Today we had the first of what wil be many many future parent-teacher conferences for Tomas. Kasey joined Peter and I for our appointment. Mrs. Carter had her room set up comfortably, and she had Tomas' file ready to discuss. He is at the top of his class; his sight word vocabulary grows every day and he is an enthusiastic learner. He has good social skills and gets along well with other students in the class. There are a few boys that he is not allowed to sit next to in class, but that is nothing out of the ordinary. These are boys that he either likes to play with a little too much, or he gets into arguments with. The only concern for him right now is his distractibility, which is something we see at home also. It seems to be a combination of boredom and just the nature of Tomas. She will continue to work to challenge him whenever possible and we will all work on how to best get him out of his "elsewhere focus" moments and teach him skills to enable him to complete tasks in a timely manner.
Tonight I was pondering over the conference and talking about it with Peter and realized that Tomas is probably also the youngest in his class, and that has got to be a factor in any focus issues also. It will be interesting to see how the year progresses.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Saturday, December 18, 2010
First Smile
This morning while snuggling in bed with Daddy and Kasey, Tomas got Kasey to smile! :) It was a big, open-mouthed, non-gassy smile. Way to go Tomas! You are a great big brother.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
My Big Boy!
Today, Tomas and I completed his first homework assignment, a gingerbread man. We cut it out of paper, glued it on a poster, colored it with crayon, and decorated it with colored sugar, white mint kisses, and jelly bells. It looks fantastic (pictures to come) and Tomas even dubbed it "Twist," after his favorite character from "Fresh Beat Band." I was lucky...Gabriella took her usual nap, and Kasey took a nice long nap too, so Tomas and I had some time, just us, to complete this project.
Tomas' cutting skills are getting better and better (as long as he is looking at his work...cutting and looking around the room don't go well together). I helped him hold the paper to cut the gingerbread man, but he did all the actual cutting himself. We had to take turns coloring the gingerbread man's body, because it was a big space, and I could see he was losing interest a little bit. Taking turns and snacking on cookies helped keep it interesting. When he really tries, he does a fantastic job coloring beautifully! Overall, in the chaos of three kids, it was so wonderful to spend some quality time with my little guy.
Tomas' cutting skills are getting better and better (as long as he is looking at his work...cutting and looking around the room don't go well together). I helped him hold the paper to cut the gingerbread man, but he did all the actual cutting himself. We had to take turns coloring the gingerbread man's body, because it was a big space, and I could see he was losing interest a little bit. Taking turns and snacking on cookies helped keep it interesting. When he really tries, he does a fantastic job coloring beautifully! Overall, in the chaos of three kids, it was so wonderful to spend some quality time with my little guy.
Friday, December 10, 2010
First Adventure with Three
Thursday was officially the first day Peter had to go back to work, and therefore also the first day that I had to get Tomas off to school by myself. It was hectic, but we managed to get to school only about 2 minutes late. I was pretty proud of myself. Everyone (including myself) was dressed and clean. Kasey was totally content, even sleeping, in his car seat.
After dropping off Tomas, Gabriella, Kasey, and I went to Target to grab a few things we needed (and look for a tree topper...my advice, don't get one at Target). With Gabriella in the front of the cart, and Kasey in the main compartment, there wasn't much room for anything in the cart. A natural way to curb easy overspending that can happen at Target, perhaps? Gabriella was a model child and Kasey just continued to sleep. Wow, I just knew my luck would run out soon! After sharing some girl time at Starbucks (the one in Target, come on, we live in Newburgh, that's as fancy as it gets), it was time to head out.
Upon getting everyone settled in the car, I checked the clock and realized we were going to be pretty early for picking up Tomas if I went straight there. However, going home and getting out of the car for the perhaps fifteen minutes we would be at home seemed like an impossibility, so I made the choice to head to school and wait in the parking lot. Well, this is where the real adventure begins. I managed to get Kasey out of his car seat without actually taking him out of the car and proceeded to feed him in the front seat. I also unbuckled Gabriella so she could have a bit of freedom. Kasey needed to be changed (twice), and ate on the other side. HE seemed pretty content, just as Gabi announced, "Mommy I need to go potty." Thank goodness for small miracles, the portable potty was within arms reach. I laid Kasey down in the passenger seat (I know, not mom of the year material, but I didn't have many choices) and set up the potty. It was, of course, a bit too late already, so I had to change Gabriella's underwear too. Now it was time for me to get out of the car and sign out Tomas. Kasey was content but hardly dressed to brave the cold, and Gabriella was out of her seat and had no shoes on. What now!? Again, small miracles. My neighbor stopped by the car at that moment with a few hand-me-downs for Gabriella. Since she hadn't held Kasey yet, she stepped into the car to snuggle and I hopped out to get both of our kids from the teacher.
Wow, we made it through the morning!!!!
After dropping off Tomas, Gabriella, Kasey, and I went to Target to grab a few things we needed (and look for a tree topper...my advice, don't get one at Target). With Gabriella in the front of the cart, and Kasey in the main compartment, there wasn't much room for anything in the cart. A natural way to curb easy overspending that can happen at Target, perhaps? Gabriella was a model child and Kasey just continued to sleep. Wow, I just knew my luck would run out soon! After sharing some girl time at Starbucks (the one in Target, come on, we live in Newburgh, that's as fancy as it gets), it was time to head out.
Upon getting everyone settled in the car, I checked the clock and realized we were going to be pretty early for picking up Tomas if I went straight there. However, going home and getting out of the car for the perhaps fifteen minutes we would be at home seemed like an impossibility, so I made the choice to head to school and wait in the parking lot. Well, this is where the real adventure begins. I managed to get Kasey out of his car seat without actually taking him out of the car and proceeded to feed him in the front seat. I also unbuckled Gabriella so she could have a bit of freedom. Kasey needed to be changed (twice), and ate on the other side. HE seemed pretty content, just as Gabi announced, "Mommy I need to go potty." Thank goodness for small miracles, the portable potty was within arms reach. I laid Kasey down in the passenger seat (I know, not mom of the year material, but I didn't have many choices) and set up the potty. It was, of course, a bit too late already, so I had to change Gabriella's underwear too. Now it was time for me to get out of the car and sign out Tomas. Kasey was content but hardly dressed to brave the cold, and Gabriella was out of her seat and had no shoes on. What now!? Again, small miracles. My neighbor stopped by the car at that moment with a few hand-me-downs for Gabriella. Since she hadn't held Kasey yet, she stepped into the car to snuggle and I hopped out to get both of our kids from the teacher.
Wow, we made it through the morning!!!!
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Welcome Little Dude
What an entrance Kasey Richard Pedraza has made into this world! He was determined to be on time in his appearance, waiting until the last few hours of his due date to join us.
I had progressed to 4 cm by Thursday at my doctor appointment, so the doctor suggested heading out to walk and then heading in that afternoon sometime to get things moving along. Being the diligent patient, I headed out for an afternoon of walking with Peter. After all that, I was having contractions, but they were staying at about 8-10 min apart. As bed time neared, we made the decision to stay at home and try to get some sleep instead of waiting out the night in a hospital bed.
Much to my frustration, I got a good nights' sleep. While I am thankful to get that, it was also frustrating to find that my contractions had seemed to quit once again over night. As we got our day started and Oma took the kids through what is normally my routine with them, contractions seemed to resume and this time with a greater frequency, although still at a moderate pain level. Nonetheless, I made the decision to go in and see where this would go.
Upon arriving at Labor and Delivery, we were told, "Oh, you were the one Dr. Munzer called about yesterday. We were waiting for you all day.". Oops. Busted...it turns out al is ok, though, as L&D had been busy that day. We were shown to a Labor and Delivery suite and started to get settled in a room with phenomenal views of the river, Bannerman Island, and West Point. When the doctor came in to check me. I was unpleasantly surprised to learn I was still at 4 cm. Time for more walking and waiting; except this time through the short L&D halls.
Just a short while later, it was time to be checked again, and I was already at 6 cm. Yahoo! They started getting me admitted and I was excited to keep things moving along. Contractions continued and my water hadn't broken so we continued to walk as the pain was more bearable that way.
And then...several hours later I was stuck between 6-7 cm and the contractions had slowed. What?! Oh man! The doctor then decided breaking my water and a slight dose of petocin were in order. I braced myself. The petocin made contractions so intense with Tomas and breaking water also makes everything intensify. Needless to say, this not so little guy was with us within 2 hours of that moment.
At first when the petocin started, the intensity increased but I was determined and declined the epidural (Pete was SO supportive in this and kept putting off the decision for me. We had talked about it before, and I wanted to be able to accomplish this naturally. Everything got really intense really fast and I was truly feeling like I couldn't handle more while waiting for my cervix to finish dilating. The doctor, however told me there was only a rim of cervix left. We were past the point of no return. I was doing this naturally.
And so I did. Kasey Richard Pedraza was born at 9:54 pm at St. Luke's Hospital in Newburgh, NY. He entered the world face up, which, according to my doctor, is about the equivalent of delivering an extra pound (ouch!!). He weighed 9 lbs 4 oz and was 22.5 inches long. He was my biggest baby by far. My most vivid memory of the whole labor was how incredibly warm he was when they placed him on my stomach after he was born. I completely bonded with my new little man at that exact moment.
I had progressed to 4 cm by Thursday at my doctor appointment, so the doctor suggested heading out to walk and then heading in that afternoon sometime to get things moving along. Being the diligent patient, I headed out for an afternoon of walking with Peter. After all that, I was having contractions, but they were staying at about 8-10 min apart. As bed time neared, we made the decision to stay at home and try to get some sleep instead of waiting out the night in a hospital bed.
Much to my frustration, I got a good nights' sleep. While I am thankful to get that, it was also frustrating to find that my contractions had seemed to quit once again over night. As we got our day started and Oma took the kids through what is normally my routine with them, contractions seemed to resume and this time with a greater frequency, although still at a moderate pain level. Nonetheless, I made the decision to go in and see where this would go.
Upon arriving at Labor and Delivery, we were told, "Oh, you were the one Dr. Munzer called about yesterday. We were waiting for you all day.". Oops. Busted...it turns out al is ok, though, as L&D had been busy that day. We were shown to a Labor and Delivery suite and started to get settled in a room with phenomenal views of the river, Bannerman Island, and West Point. When the doctor came in to check me. I was unpleasantly surprised to learn I was still at 4 cm. Time for more walking and waiting; except this time through the short L&D halls.
Just a short while later, it was time to be checked again, and I was already at 6 cm. Yahoo! They started getting me admitted and I was excited to keep things moving along. Contractions continued and my water hadn't broken so we continued to walk as the pain was more bearable that way.
And then...several hours later I was stuck between 6-7 cm and the contractions had slowed. What?! Oh man! The doctor then decided breaking my water and a slight dose of petocin were in order. I braced myself. The petocin made contractions so intense with Tomas and breaking water also makes everything intensify. Needless to say, this not so little guy was with us within 2 hours of that moment.
At first when the petocin started, the intensity increased but I was determined and declined the epidural (Pete was SO supportive in this and kept putting off the decision for me. We had talked about it before, and I wanted to be able to accomplish this naturally. Everything got really intense really fast and I was truly feeling like I couldn't handle more while waiting for my cervix to finish dilating. The doctor, however told me there was only a rim of cervix left. We were past the point of no return. I was doing this naturally.
And so I did. Kasey Richard Pedraza was born at 9:54 pm at St. Luke's Hospital in Newburgh, NY. He entered the world face up, which, according to my doctor, is about the equivalent of delivering an extra pound (ouch!!). He weighed 9 lbs 4 oz and was 22.5 inches long. He was my biggest baby by far. My most vivid memory of the whole labor was how incredibly warm he was when they placed him on my stomach after he was born. I completely bonded with my new little man at that exact moment.
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| Kasey Richard |
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Gabi Dance
Gabriella has been taking a ballet/tap class for 2.5-4 year olds at the New York Performing Arts Center in Washingtonville, NY. The teachers, Jackie, and Cyrena, are so absolutely wonderful with the girls and I am thrilled with the whole program. She tells me every week that she doesn't know how to dance and is hesitant to go in but the second she is with Miss Jackie, all hesitance disappears and she joins her friends. During the last 5-10 minutes of every class, they let us come in to the studio for a mini performance (either tap, ballet, or some gymnastics).
For the first few times very few of the girls actually participated or did much that resembled what the teachers were doing, but that has been getting better every week. Gabriella is becoming such a little ham, and we often see evidence of what she does in dance when we're at home. She is absolutely and completely adorable!
Click the picture for the google album of all her cuteness!
For the first few times very few of the girls actually participated or did much that resembled what the teachers were doing, but that has been getting better every week. Gabriella is becoming such a little ham, and we often see evidence of what she does in dance when we're at home. She is absolutely and completely adorable!
Click the picture for the google album of all her cuteness!
Halloween 2010
We had such a grand time celebrating Halloween in the Hudson Valley this year. Both kids were supremely excited and ready to jump in with both feet! Gabriella wanted to be a monkey, and Tomas wanted to be a Power Ranger, so there was no theme to go with this year. Oh, well (I'm too pregnant to be very interested in dressing up anyway).
We took a trip to Lawrence Farms to pick out some perfect pumpkins and it was a supremely beautiful day with some breathtaking views and great friends. Peter carved one of the pumpkins with the kids. I'm glad I caught it all on camera...some of my favorite shots are in that series.
Our jack-o-lantern unfortunately wilted well before Halloween actually arrived, thanks to some wet and warm weather, but it was fun to make anyway. The rest of the pumpkins continued to adorn the porch (and still do).
Gabriella and Tomas each had their individual ways to celebrate the holiday during the week before. Gabriella got to be a monkey at both dance and gymnastics, and it was great! She wore her costume the whole time at both places, despite the fact that it was a pretty sweaty affair. I may be biased, but she was the cutest one there both times. Tomas had a Halloween parade, activities, and a pumpkin run at school. It was great! He never left his mask on for long, but he was still the most convincing Power Ranger ever!
Halloween trick-or-treating was COLD! We made it around the block, but both kids were ready to be done by that time. They both enjoy giving out candy just as much as getting it...yippee! For now, I still hear "Can I get a treat from my bucket?" on a daily basis. I'll be excited when all that sugary goodness is gone...thank goodness there wasn't too much of it!!!
The link below will take you to the Google Album for the pics of every detail!
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