ISN'T ALYSSA JUST ADORABLE?So many of my pictures are of her now, since Nicholas is gone at school all day. As you can tell from the first picture, she just loves being a big sister! She is really quite helpful with Emily, and loves to sing her lullabies. Amazingly, Emily actually likes it when Alyssa sings to her...it usually soothes her right out of a crying state.The second picture is of Alyssa and Julian...a little girl who lives around the corner and up the street from us. Last year, they did gymnastics together. This year, her older sister, Olivia, is on Nicholas' soccer team, so the girls played together at the playground yesterday during practice. They really had a great time!The last picture is Alyssa as we have come to know her around here: "ALYSSA THE PRINCESS!" She loves to play dress up...this picture was taken as we waited outside for Nicholas to get off the bus.EMILY IS DOING GREAT! I don't beleive she is six weeks old already...where does the time go? She has started to take abottle occasionally, with absolutely no problems at all! She has turned into a "BINKY BABY", though. I hated even trying to give her a binky, but she really looked to nursing - or should I say "sucking" - to quiet her down at night after her last feeding. Since she takes the whole bottle, I knew she wasn't nursing fornourishment, so I thought maybe a pacifier would help her. Since I am starting back to work tonight, I had to try to find a way to help her with the transition. The pacifier seems to have done the trick; although I hate the way she looks with it in her mouth, I get comfort knowing that it is soothing her. I have mixed feelings about going back to work, as I did with Nicholas and Alyssa, too. I feel guilty leaving them, but at the same time, I look forward to getting out a little bit by myself, even if it is only at work! I will bring Emily with me for a couple of hours, so that I can nurse her one extra feeding. This way, she will only have to take one bottle. Plus, I know that all three of them will be in good hands with Daddy! Nicholas and Alyssa were usually left with a sitter when I went back to work, since John was usually working nights, too. Now that he is on all days, just working part time at the restaurant, he's going to stay home with them at night, and we're going to avoid a babysitter for a while. So, if nothing else, at least I'll know that they are in good hands!For those of you who have been checking the blog regularly for updates, thank you. Weekly updates have gotten to be a bit much, though, and since I am going back to work, time will be even more scarce. I will update at least monthly, maybe more often if something really exciting happens!
WE ARE ALL ADJUSTING TO EMILY AND OUR NEW LIFE STYLE...Look at little Alyssa up there...one day, she was so tired from waking up early and all of our running around, that she conked out on the couch without even eating her lunch. It was the strangest thing: one minute she was watching t.v. with her lunch in front of her and when I came back in to sit with her, she had fallen into a deep sleep. After about 40 minutes, she got off the couch and went to lay down on the rug in our living room. The poor little thing was just exhausted!Emily is growing like a weed...I really think she has got to be 10 pounds now. My mom and I were just talking about how she's already stretching the toes out in her jammies...the ones Alyssa wore until she was at least 3 months old, if not older! She is cooing a lot now, and actually smiling in response to my voice and actions. She still smiles a lot in her sleep, too, which I think is the most adorable thing! But, when I see her smile because I am playing with her, I just melt. Nicholas and Alyssa are great with her. Nicholas loves to let her suck his finger, and Alyssa likes to rock her in her seat. (Although, we're still working on what the word "gently" means!)Nicholas is doing well in school. It's amazing how much they expect of kindergartners nowadays. In addition to writing his name, he is learning new vocabulary (so far, he's already known all of his words and how to spell them: yes, no, the). He's having a little bit of difficulty writing his lower-case e's and y's, but other than that, he's doing great! Most days, he buys his lunch at the cafeteria, but some days, I make him lunch: he likes a turkey sandwich with lettuce, green peppers, cucumbers and mayonnaise! Next week, all of the kindergarten classes go on a field trip to an apple orchard near Sodus. Cross your fingers that the weather will be decent for them!!NICHOLAS' FIRST SOCCER GAME WAS LAST SATURDAY!I must say, it was quite comical, especially since both practices got rained out! Nicholas really is a little social butterfly! He's more into talking with the other players, teams and parents than actually kicking the ball, but we're going to work on that this week! Well, that is all I have time for right now...Check in next week for another update. I'll include a few more pictures of Emily and some of Nicholas playing soccer!
ALYSSA HAD HER FIRST DAY OF PRESCHOOL YESTERDAY...Alyssa will be going to the YMCA two mornings a week for preschool. Her teachers are Miss Carol and Miss Theresa. In her class, she will be doing both gymnastics and swimming, which I think is a definite plus to the program. Her first day went off without a hitch...unless of course you notice the fat lip in the pictures. She tripped on one of her princesses running in the house the night before her big day. Her lip actually isn't that bad...the swelling went down almost completely overnight, but how pathetic she looked all dressed up for her big day with a puffy lip!Her primary teacher, Miss Carol, said to me yesterday (and these are her EXACT words) "Oh...you don't have to worry about her. She'll do just fine..." She had absolutely no problem when I left her and she wasn't phased by anything. When I asked her about her day, she told me just what they did...play time, swim, a snack (cupcakes or muffins, I think) and a story. When I asked her who was in her class and who she played with (she knew a lot of the kids from gymnastics and toddlerobics last year) she told me "Oh...just some boys" !!ANYWAYS...TONIGHT STARTS SOCCER AND SWIM...Nicholas is on the "BLUE" team for soccer. Today is his first practice, since last week's got rained out. Of course, it rained all night last night and hasn't stopped yet this morning, so today's practice will probably be cancelled, too. His first game is Saturday morning...I can't wait to see it! T-Ball was so cute...all the kids stood together in the field and grabbed the ball out of each other's hands. I'm sure soccer will be pretty much the same thing...everyone going after the ball, etc. Our first swim lessons are tonight, too. I moved Alyssa up to the more advanced group since she is such a fantastic swimmer. She's so funny because she is so small. Everyone is amazed at how well she swims...wait until they see her now! This summer, she was going off Nonnie's diving board and swimming to the ladder without a bubble or floaty!EMILY IS FOUR WEEKS OLD TODAY...Hard to believe that almost a month has gone by already! She is still a great baby. She's a good sleeper - luckily she can stay asleep through just about anything, including Nicholas and Alyssa screaming over her! She has been eating well and is growing like a weed! We don't go back to the doctor until the middle of October, but I can see the growth almost every day! And I can definitely feel the difference when I'm holding her: She's getting close to 2 bags of sugar!!I will add another posting later with some of her pictures. UNTIL THEN...HAVE A GREAT DAY!
NICHOLAS' FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN...On Wednesday, September 6, 2006, Nicholas had his kindergarten orientation. Of course, John and I went with him...I wouldn't have it any other way (parents were invited and encouraged to attend...as a matter of fact, I think it was mandatory!) We all got a chance to meet his teacher, Mrs. Roberts, and see his class room. We also got a quick tour of the school to see where he will be going for gym, library, music and art. We went through the cafeteria line for a "snack" and so that Nicholas could see how the lunch line worked. The most exciting part of the day, I think, for Nicholas was getting to go for a ride on the bus. He learned about bus safety and what to expect on the bus.He knows a lot of the kids in his class from Cozy Days and the neighborhood. Mrs. Roberts seems great ~ very well-organized and prepared, yet kind and understanding. THURSDAY WAS HIS FIRST FULL DAY...Nonnie came over Thursday morning and came with us to drop Nicholas off for his first full day of school. Nicholas was very excited to show her his classroom and his seat. I picked him up later that day - we're still trying to work out the bussing details - and he said he had a great day! He received a purple dot on his calendar - which means the teacher thought he had a great day, too. We talked about what he got for lunch in the cafeteria and who he sat next to. I think he has a great opportunity and will do well this year...but the first few weeks, I'm sure, will be tough getting used to. Just the thought of getting to bed early every night and going in the mornings is a big adjustment. We'll see how next week goes and I'll write an update then. Be sure to check the updates for Alyssa's first day of preschool, too!! And please, give me some feedback on the blog...What do you guys think?
