How we all fared last week

As it is now the following Tuesday, I think I can say that we (I) survived without Mike last week. Thank goodness for preschool! Dom gave me some problems, but nothing insurmountable. The best one was when he whacked me on the head with his beloved sprinkler while I was talking on the phone. That's what I get for not paying attention to him, right? I keep telling myself, "He's only three." It's my new mantra.

While Mike was gone, Noel got a new tooth and started cruising. He's constantly on the move. Diapering has become nearly impossible, especially when I am dealing with as many as 12 snaps, depending on which diapers and clothes Noel's wearing. Baths now require both me and Mike, one to hold the baby and the other to wash him.

Now that Mike is back home, we've been hard at work on the basement. We're ready to be finished. I'd love to have our nights and weekends back. Next Tuesday the carpet will be installed, so we're trying to get ready for that. For obvious reasons, we want to have all the messy work done first.

I had a dream the other night that we bought a new house (but old, of course). The small, dark dining room had several layers of resilient flooring underneath ratty carpet, so that floor and the rest of the hardwood needed to be refinished. The floorplan was awkward. The basement was a warren of spaces with a very low ceiling, not suitable for finishing. I was terribly upset that we'd rushed into this purchase when we'd just refinished the hardwood floors and fixed up the basement here. And then I woke up screaming. Not really, but it wasn't exactly a sweet dream.

How Dominick fared last week

Ah, Monday. This is going to be one long week. Mike is in New Jersey until Friday, having left yesterday morning. With him gone, I now get to deal with both boys when they wake up during the night. Last night was a doozy. Dom had been playing with his alarm clock during the day (can you tell where this is going already?), and he managed to set it for 12:15. The thing is LOUD, so even Dom couldn't sleep through the racket it made, and it has to be shut off manually. Dom came upstairs two more times, at about 2:00 and 2:20, but miraculously, Noel slept through all of that. Then Noel woke up at 4:00 and 6:30 for good. What a night. Dom had been sleeping better, but lately he says that inanimate objects (toys, the monitor, the music box) are "not happy at me," so he must be having nightmares.

Preschool drop-offs were dramatic the rest of last week. Friday morning Dominick had a pre-preschool tantrum ("I DON'T want to go! I DON'T!) that lasted over an hour. Yet each time I picked him up from school, he was in a happy mood, and his teachers told me he'd been great. Today was much better. Instead of crying, Dominick kept asking if it was time to go yet, and he went into his classroom on his two feet for the first time. Granted, he made a beeline for Mrs. Cassilly's lap and lay on her facedown, but he didn't shed a tear.

Saturday morning, Dominick went to his first soccer session. He enjoyed kicking balls around before the class started, but once he caught sight of the school's playground, he was gone. We had to bring him back kicking and screaming to join the group, but he eventually took part in some of the exercises. He needs to play soccer and stay away from the play equipment, otherwise all we'll have to show for it is a really expensive t-shirt.

When we came home from soccer, Dom tried out his new bike, which we had bought the night before. I keep saying it, but he is such a big boy! Saturday afternoon, I ran errands with Dominick and a sprinkler. He had to bring it along. Whatever floats your boat, Dom! He got some quizzical looks, but the lady who checked us out at the grocery store said she has three boys, so she completely understood.

Soccer: Daddy and Dom playing while Noel eats grass on the sidelines

Dom graduates from three wheels to two (if you don't count the training wheels)

First day of (pre)school

Dom started preschool today. I can't believe my boy is so big! He was happy before we left, with his brand-new turtle backpack and shoes. When we got to the building, Dom immediately began looking for the sprinklers we saw on Friday's visit. All was merry until we got close to the door, and then Dom threw his arms around my legs and started screaming. So much for taking a picture at school! The teachers eventually had to carry Dom into the Red Room, and I waved goodbye through the window. But shortly after I left, Dom calmed down and was fine for the rest of the morning. When I picked him up, he resumed his search for the sprinklers. Mike and I pumped him for information about his first day, but he's not telling us too much about what he did. All we know is he slid down a pole and hurt his ear, and Aidan fell down.

Here's where the preschool is located. How appropriate that the son of someone with two degrees in historic preservation should attend school in such an environment. Gorgeous.

Phrases of the week

Just a quick and somewhat random post tonight because it's late and I'm tired after working downstairs most of the day. These little phrases stand out in my mind as reminders of some of the things that have gone on this week. Let's do the bad ones first:

"I peed on the floor."
--Dom, obviously. Fortunately, I discovered he was sitting on the toilet, so it wasn't an accident, just poor aim.

"Are you sitting down?"
--the guy in the flooring department at Lowe's, calling to give us the final quote on our carpet order.

And now the good ones:

"I'm not going to do a rectal exam."
--spoken by the doctor Tuesday at my first-ever physical exam.

"He's a sweet boy."
--Dom's teacher at PDO as we said our goodbyes

"I love you, Mom."
--right back at you, Dom!

Ten months

These pictures are getting harder and harder to take! Noel laughed and mocked at my attempts to keep him seated on the chair. He should thank me for preventing him from going off it head first! That's part of my hand in the third picture as I went to rescue Noel yet again.

Noel has finally started to sit up unassisted. Just like his brother, he crawled a month before sitting. Bathtime will be so much more fun now!

Moving on

This was Dominick's last day at PDO. It was sad, in a way. I really like the teachers, and the location (four blocks away) can't be beat. Miss Cindy told me that Dom is a sweet boy, and that she really enjoyed one-on-one time with him because he'd just talk and talk.

Dominick has never had any major issues with me leaving him on Wednesday mornings, but today, strangely, he wrapped himself around my legs and said he wanted to stay with me. The teacher finally had to pick him up and take him into the room. I suspect the problem had to do with toilet anxiety more than anything. Fortunately, he did use the bathroom there today, just as he had at playgroup yesterday, so I'm feeling better about starting preschool next week.

I have to brag about how well Dominick wrote his name the other day. In case you're not impressed enough, he did this upside down. (He wasn't upside down, he just wrote that way.)