I went back to work two weeks ago. It has been a lot easier than I expected. I have good students (so far) who had a substitute who I have know for a few years and they were jumpstarted well. Pnut is back to her before school care (I asked the supervisor if she was ready for her and she responded Yes!). It is nice to know that she is loved by so many around her.
Pnut's teacher is 100 times better than her kindergarten teacher. We get weekly feedback on how she is doing in class, I have not received any notes, and when Pnut tells me she has lost recess or received warnings her reasons are valid and appropriate. Pnut is doing fabulously in school (aside from her chatty, bossy, nature); her grades are excellent on her tests, she zips through homework and is in the higher reading group. This means she has mastered the first set of 100 high frequency words and can start the online reading program. She reads books and takes comprehension tests based on those books to earn points (it is like Ac*lerated Re@der if you are familiar with that). Her second set of 100 words have come home and some examples of words my Nut will know are: following, answer, American, thorough!
My boy Cashew. I knew when I found out I would have a boy I would have a little bit of gender depression (I think it lasted like week) and now I LOVE my BOY so much. He makes me smile even when he is cranky. He is doing well with all his friends at daycare. They love him and he has done well. Of the 10 days at daycare so far I think he has only had one rough day.
He had his 2 month check up yesterday (even though he is 10 weeks). My darling boy is 14.3 pounds, 24 inches long (half the size of his sissy!) and doing well. The doctor mentioned he had a nicely shaped head and asked if we laid him flat a lot. I said, except for sleeping at night and changing diapers he doesn't lay flat. The boy is held, sits in a swing or bouncy seat, naps propped on a nursing pillow, and is elevated for baths. He should not have a flat head :) I don't see Cashew as a chubby, he is just big in all areas. He is wearing 3 month or as big as 3-6 month clothes, size 2 diapers and chowed down on a 6 oz bottle yesterday for his sitter.
Cashew typically is doing 5-6 hour stretches of sleep in the beginning of the night as well. Around week 6 I figured my boy out and life has been a little better for us. He is not completely routined, but he has cues that make my life so much simpler. With these cues I have been able to return to choir on Sunday morning; I even send Cashew home with Daddy on choir practice nights. He is a wake, eat, play, sleep child. So much better than the napping battles from before.
I love him. His faces are precious. He is gaining so much more personality. He has some great smiles and gets very fidgety and excited (he kind of pants like a dog and purses his lips) when you talk to him. He chatters more at you when he is getting upset and has the odd comfort mechanism of liking the burp cloth over his face to sleep. I don't remember a lot of these things with Pnut, but I'm glad I get to experience them again.
Pnut is a great sissy. She wants to help so much that sometimes we have to tell her to back off some. She can give him a paci when we can't, she reads to him, talks to him and just likes to be by him.
Returning to work has been patience testing with getting out the door, but we are getting it done and for that I am glad. I am getting used to referring to them, they and the kids more. After six years of her, she, and our kid, the new references are hard rolling off the tongue, but I can't imagine not having the boy here now.
