May Madness

It's been a very busy and festive May!!!

We've had our Friday swim lessons.  Tate's learning how to do the breaststroke now!!!  He's also learning how to swim freestyle and breathing...he is not a fan of the breathing technique, but he's soldiering on.  His second least favorite is having to use his arms to move in the water...he'd choose to just use his legs to propel himself forward all the time if he could.  But he rarely complains about going, so we're gonna keep on keeping on.

Here they are working on the breaststroke...getting the frog legs going first!

Our spring soccer season finished up!  Tate's gotten quite a bit better.  He still gets his feelings hurt when the other 'team' doesn't let him score a goal and he still seems a bit confused about which way to dribble the ball, but other than that we're good...LOL!!

They were playing some sort of game where Tate and
Coach R were chasing everyone.  Once they tagged you,
you had to join hands and chase the rest of the group!

GOAL!!  ALMOST!

Love how they all stand around the ball!

He got a medal at the end of this season at both school and the weekend class.  It's his first medal, and he was super excited about it!  I'm going to see if I can parlay that into interest for swim team where he'll get more medals!!  We shall see!

We spent some weekends together doing science experiments!!  WooHoo!  Just simple stuff...the ol' baking soda and vinegar experiment and then when one of Tate's classmates was over we did the Mentos and Diet Coke experiment!  Tate loves doing these especially the baking soda and vinegar...he can work on that for at least an hour watching it all fizz!!

Teacher Appreciation Week happened this month.  I decided to really celebrate this year and included all of the teachers at Tate's school.  There are only 14 teachers in the entire school, and though only 5 of the current teachers have had him in their classrooms in the past 4 years full time, 2 of them care for/have cared for him before or after his regular teachers arrived/left.  In addition, the assistant director and his 2 year old classroom teacher are there from 630am every single morning until the school closes in the evening.  Almost 12 hours every single day.  Without fail.  Those two ladies have made the care of children their mission in life.  Ms. S has been at his school for 27 years!!!  Ms. L has been there for 16 years!  We have been blessed by all these women...all 14 of them.  They all look out for and love our sweet children.  

Day One

Day Two

Day Three

Day Four 

Day Five 

On this last day with the Smarties, I gave the women who have been his teachers these cute cups, the smarties and a gift card to Target as well as the assistant director and director of the school.  I gave the 2 teachers who take over his class the smarties and a smaller gift card.  The other teachers received the note with the smarties.    I just love them all.

We've had some nice weekends, just the two of us, hanging out with one another and friends, I've been sleeping in.  I do my best to get him to go back to sleep if he wakes up before 6am on the weekends.  Then I'll let him watch his precious train videos or Mickey Mouse Clubhouse or Super Y on my computer and I'll go back to sleep for an hour or more.  It's worked out really well.  He's even gotten to where if he's hungry he'll go downstairs and get a cheesestick, some yogurt and applesauce for breakfast.  He's even figured out how to make a bowl of cheerios WITH MILK (that he amazingly didn't spill everywhere).  I had my kindergarten orientation at his new school one evening, and Aunt Lindsey babysat and dealt with the whining when she didn't put his towel on right.  He then complained about the pjs I laid out and she said fine, find something else and make it snappy.  He was overjoyed and found a pair of shoe pajamas (footed pjs) that were fleece.  For a night it was 85 degrees overnight.  We all survived.

At least he went to sleep for Aunt Lindsey!

So proud that he got his
cereal AND MILK all by himself! 

That's alot of food for such a little boy!
He ate about 3/4 of it!
Eyes are bigger than the stomach!

Playing with his godmother's puppy!

I caught him trying to stand on the chair
on top of the chair! 

He admitted this was not a good idea.
Thank goodness!

Going to the park with Papa!

Graduation Practice!

All smiles after his MMR booster!
Just a few tears and within 2 or 3
minutes he was just sniffling.
Such a sweet boy! 

Spray Park fun on Memorial Day weekend!

No month in the life of Tate would be complete without trains!!  We rode the zoo train and happily ran into one of his BFFs from school while there, so we had an impromptu playdate back here at our house.  We rode the little steamers together one Saturday after soccer and on another day made our way downtown to see Houston's finest steam engine the Southern Pacific 982!!!

  

Riding the little steamers! 

Life is just grand.  Just grand.  

I love this boy.  I love my life.  I love our life together.

My Little Graduate

Tate Christopher graduated from Pre-Kindergarten on Wednesday, May 21, 2014 at 6pm in the evening.  It was an absolutely lovely ceremony.  From 'Pomp and Circumstance' to the cake reception, just a lovely evening.

I left work early and raced home.  Lucky for me, parents agreed to pick Tate and his BFF up from daycare at 3:30 and met me at my house.  As I was driving into my garage I could hear Tate and Leo screeching, laughing and playing.  When I came up the steps to the second floor of the house it seemed every single toy had been pulled out.  Mind you, they arrived 10 minutes before I did.  Those sounds of absolute joy melted my heart.  I love how these two boys love one another, and I'm so very sad to know that Tate is soon to lose his bestest friend, but I refuse to focus on that right now.  I had ordered pizza to be delivered for the kiddos to eat (as well as us adults) and we opened the wine as soon as I arrived.  I invited a couple other kids from Tate's class along with their parents to get some food into their kids as well.  It was just nice to hang out for just a few minutes before the mad rush to get the kiddos dressed and back to the school by 5:15.

Pizza!!!

A synopsis of the ceremony...

Welcome
Processional
Pre-K Welcome - 2 of the kids
Pledge to the American Flag - 2 of the kids
Pledge to the Christian Flag - 2 of the kids
The Lord's Prayer - Tate and one of his little friends
'Let It Go' - Sung by Pre-K led by 2 of the kids
Song Medley - other school kids and the graduates
Message - the Church Pastor
Presenting of the Diplomas
Slide Show
'It's Wonderful World' - Sung by Pre-K led by 2 of the kids
Closing Prayer

It was just beautifully done.

Pomp and Circumstance

I love how he's looking at her...so sweet. 

Reciting The Lord's Prayer

And now how sweet she's looking at him :)

Taking the stage to get his diploma 

CONGRATULATIONS!

The new kindergartner!!

Turning the tassel!

Reciting his bible verse

'Be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving others even as God has forgiven you.'

Getting a little tired...

Then they broke into dance!!!!!

Our sweet neighbor came to the ceremony!!  We love her!!!

Our family!

We ventured across the street to the school for the reception after a quick photo-op with the BFF in front of the church!

Sweet boys!

Poor little Tate was absolutely exhausted after the ceremony;  so exhausted that he couldn't even enjoy his Crave vegan red-velvet cupcake.  He was just cooked.  (The ceremony lasted until about 7:20...he's normally in bed by 7:30/7:45).

I would love to show the cake,
but all the kids' names are listed.

So.Very.Tired.

We made our way home, brushed his teeth, changed his clothes and he was sound asleep by 7:45.

Congratulations my sweet sweet boy...

I videotaped the entire ceremony, but I've made the videos private.  I'm happy to share if you know me;  send me a note and I'll send you the links.  I'm linking them as I'm using this blog as a way to memorialize my life with Tate, so someday I'd like to share all this with him...even as soon as this upcoming year if/when he's missing his sweet friends.  Thanks for understanding.

Random Pre-Mother's Day Musings - Don't Mind Me

As another Mother's Day rolls around and I've just put my life's joy to sleep I am here amazed by how much my life has changed in the past 5 1/2 years.  Because my life changed that weekend in October 2008 when Christian and I did that first home insemination.  My life was no longer my own.

Tonight I am mother to an almost 5 year old boy.  It is almost unfathomable to me that he has been present, in my life, for 4 years and 10 months.  That he has been a part of my life for 5 years and 7 months.  

Motherhood.  It is everything I dreamed of.  And it's everything I never dreamed of.  Sometimes I absolutely love it.  Sometimes I wonder what if I could just have one minute when I wasn't worrying or thinking about that little boy at school? asleep? at soccer? at Grandmommy and Papa's? Wherever he is.

Is this how it's going to be for the rest of my life?  Will I wonder about him all. the. time?  Does my mom think about me even now 46 years later every second of every day?  Surely not.  Surely not.  Even when I'm at work I think about him constantly...wondering what he's doing, is he having fun, is he arguing with a friend, is he playing.  It doesn't help that in my line of work I can bring him up almost all day long.  I'm constantly telling my patients "I have a little boy almost your age.",  "I have a little boy who loves trains, do you like trains?", "My little boy cried too the first time he came to see the dentist." "Oh my goodness you're graduating from the school my little boy is going to start at next year!".  The list is endless.  

I also sometimes wonder what is it about us mothers (and fathers) that thinks it's ok to just gush over these little people.  I mean gush.  We think our kids are so very special, so very awesome, so very everything.  Isn't that a bit self-absorbed?  After all these little people are half of us.  So we're truly gushing over half of ourselves.  I find that a bit disconcerting when I allow myself to think about my son in that way.

Then other times I realize he's a gift to me from God.  God chose me to be this little boy's mother.  He chose me to nurture this soul.  He entrusted me with his care.  These thoughts bring me to my knees; especially in those moments that I've gone to the mean mommy side.  I'm the one person in this world who is to love him unconditionally, always and forever.   What an amazing job.  

A job Tate makes really easy. :)

 I couldn't have picked a more fantastic child for me to mother!

Here are his Spring 2014 school pictures.  

  

This morning at soccer the coach gave the kids flowers to give their moms.  

I've been a mother my entire life.  I've just been waiting to hold this child in my arms.  My heart is full and my arms are too!!