Updates

One child down for a nap, and another down for watching Wild Kratts and eating crackers, seems like a good time to catch up on the ole blog. Evening scribblings about our day just aren't working out. Seems I would rather watch terrible television programming and fall asleep before 10pm.

We started the week off with a Good News follow-up visit to Stella's surgeon. No new infected nodes, no need for meds, and no need to check back in for six months. Woo-hoo, indeed.

I was also fortunate enough to be signed up for Cooking Volunteer in Heath's class on Tuesday. We "cooked" egg salad. I was uncertain as to whether or not it would be a hit, eating wise, but was positive it would be a great joy watching the kids smash and peel the shell off the egg, mix in their choice of mayonnaise or mustard, then take their pick of dipping it with crackers, or spreading it onto a slice of bread.

In some cases, peeling the shell off the egg and placing it into the compost coffee can was perhaps too laborious, so they simply mixed their egg, mayonnaise, AND shell. Crunchy, they noted, but managed to consume most of their eggshell salad on whole wheat bread. Others were not interested in mayonnaise, but chose mustard alone. I like the color, they explained. These mustard-folks were not as pleased with the flavor of their concoction and pretty much stuck to eating crackers with nothing. A few wanted spoons of mayonnaise, minus the kick of mustard, and happily dipped crackers into their yellowish spread. Heath, like he does at home, chose mayo and mustard, but wanted nothing to do with bread or crackers. He also managed to do the same thing when he got home with the four leftover eggs.

The same day as Project Egg Salad, we were notified of our class placements for school next year. I have not given up hope that Heath will get pulled in off the wait list for one of the public Montessori schools, but it's nice to know he has a spot at his current school. And Stella will be joining the school as well next year, and not a moment too soon. Our exit each day at drop-off has become noisier, as it seems she would much rather stay and be part of the excitement.

When we enter Heath's class, Stella immediately takes off her jacket and shoes, as if to say, I'm not going anywhere, anytime soon. She then makes her rounds to each station of activity. She writes. She reads. She plays in the kitchen. She snuggles with her favorite stuffed dog in the reading corner. She paints. She cuts clay. She washes hands. She paints again. She washes hands again. She runs away from me when I tell her "last minute." She gives Heath a kiss good-bye. She fakes me out by making me think she's ready to go. She runs into the 3s class. She makes her rounds at their activity station. (I apologize to the teachers profusely, then shuffle her out.) She escapes into the Full Day class. (I apologize to those teachers, then shuffle her out.) And lastly, I scoop her and her full-on blood-curdling wails up and race out to the car.

Meanwhile, I have moved onto maternity underpants and, coincidentally?, am feeling slightly less cranky. I suppose it is the little things. Or in this case, the slightly roomier things.