahoe because the altitude is hard on his heart. I visited one of our camp councilors at UC the other day who had an osteotomy on her leg due to a cath when she was younger. It wasn't heart surgery, but still complicated with HLHS and very painful. We were talking about going to Utah and she said it was pretty hard to breathe when she went. I love talking to older kids with HLHS because when I think Tyler will be fine in altitude, I realize that he probably won't be comfortable. We missed Scott and kept thinking about how certain activities weren't the same without him, but knew he was having a blast ice-skating, tubing and having fun in the snow. At the same time it was easy and fun to have just Tyler. We biked to downtown with plans to see Avatar in 3-D and the cheesecake factory. Half way through the movie there was a blackout and after waiting for a while eating our popcorn they refunded our tickets. We tried going to lunch but the power was out and it started to drizzle. We headed home and within about 2 minutes there were downpours. We got home soaked and Danny enjoyed the adventure. I just kept laughing at how we were trailering a child, I was nine months pregnant and we were trying to bike up hills.

Tuesday we do a bible study which I love. While I go to class, Scott and Tyler go to their classes which has singing, a lesson, reading, quiet, snack and play time. They both do great. Scott originally didn't like quiet/reflection time which is no surprise but good for him. His teacher is always amazed at how much Scott knows during the lesson and it makes me grateful for the tools we have to teach our children about Christ. You don't realize how much they remember and what they absorb at such a young age. I thought they would just have a childcare, like my other study does, but they have a full on organized program for each age group. It is such a great thing for the boys. I feel so blessed for a friend who invited me to do it. There are so many great things available to do.

A couple of months ago we learned about miracles in class. Today while we were playing he asked for a hammer so he could break open a rock and get some water like Moses. It made me laugh and I had to explain that not all rocks have water in them when struck open. We were reading scriptures yesterday and it mentioned people building villages. Scott said, "I lived at a village this weekend." He wasn't lying. He went to the Village at Northstar ski resort. I have a feeling it was a little different than the villages 200BC.

Wednesday we have a play date, go to park day which is now in our church's gym or some other activity. This Wednesday we reconnected with one of Scott's friends which was so fun. We rode bikes to church, played for 3 hours and than rode to the park. All of a sudden it went from a blue sky to pouring. Luckily my friend got there just in time to bring Scott and his bike home while I rode as fast as I could with Tyler in the trailer. That has been happening a lot to us lately. At least there were no major hills this time.

Thursday the boys go to "Charlie's pre-school" as they call it while I go to my class. They always have fun and we usually go out to lunch afterwards which is always fun to let the boys play and us talk.

Friday is our day off. Danny usually works half days which is so nice. It is like a jump start to the weekend. We are so blessed to have time together with our family. Danny LOVES being a dentist. He comes home eager to tell me about his day and is so good at what he does. That makes me so happy and makes me realize how important it is to find something you are passionate about. On top of that I feel blessed that it is a great profession to provide for our family and one that gives us so much time together. Danny is home the same time each day and never has work outside the office. One of our greatest blessings.

I love our schedule. I do so much better when we have something to do each day. It is so good for the boys to be with other kids and for me to be with other moms. Having your first child in some ways is the hardest because you don't have your routine, friends and schedule. I think it gets more and more fun with time.

I signed Scott up for Walnut Acres Pre-K for next year. He won't be able to start until Nov. 1st since you have to be 4 yr 9 months. They have a pre-k each day for 2 hours and other activities you get to choose to do. You do a minimum of 15 hours. At 2 it turns into daycare for the entire elementary school. They have carpentry, yoga, lunch time, pe and so many other fun things for the pre-k kids. I know he will love it.

While I am relieved that Scott enjoys going to class and being with other kids, it makes me kind of sad that he will be gone so much next year. I guess all I need to do is reflect on when he was about 1 1/2 and had such bad separation anxiety because of everything he was going through with Tyler to realize how blessed we are that he is now well adjusted. You realize that the time you have with your kids home goes so fast. The time that you can just rearrange your schedule to do what you want and what you kids want to do is almost over. I guess they need to grow up sometime. It makes you realize how important it is to treasure this special time as a mom with your kids.

Brothers

I am always running late in the morning. If I succeed at getting the kids up, fed and dressed, I usually resort to Curious George while I get ready. I couldn't resist capturing their closeness this morning watching their show. I feel so blessed to have two little boys so close in age. They really do love each other. Lets not forget with these moments also come the moments of stealing toys, overexcessive bath splashing and unwanted karate moves towards the other.