August: The Month of Milestones

August has been a rough month for me as a mommy. First, Vivienne turned 1 and it's been terribly traumatic for me. I know it shouldn't be, but since we're so back and forth on whether or not she'll be our last baby, her birthday means I have to accept that I may never have another teeny tiny baby who will nap in my arms. Those are some of my favorite memories with her and now that she's too big and busy to snooze with mommy, I miss that time so much! There are still rare moments when she snuggles in close and lays her head on my chest, and those moments make me certain that she won't be our last. Of course, an hour later when she screams at me and smacks a spoonfull of green bean puree out of my hand and onto my couch, and I have second thoughts all over again. I feel like we should give it a few years before we decide either way just so we have a better idea of what sort of diva behavior we're going to have to deal with from her.

Logan started preschool last week. I'm still coming to terms with the idea that I have a child old enough to go to school. Sure, it's just preschool, but there are teachers and lessons and I have to pack his lunch! It's serious. He was REALLY excited (and a little nervous) on his first day and hammed it up for the camera for the first time in a while. He's been doing pretty well at school so far. He really enjoys it, but he's still having some of the same issues we have at home with his behavior and aggression. Aggression really isn't the word I want, but it's closest to what's going on. He is so hyper and gets so excited and he just doesn't know what to do with it all, so sometimes it comes out as aggressive behavior. It happens with Viv at home. He gets so excited and wants to play with her so badly, he'll grab her arm and shake it up and down a little too hard. He's never hurt her but she's dramatic and if he so much as looks at her when she's in a bad mood, she screams bloody murder (I'm not at all exaggerating), so you can imagine the fuss she makes if he touches her against her will. At school he's been in trouble for throwing things and not listening. I think it all goes back to the same core problem, which is his boundless energy. Hopefully we can work with the teacher to come up with a solution that works for everyone. I'm extremely grateful that they still seem to adore him despite his behavioral issues. I didn't feel like that was happening at his daycare. His provider just seemed irritated and impatient with him all the time. At least at preschool I know that they see all of his amazing qualities and they want to work with us to harness all that extra energy into something more productive. The teacher got a kick out of him the first day when he told her "those kids don't have very good manners" because he was the only one who said "thank you" when she handed out their papers. He's such a smart little guy and says really unexpected grown-up things all the time and I love that they appreciate all of his amazing qualities. I'm feeling really positive about his school and his teacher and I think he's going to have an awesome experience!

He wanted pictures with each of us. Mommy was first. . .

. . . then Daddy and Viv. I can't believe I got EVERYONE smiling!

Logan and his teacher, Miss Tammy.

Still to come later this week will be pictures from Viv's Enchanted Snow White party!

 

Hope all my East Coast readers made it through the hurricane unscathed!