Concerned About Connor

As a Mom, I now come up with many more things to worry about. And when you have twins you sometimes compare them to one another to complicate matters. Right now Chloe is happy, loving dance class, and excited to go to school each day.

For over a week now Connor has begged not to go to school and cries in the morning before being dropped off. He tells me he doesn't want to put on his clothes, that he wants to stay home with "his toys," and my personal favorite, that he needs to stay with Leo. Since Leo spends most of the day sunning himself and napping I totally understand why Connor would want stay home with Leo. Heck, I'd like to stay home with Leo too.

How Leo likes to spend his day

It all started right after we had a visit from our Louisiana cousins Andrew and Baby Elizabeth. At first I thought he'd enjoyed all the activities from the visit that he'd rather do that than go to school. This theory was supported by the fact he kept asking if Andrew was coming over to play. I explained Andrew had to go home and he seemed to get it. But, he was still breaking my heart each morning crying and telling me he didn't want to go to school.

My next theory was supported by some other Mothers I'd discussed Connor's new aversion to school with. The first day he was upset about going to school was the Monday after we'd gotten Chloe her ballet outfit and the first day of her dance class. I was now convinced Connor was jealous of Chloe getting to take ballet and the special attention related to that. I talked to the director at the kids' school to see if we could include Connor in the class or find some other class for the boys or anything. She told me Connor didn't even notice when Chloe went to class and he didn't really seem care. I wasn't so sure so I did what I should have done to begin with, I asked Connor.
Shelley: "Did you know Chloe is taking ballet?"
Connor: "Yes"
Shelley: "Do you want to take ballet?"
Connor: "No"

So he's not worried about missing out on being a ballerina.

He is still fighting me on getting dressed each morning and cries on the way to school. I've tried to ask him why he doesn't want to go to school but so far I haven't gotten a clear answer. So for now, Chloe is excited and squeals each morning when we get to school and I can hear Connor's cries as I leave in my car. Still working on theories and solutions.

Starting Ballet

I'm thrilled Chloe's school offers ballet class. I had been looking into dance schools, but most toddler classes are during the day so I'd have to schedule work around it and pull Chloe out of school for that time. This really works well since I just send her dance stuff to school and the teacher comes there on Monday afternoon.

It's only ballet and I really wish she could take tap too, but this is a great way to try it out and be sure she likes it. There has only been one class so far, but she seems to love it.

We went to a dance store to get everything. I thought it was strange that they recommended a size and a half larger ballet shoes for her to grow into, but they seem to fit OK.

We tried on our entire outfit at home the day before class. She did a little dancing for me, but remember this is before her first lesson, I'm sure she even better by now.

Excuses, Excuses...

I know it's been awhile since I've posted, but honestly I've been sick for almost a month now. I usually like to blame the twins for whatever aliments attack me, but the last week of July I caught the flu and I didn't get it from either of them.

When I was sick late July, I just thought it was a cold, but it really knocked me on my ass. I was seriously sick for about 4 days with barely any energy. In the evenings I asked my Mom to come over and help with the kids and then I'd go to bed around 7:30. The worst of it was over after a week, but I still had lingering congestion and a cough for two more weeks.

In the process I got Chloe sick from kissing her. I definitely know better and my Mom scoffs that it could be a little kiss, but I'm pretty sure this is how I passed it along. One morning when Carl was taking the kids off to school, I was helping get everyone in and ready to go. Chloe asked for a kiss. I tried to blow her a kiss and she puckered up and said, "kiss Mommy." I tried to lightly kiss her on the check, but she shook her head, puckered up, and more emphatically said, "kiss Mommy!" I gave in and gave my sweet girl a kiss, but the next day she had a fever, and I know it was my fault.

After I had almost kicked the lingering cough we had a fun week planned. Our cousin Andrew and his sweet baby sister Elizabeth came to visit and we had fun stuff planned for three days. After all of that, the fun culminated in a birthday party Saturday night a Lego Land.

The kids went crazy at Lego Land, they loved it!

After loading up on sugar from an enormous birthday cookie the twins were ready to take Lego Land by storm. It really is a cool place and I could easily see why kids love it, but for toddlers it really amounts to giant pools of legos you jump into and play to your hearts content. While the kids were playing, the birthday host Mom mentioned that it seem liked there could be a ton of germs here at Lego Land. I laughed it off and then cautiously applied hand sanitizer to the twin's hands every half hour. The party was a blast and the entire family was worn out when we got home.

Now I can't say for sure it was Lego Land, but I do plan to call the place Lego (Virus Culture Lab) Land from now on. Connor was the first to get sick. On Sunday morning he threw up breakfast and every meal after that. After lunch I was holding him in the living room and he started kind of coughing, but I knew it was something more, so I cupped my hand under his mouth. As I did that, he threw up in my hand and all down the front of me and onto the floor as I ran with him to the kitchen sink. I then stripped him naked and gave him an impromptu bath in the sink. Once he got it out of his system he was worn out but felt better. Until after dinner. This time he threw up while standing next to his Daddy by the back door. Carl scooped him up and rushed him outside with me yelling, put him in the grass. I'm not sure why I think it's better for him to throw up in the grass, but that's what we did. Then Carl stripped him naked and sprayed him down with the garden hose. I wanted to take a picture of his cute butt while he was standing outside, but my better mothering instincts sent me in for a towel to grab Connor and cuddle him instead.

I was worried, but he was fine Monday morning. However, Chloe and I were congested. Chloe seems to have kicked it except for a bit of a runny nose. I'm still congested with a cough. I'm actually embarrassed that I'm sick again. Seriously, shouldn't I have a stronger immunity system.

Anyway, that's my excuse for being out of touch. I do have a lot of things I'd like to share so I plan to have a few posts over the next few weeks if you haven't lost total interest after a long paragraph of "throw up" story.