Memos these boys never got

 
Memo to Patrick--

It's OK--normal even!--to feel unsure and uneasy at the beginning of a new school year.

The hesitation has begun and, while Mom, Dad and teacher all think it's normal adjustment period stuff, I see Patrick looking to his older brother and feeling like he's not measuring up. :(  I just want to bear hug him until he learns the routine, gets used to his new school and makes a good friend.

Oh, and P.S. to Paddy: While it'd be exceedingly appropriate, your music teacher's name is actually Mrs. Wilson, not Miss Whistle.

Memo to Elliott--

 

No one likes school as much as you. Have you ever noticed that?

 

This memo comes with two stories.

 

1. I will never forget one fall 2010 afternoon when I headed to the school yard to pick up my big Kindergartner, Elliott. I smiled as I watched young kids being young kids, goofing around and playing. Then, my gaze shifted to a small group of teachers who were simultaneously throwing their heads back in laughter. In the middle, looking way up and workin' the crowd, was Elliott. Ladies, ladies! You don't need to call me 'Mr. Scully'! I'm fine with 'Principal Scully'! (Of course, I don't know what he was actually saying, but I can only assume I'm not that far off.)

 

2. While brainstorming gift ideas for his seventh birthday this past summer, Elliott offered two solid thoughts: a trip to Cars Land in California OR year-round school. Seriously. From the mouth of my crazy babe.





Memo to James (And, yes. This one is shocking.)--

A spurt--as in "growth spurt"--is, by definition, short-lived.

 

E.g. "Baby might be eating more than normal now. A growth spurt around three months is common." Yeah, well, what if it's a lifetime growth spurt??! 'Cause my giant is huge and happy. Also, if anyone can explain how I'm NOT down to 47ish pounds after exclusively breastfeeding this tank since May 31, I'm all ears.

 

Epic!

You know those horrific scenes where high speeds and powerful winds lead to 18-wheelers rolling over on highways?

 

Well. It's not all that windy in our house, and James ain't goin' nowhere very fast. But JUST LOOK what he did for the first time today!

 

 

 

Huge! This is huge! He's on his way! Next time I blog, I expect he'll be bench pressing about two-hundy. GoooOooo, James!

Starting fresh

You may have noticed small time lapses on this here blog. And you may have read promises of "catch-up posts" with no follow-up. Well, those days are behind me, and I swear I promise to try really hard to be better. Here goes nothin'!

 

First up, Elliott and Patrick were crazy-jazzed to start the school year. Here's Big E (or "Elliott D. Scully," as he now likes to write his name), hitting the ground running in second grade. (And more than a little miffed that there was no homework on night one!) Patrick has started full-day Kindergarten with just a teensy tiny crush on his teacher and a large capacity for learning and repeating every school song. It's going to be a great year!  

Oh yeah. There's also a little matter of a new family member. Mr. James Parker Scully (a.k.a. "Big Jimmy P.") is three months and the size of a small refrigerator. He likes milk, sleep and breaking people's kneecaps. (Just kidding about that last bit, but I'm not trying to make him mad, just in case.)

With the older boys in school, James and I are trying to find our rhythm and, as anyone close to me can attest, I am a Sleep Nazi. (That's similar to the Soup Nazi, but different.) Thanks to my favorite book in the wide, wide world, Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, James is pretty reliably taking three naps and sleeps 12 hours at night (7 p.m.-7 a.m., with at least one, usually two, but sometimes three wake-ups). At last check, he was hovering at the very tippy-top of the Normal Baby growth charts.

In other news, I've officially quit working(!) to more fully focus on molding the minds of the next generation. (Turns out we're all in trouble.)