July Flew By!

It is hard to believe that I last posted a MONTH ago, when the summer was just kicking in! But alas, as summers tend to do, this one has flown by. This past month was filled with plenty of sun and play.

At the beginning of the month, I took the week off from work to give my nanny a well-deserved vacation. It afforded me the opportunity to see what the “other” half is like by being with my kids full-time during the week. And what an eye-opening experience it was! In just the two days before July 4th, we had one PT session, three camp drop-offs and pick-ups, one 5-year doctor’s checkup, a playdate, a trip to the vet and of course, the “regular” chores that somehow get done during the week.


Having the opportunity to spend time with my kids doing what they normally do during the week was wonderful; I got to meet their camp counselors and see where they are enjoying their summer, I took the kids to the pool, I actually hung out with Zach (who I rarely get one-on-one time with) and I even had a few minutes of quiet time when he was napping and Abby wasn’t home from camp yet. Of course, that quiet time was punctuated with loads of laundry, loading/unloading the dishwasher, making lunch and dinner and paying bills, but it was still uninterrupted nonetheless.

After those few days, we packed up the car and headed to the Jersey shore, where we met up with Jason's sister, parents and grandmothers for a long weekend in the beach house they rented last year. While it was a quick trip, the kids had a great time and it was fun to get away (though a bit tiring, as expected).

The rest of the month was filled up with birthday parties, a trip to Dutch Wonderland with our friends and plenty of pool time. The best news of the summer so far is that Abby is really and truly learning how to swim!! In just a few days time, she learned to swim the width of our pool, even with her head under and eyes open, unassisted! She also loves to jump off the side of the pool now, which she never did before. It's really fun watching her newfound confidence and I am beginning to relax, just a bit, when she is alone in the pool.

Abby's 5-year checkup was good - she is still quite small for her age - 33 lbs (7%) and 40.5" (12%) - but she got two shots and did great - and was rewarded with an ice cream sundae after! I also took Zach to an endocrinologist in the city to see if there is anything we can do about his (lack of) height and weight, and while the exam was normal, she'd like to run some bloodwork to just be sure there aren't any deficiencies. So that will be a lot of fun when I have to take him back for that!

All in all, it's been a fun summer, with both kids loving camp and having a great time. Seeing their tired, happy faces at the end of the day is a wonderful, and I just can't believe we are 5 weeks out from Abby starting kindergarten and 6 weeks from Zach starting preschool! In the meantime, we'll all try to enjoy the last few weeks of the summer, with mini-camp, classes and visits from friends & family on the agenda.

Little Campers

This week marked the start of summer camp for most Westchester residents, including my TWO kids.

On Tuesday, Zach took a huge step in his first time separating from Cora or I at Training Camp, where he'll be going for 2 hours, twice a week. Cora said he happily went in to the classroom, and when she said "Zach, you're going to camp!", he said, "ME?!?" And yes, it was him who didn't cry, who had a great day and who was so wiped out that he napped as soon as he got home!

Abby started Camp Rainbow again on Wednesday and this year, she is in a group with her 4 girl friends and 1 boy friend from school. I expect that they will all have fun together and I hope she gets more comfortable with swimming as well. Luckily, her private swim lessons once a week have helped, and she is taking a few strokes on her own now!

This week I found out that I have a "tilted knee," (my kneecap is misaligned) so I have to start PT to help strengthen the muscles around my knee. Luckily, Zach's great physical therapist's husband works with adults, so I will be seeing him 2 times a week.

Next week, it's mommy and kids week! Cora is off on vacation so I took the week off. Monday and Tuesday will be our somewhat "regular" routine - Zach's PT, camp drop-offs, Abby's 5-yr checkup, etc. Wednesday the 4th will hopefully be a low-key day and then we'll leave for the beach (the IL's rented beach house) on Thursday after camp for the weekend, and Jason will meet us there on Friday night. Hopefully I can hold everything together like Cora does without losing a kid or my mind!

Birthday Girl!

On June 19, 2007 at 8:59 am, my beautiful first child was born, and it feels like it was just yesterday. How on earth did 5 whole years fly by and now I have a kindergarten-bound 5-year old?? The weeks and months must have sped up the last few years, because I don't remember a time when 5 years went by that quickly (maybe college?). Abby is 5 now, and we have so many fun things to look forward to in the next 1-1.5 years: losing her first tooth, learning how to read, perhaps removing training wheels from her bike, taking the school bus, eating lunch at school and so much more.

Abby has become a little girl in every sense of the phrase - she is independent and head-strong, yet still wants to ride in a stroller and get dressed herself. She is silly and funny and sensitive. She is creative, outgoing and smart. We often can't believe how our baby girl seems to be a teenager at times!

My wish for her is to let herself have a great summer and year in kindergarten. I want her to continue to be the carefree, happy child that she is, even when homework and bullying threaten to take away the innocence. I want Abby to be grateful and appreciative for everything she is able to do but at the same time, realize that she is a tiny person in a very big world, and to help make a difference wherever she can. I hope she treats others with respect and stands up for herself when necessary. Above all, I want Abby to remember that she's smart, beautiful and strong, no matter what comes her way.

Happy birthday, Abigail Jordan, we love you!!

Graduation Day

Veni, vidi, vici: I came, I saw, I conquered. To Abby's nursery school graduation, that is. I had been anticipating the day ever since her first “moving up” ceremony in the 2s. I watched the seemingly “old” 5-year olds get up on stage (not run off the stage, as my almost 3-year old did), sing all the songs and know all the moves to their choreographed dances. I watched as the 4s parents took pictures, cried and congratulated each other on their children graduating from nursery school and moving on to kindergarten. And as I sat there, with my 5-week old baby boy near me, I did not think that my time as a parent of a grad would be here anytime soon.

Yet, in a flash, it was. Fast-forward 2 years to watching my 2-year old trying to run to his sister on stage and the same little girl who 2 years ago ran off stage crying who was now singing along with her friends. My big girl, all grown up and ready for kindergarten. Well, sort of…she still needs my help every now and then and still acts every bit her age of “almost 5.”

In some ways, I feel that I’M the one who graduated – from my first experience with nursery school, making new friends of my own, navigating the PTA/school board world and draining my bank account for every school fundraiser, photo and field trip. And what a wild ride it’s been for me, one that I’m anxious and excited to start all over again this fall with Zach, who will entering the 2s. I’ve learned that graduation, while not as sad as I anticipated it would be (I brought a stack of tissues with me), was an emotional time to look back on the people and place that helped shape Abby's first few years. I realized that without this experience, she might not be the person she is now – happy, funny, smart, sensitive and caring. I hope she made friends who will stick with her for years, despite attending different schools and living in different towns.

And as for me, I hope I’ll have the strength I had at Abby's nursery school graduation come time for my “baby” boy’s graduation 3 years from now. Which should be interesting considering I am already teary at the thought of sending him to camp alone for 4 hours a week!

Busy Little Bees

This past weekend was whirlwind at my house! Well, technically not AT my house, considering we were rarely home, but with my household.

Saturday, we trekked by car, subway and foot to "The Great Googamooga," a food, wine and music festival in Brooklyn. I had received comp VIP passes through a work acquaintance, and figured with the perfect 75 degree day, it would be a fun adventure for all of us. It's possible that the last time I was in Brooklyn was while running the NYC Marathon in 2005, and I know it was the first trip to Brooklyn for Abby and Zach. In fact, it was also their first time on the NYC subway (which of course they loved and I hate). After eating, drinking and navigating our way through Prospect Park and the crowds at the festival, we were ready to hit up the next borough, Queens, to pick up Grammy Sheryl.

We were exhausted after wandering around Prospect Park for hours, but we still managed to get Grammy at LGA and head into yet another part of the city, one which we used to call "home," on the Upper East Side. There, we enjoyed a quick and delicious meal at BareBurger and watched as Zach fell asleep for the night on the way home after a long, long day.

Sunday was no less exhausting, with back-to-back activities from 11:30 am - 6 pm. With two birthday parties and a school BBQ during that time, we also somehow managed to squeeze in a trip to Bed, Bath & Beyond (Jason), Buy Buy Baby (me and the kids) AND Stew Leonards (all of us). WHEW! It certainly was a whirlwind of a day and I was very happy to put the kids - and myself - to bed.

While these types of weekends don't happen all that often, it does remind me to stop, sit back and enjoy these times when the kids are happy, busy and full of energy. Now if only I could stay as full of energy as they do!

May Days

I am not entirely sure how it came to be the middle of May when I swear it was just April! Regardless, the first half of this month has been hectic, with a trip to the Ardsley Firemans Carnival, a dual dentist appointment, Mother's Day and our typical errands (Stew's, Costco, Target, etc.).

Mother's Day weekend was a lot of fun, starting Friday night with dinner at PF Chang's and receiving my early Mother's Day gift - a spa day at Red Door! Yay! Saturday was a combination of errands and the carnival, followed by pizza out with friends. On Mother's Day, Zach did not want to leave my side, so he and I relaxed in bed while Abby and Jason whipped up some delicious pancakes, followed by a huge brunch at my ILs country club. After all of the eating out we did, we chose to stay in and BBQ on Sunday night, ending the weekend off nicely.

Abby and Zach's school is coming to an end soon - Abby graduates on June 4 and Zach's last day of the "Wondrous Ones" is next week already! I can't believe my babies are growing up so quickly. Over the next few weeks, we have a lot planned - including the end-of-the-year school BBQ, many May/June birthday parties, a trip to Hershey Park, graduation and of course, a month from now, Abby's birthday :). These May Days are flying right by, and before I know it, summer camp will be in full swing!

2 Years Old!

My little boy turned 2 yesterday and I can't believe how far he's come. In the last year, he learned to sit up, crawl, walk and talk in full sentences. He is funny, smart and adorable in every possible way. Does he throw food, pull hair, throw a tantrum and hit? Why, yes he does. But overall, our little guy is still just as sweet as he was when he was born.

And still as little. He weighed in at a not-so-impressive 22 lbs, 10 ozs (0%) and is 32" (4%) at his 2-year checkup. He is smaller than his "big" sister, who has always been little but weighed more at his age. Our doctor would like for him to see an endocrinologist in a few months to hopefully rule out any issues like a growth horomone deficiency or pituitary gland. In the meantime, we are supposed to keep him on whole milk and a diet high in good fat.

Zach's birthday party was a blast! We bought (yes, bought) a huge bounce house which the kids LOVED. Also had finger painting and picture frame making, both of which were a big hit along with the Papa John's pizza and monkey face cupcakes. Zach had a great time and napped for 3 hours afterward while we cleaned up. Overall, it was a success and I am just glad it's over!

Coming up in the next few weeks, we have birthday parties galore and will be getting ready to watch Miss Abby graduate from preschool! We also need to decide where to send Abby for kindergarten as the debate between private and public school continues.... Stay tuned for more in May!