Welcome Week, part 10, and I have LOST 8 POUNDS!!!!

It's Welcome Week at the you dub this week.  My tenth Welcome Week since we moved here 10 years ago, my 5th since I got my current job.

Harry's first year, I only had to attend a couple of meetings as a grad student.

I didn't have to go at all in 2007 because I must have taught a different class (NO! IDEA!-- 2007 was a looooong time ago).

2008 was my first year running the meetings, and wow did I complain!

In 2009, I seemed more excited that Harry and Jack were finally roommates than I did about working full time for a week.  I think that's because we had Jamie back in the day, and we didn't have to think twice about child care.

No mention of Welcome Week in 2010, but I know I was there.  SO weird.

In 2011, I skipped it because I was mega-pregnant and SO SURE I would have an early baby.  He was a week late, BTW.

Last year, I was newly pregnant and not talking about it and totally bitchy and overwhelmed.

This year?  Holy shit, it's hard to work away from home all day.  Ben and I have ideal, primo schedules this semester, so one rough week is NBD in the grand scheme of things, but I have gotten up at 5 almost all week to work out, and I am tired.  TIRED.  (I didn't have work today because academics don't do 5-day work weeks, so I got to sleep in, but I also had a meeting in the afternoon and have been frantically emailing ALL DAY LONG.)

Dorothy does not drink bottles (never tried it-- never pumped, not planning on either one, pumps or bottles), so we needed someone to be on campus with her everyday.  And, you know, we have 3 other kids who would need a sitter if Ben were, say, on campus with me, or at work himself.  SO THANK GOD FOR MY PARENTS, who took off work and came to town Sunday-Wednesday.  They walked Dorothy all over the place in 90+ degree weather, bounced her, changed her, played with her, kept her happy while I was in meetings, and took me out to lunch.  HEAVEN.

This is the only kid pic I have taken in 4 days:

One more day of meetings!!!!  Then it's back to the slug life for me.

But not totally sluggy because I m finally losing weight again!

Broadway Baby

Harry has spent the past 8 weeks taking a Saturday morning Broadway theater class, and last night, he had his summer-ending performance. He was so excited he could hardly believe it because after many Saturdays in a cool rehearsal space downtown above a bar they were preforming in a real theater on a real stage which meant-- wait for it-- he GOT TO GO BACK STAGE. Yep, that was what he was looking forward to the most.

They wore dress up clothes to perform a song from Annie

Looking contemplative-- they also worked on ACTING

Not sure what was going on here.

Or here.  I think they were singing "Corner of the Sky" with their costumes still on.

I spent much of the 20-minute performance chasing that guy.

Love the dancing

Harry's fan club

This was his solo in "My Favorite Things" which we do not have on video because some asshole let their toddler run around shrieking.  Coooper was quiet, and you better believe it that the minute he wasn't quiet, I was going to get him the hell out of there before he ruined someone's preshus memory, damnit. 

Harry with his teacher

Dorothy was really helpful

Oh, Mr. Cooper.

Found this in my purse (shut up, sometimes my blood sugar gets low), and it was the perfect thing to keep Cooper happy. And ruin my white skirt.  Also, the problem with subduing your toddler with chocolate is that eventually the chocolate kicks in, you know, and the subduing part goes out the window.  But, since the show was only 20 minutes, a candy bar was an ideal tool.

 
In other news:

I remember that by 6 months, Cooper had a nap schedule firmly established for himself.But I don't remember HOW that happened. Dorothy's naps are totally hit or miss. Mostly miss. And it is starting to drive us all craaaaaaaazy.  Good thing she's adorable.

Also, my allergies are KILLING ME. KILLING ME. I am not taking any allergy meds because I generally don't take anything even Tylenol while breastfeeding because damned if I went through DAYS of natural labor to ingest a bunch of shit now (WINE DOES NOT COUNT), but I may have to rethink that stance because I look terrible all the time.

I work next week.  Like the whole most of the week.  Woe is me.   WHAT AM I GOING TO WEAR (besides a bobby pin in my bangs-- so, so dreamy)?

Quiet Weekend

The other day, Ben did this weird thing where he went to work all day. Two days in a row. And I thought of all the moms who are alone with their children during business hours 5 days a week, and I wept for them.

We actually had a fun couple of days.  I decided I had to let a few things slide-- I picked screentime and nutrition.  The kids watched so much TV, even 3 different shows on Netflix on their respective iPads while the TV was playing something totally different, and I served them bagels and cereal for dinner on Wednesday.  But we had so! much! fun!  We even went to the pool:

Dorothy turned 5 months

She's not totally excited about it

She also, as you know, got sick!  Her first fever! And it sucked!  She didn't sleep AT ALL for two nights.  It was horrible.  HORRIBLE.  Then she slept 14 hours for 2 nights to catch up.  She seems mostly back to normal now-- runny eyes, runny nose, sneezing and coughing.  Cooper is mostly better, too, green snot and barky cough notwithstanding.

Like her sunnies?

Selfie while the boys tore the basement to shreds

Cooper is really into stacking, and he is working on not losing his shit when all of his blocks fall down.  Thanks to Daniel Tiger, he is much calmer.

Orange Leaf!  Only 40 calories an ounce!

She slept until 9:00 am on Saturday, and I was so jealous.

Adult swim is interminable.

Dorothy agrees.

She keeps trying to roll over in her bouncy.

I thought she was asleep, but then I caught a glimpse.

He ate a tiny little chocolate covered graham sample and bam!  His face looked like this.

It was lovely tonight, and all of us played outside

Everyone in his own sandbox.  No sharing over there boys!  NO SHARING!

We missed a trip to Des Moines to see Bomma due to sick baby, but we had a nice, quiet weekend at home.  Only 2 more weeks until school starts-- let;s see how many magical childhood memories we can cram in, huh?

Sick baby

If Dorothy reached a baby fashion pinnacle in her little Baby Gap lawn party dress, today, she sunk to a never-before-achieved low by wearing her PJ's out of the house.  It's been 24 hours of firsts for our little 5 month-old:  Baby's first fever!  Baby's first encounter with Tylenol! Baby' first entirely sleepless night! Baby's first sick-visit at the pediatrician's office!  Baby's first Justavirus diagnosis.  Blergh.

Not only did our ill-timed doctor visit (one mom, four kids, one exam room-- IS THERE EVER A GOOD TIME?) prevent the big boys from attending their last day of swim lessons, it also prevented Cooper from taking a damn nap which is a huge bummer because Dory's sleepless night? Was also mine.

Cooper was just at the doc on Monday with similar complaints (102-degree fever, cough, runny nose-- you know, THE SNIFFLES), but he has (knock on wood) bounced back.  Just waiting for the other 2 to get sick.  One at a time, natch, so I can look as Munchausen by proxy as possible.

I haven't taken any pictures with Dory's 5-month sticker yet because she is feverish and wearing warm jammies (sans bow, even).  But I have these:

Circles under her little eyes in the last one-- she was already sick!!

Family picnic and a million other pictures

 Dorothy could not believe how awesome this chair is.

Today Ben's parents hosted a picnic for the whole family at a really cool park near their house.  We had a terrific time and got fabulous family pictures.  Want to see them?  (And here is where I pretend you said yes).

 Harry and Jack have been begging to go to the pool every night after dinner, and it's hard to say no because I love nothing more than lounging poolside with a book, and summer will be over before we know it.

And plus also we often have the whole place to ourselves (last night they closed early for the annual water ballet show).

 This dress was a little fancy for a picnic, but it was part of Baby Gap's Gatsby lawn party collection, and a lawn party is pretty much a picnic, right?

 Cooper has been trying to cram himself into this chair since I got it out the other day.  Finally success!  In the middle of Dorothy's play mat with all of Dorothy's toys piled up-- WHAT IS HE TRYING TO TELL ME??

 Harry got in on the act

 Feral child.