Sully practicing crawling!

So today was the first day of preschool for Desmond and Eloise. Desmond had a full day of preschool, Eloise was there for an hour, and Sully was taken all over with no real nap poor thing.

We started our morning with no power to half of the house. After trying to figure it out, and getting nowhere, it wasn’t the fuses, it was a loose connection in a socket in Eloise’s bedroom (Dan figured it out when he got home), I woke up the three small ones and got them dressed. Desmond did his normal morning, “I don’t want to go.” thing, but got dressed without too many issues. We then got into the car, buckled in and drove the big whole 3 minutes to the elementary school for Desmond’s first day of speech therapy (Tuesday mornings for 30 minutes before preschool all school year long). Desmond went to the speech room with his teacher and Eloise, Sully and I waited outside the front office at a table where Eloise colored in her coloring book. Desmond now has a speech book, which he didn’t have last year, and it gives us homework to do with him nightly and shows us what is being worked on, which is nice. After his teacher brought him back to the front, we all headed back into the car and to preschool. I took Desmond into his classroom where he quickly went and found something to play with, he hugged me goodbye and was happy for his whole preschool day (4 hours including lunch). He did come home in his backup outfit, since it was wet out today and he got wet when they went out to play, so I’ll have to send a new backup outfit in tomorrow, but he had a great day.

Here are some pictures of him on his first day. First at the house going to the car:

Playing at preschool once we got to his classroom:

Eloise, Sully and I headed out after dropping Desmond off. We headed home, because I needed a safety pin for Eloise’s skirt, seems 18 month waists are still a wee bit big on little miss tiny. We then headed back to the preschool after being home for 30 minutes or so for Eloise’s first day (one hour, half the class). We got there and she was happy about going to preschool. Until she realized that wait, Mommy isn’t staying with me? What do you mean no Mommy? No go! I go with you, scream, cry, no! To say she was displeased with me leaving might be an understatement. The teacher had to tell her to breathe when I left, because she was holding her breath before screaming. Sully and I headed out with the other 4 moms to Starbucks since it was only an hour class today. Which was nice. We then all headed back to pick them up. Eloise sat and observed, she didn’t participate, but she also stopped crying. She is not a fan of preschool though. If you ask her if she liked preschool she will tell you no. If you ask her if she is going back she will also tell you no.

Here are two pictures of her, the first one is outside her classroom:

This is her happily drawing about 1 minute before figuring out that Mommy was leaving her!

After pickup Eloise, Sully and I went out to lunch at Red Robin, since we only had about an hour and 15 minutes till Desmond was done. She did enjoy that. We then came back and Sully had fallen asleep in the car, which was great, except that he woke up about 3 minutes later, poor boy. So we picked up Desmond and headed home with a very cranky 5 month old who hadn’t napped from 7:45am to 1:15pm. When we got home we all snuggled on my bed and Sully nursed and finally got his nap while Eloise and Desmond watched Curious George.

So Desmond had a great day. Eloise had an okay day, which would have been great if Mommy hadn’t left her a preschool! And Sully had a very very overtiring day going in and out and in and out and in out at preschool.

So Desmond and Eloise had their preschool previews today. It is a short 30 minute visit where they meet their teachers and play in their new classrooms so they can get use to them. They split them up so there are only 6 or 7 kids in the preview. Eloise’s was first, she had actually met the 5 other kids she was with, either at playdates, or through the past year because they have an older sibling in class with Desmond.

Quick aside, the parents of the kids in Eloise’s preschool class have been doing playdates to introduce them to each for the past month. It was a great idea, we were able to make 2 of the 3 playdates. It let Eloise meet all of the kids in her class, but 2, and start getting comfortable around them. She isn’t very comfortable around them, as in she won’t play with any of them, but she is at least willing to play in the same room as them rather then clinging on to me. We are happy for little steps. I really had fun on the playdates as it was a great way to meet the other moms and kids.

Okay back to the preview. Eloise’s was first, she has seen her teacher before, since Desmond had her as one of his summer camp teachers. She also saw her in the halls sometimes last year as we waiting to pick up Desmond. She has also met the other 5 kids in her group (there are 2 groups of 6 for the preschool into). She won’t talk to anyone again. She was willing however to play, she made a magnatile tower, she drew a pictures, she played with dinosaurs and she went down the little slide in the classroom a dozen times. She looked at her teacher, but won’t talk to her, but at least she knows who she is now. I see a not very happy child on Tuesday when she goes to preschool for an hour with just the other 5 kids in her group. Fortunately the 2 year old class starts with an hour the first day of preschool, and then 2 hours the second day with all the kids on the second day, before going into the regular 3 or 4 hour class (those that stay for lunch are there for 4 hours, Eloise is there for lunch since Desmond is) on the 3rd day. She was very cute, and had fun, even with the whole not interacting with anyone else thing.

On the other hand, Desmond went into his class, came to me 2 or 3 times to ask me, “Why are you here Mommy? Are you staying with me at preschool?” I had to explain to him that it was only for today and the short preview, that next week it would be regular preschool with no Mommy. He really wasn’t sure why I was staying, it is preschool Mom, go away! He could have totally skipped his preview and been quite happy on Tuesday in his class with all his friends. He will be thrilled because 2 of the little boys he loves to play with are there the exact same days as him (well one is there M-F, but the other one is there Tuesday – Friday like him).

I never did get a picture of Desmond. Here is Eloise at the top of the slide before going down.

Spin

Okay there are some words. After we got pictures done, Desmond wanted out of the shirt he was in, because he said it was wet. I thought I had a spare shirt for him in my bag, but I didn’t. I told him the only thing I had that he could wear was Eloise’s dress. So he chose to wear her dress rather then his shirt. He loved spinning in it, and watching it flare out as he spun.

So for Easter this year we told the small ones they could dye eggs, and then we never did it. They kept asking for a few weeks afterwards as well, but with the new baby and all it just never happened. So this weekend, Desmond asked if he could dye eggs. We had a dye kit, Dan went out and got white eggs and a few other things we needed and came home and boiled them. Then we let Desmond and Eloise dye eggs. They both had a bunch of fun dying them and they played with their dyed eggs for the rest of the afternoon and evening, which was nice. Eloise did eventually open most of the eggs so we threw them away after that, but they had a lot of fun with them both dying and playing with them. Here are the older two dying some eggs.

Happy 5 month birthday Sullivan.

Here is a comparison of Desmond and Sully in the same shirt, getting their pictures taken.

Desmond at 6 months (almost 7 months):

Sully at 5 months:

So I never got Sullivan his 3 month portraits done. Since Dan was home today we decided to go ahead and get pictures done after Sully’s 4 month appointment (at 5 months). We headed over to Sears around 3 and got some nice pictures of the small ones. We also got a family portrait, since we haven’t had one done since right before Sully was born. I went with fall outfits, since it is getting close to almost being fall and I am not getting 6 month pictures for Sully at this point. Anyways here they are.

I love this one of Eloise

I love this one of Sully

What’s happening, why is my brother sucking out my brains….. mmm brains…. zombie….

So Sully had his 4 month appointment today. I know he is almost 5 months, but we called a bit late and his doctor was on vacation for 2 weeks so this was the first day we could get in. Anyways he is doing great. He got his first shot today, a DTaP. He has grown about a pound since his reflux appointment a month ago, and he has grown 2 1/2 inches since he was two months old so he is doing great. He is the same height Desmond was at 4 months, and about a pound and a half lighter. He is about 3 1/4 pounds more then Eloise was at 4 months and 2 1/2 inches taller. He had a great appointment and didn’t even cry when he got his shot.

Here are his stats:
At birth he was 9 pounds 4 ounces and 22 inches
At one month he was 11 pounds 3 ounces and 23 inches
At 2 months he was 13 pounds and 24 inches
At 4 months he was 15 pounds 2 ounces
At 5 months he was 16 pounds 3 ounces and 26 1/2 inches

Boxing up Eloise