The Result of All That Waiting is More Waiting

We got notice from Penn Alexander that Aaron has been wait-listed for kindergarten.  If you recall, we were #65 in line in January.  With three classes, an unknown number of kids in line who would eventually go somewhere else, and an uncertain class size for the fall, it was anyone's guess as to whether #65 was enough to get us a coveted spot.  I guessed at the time that we would be wait-listed but that we would eventually get in.  So far I'm 1 for 1 in my predictions.  Let's hope I go 2 for 2.

Because we live in its catchment area, and you're not allowed to send your kid to a school if you don't live in its catchment area, now I have to go to Penn Alexander to fill out a Pupil Transfer Request Extenuating Circumstances Form, which basically allows me to fill out an application at another school without that school saying, "You can't apply to us; you're supposed to send your kid to the school whose catchment you live in."  Then I can go to another school (likely Lea Elementary) and fill out an application at that school, so that we at least have a spot for Aaron for the fall, while sweating out the wait to see if Penn Alexander will have space for him.

Needless to say, I am bummed.  Though I believe our odds are good that we will eventually get a spot for Aaron before the school year starts, I am so busy during the day at my job that having to return to University City for two errands and two sets of forms is not at all appealing to me.

I suspect that being on the wait-list does not mean that in order for my kid to get a spot, some other kid has to move or leave.  Rather, the school is likely playing it safe, sending approval notices to a smaller group of kids that it know it can for sure accommodate, and buying themselves some time to see how many more kids they can let in.  As was announced with much fanfare earlier this month, University of Pennsylvania has officially agreed to pony up more money to enable a fourth kindergarten class.  But I'm not certain as to when that kicks in.  If it's for the 2012-2013 academic year, then I have to think that Aaron is in.  But we'll have to wait for now.

Warning: Growth Spurt Ahead

Oh boy, here we go.  Yesterday for breakfast, Aaron had his multivitamin, a glass of milk, and a half of pear, as is per usual.  The staples out of the way, I asked him what else he wanted for breakfast, and he said strawberry yogurt, so I spooned him a bowlful.  He downed that and, noticing that I was toasting bread, asked for two pieces with butter.  He scarfed that down and asked for two more pieces, which he also wolfed down.  Next was a second and then a third bowl of yogurt.

Luckily, it was time to go to school, or else he would have cleaned out the rest of the fridge.  But Amy and I immediately began discussions about adding to his lunch list, buying a second fridge, joining Sam's Club.  I see a growth spurt ahead, and I also predict I will be lighter in my pocket for it.

Bag Lady (and Gentleman, Boy, and Girl)

"What's in your bag" is a useful way to divine the makeup of one's life.  Each of the four of us have two bags, actually, and their contents tell you a little bit about our days.

Aaron's baseball bag has his cap, his mitt, my mitt, and a bottled water.  His school bag is empty, as he only needs it on Fridays, when he goes to school with his lunch box and sweatshirt and comes home with his bedding to be washed.

Jada's ballet bag has her shoes, tights, skirt, and top, as well a snack.  Her school bag - well, God only knows what's in there, but it's usually some combination of food, homework, art, books, and rocks.

Amy's gym bag has a change of clothes, sneakers, lock, and headphones.  Her work bag includes her laptop and papers.

My gym bag has my swimming trunks, towel, lock, shampoo, soap, and deodorant. My work bag includes my laptop and papers.

It's a lot of bags to keep track of, and to keep stored in our foyer.  Such is our life.

Step On It

They were giving out free pedometers at the Philadelphia Science Festival on the Parkway last weekend.  I snagged one each for Jada and Aaron, and they haven't taken them off since.  As is often intended for pedometers, counting steps has become a game for the two of them, punctuating by periodic announcements to Amy and me: "I got to 2,000 steps!"  "3,000!"  "4,000!"  As parents who exercise regularly and hope our kids also develop such habits, we are happy to "get the run-around" by our kids in this case.

Rained Out

The weather was as lousy on Sunday as it was gorgeous on Saturday, and our schedule was similarly different. 

Saturday we headed to the Y in the morning, grabbed a quick lunch at home, and then took the bus downtown to take in the Philadelphia Science Festival (on the Parkway) and the Book Festival (at the Free Library).  Jada ran into two of her very best friends, while Aaron pined in vain for a balloon.  We checked out books and trucked them back home, where we curled up together in the living room for quiet reading.  Then we wiped down the table and chairs on the front porch, had dinner outside, and gardened.

Sunday Aaron's game was rained out, but we had to head out for church before we could confirm that, so Aaron had his uniform on and I toted his baseball bag.  Once we got the word that there was no game, we could stay for the whole service, after which we hit CVS and then headed home and laid low.  Amy and I napped, Jada and Aaron worked on their chores and then watched Marx Brothers, and we ate dinner and headed for bed early.

You always hope for good weather on the weekend, but both the good weather and the bad weather worked in our favor, Saturday being a day we wanted to be out and about and Sunday being a day for staying in and bumming around.  Good times, all around.

Tooth on the Loose

Jada's second top front tooth was stubbornly clinging on, despite sticking out at a 45-degree angle from her mouth.  So it wasn't surprising to return from Aaron's ballgame  to pick her up at her friend's party last weekend and learn that it had popped out of her mouth while they were scrambling around outside the house.  The tooth was so tiny that it couldn't be found, but the Tooth Fairy was still able to visit overnight and bring Jada a few coins.  So her smile is now symmetrical again . . . although she has a couple of wigglers down below that are likely to go next.

Noteworthy

Amy has gotten into a nice little habit of writing sweet notes to the kids on their whiteboard upstairs.  They look forward to waking up in the morning and seeing what their mother has written them, and the warm feelings last throughout the day.  Though we spend relatively little time with our kids, it's gestures like this that confirm to them that we love them very much.

More Pics and Video from Opening Day

Finally getting around to posting some pics and video from Aaron's Opening Day ballgame. The video is of Aaron's first official at-bat, in which he raps a solid grounder and proceeds to head straight for the pitcher's mound before ending up, eventually, at first base. We have some work to do. But at least he's cute.

Youth Sunday

This past Sunday's morning worship service was led by the kids.  Jada had the Assurance of Pardon, and did so with great confidence and presence.  They sang a round, and again Jada did great.  (Aaron flailed around.  And when the Children Youth & Family Director asked the congregation to draw pictures of Jesus' presence in our lives, he drew a dragon.  So we have some work to do on him.)  Proud of all the kids for leading us in worship, and thankful to God that He uses the little ones in inspiring ways.

Double Date

Dates are few and far between for Amy and me, given our limited time and energy outside of work and kids.  But this past weekend, we had two dates (not including our usual Saturday night "watch CSI and eat dinner after the kids go to bed" routine).  Sunday was our 12-year anniversary so we figured, what the heck, let's go for it.

Friday night was Kids Night In at the local Y, where members can drop their kids off for a couple of hours and then go do whatever they want.  In our case, it was come straight back home, order greasy Chinese food, and enjoy the house to ourselves. 

Sunday afternoon we had a babysitter come over, and Amy and I took the subway to the waterfront, where we ate at a diner, walked leisurely on Penn's Landing to South Street, got some Rita's water ice, and took a bus home.  It was a beautiful day and lots of people were out, so even though we were weary it was liberating to just walk around unfettered by kids.  (At several points, I instinctively grabbed Amy's hand as we were crossing a street, before realizing that she was a grown-up and didn't need to be held by hand as she crossed the street . . . but then I liked holding her hand so just kept on doing so.)

Back to the grind this morning.  But it was fun to spend quality time together, reminiscing and canoodling and just enjoying each other's company.  Twelve years seems long and short, somehow.  It was fun to commemorate it.  Maybe we'll even go on some more dates outside of special occasions!

Opening Day

It was kind of crazy week this past week.  I had a huge deadline on Monday and work feverishly around four meetings that day to meet it.  Tuesday was Aaron's first baseball practice, which had me criss-crossing the city to pick up the kids, get them out to the ball field, and get them home for bedtime.  (I also had a community association board meeting that evening, to boot.)  Wednesday, Aaron gave us a scare by putting a bead up his nose, a crisis that was mercifully averted by Amy coming to the rescue.  Thursday, I took the kids to the doctor's, and let's just say waiting in a confined exam room for over an hour with two small children isn't my idea of serenity.  Friday, I had a meeting out in the 'burbs, and took the train and hoofed it over a mile from there to the meeting site on roads without sidewalks while leery drivers gave me looks.  (On the way back to the train station, I actually took a phone meeting while walking, and then had a second phone meeting on the train ride home.)

Yesterday was not the calm and relaxing weekend day that I needed after all that.  After my usual early Saturday morning grocery run, I took the kids to Aaron's opening ceremonies for his baseball league, which can best be described as 1,000+ kids milling about in colorful uniforms while parents snap photos and chat.  We left early, took the bus home, grabbed Amy, and drove to the Y to get a workout in before lunch.  After a quick bite, the kids and I were back out of the house, first dropping Jada off at her friend's Easter egg hunt, then taking trolley to subway to Aaron's Opening Day game, and then doubling back to Jada's friend's house to enjoy the remainder of the party.  When we returned home, some 8+ hours after I'd left the house with them earlier that morning, I was pretty fried, to say the least. 

Over the next couple of days, I'll try to get all the Opening Day pics and videos online so you can share with me in all the cuteness and hilarity.  As a teaser, I'll simply note that upon making contact in his first official at-bat, Aaron headed straight for the pitcher's mound rather than first base.  I have a feeling that, once I get that video up on YouTube, it has a chance of going viral.

Easter Sunday

Belatedly, I'm finally getting around to posting some pics from Easter Sunday. Jada rocked out to praise songs online in the morning.  Aaron somehow managed to stain his brand-new shirt, necessitating several washes by Amy while Aaron walked around the house in a white T-shirt looking like a Hanes commercial.  We enjoyed a festive church service at Woodland and then headed home, grabbed our car, and drove to Amy's parents' for Easter dinner.  Apparently, there was an Easter egg hunt for Aaron, Jada, and their cousin, but this is all hearsay for me because I fell happily asleep after the big meal.  Worshiping God, cute kids in beautiful outfits, a grand meal, and a good nap . . . that's a good Easter Sunday.

Baseball's Newest Fan

Earlier this week was Aaron's first baseball practice.  I picked up Jada and Aaron early from school, toting his baseball bag that had his mitt, my mitt, and all our dinners.  We hoofed it to the nearest subway stop, rode that to Old City, transferred onto the 57 bus, and popped off a few blocks from the ball field, arriving at practice right on time.

Aaron's coach was there, as were most of his new teammates.  It was a motley crew of fives and sixes, with about half like Aaron in having never touched a baseball in their lives.  For safety's sake, the practice was conducted with tennis balls and Wiffle balls.  It was a series of drills - throwing, running, and fielding grounders - followed by batting practice, and many of us parents got involved as needed.

Aaron's first time hitting off a tee was actually pretty smooth - a clean liner to first base, unfortunately blocked by the two kids milling around first, who carried the ball together to first base to record the first and possibly last out in team's history.  When Aaron got onto the field, a few balls went through his legs, but he compensated by absolutely decking a kid as the kid tried to beat out a grounder. 

Needless to say, there's work to be done.  As a lifelong baseball fan, I forget easily that the game is not at all intuitive; there are a lot of rules, and the actions that make up playing a game are not as easy to pick up without significant instruction and repetition.  But Aaron seemed really excited to soak it all in.  I think the happiness came not from anything related to baseball itself, but rather having a special activity that was just his, meeting new boys, and doing something with me. 

 As for the routine itself, getting to and from via public was a little painful but not too bad.  Jada got to get some playground time in, as well as finish her homework and read through a whole chapter book.  And, as usual, getting to ride public and walk through new neighborhoods was stimulating for the both of them.  So we have nine more weeks of practices, as well as games on weekends.  Let's hope Aaron improves in his skills, and most of all that he gains an appreciation for the game itself.

Supermom

At around 2 yesterday afternoon, in the midst of a busy day at work, I got the dreaded call from school.  "Not an emergency," was the first comment on the other line, but in fact it was a semi-emergency.  Aaron had stuck a bead in his nose and it had gotten stuck.  I laughed out loud, especially after hearing that he wasn't in any pain, and thanked his teacher for being on top of things and for calling me.  She asked me I wanted them to take him to the ER and meet me there, and I said let me think about it.

Of course, my first call was to Amy, to see what she wanted to do.  She said to call our doctor to see what they thought - as luck would have it, we had an appointment scheduled for the next morning, so perhaps we could wait until then to extract it?  In the meantime, she would button up the therapy session she was in the middle of leading and try to get herself to Aaron's school (she was at the site of hers that is only two blocks from Aaron's school). 

I called our pediatrician and was quickly called back and told that they don't do these removals and that I really ought to take Aaron to the ER.  I called back Amy and told her it was her or the ER.  I cringed at the thought of the time and money we'd burn if we had to go that route.

Fifteen minutes later, Amy called me and said she had suctioned it out and was heading back to work.  I exhaled, thanked God for having such an awesome nurse practitioner as a wife and mother to my children, and then buried myself right back into my work. 

Barely a couple of weeks ago, Amy had popped my friend's kid's dislocated elbow back into place.  Now she's removing beads from Aaron's nostril.  Thank God for Supermom!

1st Day of Baseball Practice

Registration to Taney Baseball League: $90.

Cost of a new baseball mitt: $29.95.

Tokens and transfers to get to 10 practices and 12 games: $56.10.

Having your son fall in love with the same sport you fell in love with when you were his age: Priceless.

Everything Must Go

Every so often, our kids' messes overwhelm us, and Amy or I go on a tear upstairs, throwing away everything in sight or hauling big trash bags full of toys down the street to the secondhand store.  Last weekend's target was all the papers Aaron and Jada have accumulated, and within five minutes I had filled a tote bag full of paper to be recycled. 

Aaron watched in stunned silence, and unbeknownst to me, Jada ran to Aaron's old room, shut the door behind her, and started bawling.  Apparently, my sweep of old papers included some party hats she had made a couple of months back, which were very dear to her, and she was crushed that I was tossing them.

Amy played mediator, fishing them out of my tote bag but at the same time reminding Jada that if she kept a cleaner room we wouldn't have to do these mass cleansings.  Within minutes, Jada was fine, but for a while there she was truly crestfallen.  Kudos to Amy for striking the right note, and hopefully lesson learned for next time.

Big Girl

Yesterday afternoon Jada was pestering to ride her scooter, so I took her and Aaron down the street to her school.  The playground there brings me back to when we first got Jada, as it was a nearby place for her to putter around.  Circa the present, she's so much more grown-up, handling the monkey bars with ease and seeming to grow taller each day.  Whereas Aaron still cries and whines enough to remind us of his baby days, Jada is radically different from the little peanut we brought home from China.  Like sand through my hands, I try desperately to enjoy each moment even as she appears to be racing through her childhood and becoming a young woman.  Soon enough, I'm going to turn around and see Aaron shaving and asking for the keys to the car, but this weekend was about realizing what a big girl Jada has become. 

The Write Stuff

My, how far our little Jada has come in her writing skills.  Last summer, when we gave her a journal to record her thoughts and activities while we were on vacation, her "one-page" entries might read something like this: "We went to the boardwalk.  I got ice cream.  It was fun."  Hardly a full page, as I had requested.

Even earlier this school year, Jada's teacher and I agreed that her writing lacked body.  But Jada's teacher was working on her, drilling into her questions and themes that she could recall as she was writing about something, so as to draw out new thoughts while still retaining a core narrative arc.

Here's what she wrote last month when I asked her, as I always do on the weekends, to write an essay.  That weekend's subject was our play date downtown:


"Yesterday we went to the YMCA with my scooter.  It was fun!  We stayed in the child watch for an hour!  We made oragomies [sic] and drew pictures!  When my dad picked us up, we went to the franklin institute by train.  When we got to the franklin insutute, I met my uncle and friend!  We went to the dinosuar show.  Then we went in the heart 3 times!  Then we watched a movie on a fake person.  It was discusting!  A doctor pulled off a persons skin! When I saw the inside of a person skin, the heart was still beatting!  The doctor put something in the persons body!  After that we went to . . . "

And when I called her downstairs for dinner, she protested that she still had more she wanted to write.  So the story is a little rambly, and the use of exclamation points is a bit excessive.  But the main point is she is able to write more, and more deeply.  It pleases me to see our junior blogger grow in her writing skills.

Subway Series

Still no game schedule for Aaron's baseball season, but we know when and where his weeknight baseball practices will take place.  So one day a week, I'll leave work early, grab the kids, walk them to the nearest subway station, get off and transfer onto the southbound 57 bus, and hop off a couple of blocks away from the ballfield where Aaron will practice.  (His games will be at one of two other locations, one of which is close to a Broad Street Line stop and one of which will require a bus-to-bus transfer.) 

Growing up, I have fond memories of being taken to piano by my mom and to baseball by my dad.  I don't recall ever talking, but somehow the silence and anticipation left an indelible and positive mark.  It will be interesting to see what my kids remember about our commutes, by foot/subway/bus rather than in a car.  Whatever the mode, here's hoping they too look back happily, and that the logistics of moving around, packing food, and getting home late on a school night go relatively smoothly.

The Good Wife

So that my children are grateful for their lot in life, I have a lot of conversations that go like this:

(at the dinner table)

"Who made that food you're eating?"  "Mommy."

"I see.  And who's going to give you a bath after dinner."  "Mommy."

"Hmmm.  And who bought the pajamas you're going to put on after your bath."  "Mommy."

"Oh.  And who made the bed that you're going to get in after bedtime stories."  "Mommy."

"Well . . . what about all these toys in your bed?  Who got these for you?"  "Mommy."

"OK.  And who's going to kiss you goodnight and tuck you in."  "Mommy."

"Wow.  So Mommy works all day and earns money so she can buy you clothes to wear and toys to play with.  And then, after you go to bed, she stays up and washes your blankets and folds your clothes and cooks you food and cleans up the kitchen and bathroom after you.  That's a pretty sweet deal."

They usually get the point.  Amy works a hard job, full-time, without a nanny, and without cheating the kids in regards to affection or attention.  Nor am I given short shrift, not when she's locking down cooking and laundry and cleaning and ironing for me.  (I get hugs and kisses, too.)  I feel lucky.