Birthday Party

Today was the boys' joint birthday party. Unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate with us, and it started pouring down rain at 8:30 a.m. Due to that, we decided to move our 10:00 a.m. party indoors at our house since the temperature had cooled too much to swim comfortably, and the playground was all muddy from the recent downpour. When I planned a pool party a few weeks ago, I never expected all this rain and low temps in early August in Arkansas!

We had three families attend the boys' party, so it was a nice size group for an indoor gathering. I really didn't have a free weekend to reschedule the party now that I have to start my new teaching job this next week, plus we already had some existing plans over upcoming weekends. We emailed everyone that it was going to be moved indoors, and I did some last minute internet searches for indoor party games! I hadn't cleaned my house recently, so I hope that was overlooked by my guests.

We played a few rounds of musical statues, Doggie Doggie, Who's got the Bone, and hot potato. Then, we attempted a contest to wrap partners in toilet paper like mummies to see who could finish first. That game was harder than it sounded, as the toilet paper kept tearing every few squares.

The boys chose a "Cars" theme from the Disney movie for the cake, and we had chips, cheese balls, Doritos, and pretzels, along with the cake and ice cream. The boys opened their gifts, and then the kids spent a bit more time playing and chasing each other around the house with foam swords.

The boys still stated that they had a great party, so that is all that matters. I'm sure that playing musical statues wasn't as fun as splashing outside in the pool on a warm, sunny day; however, you have to take the weather as it comes! So for this August party, we made the best of Plan B.

Happy birthday, Owen and Hudson! I hope the day was lots of fun.

Happy 8th Birthday, Owen!

Eight years ago today I went into premature labor. I remember well how it was so hot in my bedroom that morning, as I tried to sleep in. I was off work for the summer as a teacher, and I was enjoying those last few weeks as I was trying to get my classroom moved to a different building and get lesson plans written out for the substitute who would take over at the end of August for the rest of the semester.

Stuart had already left for work when I woke up. I stayed in bed, lazily flipping channels and then called my good friend Kathryn who was a stay-at-home mom. By the time I actually got up out of bed to take a shower, it was almost 10:00 a.m. Ah, those were the days before kids!

I remember the fear and panic as I went to the bathroom and realized I was bleeding heavily. I hadn't had any pain or contractions that were out of the ordinary, so this was my first sign of problems at 35 weeks. I immediately called my doctor's office who said to come right away, without even showering. Luckily, I lived 5 minutes from Baptist Hospital in Little Rock, and I felt that I could drive myself since I didn't feel any pain.

I knew it looked serious when I walked into the doctor's office to check in. I was told to go back immediately with no wait, and one of my doctors was already waiting for me in an exam room. No nurse. No waiting. I began to get scared. I had tried to call Stuart on the way over, but I had only gotten his voice mail. I had left him a message that I was on the way to the doctor's office.

The doctor performed my first internal exam to check for dilation, and almost simultaneously Stuart burst into the room with a worried look on his face. The doctor informed us that we were going to have a baby today. I was dilated past a 3 and almost 90% effaced. What???

I went to the hospital with no bag packed, no shower, and no breakfast. I got the IV, and the doctors watched me and checked me to see if I progressed. They did some ultrasounds to rule out a placenta abruption, and the bleeding seemed to slow. I dilated pretty quickly for a first pregnancy, and I really didn't feel much pain . . . until my water broke. Before my epidural.

I went through transition while trying to hold still to get the epidural, and I was shivering uncontrollably and thought I would vomit or pass out from the pain. At that point, I was dilated between a 7-8. Note to self -- don't wait that long to get an epidural, even if you think you don't need it yet.

Owen came out quickly with just a couple minutes of pushing, and was born around 9 p.m. He weighed 5 lbs, 9 oz, which was impressive considering his prematurity. He then spent 9 days in NICU for breathing, feeding, and heart issues. He came home on heart medication and a heart monitor for four months due to a diagnosis of SVT.

Now, he is 8 years old. We have only had one other instance of a heart issue with his SVT when he was in kindergarten. He is smart, funny, sensitive, and silly. You'd never know he was a preemie now! He made me a mommy for the first time, and it was a day I will never forget. On July 23, 2001, my world was forever changed.

Happy birthday, Owen!

870

870. Yes, in pages that is. Owen just finished the longest book that he has read to date -- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. (This is book 5 in the series which he has read since book one). This is my child who is not even quite 8 years old! He bought it the week that school got out in early June and finished it yesterday! I am so proud of him since that is such a large, heavy book. It looked intimidating to him, but I told him not to worry about how long it took and just enjoy it one page at a time. He finally began to see the end last week, and he has had his nose in the book every spare minute since then. In the car. Before breakfast. All afternoon. Before bed. When he was supposed to be in bed . . .

So, congratulations to my little reader on finishing this very huge book! Yes, now you can watch the movie based on it!

Owen is a Gator!

I got the long-awaited phone call yesterday -- Owen has gotten into Central Park Elementary School here in Bentonville for third grade! He will begin in August, and Hudson will be starting kindergarten at the same campus. This semester, as I've previously posted, Owen has been at an overflow school in the district because there were no second grade spots when we moved at semester.

I'm excited to have the boys be able to attend together and to be in a school that is top-rated. It should also be a lot faster to drive them to school since I won't have to get on any major highways during morning rush hour like I have this semester.

We are so thankful that this has fallen into place, and I am looking forward to volunteering at the school next year and joining the PTO. I haven't done much with the school this semester because it always seemed temporary. Both boys are very excited to attend Central Park, and Owen is glad too. Even though he will have to leave his new friends and start at a new campus, he seems to understand how the school will be better overall. Plus, he will rejoin his current friends from the overflow school in fifth grade when both schools feed into the same middle school.

We're thrilled; thanks for all your prayers regarding the school situation!

School Days

I think the only thing that concerns me about our impending move to Bentonville, AR, is transitioning Owen to a new school during the middle of the year. I remember moving around his age, and then again after fourth grade. It wasn't fun to be the "new kid" for the first few months. Stuart bought the boys a Wii to soften the blow of the move, and we will give it to them once we get into the new house. I am also praying that God will provide Owen with some great friends during the first few days of school.

I remember taking him to kindergarten two years ago, and he was so brave. His smile was the nervous kind, and I could see his chin quiver a few times, but he didn't cry. Luckily, when we picked him up, he had had "the best day ever" and didn't even want me to walk him to his classroom after the second day. Now, I have to take him to a new school during second grade, and I think it's going to be harder than leaving him at kindergarten. At least when he started kindergarten, I knew all about the teacher he had from my other friends whose children also attended the same school. Also, all the kindergarteners were having their "first day" together, so it didn't seem strange to be nervous or shed some tears when your mother left.

Now, I am navigating the line between wanting to shelter him and provide security, yet not hover or embarrass him. He has already said he doesn't want me to walk him to his classroom . . . at all. "Mom, it's second grade!" he told me emphatically. I know he'll be brave, yet I hope the kids can include him. I will worry about him sitting at lunch and recess all alone with no one talking to him.

I'm nervous because I don't know anyone at his school either. When he started kindergarten, I had already toured the facilities, taken him to the playground, and met the principal and office staff before the first day of school (yes, I'm one of "those" parents!). Now, I'm sort of nervous too! I don't know the directions for picking up and dropping off in the car lanes. What if I hold up all the traffic? What if it takes me a lot longer to go through the carpool lane, and Owen thinks I've forgotten him? What if I get lost trying to find my way back to the school from our new house (if you know me, then you know that is a real possibility, as I'm "directionally impaired").

The other issue that I'm praying about is which school Owen will actually get to attend. Bentonville (and Rogers, too) have a problem with their schools being full. Even for kindergarten, there is a "lottery" to decide who gets to go to the nearby school and who has to go to alternate schools! We began to hear from our realtor that Owen might not get to attend the public school he is zoned for because it is full. I've never heard of this before! I always assumed that if you live in the neighborhood for a particular school, then you get to go there. However, when I talked to the people at the Bentonville public schools administration office, they informed me that because of the extreme growth in their county, only TWO out of eight elementary schools have any openings right now in second grade. Neither school with openings is near us! So, we are expecting Owen to have to go to an "overflow" school and be put on the waiting list (yes, a waiting list for public school!) at his zoned school. When he gets a spot, he will transfer over. I'm not thrilled with this option because of the extra driving to transport him to a school on the other side of town, plus the fact that he will have to be the "new kid" all over again and make new friends for third grade.

Please pray for the school situation! I know the Bentonville schools are top ranked, and I've checked all the test scores, and Bentonville's schools are always listed in the top ten districts for Arkansas on all the lists I've found. Bentonville High School was a national Blue Ribbon School for 2007 which is an honor only given to the top 33 schools in the nation. I am amazed at their curriculum and feel Owen will love it. I just want him to get into our neighborhood school quickly and be accepted easily by his classmates. Hopefully, he'll come home and say that it was the "best day ever" again!

Birthday Bash!

We celebrated Owen's 7th birthday and Hudson's 4th birthday this past weekend with a joint party on August 2. We rented out a local gym and invited several families from our church as well as a few of the boys' school friends. We ended up with 18 kids plus their parents! My brother Asher flew in from Colorado for the weekend and was able to attend. Stuart's parents drove up from south Arkansas, and my mom was also in town from Bryant for the event.

The boys (and three girls) had a great time playing in the gym! Nothing else can beat running, chasing, jumping, and swinging! The highlights of the event were the inground trampolines, foam pit with swinging rope, hide-and-seek, and a few strong dads who got into the action by throwing boys into "the pit!"

After an hour of running and jumping, the 18 red-faced, sweaty kids were ready for cake and ice cream! We had a dinosaur theme party with a cake shaped like the character Chomp from the cartoon "Dinosaur King." It scored well with the kids! (Many thanks to Sam at http://www.cakesbysam.com/ for another special cake).

We survived the 102 degree heat outside, and we survived another birthday party. We were exhausted, but we have a year to recover! The boys said it was the best birthday ever, and that was worth it all!

Happy birthday, boys! You're growing up so fast!

Owen on the News

Owen has had a fun month this May. On Saturday, he got to tour the Channel 7 television station in Little Rock with his Pack 21 Tiger Cub group from Cabot. He got a full tour with anchor Pamela Smith, got to read off the teleprompter, sat on the set and behind the anchor desk, and learned how to read the weather maps! He thought it was great! Then, Pamela Smith gave a quick report about their tour and showed pictures of the kids on the ten o'clock news on Saturday night (May 17). We were able to get it on tape, and Owen was thrilled to see himself on television.

Owen has also been taking swimming lessons again this month. He is actually looking forward to it this year, and he has already gone completely underwater (which is amazing for him!). Owen has always had some water fear, so we have been working slowly at getting him comfortable with swimming over the past several summers. He has the same swim instructor as last June, so that made him very comfortable from the first day.

On the other hand, Hudson has NO water fear! On the first night of swimming lessons, I had all three kids with me at the pool. Hudson was so mad at me because he didn't understand why he couldn't swim like Owen. I was putting Arden down on the floor in her carseat carrier, and Hudson took off from me at full speed, in full clothing and shoes, with the intent of jumping into the pool -- in the deep end! He was determined that he was going to swim. The lifeguard saw him and grabbed him by the back of his shirt to stop him within a foot of the edge of the pool. Then, a few minutes later, he tried it again, and I ran after him! Needless to say, he has not gotten to go back to swimming lessons with us again. He will be glad when he can put on his suit in a few weeks and jump into the water. He'll probably be swimming like a fish and jumping off the diving board the first week. Maybe he should pursue a career as a Navy S.E.A.L! He definitely has no fear and loves water! (Our other thought is that he should grow up and live in France since all he wants to eat is bread, cheese, and fruit!)

Arden got her first ear infection this week, so we spent a very long weekend with her crying, fussing, and not eating or sleeping well while we counted the hours until the pediatrician's office opened on Monday morning. She had her first cold about 1 1/2 weeks ago (which she got from Hudson), and it turned into an ear infection in the same fashion as it did when the boys were young. We saw the pediatrician this morning and began antibiotics, so hopefully she will feel better soon. Maybe we won't have any more of this for awhile with the colds and viruses clearing out for summer! I'm ready to see her giggle again!

Update 5/24/08: Arden's ear infection did not clear up after 5 days on the first antiobiotic. She was still fussy and not eating well. I took her back to the pediatrican on Friday before the Memorial Day weekend since we didn't want another rough weekend when the doctor's office was closed! She ended up having a double ear infection by Friday! So, the doctor changed her medication to a stronger antibiotic which we began Friday for another ten days. So far, it seems to be helping.

One ear infection = 2 doctor's visits, 3 hours of driving back and forth to Little Rock, $70 in co-pays, 15 days on antibiotics.

A happy baby = priceless!

Track and Field Day

We just completed another highlight of first grade -- track and field day! Luckily, the impending rain held off for the event, and this morning Owen got to compete with all the other first graders. He was so excited -- mainly about bringing 50 cents to buy fruit snacks at the concession stand! He won three first place ribbons for the 50 yard dash, sack race, and the boys' relay! It's fun to see him have so much fun and to remember those days (of long, long ago!) when we had special events like this ourselves. After the morning events, the school gave the students a two hour lunch break, and most parents accompanied their child off campus to eat. I took Owen to his favorite spot -- Burger King (chosen because he wanted to see what new Indiana Jones toy would be in the kids' meal!). He got to play in the indoor playground with at least five other boys from his first grade class who met us there.

I enjoyed visiting with the other moms and catching up on the school news -- who is pregnant, which teachers are leaving, which teachers will be the second grade teachers next year, which VBS our kids will attend, who is taking swim lessons, etc. It was fun to be connected to that community again, and I realized how much I've missed it! Last year, I was up at Owen's school 1-2 days each week, and I was the room mom who organized all the class events and parties. I knew every child in his class very well and could recognize each of their parents. This year has been different since I had a baby. I couldn't volunteer due to my pregnancy complications last semester, and now I am unable to do much at the school due to lack of childcare for Arden. I've missed seeing these other moms and being more involved in his school!

I'm thankful for Owen's public school. I'm thankful for his dear, sweet teacher Mrs. Bradley and how much she genuinely loves kids. I'm thankful for the mom I met today who has adopted two abused children and given them a loving and stable home. Hopefully, second grade will be as good as this year has been!