Maybe It's Getting Better?

Thankfully we had a good weekend, complete with dance class, another win for the girls' soccer team The Waves (6-0 this time), a sleepover Saturday night, and church on Sunday. Sunday afternoon the girls went around visiting on the block and enjoyed catching up with their friends.

And, for the last two nights they have slept straight through the night! Monday night in our bed (Chris and I ceded it to them and slept in the guest room in hopes of a better night's sleep, which we got) and then last night, o miracle, in their own! If I hadn't awakened at 4:45 a.m. worrying about a home invasion (I really should not read the newspaper -- there was an article yesterday about testimony by the father in that devastating case in Connecticut with the triple rape/murder of the mom and 2 daughters) I would have been golden. As it was, not having to get out of bed to try to settle little one back down was still a plus, and I did go back to sleep until 6:15.

We are still figuring out a viable routine with balancing homework and soccer and other commitments -- I remember this phase from last September which was pretty stressful as well. But each week I think we are learning about what works and what doesn't, and the girls are getting more used to their new school and the new expectations and culture there, and I am adjusting to life as a SAHM, as they say, with only a little bit of work "outside the home" (I'm doing some curriculum consulting for an awesome reading comprehension website - more on that in another post), and Chris is figuring out his commute, and we are joining a new church and spending time with old and new friends, and so on . . . it will just take time for us all to fully acclimate to this new life of ours. Here's to continued progress as we keep on keeping on.

Ups and Downs

The transition to school has continued to be challenging though there is much to be hopeful about as well. We had to handle another major meltdown Friday night -- I chalk it up to exhaustion from the first week, including a soccer practice Friday night, and continued anxiety about all the adjustments necessary in going from a small urban Catholic school to a large suburban public one! We had a nice rest of the weekend overall, though. The girls started dance on Saturday, had a sleepover Saturday night and then we went to church and to their first soccer game on Sunday. They had a lot of fun all around and thankfully there is a no-homework policy on weekends which does make family time easier.

But this week I heard the dreaded words on both Monday and Tuesday morning, "I'm not going to school!" Fortunately it all worked out and we made it to school on time both days, but I have to say it struck fear to my heart! And Wendy has not slept straight through the night since last Thursday, so we are also dealing with interrrupted sleep which can certainly affect her mood (I'm working hard not to let it affect mine as whenever she is up, so am I).

However, this morning, despite being up for an hour during the night, it was a cheerful morning with some laughs and no problems at all getting dressed, eating breakfast, brushing teeth, and leaving on time. I am so thankful because I was getting to the end of my rope! Even if it's only a brief respite it makes a big difference.

Pictures to come of dance and soccer!

36 Peaceful Hours

The initial back-to-school storm seems to have abated somewhat, and thankfully both girls have slept straight through the night for the past two nights. They got 10 hours of sleep one night and 9.5 hours the other, which means I got 8 hours uninterrupted each night. I really needed some good sleep -- there had been a string of nights with midnight wakeups which is a little tough for Mami. We had good mornings yesterday and today as well, and even got over the hurdle of uncompleted homework this morning, which we finished just in time for me to run them over to school. It turns out that the bus which they had so looked forward to is a special education bus and the children on it have pretty severe needs. So while it does serve as transportation, it is not really a place for seeing or making friends as no one in their classes is on it, and the bus monitor apparently keeps all the kids on a pretty strict watch because of some of the issues on board. So, driving them to school may be in our future, which is totally fine with me. It gives me a chance to say hello to their teachers, and also gives us a little more time in the morning to get ready.

We have a fun weekend planned -- first soccer practice tonight, first dance classes tomorrow afternoon, church and then the first soccer game on Sunday afternoon, and a sleepover Saturday night with a good friend. Here's to continued rest and recovery from the stressful start to the week!

First Day of School

Fer and Wendy started their new school yesterday! Chris was confident all would go well and I was kind of a nervous wreck, but probably that reflects our own childhood school experiences more than anything about the girls. (He was a basketball star and I was a bookworm, and we fared socially pretty much how one would expect from those two roles). In any case, after a mini-panic attack (mine, not the the girls') on Monday afternoon, we made it to school yesterday morning on a gray, somewhat misty day that turned into a steady downpour throughout the day. Wendy's 3rd grade classroom is in the portable classrooms behind the school, and Fer's 4th grade room is in the main building. Both girls seem to have lovely teachers, and the afterschool program, which we will use as needed depending on the girls' interest in going and also on any coverage needed for appointments or commitments that we have, also seems to have a great staff. I stopped by at dismissal to check in and bring them both a snack. Wendy wanted to stay in Afterschool with some friends that she saw from the summer program, and Fer wanted to come home with me, so Fer and I had a lovely afternoon hanging out at home and chatting about her first day. Wendy demands so much of my attention when I have both girls with me that it was really wonderful to have time for just me and Fer. We also sorted through all her clothes since it suddenly seems to be fall and we needed to see what she had. Also, she has grown 7 inches and gained 23 pounds in the past year, so needless to say there is some weeding out to be done! I am going to have to buy some new bins for the hand-me-downs we amassed for Wendy -- quite a treasure trove. Fer and I then went to Target to exchange a pair of jeans and went to pick up Wendy, who came skipping over and seemed to have had a great afternoon "playing and playing," as she put it. No homework for either of them, just lots of papers to hand off to Mami!

Unfortunately I think the strain of the day with so much newness took its toll and things kind of unraveled once we got home. I had to field a major meltdown before dinner, complete with going out in the rain to a neighbor's house to ask for backup (Chris was running late from the city with the weather). Fortunately Miss Amy was home two doors down and she came over with her daughter to play (thank you again Amy -- you saved us!!). This helped create a sense of calm and get back to a more regulated state to continue with our evening. Fer and Wendy both ate a good dinner while Abby played Barbies in our living room, and the three girls ended the visit coloring together at the dining room table. There was again a bit of agitation at bedtime, but a hearty snack of pasta and a few extra songs seemed to do the trick, and both girls were asleep by 9 p.m., thankfully.

This morning they did their first day on the bus -- it was late and we were about to leave in the car but then it appeared and they jumped on, which allowed me to get to 8 a.m. Mass at Seton Hall, much needed. The refrain for the psalm was "The Lord is compassionate towards all his works," and the Gospel was the Beatitudes. I found a lot of food for thought and prayer from the readings and of course from the Eucharist, and hopefully I'll be able to make it over there regularly.

Happy Birthday Fer!

Fer turned 12 today -- happy, happy birthday sweetheart! It's hard to imagine that 2 years ago we were having our first stilted conversation with you after the summer hosting, and we could barely hear your shy little voice over the phone from Colombia. Fer has grown so much in the past 2 years and we are so proud. She is such a thoughtful, generous person who is really growing into her own, complete with a little sassy attitude sometimes now that she is almost a teenager! We had a really lovely dinner with our neighbors - 3 families came over to help us celebrate and Gigi and Grandad came from NYC to spend the night. The kids all had a lot of fun chasing around the yard and playing croquet (thanks Gigi and Grandad for giving us a croquet set!) and a good time was had by all!