Fall In!
Posted By Jill on September 10, 2011
We’re off to the races this week in the Elfering house, business as usual for us in our busiest couple of months of the year.
I started back to work last week, and we thankfully had my mom in town to help with the kids (and the housework)! It was such a relief. I worked full days on Monday and Tuesday, a half day on-site and half at home Wednesday and Thursday, and then Friday morning I had my follow-up ultrasound then ended up working at home while the kids were napping that afternoon also.
Saturday we all went to the fair with my sisters and my mom. We lasted until about 3:30 before Mom and I were too tired to go any further and the kids were starting to fade. Sunday and Monday were about getting things done around the house and getting ready for the week. Check out all the photos on Flickr!
Tuesday started our “regular” school-year schedule (at least until Christmas break). I had made little signs for Mac to show the days of the week and a picture for where he’d be and/or who would be at our house. We do have a consistent schedule, but when you don’t know how to use a calendar or understand how the days of the week work, I thought it might be confusing for him that one day he goes to preschool, then he’s home but Lisa is here, then he’s home with me for two days before going back to preschool again. Maybe I underestimate him, but I got the pictures ready anyway. Jeremy and I talked to him about it Monday night, how every day will be a little different, and he can look at these pictures to remember. We went over what the next day would bring – at home with Lisa – but when I tucked him in bed and asked again, he didn’t remember until I showed him the picture and reminded him. Jeremy said the next morning he pulled out the picture to remind him again, but instead Mac pulled them all out, put the preschool one on top and said that’s where he would be going! Well, by the end of the week he seems to be getting it, and I can only hope it’s a little easier on him with the pictures than without.
And Baby Vivian. My goodness this girl is learning at lightning speed! This past week she finally mastered the sign for “more” and she’s working more on “help.” She knows she needs to show us “please” to get just about anything she wants, so that one she knows very well and uses often! She still has that shrieking scream, especially when she wants something, but we’re trying very hard to encourage words instead. She understands a LOT of what we say. After just a few times of having her sit in the “Mickey chair” to put her shoes on, she will now get her shoes, and sometimes socks, and sit down while we put them on. She knows when we talk about going upstairs or outside, or when we’re going to eat. She’s totally attached to her buddies (all of them, not just one, thank goodness), and unfortunately her nuks. We’ve had to put the nuks up on the dresser in their room because she was able to reach into her crib and get them whenever she wanted! When we have a relaxing morning where Mac gets to watch a show, when the TV goes on, many times she climbs on the couch and gets her blanket just like Mac does. She does her own chores (putting her laundry down the chute) too, just like Mac has done for 2 years. Just weeks after we were starting to look for more baby gates because the girl was climbing over and getting into everything, we have adjusted without them. She’s much better now about getting off furniture and down steps “the safe way” so we worry less about walking away for just a moment. Last night I gave her a kiddie fork to see what she’d do and showed her how to pick up a piece of watermelon. Wow, was she ever happy when she got it! And she showed Daddy after a little more practice – you could just see in her eyes she knew this was a big deal. What a ham – I caught some video today:
Mac continues to improve his big brother skills. The other day, he tried to shove Vivian out of a room she wasn’t supposed to be in, which she did NOT like. I reminded him, no pushing, and then proceeded to show him a better way – take her hand and walk her out. While she was not agreeable at the time, later that day, he wanted Vivian to go downstairs, but she was playing on the porch. Well, what do you know, he went over to her, took her hand, and said, “c’mon Vivian, we go downstairs.” He used to scream when she’d turn the TV off while he was watching. Now he just gets up and turns it back on, or better yet, turns it back on with the remote! Today when she was close to the TV, he went to the toys and said, “Vivian, you play with my ‘puter.” Good idea, bud, distract her with a toy she loves! They are only glimpses, but those glimpses are being seen more and more often. There is much less screaming, pushing and hitting, and occasionally there is playing – dare I say – together! Don’t get me wrong. He still tackles her for no reason, pushes her aside and hits toys out of her hands. But it’s less often these days.
For me, this has been a very long week, even with only four days of work. Tuesday was my first full day on-site working since before last Christmas when my schedule changed to on-site mornings only. Wednesday and Thursday were work-at-home days, where I have quite a bit of adjusting to do so that my days are both productive AND time spent with my children. Wednesday I had to make two trips into work with both kids in tow. That was not easy, so I’ll try to keep that to a minimum until Vivian is more manageable in that situation. She does NOT like to just sit still, while I could plop Mac in front of a computer with a Thomas game and he’d be pretty much set. Yesterday was Mac’s first day of preschool, so I started late but worked a full day after that. I’ll be on-site full days Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays, and the rest of my hours are worked from home.
And Jeremy? That poor guy is in his toughest time of year. He’ll be home very little, mostly just to sleep, over the next couple weeks – and that’s on a good day. So that means a little more pressure on me, but I’ve gotten pretty used to this time of year and have the experience of the summer with the kids, so I’m not too worried about it. We just put our feet on the ground each morning and go! I know he feels badly, but it is all for the good of our family and we do our part at home to make it easier for him where we can.
Comments