Trampoline and School. Then bed.

I'm pretty sure we didn't do much this past week but let me think for a minute. Oh the picture reminded me, we received our trampoline! We set it up in the main house living room for the first day so the kids could take turns playing on it. It's easy for them to take turns on the trampoline because they tire quickly when jumping. After taking some time on the floor while the other jumps, then they're ready to go back at it. We then moved the trampoline to the Clubhouse where it resides in the kitchen most of the time. Nico uses it as a table to color sometimes but mostly as a trampoline. He sets his iPad up on the stool in front of him and he jumps and jumps and jumps while watching cartoons.

I use it for exercise, too, and have been enjoying it!

That's the only picture from this week, so I may have forgotten what else we did. Well, Nico did go back to school on Tuesday! He was very excited to go back. The bus driver told me yesterday "Give Nico some extra vitamins because there are two sick kids on the bus."

He hasn't been falling asleep on the bus, strangely enough. That was his usual thing before Christmas break. He was out at 6:15 PM tonight. Which means he will likely be up early tomorrow, which means it is way past my bedtime! Goodnight! :)

First Day of New School

We came back from Salt Lake City on Saturday and we were very happy to be home! We got to be here for all of Guy's weekend and we got some good family time in.

Tuesday was Nico's first day at his new school. Everything went fine, he got on the bus fine and came home fine. On Wednesday when I told him it was about time to get ready for school, he resisted. That's ok, that sometimes happened before, but in the past I would just tell him that he needed to go to school and he was fine. This time, he resisted, and kept resisting, I almost had to sit on him to put his shoes on. He kept pulling his shoes off as I was putting them on. I had to drag him to the bus where the kind bus driver got down and had Nico sit on his lap. Eventually they brought him onto the bus, but the whole while he was still saying "No, Mommy, no, I don't want to go to school. I don't want to I don't want to!"

When he got home he had quite the welcome committee. Me, Daddy, Allicia, Avery, and Evie were all sitting on the front porch waiting for him. After bringing him from the bus, he came right up onto the porch and pulled out some stuff from his backpack to show all of us.

The same resisting thing happened today but in a lesser degree. As soon as he was on the bus he was fine.

Other strange things are happening… potty accidents for him AND for Evie, and acting out a lot. I'm thinking it must be growing pains, moving pains, change and transition pains. We had to miss a trip to G.G. this week because of time outs going long. We rescheduled for next Tuesday.

Last week I launched my essential oil YouTube channel (youtube.com/user/joannabananaberry), so I have been busy while Nico is at school. We've been eating off of paper plates and I think we'll continue to do that until we move into the clubhouse which they are projecting will be ready in one month's time!

Clubhouse progress

Getting Nico off the bus

Sharing some snickerdoodles with Daddy after dinner.

Last Day of School!

Friday I went to Nico's school to see what they've been doing in the music program. All the parents were invited. They had chairs set up so we could sit and watch. There was singing, keeping the beat, hand motions, and "draw a lowercase 't' in the air" along with a rap video (see video at bottom of entry).

They served cookies to the kids afterwards, but I was prepared with homemade snickerdoodles. Nico got a plate with his own cookies and he was very excited. Boy those cookies tasted good. Guy even said that it would take a very skilled baker to discern that the cookies were gluten free. YES! Snickerdoodles are Guy's favorite cookies. All 27 cookies were gone that day.

On Friday we also received Nico's complete "About Me" book. It included a page with the pictures from the Easter Egg Hunt.

And speaking of Easter, I forgot to post a picture from the Easter BBQ we had at the cabin.

Nico and his cousins Alexis and Rory

On Saturday Nico got to jump on a trampoline and played really well with new friends Olivia and Megan. They are the daughters of an old high school friend of mine. My friend gave all the kids their own orange with the top cut off and a straw stuck into it. It was a novel idea and kept them occupied for a little while.

On Sunday after church, Nico got to go home with Papa and Grandma, as I had an essential oils appointment that afternoon. Nico was so excited to help Papa chop some wood.

Action shot

Monday we saw Allicia and Co. Nico got to pick one of their strawberries and eat it. This inspired us to plan a trip to the Strawberry fields, so that is on the calendar this summer. And speaking of calendar… on Tuesday while Nico was at school, I spent the whole morning building our summer calendar. Schedules will be important for both me and Nico, to make sure we get out of the house and accomplish all the things we want to do this summer. Regular Zoo visits, regular Garden visits, then the only-once things like the Discovery Center, Paddle boats, go-carts, etc.

On Tuesday the ice cream truck came to Nico's school and they were each given a dollar to spend on a soft serve ice cream cone. I found a recipe to make for Nico's ice cream and I bought gluten free cones to send with him. His teachers wrote a note back saying that Nico loved the ice cream I made. He's been eating up the rest of the ice cream over the last few days.

On Tuesday night, Guy took Nico to the library. They came home with 3 new books to read. Guy always puts Nico to bed on the nights he has off, and they always read books.

Lately I have been telling him stories before bed. Stories with Sammy the muskrat, which is a character from the stories that my Mom used to tell us. In the stories, Sammy always comes over to Nico's house to go on an adventure. Having Nico as a character seems to make it more fun. I certainly remember all the Sammy stories where I was a character. In fact, all of them I ever heard had me in them along with whoever else was listening. 

I am not a very good story teller, Guy and I joked that perhaps by the time Nico was old enough to recognize story quality, I would be better at it.

Wednesday was the last day of school for Nico. We gave treats to all his bus drivers and took a picture of him with his favorites.

Nico handing them their treat.

Oh memories!

Today was a successful first day of summer vacation. 

We have recently been starting to go on bike rides on my bike, with the toddler seat hooked up. Nico sits between me and the handlebars.

The only downside to this arrangement is that Nico doesn't get any exercise. But I do really like being able to have conversations with him while riding.

Looks like I remembered to add all the pictures. Does that mean we're all done? I think so!

Oh, we did find out that Nico will be in the afternoon session next year, and will be with a different teacher. I am sad that he won't have the teacher he had this year again, but I'm sure Nico will thrive with his new one!

And, we were told we would hear something about Guy's job by this Friday. So, tomorrow.

Counting

Not a lot of pictures this week, but I make up for it with a video. Check it out at the bottom, and hear him count!!

Nico has been counting, saying his own name when he wants to do something (point to the slide at the park, then point to himself and say Nico), and saying "Mine" when referring to something that is his.

Both Guy and I have experienced just this past week, for the first time, Nico getting frustrated because he couldn't communicate with us what he wanted to say. Neither of us have seen him frustrated about talking before, but it was obvious to each of us that he was trying to figure out how to say what he was thinking. When I witnessed it, he was trying to say "Greenbelt" (we went to the Greenbelt with the Strider) but he kept saying "Cah"and I kept thinking he was saying Car. He paused often and tried again and again and again but couldn't say it. The look on his face while he was concentrating was definite frustration. I finally figured out what he was trying to say and then coached him through saying "green" and then "belt" and then putting them together.

This week's theme at preschool is learning body parts and about the five senses. Homework was a body parts poem. We also got our very first Scholastic Book Order form. We figured we would wait until Nico is older and able to pick out what books he'd like to get. Both Guy and I remember getting these when we were younger and picking out books to buy.

The bus attendant this morning told me that once last week, Nico started fussing and crying a bit and asking for me, and it turned out that he had wet pants. I felt so bad! Nico is still having the occasional accident, but we're dealing with those. The biggest issue now is teaching him how to aim. He often comes home from school wearing different pants than what he wore to school. Sometimes he comes home in someone else's pants because he ran out of spare clothes.

He has skipped his nap the past 3 days. I think we might be done with naps entirely. But he makes up for it in the evening by going to bed by 8 PM.

On Tuesday this week, as he was getting on the bus, for the first time he said "No buh" and turned around and started getting off the bus. I turned him back around and said "Yep, we're gonna ride the bus today, you'll be okay!" but what was really going on in my head was "Ok, Nico! You don't have to get on the bus any more, let's get off this icky bus and I will drive you to school today and forever." I'm glad I didn't actually say that :)

But, I must say, in general Nico is a happy and chipper bus rider. The bus driver in the morning always makes comments about how happy Nico is! I think the morning he turned around to get off the bus, he was just asserting his decision making skills. And when he comes home in the afternoon, after he gets down off the bus, I pick him up and carry him into the house and he hugs me the whole way, saying "Mommy!" Then I ask him how his day was and he says "Nnnduh!"

Routine

We're getting our routine down surrounding preschool. Nico and I read books while we wait for the bus every morning, and when it gets reeeal close, we put his backpack on and hang out by the window.

 Waiting for the bus.

On the bus, getting strapped in. I wave at him from our front step until the bus drives off.

Coming home.

When he gets off the bus in the afternoon, I have lunch ready for him. I eat earlier, so while he eats I read him books. Then after that I give him 5 minutes with his beloved iPad, and then it's time for nap. Maybe. Twice he hasn't taken a nap. He fell asleep on the bus ride home on one of those days, but then today I'm not sure if he fell asleep on his way home, but he skipped his nap anyway. He's a tired buddy in the evening without a nap!

This week he has started counting things regularly. The steps across the bridge at Memorial park: "One, two, three, five, four, five, four, nine, ten!" He says it with his own sounds, but some of them are very close to sounding correct, like FOUR. My favorite is how he says "Siggy" for seven.

He also says the word "Down", and also signs it. They told me that they teach signs along with words, because his need to communicate is larger than his need to say words correctly. He used it (the word and the sign, at the same time) correctly at the park when he told me he wanted to get down from the equipment. They must have also taught him how to be a monkey, because he's been attempting to climb poles, like he has been taught how. Grabbing it with his legs correctly and everything.

Homework this week was a book called the "My Can-Do Book" with pictures to color of kids doing things that we should reinforce to them that they can do too: Brush their teeth, pick out their own clothes, ride a tricycle. They must be teaching him how to write his name, too, because when I wrote his name on the front of the book, he pulled out his crayon and wrote an N, and kept saying his name! But sometimes he would say "Tico" and he drew a bunch of Ts. He drew lots of Is, too, and one O.

I know I said this already, but I am looking forward to being able to ask him what he did in school! It is strange not being able to know exactly what they did. Except twice this week he did bring home projects that he had done at school - a finger painting picture of his hand prints, and a bracelet (which I am currently wearing on my wrist).

Guy said that this is the first of two times in Nico's life that we won't be hearing about his day at school. Now and when he is a teenager. :)

Doing homework

Also, notice his hair in the previous picture! We got a new hair cutting apparatus, so we tested it out.

It buzzes, so Nico cringed a bit.

Last but not least, I finally finished Nico's quilt for his new bed. Grandma Russell and I both worked on this quilt for Nico. He slept with it for the first time last night. 

Buses, Friends, and Candles

We had some extended family in town this past week for a wedding, and Nico and I got to see some Aunts and Uncles briefly on Sunday after church. On Monday, my Aunt Mary came over with my Mom to say hello for a little while. It was great to see everyone!

On Tuesday we went to see G.G. in Nampa. She gave us more bounty from her garden. Yum! The next time we go to Nampa to see her it will be a Monday because Nico will be in preschool Tuesday through Friday. PRESCHOOL!

Preschool starts next Wednesday, 6 more days! I can't believe it. We got Nico's bus schedule in the mail yesterday. On Monday while my Mom and Aunt were over, we saw the school bus drive by and stop in front of our house for half a minute or so. I knew she would be doing this to get her route down, but it was neat to see it. It made it all the more real! And then of course, getting his official pickup/dropoff times in the mail made it even MORE real. He will be picked up at 8:35 AM and dropped off at 12:29 PM. Four whole hours he will be gone! It is hard to believe. He won't be taking the bus his first day, we are going to ease into that. I think my Mom and I are going to drop him off in the morning and head over to Target to do some shopping, to distract me from the fact that Nico won't be with me :) Shopping is a great distraction technique!

Next Tuesday is the open house where he will meet his teacher and get to show him around the school. I am looking forward to that.

We got a package today with a backpack in it for Nico - a gift from the Grandparents Salisbury! He chose one that had a car on it. While Guy was leaving for work, Nico noticed he had his bag around his shoulder, which Nico called a backpack (buckabuh). He said "Two buckabuh! Cah buckabuh. Daddy buckabuh." A nice story from Nico - he saw two backpacks. His own car backpack and Daddy's backpack. On our walk tonight he also was talking about puddles (putteh), and told me that the pickup went through a puddle (puckabuh putteh).

Nico wearing his new backpack.

We spent this morning with Evie. We went to see the little family and then took Evie with us for another lunch date. We went to Memorial park and then to the Co-op. A good lesson in handling two kids in a grocery store! It wasn't that bad, as they are both very well behaved. We even went potty in the Co-op. Then we went back home and ate lunch. Evie told me "I'm ready to go home now." after playing for a while after lunch. It was the exact time we were going to leave anyway, so I said "Ok, let's go!" Nico then took a two hour nap. In the video you can see how they typically interact when together. Evie is good at picking up the words Nico says and repeating them back to him. When Nico would say "tickie" for train, Evie would say "Where is the tickie? Where do you see it?"

Tonight we had a flash thunderstorm. We didn't lose our electricity, but I had a sudden urge to do a "candle factory". We used to do these when we were little whenever the lights would go out due to a thunderstorm. Pull all your candles out and light them, then play with the wax on aluminum foil spread over the kitchen table. Playing safely with fire is a good skill to have :) Nico is likely a little too young for this, so we did a slightly modified version of it. We just lit the candles and held them and then blowed them out, and poured some wax onto the foil. Nico loved blowing out the candles. Blowing is an excellent skill to have for speech development. I also had an urge to make some hot chocolate, but we weren't able to do that. An hour later the sun was back out, so we went for a Strider ride. When we came home, our landlord was on our roof cleaning up all the dead and broken branches. Wind storms can really tear up the trees!

Candle Factory. Yes, this is exactly where Nico burnt his finger.

VIDEO: Evie and Nico Snippets