portrait of the artist as a young man

what happened?

We've been very neglectful of the blog, of late. Sorry -- Luke has mainly been sick. From a few days after his birthday until a few days ago, he had a nasty cold. Fever for a few days, one night of vomiting (sorry, too much info) and lots of boogies and snotties. We kicked the nebulizer into high gear and have been able to avoid nearly all wheezing. Luke's better now and had his 2 year check up on Friday. The stats are 36 inches and 26 pounds. He's consistently at the 75th percentile for height (which he must have inherited from Pop-Pop) and the 25th percentile for weight, taking after his parents who were both (and wish they still were) skinny-minnies as kids. I'll close with a vomiting anecdote (lovely, I know). After poor Luke threw up all over me, he looked at me plaintively and asked, "What happened?!" Poor boo-boo. So much of life is a mystery when you're 2.

the 2nd birthday report

Man, oh man, did we have a blast for Luke's birthday! He was so aware that it was a special day just for him and so excited about his "surprises." We woke up and immediately went into the living room, where we had done up a little birthday display of his presents: the tricycle from Grammy, 2 new trains, a train "washdown station" (i.e., water tower), new books, little cars, and a puzzle. Luke immediately knew what to do with the tricycle, and he hopped on it, asked for his helmet, and started ringing the bell! He put Momo in the backseat, and commanded Dada to start pushing him around.

We spent the day at a favorite spot: Tennessee Valley Beach. Luke walked a long ways (about the distance of what an adult would cover in a brisk 10-minute walk, not a trivial distance for a 3' tall little guy). [Dada disagrees with the distance, but I swear it's true!] We had a picnic on the beach, played in the waves (well, Dada and Luke played while Mama rested on the picnic blanket). Dessert was a chocolate cupcake, which Luke is still talking about! And then, Luke napped in the stroller on the hike home while Mama and Dada enjoyed a gorgeous, warm, and sunny day.

That evening, more prezzies arrived via FedEx and UPS, and Luke enjoyed the authentic tractor from Pop-Pop and lots and lots of birthday cards. Luke was treated to a song (via telephone) from Sesa and family, then another call from Grammy. When we all finally collapsed in bed (at 8 for Luke and just one short hour later for Mama), we were tired, happy, and full of love. It was a wonderful celebration of Luke's arrival. Thanks and love to everyone who helped make it so special!!

Here is 2 minutes of tricycle love (please note Momo in the backseat!):

preschool tour: glen park montessori

Impressions:

• Eh.
• The space was serene, organized and sparse, but we didn’t love it as much as we thought we would.
• The program seemed a bit focused on academics (which is really just play tarted up as academics).

The Facts
Web site: http://www.glenpark-montessori.com/
Location: In the Glen Park “village,” in a 2-story storefront space, with outdoor decks canopied by trees
Start/end times: Full day program (8:30 to 5:30 p.m.)
Class size: 20 in the younger kids classroom; 20 in the older kids classroom
Student/teacher ratio: 6:1
Parent participation: A little bit (20 hours per year)
Facilities: Well organized, with mostly wooden toys and materials; 1 of everything (as opposed to multiples), no trains (?!!), emphasis on personal independence. Lovely area for independent hand-washing and miniature toilets.
Likelihood of getting in: Pretty good. They receive about 35 applications for 10-12 open spots. If we apply early, they can pretty much guarantee us a spot.

Downsides
It seems a little lonely. Would Luke really have fun here, make friends, be bursting to tell us about his day? We’re not so sure. Luke (and all of us) lean toward independent activities, and Montessori seems like it might emphasize what already comes naturally. The community we saw at Glenridge – and the community support – was really appealing, so that remains our #1 choice.

super-quick birthday update

We had an amazing two-day birthday celebration. Mama's day was restful and restorative, and Luke's day was a lollapalooza of tricycle, trains, beach and chocolate cupcake. Dada uploaded a bunch of photos to Flickr last night, and I'll share the written report and video this weekend. (Flickr photos are viewable only by "family and friends," so if you're a friend who's not on our Flickr friend list, send me an email and I'll add you!)