Kindergarten orientation

It seems a little surreal that I went to Maggie's kindergarten orientation last night. Seeing as she is our 3rd child, it is a little odd that we have not done this before. However, Ben was at St. Luke's in pre-K 4, so he just moved up a year at the same school and Daniel started half way through the school year and then repeated kindergarten at the same school. Even though Maggie will be at the same school as Ben, neither of the boys went to kindergarten at Hudson, so I thought it would be useful to go to the orientation. It was actually very informative and I realize how many first time parents are concerned about their child starting school-we had a lucky escape before and I am not worried about Maggie at all. Maggie is so excited that she will be going to school with Ben and she asks every night if she's going to Hudson the next day. Of course, she doesn't realize that she won't see him all day, but I think she will be reassured that he is in the same building. Ben is very good when it comes to taking care of her when he needs to & I am sure he'll be ready to help her at school if the situation arises.

Amazing......

I took Ben for his 6 month growth hormone check yesterday. He started GH on June 30th last year and at that time, he weighed 39 lbs and was 42 1/2 inches tall. 7 months later, he is almost 45 1/2 inches tall and he weighs 45.8 lbs. The doctor says this proves that he was GH deficient and that he needs it to grow. No kidding, he grew 1/2 inch in the 9 months prior to starting therapy and it seems like his weight stayed at around 40 lbs for 2 or 3 years!!!! The most dramatic change is to look at the growth chart and see just how much he had leveled off below it before GH therapy and how much his growth rate has changed so that now he is almost at the bottom of the curve. The doctor thinks that he should be on the growth charts by our next appointment. that will be a first for Ben. The daily injections are tough to take, but it's obviously so worth it. We are all very happy.

How to talk to girls....

Listening to Bob & Tom on the radio on my way into work this morning, they were talking about Alec Greven, a boy who wrote How to Talk to Girls when he was 8. It started as a school assignment and he's now on the author circuit promoting his book!!! It reminded me of Ben & Zachary at the basketball game on Friday night. There is a girl in their class who is the classic pretty girl who knows it-I dread to think what she's going o be like in a few years time as she's a piece of work even now. Ben has been gaga over her for quite a while and apparently he is not alone. Ben & Zachary were being very giggly over going to talk to her when she arrived at the game (in her leopard print furry vest, no less). At the end of the game, she walked up to Ben and said "Ben, you need to give me your Starburst, James has already given me his Skittles". Seriously, she's that manipulative at 7? These boys don't stand a chance at such a tender age, or any age for that matter. Maybe I'll buy them a copy of the book!!!!!

It's a boy.....

When I picked Ben up from school today, he wanted to go to the barber's with his friend Xavier. Xavier's mother told him that he'd have to get his hair cut if he went and he said that was what he wanted. I told her that it was fine with me, but I fully expected it was just an excuse to leave with them. Well, I was wrong, he got all his hair cut off after us spending a year trying to get him to do it. It's amazing what kids will do when they are with someone else. We have our son back and he is sooooo cute....

Tie your shoes

"Tie your shoes

Tie your shoes

Wake up now, no one else knows how to tie your shoes"

-Widespread Panic

Remember when tying your shoes was a developmental milestone monitored by pediatricians? Most kids shoes have Velcro these days, so it's not used as much any more. Unfortunately, Ben's feet have finally grown enough that the only option is laces now. I bought him some new shoes last weekend and showed him how to tie the laces on Sunday night ready for school on Monday. He picked it up immediately and has tied them himself all week.....

Well, it made me laugh.....

Maggie says "MaMa" over and over. It sounds just like a doll sometimes. This morning, I called her on it.
Maggie: MaMa
Me: Maggie, you sound just like a doll when you say that!!"
Maggie: MaMa, you are a good MaMa
Me: And you're a good Maggie
Ben: And you are a good doll
Maggie: MaMa!!!!!

Clothing

One of my pet peeves is the lack of clothing options for boys and the insane excess for girls. This makes it so much easier to buy girls clothes as is evidenced by my experience this morning.
I was sorting out clothes for school next week (I get them ready for Sam to distribute each day) and there are no pants at all in Ben's drawer. I am going to have to wash everything from last week before I can pack for him for next week!!! This prompted me to look to see just how many pairs Maggie had and I found that she has 22 pairs of spare pants!!!! This is in excess of what is still in the laundry. She also has a stash of shirts, jackets, etc. Most of Ben's pants are second hand and have rips in the knees. I really must get him some new ones this weekend!!!!