Wherein I talk about something other than my kids

I finally got around to fully grooming the dog today. I had taken some scissors to him a month or so back, but I never really got to his front legs, so he began to resemble a Clydesdale horse in front. Not a good look for a dog, trust me. And then when I got the riding mower out on Wednesday for the first time this season, Freddie ran through the freshly cut grass only then to look like a Clydesdale horse . . . from Ireland. Or something. Anyway, the grooming, it had to be done. So this morning I sat with him on the floor, tethered him to the chair (which was key to my success, come to find out), and got to work using our new dog clippers. I had avoided getting them in the past and made do with what we had, but then I would get fed up trying to use the far less powerful (but quiet and kid-friendly) hair clippers I have for the boys and just end up taking him to the groomer. Not cheap. For the cost of one trip to get it professionally done, I now have the clippers to do it myself forever. I really need to figure out a better system though because sitting on the floor all that time and hunching over my work has done a number on my back. To sum up: I am incredibly old and wussy, but Freddie was such a trooper. I think he was ready to get all that extra fur off of him.

Observe:

This was just before the big cut, snuggling with "the cat."

This was the pile 'o hair after the deed was done. (p.s. those tiles are 1 s.f. each and the pile itself had some height to it)

And here he is now. The picture makes the guard lines really show up, but I don't think they are quite so stark in person. Besides, I'm pretty sure they will fade soon. Even if they don't, we're certainly not trying to win any pageants around here :).

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In case you were wondering. . .

. . . Ella is doing really well at her new school. I miss her like crazy and kiss her approximately 2 hundred times when she gets home, but I know all the missing her is worth it and am so thankful for the opportunities she has there.

She is getting better at crawling all the time. Sometimes, her legs get going a little faster than her arms, and so she gets a little crooked as she crawls. It is incredibly endearing to watch. She loves to pull up on things all the time now, especially the TV so she can press that big power button--she gets so proud of herself you'd think she was about to burst. Or maybe that's me. Often, she gets stuck in that standing position and doesn't know how to get herself down. She cries for a few sad moments, and I go rescue her, only to have her pulling herself right back up within moments. Jackson is fairly patient with her, even when she turns off his favorite show, but after a few times, he finally says, "Mom, can you come get Ellie please?"

Cooper is not patient with her at all, and we are constantly having to ask him to be gentle with her even if she is doing something he doesn't like (read: touching "his" stuff). He has his moments of sweetness toward her as well, though, so I am trying to cultivate those.

In big people news, Chris got laid off last week. We knew it was likely coming, but it's still kinda stinky to have it happen no matter how much forewarning you get. He is working really hard at finding something else right away, and in the mean time I am working extra hours at the hospital and have also started working at the Northwest Arkansas Naturals ballpark in the first aid stand as well. I like the job and love watching baseball, so it's a good fit for me. I only wish I could have my kids near, but they're too young to understand that mommy is working and needs them to go sit back down. Maybe in a few years. . .

Finally, in case you are a visual person, I offer the following as evidence of Ellie's pulling-up-on-the-TV hijinks (baby mullet included at no extra cost) --

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In the works

If you've known me for any length of time you might not be surprised about what I'm working on today at (nearly) the last minute. I mentioned it around this same time a couple of years ago.

Since I am a busy bee, and in lieu of a lengthy post, then, I will share some pictures now and save our stories for another day. Below you will find a few action shots followed by a picture of a sleeping beauty. If I live to be 300 years old, I'll never tire of seeing baby feet peeking out from under nap time blankets.

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Ella's big day

I didn't really have a chance to dwell on it. The morning was here, and, before I knew it, it was time to drop my baby girl off at her new school. I thought I would be sad, but I have all three of the kids with me today (since Jackson is still not well enough to go back to school yet), and I was a little distracted by the immediate task of keeping the boys from dying in the parking lot. Sad would come later.

I did feel completely ill-prepared, that much I know. I couldn't even find the lovey that I was going to send for naptime, since she is such a snuggler. I hope she can sleep without it. . . She's not picky, even a burp cloth would do.  .  .I'm fighting the urge to take a lovey to her even now. They do have blankets, at least. Her diaper bag was considerably lighter than it was when she went to Mother's Day Out last semester, when she was still exclusively breastfeeding and had so much more equipment. Her new school provides all her food and milk for her meals now, which is just awesome. Not only does it save us money, but it's also a huge burden taken off my shoulders--more than half the battle for me in getting my kids off to school is planning their meals.

I took a series of pictures on my phone (because I forgot the real camera, of course) to commemorate the event, but the above pic was the only one that wasn't blurry since Ella was already on the move in her new surroundings. It made me really happy to see her reaching out to some of her baby peers already as she played on the floor. She's always been very intrigued by other babies, and I think it will help her in her therapies to have other small children to model. I know her brothers have been able to provide that to her already.

Today, I dropped Ella off myself and will pick her up this afternoon as well, but starting tomorrow she will ride the bus since I have to get Jackson to and from his school at the same time. It is kinda weird for me to think of putting my baby girl on a bus and sending her out in the world, but it is a bus specifically for kids that attend her school arranged through state programming. They assure me that it is safe and that she will have a carseat and everything :).

I'm already looking forward to picking her up in a little over four hours and hearing about all that she did during her big first day.

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Making tracks

Look at my girl standing tall after pulling herself up. She is now, officially, "into everything." And I love it!

Mom, there's a strange-colored liquid in my cup. Orange juice, you say? Delicious!!

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Next week, Ella starts full-time preschool. We've been working on this since the beginning of the year, but getting all the approvals and evaluation takes some time. The timing actually works out quite nicely because she has just (essentially) weaned from breastmilk, so now I don't have to pump all the time while she's gone. The program will integrate physical and speech therapy into her daily schedule. I couldn't be more excited to see how it benefits her. She will be getting 150 minutes a week of physical therapy (30 more minutes than currently) and 120 minutes of speech--which she's never had before. I've said for a while now that I think she has some speech delays (especially because of feeding issues, though she has been conquering them on her own in the last few weeks); I'm happy to see that she is going to get some help with this earlier than later. Her TEFRA medicaid (for chronic illnesses) covers transportation to the school, so it's really a great situation all around. The only negative is how much I will miss her. She has been my nearly constant day time companion since she was born. And we have a really good time together, especially lately. I'll be sad, and I'll probably cry the first day, but soon I know I'll be celebrating all her accomplishments and I will have the confirmation I need to know that it will all be worth it.

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