Mr. Independent

It's been quite the first month of preschool...  We've had two cold day (as in freezing) cancellations so far and last week Mari started the family on the cold (as in snot/sneeze) train.  No biggie, though I worried how Alistair would do on his own for four hours after only having been there three times before, but it was also a good test to see.  He's never been at home without at least one of the three of us there, not mention out of the house by himself.  But I guess since they are our children and Mari is Miss Independent I shouldn't have thought twice.  He did fabulous, my brave little man!

This is really something since, as DH so aptly puts it, he is a level three clinger.

It is a good sized class, about a dozen cutie two to three year olds, with three great teachers.  The teacher that I spoke with when I picked him up said that when they were playing with bikes (there is a huge separate indoor room for winter play) he looked around a little like he was looking for someone, but no tears.  Their first, and subsequent, drop offs have been uneventful, which was a welcome relief even though we knew they were ready to get out without us, and when we went to visit they took to the place like glue.  I'm so glad we found a place they (and I) really like, finally.

Now we are faced with what to do for fall.  I'm considering keeping them there or going to one closer to home.  And I'm thinking of going back to work, so I'm debating how many days they should go (and where) if we hire a nanny.  And of course, I've also got scenarios worked out for other changes that might be coming.  So complicated, if exciting.  Thankfully they don't have to worry about any of this stuff...  I'm looking at Montessori and Waldorf schools, does anyone have any experience with these?

On the bloggity blog note, we are now beginning year five.  As most people have probably noticed, it seems like I'm not the only one who has less time to blog now than ever.  Even "professional" bloggers, who make money off their blogs, are disappointing me lately, but don't get me started on them.  I follow friends, but generally am finding the whole genre less rewarding.  I try to keep up with updates on the kids because, while I obviously have all the pics on my computer, keeping track of all the little fun things they do are prone to get lost in the everyday craziness that is the life of a SAHM mom of twin toddlers.  How do you feel about blogging lately?  I feel like by killing Blog reader, Google put a stake in Blogger.  Maybe it's just me.  Pinterest, Instagram, etc. are just not the same.

September, really?

Our big news for the new month is we have a shuffler!  Alistair has taken a few shuffling steps the last few days, and four more today, so I guess calling and meeting with EI worked. ;). We'll likely have the therapists come for the assessments anyway though.  But we are so proud of him!

It has been a rough few days around here.  The kids had a "practice" day at school late last week, and now Mari and I are battling some kind of debilitating flu-like something, so that has me doubting everything.  Tuesday is definitely not happening, not sure about the rest of the week, we shall see.

Hope you and yours are having a great long Labor Day weekend!

Adventures in pediatric orthopaedics

Based on our pediatrician's recommendation, we took Alistair to a pediatric orthopaedist with Lurie Children's Hospital last week.  It was a very uneventful visit, as we'd hoped and expected.  He checked out fine and the physician noted that he thought Alistair's laid back temperament and extreme joint flexibility (likely inherited from me, insert joke here) are likely why he is just lately putting together the final pieces and getting around to walking.  He's made a lot of progress lately and he may even be on his own by our much anticipated beach vacation next month.

I asked about therapy and while the doctor said Alistair would likely qualify for physical EI through the state, for a therapist to come to our home to work with him, he also thought given where Alistair was already, that it would not necessarily get him walking independently any faster than if we just skipped it.  So that is what we are planning to do. 

I'm all for intervention when needed, obviously, but I'm also well aware that there is a wide range of "normal" and given that I am able to be home with them  (we had looked at child care programs where they need to be walking to move to the toddler program, forcing them to be separated) there is really no rush to getting him to meet arbitrary milestones.  He is making good progress and the physician's only concern was if he were to regress.