First Day of Preschool

Once I learned that Pooks was due in September, I became concerned that our oldest child would resent his baby brother if we shipped him off to school about the same time the baby was born. When I started researching preschools part of my criteria included that a summer session was available so we could start him a little early and get him comfortable and happy with the idea of spending two days a week away from home at school.

In early March we toured the facility that would become Harrison's preschool and since then Harrison has begged to start school. After months of telling him "not yet" the day finally came and Harrison woke up whining that he didn't want to go to school because he was scared. Mommy and Daddy escorted him into his new castle-themed classroom and introduced him to Miss Lacey yet he was still anxious and didn't want to leave our side. Finally he agreed to work on an art project and we quickly gave him hugs and kisses and exited the room. Halfway down the hall we could hear him crying so I stayed in the lobby for two minutes until he quieted down.

I was certain he would enjoy himself at school but I couldn't help but feel anxious for the next three hours. When I arrived he was happily playing with some plastic tongs, using them to pick up toys off the floor, and he didn't even notice me standing in the room. When he saw me he dropped the tongs, ran up and gave me a big hug and told me he had fun at school. I asked, "tell me what you did in school today?" his reply was "not now, let's talk about it later." Leaving the school he agreed to let me take a first-day-of-school-photo although by dinner time he still wouldn't tell me much about what went on during the day. 

Vaca in Leavenworth

In mid June, Dad took a rare four day weekend and Team Fein drove two scenic hours to the town of Leavenworth, Washington to meet up with Grandmama, Zaidy and Great Papa to enjoy some sun, fun and relaxation. Aunts Alexis and Rae Ann joined us as well as Uncle Stephan for Saturday and Sunday so even with top and bottom condo units we had every bed filled and Harrison was ecstatic to be surrounded by so much family. Every day included a swim in the pool, usually in the morning until lunch time, and the other times were filled with walk nearby or on town, a trip to the miniature golf course, a trip to the Applets and Cottlets factory in nearby Cashmere, WA, as well as general do-nothingness - all in the spirit of rest and relaxation. For someone like me who usually feels a strong need to be productive and have some sort of agenda, it was almost too chill (not that I am complaining).

Mom and dad left Harrison with his grandparents Monday evening to stay until Thursday morning as dad had to go back to work and mom had to make a trip to Las Vegas to attend Auntie Chyna's high school gradation. That first night, Zaidy helped Harrison build a pillow fort under a side table next to the couch and the two of them fell asleep there and stayed there all night! The next morning, Harrison called and happily talked to dad but the minute mom got on the phone he was all tears and sobbed that he wanted his mommy. That said, every call after that was filled with tales of toddler debauchery with reports of more swimming, fort building, adventuring on trails etc. Harrison definitely had a fantastic time with his grandparents.

When he got home, I was upstairs and I heard him come in and he called, "Where are you mom?" but when I came down, he shyly hid behind a corner and was rather slow to give me a hug. Go figure! In the end he was happy to be home but certainly missed his grandparents and asked me where they were on and off for the next day or so. This probably would have persisted however we had cousins join us later that same day and stay with us for a week - more about that to come.

Little Gym Showcase

The regular season of Little Gym ended in a showcase day with parents and family members invited into the gym to see the progress the kids have made. It was a BIG deal for Harrison that daddy took time off work to come watch although I think he was a bit distracted to have his parents in the room taking pictures. I think his weekly gym sessions have paid off when we watch him at a park and he seems ahead of his peers in his "monkey" skills and has less fear. The one skill he hasn't quite mastered is his forward roll, he rarely tucks his chin so he ends up standing on his head for a second and then his body rolls over and snaps his head a bit. He doesn't hurt himself but it makes us all cringe!

Pooks, Revealed

On May 29th I had an ultrasound and we discovered that dear Pooks is in a breech position. The little bugger is comfortably resting with his head on the right side of my belly with his bum and feet pointed towards my nether regions. To ensure I understood his position, I asked the doc how far he needs to turn around and she replied "180 degrees." Awesome, Pooks, awesome... we have some work to do. This would explain why I (a) feel rather uncomfortable (b) feel lots of movement on my right, probably his hands and definitely his head when he stretches (c) feel lots of kicks super low around my waistline.

I have a follow up appointment in 8 weeks and realistically that is enough time for him to turn around and get with the program. If not, it looks like there are techniques to encourage the baby to flip which they don't like to do until 32 weeks anyway, probably to decrease the chance of the little one flipping around again (since he will be much bigger by then). I will talk to my OB about it next week.

In the meantime, I did get a couple of decent head shots of Pooks. The "face" shot is my favorite as you can see his cheeks (looking less like a skeleton). He weighs about 1.75 lbs and is on track for growth.