On the Other Side

Today was our first parent-teacher conference for Alex. It felt very odd to be on the other side of things...as a parent and not a teacher. I was actually nervous, especially when Alex's teacher pulled out his progress report. I didn't expect to see a progress report for a 3-year old! Of course, there was nothing to worry about. Alex has mastered all the skills expected at his age, except for the 2 he has partially mastered. 1-cutting with scissors (which I have not let him do since he cut a stuffed animal with scissors) and 2-using glue...not too much (again, I don't let him use glue most of the time; I usually give him foam pieces with sticky stuff on the back or he uses Q-tips dipped in glue). At this point, you are either thinking I don't like my son to get messy or you are remembering that I was once an elementary school teacher. Either way, both reasons are correct. But for the most part, my days as a teacher have left me free to allow his teachers to let him explore with the scissors and glue. Alex's teacher also mentioned that he is usually attached to a friend in his class and likewise, this girl is usually attached to him. Yes, I said a girl & her name is Mary West. The days of Alex having a "girl friend" have only begun.

Overall, our first experience at a parent-teacher conference was pleasant. Shawn and I (with Maddie asleep) left feeling like proud parents of a wonderful 3-year old boy!

Snow Day

We finally have SNOW in NC! Alex & Shawn both got a snow day and are loving it! I've never seen Alex so excited to play outside in the cold before. He couldn't wait to play in the snow...it was 9:15am. He waited a whole hour but was running around jumping and running from window to window. We don't get snow here in NC often (usually no more than half an inch or so if anything), but today, we got 4 inches by 9am & almost 6 inches by early afternoon! I love this picture of Daddy & Maddie!
Maddie even got in the action. You never know if she'll ever see this much snow again in NC! As you can see from this picture, our little bear didn't like the cold very much & was only outside for 5 minutes. She made a quick snow angel and then was taken inside to warm up.
Once Alex & Shawn came back inside, they had red cheeks and were cold as can be. So after getting warmed up, Alex & Shawn enjoyed some nice hot chocolate! Alex also played with his beloved "Cars". As you can see, he matched up all his "cars" with the paper they come with. What a great snow day! I love this picture!

Updates on Baby Maddie

Madelyn Paige is now a week and a half old! It's unbelievable how quickly you can fall in love with a new addition to the family. Even Alex has come around and loves his new baby sister more and more each day. Maddie is a good eater & is growing quickly. She loves to be awake from midnight to about 3am every night, which Shawn has been taking on as his shift. But all that will end tonight since he will be going back to work tomorrow after a 3-week (vacation & baby leave) break. My days of getting a few extra hours of sleep are now gone. We are fortunate enough that Maddie likes to sleep after her 3am feeding until almost 8am. That's 5 to 6 hours of sleep at once! We have been loving it.

Alex still hasn't held her but did ask to hold her today. He changed his mind at the last minute but he's showing more interest in his baby sister every day. Alex even surprised us today when asked if Baby Maddie could go home with one of his friends. He quickly said, "No. She lives here! I would miss her!" He likes to check on her throughout the day by touching her head, trying to play with her by shaking her rattle/toys at her, and talking or singing to her all the time. He has also let Maddie lay in his bed while we read books together. Last night, he picked out a baby book from her room & a book from his room for storytime before bed. "Baby Maddie needs a story too, Mom." He's quite the thoughtful one these days. What a big boy I have!Well, that's about all I can remember at this point. More stories & pictures to come once I get some more sleep. Thank you to all of our friends and family for all of your well wishes & gifts! We are so thankful for all of you and being able to share this exciting time in our lives with you. Thanks!
Maddie loves to hold her hands together. Guess, she's praying or is just thankful for her family!