First Day of School (2014-15)

First Day of School (2014-15)

Jungle Juniors

He had a great first day (yesterday). He'd gone to camp off/on through the summer, so it didn't feel that much different, but I noticed a big difference when I picked him up. He suddenly seems so much older--last year, I'd ask him how his day was, what he did, etc. and would barely get a peep. Yesterday, he went on and on about it! He seems really excited about his new class. I've heard good things about his teachers, so I'm looking forward to it, too.

His rundown of the first day included:

• I did NOT do Art.
  [I'm not sure if they ran out of time or if it's a today or tomorrow activity or what, but he made it a point to tell me they did NOT do it.]
• I'm in the ANIMALS class.
  [Last year he was a Turtle Two--this year, a Jungle Junior.]
• I played on the playground.
• Tomorrow we are going to the LIBRARY!
  [They have a library at the school--I asked what type of book he would be looking for, and he said a book on TRACTORS.]
• Arthur is in my class.
  [Arthur is his potty buddy from last year.]
• There was a Lightning in my class, and I played with it for THREE minutes.
  [Lightning McQueen, which probably means he didn't let go of it the entire morning.] :)
• We had circle time and sang songs about the boys in our class and about the weather.
  [Then later, at nap, he was singing in his room, to the tune of Farmer in the Dell, 'Is Lewis here today? Is Lewis here today? Hi-ho-the-merry-o. Lewis is here today.' Followed by, in the same tune, 'The sun is out today, the clouds are out today, hi-ho-the-merry-o, the sun is out today.' So apparently his teachers are a bit more sing-song-y than they were last year, which is good since Lewis loves to sing!

Can't wait to hear what he has to say today! He was really excited to go back this morning--he was wondering if they would have Art and what they would do in Art. They have divided the 3s into younger and older 3s, and he is the older class on W-Th-F. There are a few familiar faces from last year's class, but just a few. Should be a great school year!

Lewis the Truest, Vol. XIV

Last week, I made some zucchini bread (thanks for the zucchini, Sharon!). Lewis couldn't quite say zucchini:

Lewis: Mmmm, this is yummy Bikini Bread, Mama!

He continued to call it that all week. :)

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He's checked the weather a few times over the past week, which involves him going to the back door, stepping outside, and then coming in with a weather report. The temperature is, surprisingly, always the same:

Lewis: It's 60 degrees. That means we can ________ (example: go outside and play on the playground, go to the zoo, etc.).

If he mentions the playground, he then goes on to explain the rules of the playground at school:

Lewis: You climb up the ladder and go down the slide. Make sure you are on your bottom and feet first. You don't climb up the slide.

Which is particularly hysterical to me because I have watched him climb up the slide at school many-a-times while I've waited to pick him up. 

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Speaking of school, he had his orientation one night this week. As we pulled up, this was our conversation:

Lewis: You dropping me off, Mama? (like usual)
Me: No, buddy. This is your orientation night! Dad is coming, too, and we are going to meet your new teachers!
Lewis: Ok.

Not 10-15 minutes later, in the gym, he was running around with other kids and came up to me to say:

Lewis: Drop me off, Mama!

Like, you can leave now! I'm good! Be gone with you! :)

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He's been doing a lot of this type of stuff lately:

Lewis: Can I have some Goldfish?
Me: No, it's time for lunch. Let's eat lunch.
Lewis: But I NOT huuungryyy! I not hungry. I want Goldfish. Waaaaah! (sometimes followed by throwing himself to the ground)

I calmly try to point out that wanting Goldfish = some sort of hunger, but it's usually a waste of my time. He's also pulled:

Kevin: It's time for bath.
Lewis: I NOT want to take a bath. (and in the same breath) I want to take a bath.

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Yesterday we went up to Don and Brenda's house for their Labor Day party. Kevin had told Lewis where we were going, so at breakfast, I asked Lew about it:

Me: Lewis, do you know where we are going today?
Lewis: To Bronda's house!

Then the whole drive up, he kept asking:

Lew: Where is Den and Bronda's house?

I kept saying Don and Brenda, but it did not stick with him. Den and Bronda, it is. :)

Touch a Truck

Kevin and Lewis went to Touch a Truck last weekend while I stayed home and worked on finishing Lewis' room. It was in the 90s and 1000% humidity, so I was very glad that Kevin wanted to take him. :)

 

 Big fan of the Fire Truck

 Big Rig

 

 A boat!

 Armored police vehicle

 Maybe an Army jeep?

 

 

 

Big fan of the gator/golf cart

BIG lawnmower

 

UPS Big Rig

 Looking very sweaty and hot on the trolley

 

 Kevin said Lewis was a fan of opening and closing the doors, over and over :)

 This might be on the ambulance? Or fire truck again?

Kevin texted me, saying 'It is hot' very early on, but Lewis had a great time. They were there just a little over an hour and got to see and do everything Lewis wanted to, so I'm glad they went.

Summer Fun (from Kevin's Phone)

I'm finally remembering to get back into Dropbox to access Kevin's phone pictures...only a month and a half or so behind. :) Here are the highlights from the past 6 weeks of our summer:

 Planes: Fire and Rescue, way back in July.

It was cute--Kevin and Lewis just went to see it a 2nd time today.

 Uncle Dave, the toddler whisperer (L-R is Juniper, Otis, Mathilda, and Lewis)

This was while Emily, Dietgard, and I were setting up for my mom's birthday party.

 His first jump off the board

I was inside and didn't see him jump the first time(s), but I saw him jump later.

 Playing trucks in the garden with Juniper

 Hanging with a baby cow in the barn at Conner Prairie

 Oh, the places you'll go! (at Conner Prairie)

 At the playground in Louisville 

 Mama and Lewis, in a boat

This was while Kevin was assembling the desk.

 Trying out the trampoline at Puzzles Fun Dome

He met the weight requirement, but it was really hard for him to get much momentum behind his jumps. We'd never been here before, and it was so-so...part inflatables/part arcade, kind of expensive. We went because it's one of the only places that has inflatables open on the weekends. 

Bats game 

We went to a game a few weeks ago, which was a pretty big fail. He sat in the seats for just a few minutes--there were playgrounds and the carousel that were much more enticing. It also rained quite a bit, so we spent a lot of time under shelter--I think we left in the 3rd or 4th inning.

Lewis' New Room

I thought I'd document the process of turning our guest room/office into Lewis' new big boy/big brother room. Our guest room is no more, and our office has been relocated to the basement (with a new desk after Kevin and I broke the original one). Thankfully things have come together pretty smoothly since that rough start. :)

Here are a couple of pictures of the guest room/office after we'd broken removed the desk. The pile of lumber on the floor is Lewis' new dresser, out of the boxes but not yet assembled or stained.

The desk sat on that wall, under the cork board and calendar.

One Sunday, we cleared out the room:

Dresser, assembled! (on the left)

His bed will go in the corner, under the map.

The (eventual) reading corner

I found that bamboo swivel chair at Goodwill for $20 (I think), and I've ordered a new cushion for it. It's really comfortable and will be a nice place to read. I'm going to get a rug for that area, too. 

We also cleared out my carefully-curated ecology resource books from the black cube shelves. They are in storage until I am ready to get back into it, and the shelves will be used for toy and book storage for Lewis. I found some milk crates at Home Depot that perfectly fit the Expedit shelves, so I went with those to hold his toys--they're a lot sturdier for ol' Lew than the usual fabric drawers.

Dresser in place, but not yet stained.

On another Sunday, we decided to paint the accent wall. We let Lewis have the honor of putting the first paint on the wall:

He was really into at first, but he lost interest after a few minutes and left the painting to Kevin and I.

He came back in the room later (after Kevin had rolled the whole wall and I was working on cutting in) and he said, 'Look at that BIG GREEN WALL!' It was much nicer to only have to start/finish one wall vs. an entire room. It seems like every time I start a painting project, I hate it a little more. This one was pretty easy, though, in comparison.

On Saturday, Kevin took Lewis to Touch-a-Truck while I stayed back and moved most of the rest of Lewis' stuff into his new room. I'd been slowly moving over clothing last week, so there was just some final organizing and dividing (between Lewis and baby) that needed to be done. We had him sleep in his old room on Saturday night because we had plans to go to Cincinnati Sunday-Monday, so last night was his first official night in his new room. We got back from Cincinnati at dinner time and moved the final piece--his bed!--in place, along with a rug we picked up at IKEA. 

He was a little unsure about it first, but I laid with him for 10-15 minutes and reassured him. [And bawled my eyes out...that's normal, right? ;)] He made it through the night, and, instead of coming in our room to snuggle, got right to work, playing with his road rug this morning. Hooray--I think he likes it!

Here are pictures of his almost finished room:

My new room!

His bed looks like a hot mess because it is. Between the bed rail and a body pillow and the bed skirt, everything is messy, but you get the point. :) 

 Here is the duvet cover that I found at IKEA and loved! I decided to paint the wall green because the white bedding got lost against the lighter walls. 

 We just put up the airplane (above his bed) and these wall decals this morning...he requested that the train and tractor be directly beside his head. :)

 The corner with the finished dresser

I will probably put something on the wall above it, but I'm not sure what, yet.

The reading chair with Lewis' pick of a new yellow cushion

 Which is also the playing corner--he immediately wanted to lay down his new rug last evening when we got home, and he started driving his cars and trucks around on it. That was where Kevin found him this morning, too. 

Still to do:

**I was thinking I'd do a collage of pictures above that low, black bookshelf, but maybe it would make more sense over the dresser (since it looks more blank). I'm waiting to hang anything until I have more pictures gathered--so far, I have bought (or made) a picture of a fire truck, tractor, race cars, and a train crossing.

**I have tie backs for his curtains, but I need to install them.

Our goal was to move him in by Labor Day, so I'm glad we were able to knock it out and get him in early! Now onto the nursery...it sure feels weird to walk by that currently-empty room and envision a new baby in there. Eeeks!

Lewis the Truest, Vol. XIII

Lewis went out to Huber's with Grandma and Grandpa T. last week, and they took a tractor ride around the farm. As the driver of the tractor was moving from the paved road to the field, she said something like, 'Hold on! It'll be bumpy!' Later, Lewis was driving a wooden tractor play structure (non-moving) with Grandma as his passenger, and he said:

Lewis: Hold on! It'll be bumpy!

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Lewis is going to break an arm soon, I have a feeling. The past week or two, he's been very big on:

Lew: Watch this, Mama! OR Look at me, Mama!

Followed by a jump off the couch, a WWE-esque fall to the ground, or an accidental faceplant off of a chair (these things have all happened). Bad choices. 

Gymnastics should hopefully help fine-tune his tumbling/furniture-diving skills to minimize injury. :)

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On the way to camp/school the other day, Lewis noticed a man using a weed whacker along the side of the road:

Lewis: That guy was working?
Me: Yes.
Lewis: He was using a weed whacker.
Me: Yes, he was.
Lewis: I want to use a weed whacker ONE DAY when I grow up.
Me: Oh, I bet you will use one at your house, just like Dada does.
Lewis: At my house?
Me: Yes, one day you will grow up and get a job and a car and your very own house. And you'll have to do things to take care of it, like mow the yard and take your dogs for a walk.
Lewis: I'M GOING TO GET TWO BABY DOGGIES!
Me: You are, are you?
Lewis: Ohhh, they're going to be so cute. (as he fake snuggles his future/imaginary puppies) I'm going to get TWO of them, and I'm going to get TWO CAR SEATS, and I'm going to take them TO THE ZOO!

He's got plans, yes, he does. :) My sweet boy.

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On the way home from school the other day, Lewis noticed a neighborhood across the street from his school and started talking about it:

Lew: What's down that road, Mama?
Me: Oh, it's a neighborhood. Where people live.
Lew: Some of my teachers live over there. And my boys. And ME!
Me: Oh, really?
Lew: Yea, there are BIGGER houses over there. We need a BIGGER house. Our house is too small. Our KITCHEN is too small. We need a BIGGER KITCHEN! 

:)

Gee, I wonder where he got that idea? ;) I may or may not have grumbled mentioned a few times in past few weeks how small our kitchen is and how I feel our house is closing in on us. It's especially awesome on school days, when I'm making Lew's breakfast and packing his lunch while Kevin is making his own breakfast and lunch. Sometimes Peter and Hattie come in to hang out, too...Hattie, especially, likes to hang out right under our feet so we have a maximum chance of grazing her and making her yelp out like it's the end of the world. It's good times, let me tell you!

Also, between moving/relocating things from the office/guest room, getting things ready for Lewis to move to his new room, and pulling things out of the very full storage room for the baby, things have been a bit crazy all over the house. Piles o' stuff everywhere. Kevin informed me that almost 8 mos. pregnant is NOT a good time to think about moving (he's always so rational), so I will keep plugging along at bringing order back to the house. 

And daydreaming about that house with a bigger kitchen...

What's in a Name?

We still, at 31 weeks pregnant, do not have a name picked out for a girl or a boy. [Although, when I put it that way, it seems like we have TONS of time.] :) I kind of thought we'd settled on one of each, but Kevin made a comment last night about how we DON'T have them, so we clearly need to have some further discussions. :) I'd written this post a long while back about how we came to Lewis' name, so I thought I'd share now:

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When it came time to decide on a name for Lewis, it took us a really long time. We poured over books and computer print-outs on car trips, making lists of possibilities. I used all of the baby name generator websites I could find, like if you like Name A and Name B, then maybe you might like one from this list of 20 names like those names. We eliminated the vast majority and came up with a small final-ish list we were thinking through.

It wasn't until I thought I MIGHT be having contractions one night that we finally made our final boy and girl pick: Lewis Pete for a boy, Harper Adele for a girl (and her initials would be HAT and she could go by Hattie if she so chose). :) I think that we technically finalized the names a few weeks before I was finally induced, but we didn't tell a soul, which was fun.

A few things about Lewis and how his name came to be:

**I had a Grandma Lou (my dad's mom, Ladosca), and I didn't really think we were naming him after her at the time. Now that we call him Lew quite a lot, it seems like the universe meant for it to be. He would've loved her, especially going to her house to be spoiled with penny candy and peanut butter fudge. :)

**We liked the name Lewis because if he plays sports, it will sound awesome when the crowd yells LEWWWW!

**I remember adding Lewis to the final-ish list after seeing a kid working at Panera named Lewis and thinking he seemed like a good kid. [I know, my process was so scientific.]

**I had a student named Louis when I was teaching (an 8th grader who couldn't read...that's pretty much all I remember about him), and he was one of many who broke my heart, so he might have had a little influence on me liking the name.

**I love the show Flipping Out, about interior designer Jeff Lewis. (I didn't think of that until after he was born and named.)

**We made it clear from the start that he is not Lew-ey, and most everyone has obliged. :) There were a few slip-ups early on, but now everyone calls him Lewis or Lew or Lewis Pete.

And Pete:

**Pete, of course, is for our dog Peter. Our first 'baby' together, our first love of another living thing. Also, the best dog in the world. ;) 

**We thought Lewis Pete had a better ring to it than Lewis Peter. And if we go way back, originally, Peter was named for a counselor from Waycross folklore, Jim Peters. He is rumored to live in the woods and sneak in at night to steal a little youth from campers while they're sleeping--giving himself more youth and leaving the kids seeming a little older when their parents pick them up from the week at camp. :)

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So we're still working on what will be right for this boy or girl. Kevin has made it clear that Hattie will not be a contender for a girl, so poor Hattie Girl won't have a namesake. That's okay, though. I have nine whole weeks to convince him otherwise. Haha. ;)