Where Did October Go?

The last week of October is here...which means November is just around the corner.  This past weekend we (Martha and Richard) decided that Luke could have a birthday party for his 7th birthday...you know the kind where he invites his friends.  I did not have a birthday party every year.  I don't think Richard ever had this kind of birthday party.  Clearly, we don't do this every year.  I guess we have just set the precedent that 7 is the year for your first birthday party...the kind where you invite your friends.  Originally, Luke was determined to have a party at Chuck E Cheese, but eventually he came to like the idea of a pirate-themed party at the Children's Museum.  So, I spent part of the weekend constructing invitations 1) to be e-mailed to family and last-year's classmates and 2) to be taken to school to give to this year's classmates.  Now we are just awaiting the RSVPs and turning our planning attention to the cake(s). 


We also spent some time thinking about this year's Halloween Costumes.  The boys have changed their minds about 6x each, so we had to settle them into a plan.  Paul wants to be Batman or a skeleton.  This is good - we have both of these costumes already - what a relief.  Luke finally decided to be a cowboy...he was persuaded by the lure of getting to buy new boots since the only boots we have (much-loved hand me down from Aunt Sharon) are too small.  We've picked them out and tried them on...now we have to buy them.


Tonight is the Cub Scout Pack Meeting.  Luke should be receiving his Tiger Cub Immediate Recognition Badge and his Bobcat Badge.  They are also having the Space Derby tonight.  Richard and Luke have been working on their rocket.  Richard says that he can't guarantee a win, but he can guarantee a spectacular-looking rocket.


Paul says an ambulance came to school yesterday.  All the children watched the ambulance - which supposedly  was there for a child not in Paul's class.  Paul says the child's "head was chopped off, but he didn't die".  Somehow, I think that might have made the paper, so I'm willing to bet that is not what happened.


Ruth has a cold and is cutting a tooth - her 7th.  Ah, she has 7 teeth and Luke is turning 7...what symmetry.  This week I have started giving her "lactose free" whole milk.  I don't think we imagined the change in her demeanor the last time we tried to introduce cow's milk.  The doctor says the fat is truly important and nudged that I really should get her to drink it...even if I have to add chocolate syrup to it.  I am ready to be finished with nursing.  So, the lactose free while milk is my attempt to get there.  So far, so good - although she doesn't drink much.  At least she isn't letting it drool out of her mouth as her refusal to swallow, so we are making progress.

Quick Update

Ruth had the "Dr. Visit from Hades" - although, I used a word much closer to cursing.  This was IT though - the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back (I guess I'm the camel).  We will be finding a new Dr. for the children.  Probably for the adults too.  The wait has grown longer and longer and longer.  The reception staff has grown more combative (in a passive-aggressive sort of way) and the paperwork they ask us to fill out has become ridiculous.  We *like* the Dr. (once we get to see him), but with this visit, he was even a negative.  First, Ruth and I arrived 15 minutes early, as requested (lest our appointment "might be cancelled") to fill out "Caring for your 12-month-old baby" paperwork.  I had to write Ruth's name and the date at the top of a page.  I also had to make a few check-marks to indicate she is walking, says a word or two, eats table food, etc.  It took all of 3 minutes to fill out, BUT - I don't want my appointment to be cancelled!  Then we wait...for 35 minutes past our appointment time...which totaled to 55 minutes after we had arrived.  FINALLY, we got called back to the exam room where we waited for another 20 minutes.  Never mind that Ruth had to be woken from her nap to come to this appointment.  Never mind that I'm trying to keep her from ingesting germs.  I was highly annoyed.  Other massively annoying events occurred, but I won't go into those.  I was actually so mad that I cried when we left...2 HOURS after we arrived.


At 13 months Ruth's stats are:
Weight 26 pounds 8 ounces (96th percentile)
Height 32 inches (98th percentile)
Head Circumference 18.5 inches (89th percentile)


Luke's school appears to have raised enough money to stay open through December, so there you go.

Oh, The Drama!

The past week has been a whirlwind of crazy.  We were ready for Richard's birthday and all was going well until I did a before-bed email check.  Sitting in my inbox was a message from the head of Luke's school.  We get e-mails from his school all the time, so no big deal.  This one was was titled "a change of plans" and began with a change to some plans that I didn't really affect me because I had no plans to be a part of the original plan. and then...the reason for the change of plans..."Unless additional funding is secured immediately, the school will close within a month."  WHAT?  This is a joke, right?  First, this is coming in an e-mail with such an unassuming title.  Second, this is coming in an e-mail.  Third, this school has been open for 40 years.  The quasi-explanation was just as puzzling.  Soooo...Richard and I stayed up talking and speculating until we could ring him the day of his birth.


The next day was a whirlwind to celebrate Richard's birthday at breakfast because - with the weekday schedule we have - breakfast is the best time for all of us to celebrate.  Then, everyone was off to school and the day settled out.  Except - there were various news reports about the fate of the school and these only caused more speculation.  We decided to make alternate plans in case the school does close, so we put down refundable money at the other school we had strongly considered.  Meanwhile, word came out that there would be an emergency meeting with the parents the next day.  We did have a nice hot dog picnic at Paul's school!


There have been a few meetings, many many many e-mails and apparently there is now enough money to stay open through December.  We paid our full tuition in June, so Luke is staying as long as his teacher is there and the school is open.  Many parents and the administration and board have hope that they can raise enough money to stay open all year, but I'm not as hopeful.  The only plan they seem to have to avoid this next year is to enroll more students.  Well, I'd say the press in the last week isn't doing them much good in way of recruiting.  Who wants to sign their child up and pay tuition to a school that is operating day-to-day?  We've only been with this school for 6 weeks, so we aren't really emotionally invested.  Richard, however, likes an interesting project, so he's staying more involved than I.


This week's drama:

I got a call from Paul's Head of School that he was fine, but has a bit of a black eye.  He didn't do anything wrong - another child hit him in the eye with a large sand box shovel.  She wanted one of us to come up and look at it.  Richard went up there and checked it out...and asked Paul if he wanted to come home.  Paul wanted to stay at school, so I went to pick him up later.  He says he was trying to help a boy who was having trouble and the boy hit him in the eye, but Paul thinks it was an accident.  He also says the boy had to "sit on the bench" and he didn't say he was sorry.  I'm not sure Paul knows what "accident" means, but it doesn't really matter.  It is swollen and bruised and...school pictures are next week, so there you go!