Preschool Madness

Wow, this preschool thing is crazy. This past month we have attended 3 open houses and submitted 5 applications for cooperative preschools in Portland. Cooperative preschools are run by parents, they offer lower tuition and as a parent you help in the classroom and participate on the board or other position. In Portland almost all the schools choose applicants by lottery, drawing a name out of a hat. There are generally 15 kids in each class and the amount available depends on alumni or siblings of previously enrolled children.  There is one preschool that has 14 spots available for new students and the others range from 6-10 spots.  We received one letter that has Cooper on a wait list, #12 of boys. This school was my number one pick for many reasons plus the perks of close proximity to our house and the attached coffeehouse. 
Saturday we skipped yoga and used our couple time to go to the last two open houses of the month.  It was nice to go without Cooper because we were able to engage with the parents and teacher without him interrupting or wanting our attention. We asked a lot more questions and get a good feel for each teacher and atmosphere.
This whole process has produced anxiety in me, I am waking up anxious before the open houses, I remain anxious up to the deadline of the applications and then I got anxious when we got the first letter. For me this is simply because I have no control over this process and it is driving my control freak nature crazy. As my mate says, "worry is your ego's way of giving yourself a false sense of control."  Gotta love her, she is my balance and reason. I just want the process to be over and for us to know which school he is going to. All the co-ops that we visited are great and have the same concepts. Any one of them will be perfect for Cooper, I just want some say in it and I guess I will have that once all the letters go out. One teacher explained it well when she said that every year there is a fruit basket upset in the summer. I can see how even as #12 we have a chance at that school as the other lotteries are done and familiesnpick favorites.
For now, Sharon and I have the same favorite school and it changed from the one that is closest to our home. I will be glad when this process is over and we have a two year break before the dreaded Kindergarten round-ups start. That is another process that is going to produce anxiety for a whole host of reasons.

Goodwill Finds

I love going to Goodwill when I find cool stuff.  I haven't been in a while so I took Cooper and Larkin there last Friday after a playdate with Erin.  I had a list: jeans for me, basement shoes, washcloths, and games for Cooper.  The trip was a success, I found one sure pair of jeans for me, I found some flip flops for the basement, I forgot about the washcloths.  Cooper found a cool Tonka dump truck that has a guy on the front with two arms.  One arm for scooping and one for grabbing, he loves it and played with it in the store while I shopped for jeans.  I found two puzzles for $.99, Larkin found a pink wand and I also picked up a VTech laptop computer for $7.99 for Cooper.  The computer is a big hit, it works great, and he likes that he has one like Mommy and Mama.  So far he plays a letter game on it and enjoys turning it on and off.

In the sink

Snow!

It snowed last night as forecasters predicted, we got about an inch of snow.  The weather today has been crazy: sunny, snow melting, then lots of flakes and now sun again.  I was unsuccessful getting Cooper out of the house in the morning but since it snowed more this afternoon he decided to go out and play for a bit. 

House

As a result of the bathroom remodel I have been doing some purging of all things upstairs.  I put out 7 boxes for a local charity to pick up the first weekend.  Cooper even donated some of his older toys so "a younger boy could play with them."
Last weekend I realized that I was storing about 40 cardboard boxes from appliances that we bought over the last five years. I told Cooper we would make a castle or fort out of all the boxes so I brought them all downstairs.  He had fun with the styrofoam and the house I built him in the living room.

I made a bridge so he could sneak out and he decided where the door and doorbell were.  We read some stories and he cooked us dinner.  Slowly this week I have been breaking down the house, we are down to two boxes.  He was not too pleased to see his house destroyed.  Riley also liked the house and the bridge so she could sneak out rapidly. 

Cooper is engrossed in imaginary play right now and I love it.  I love listening to what he comes up with, I love the stories and play we do together, it's great.  The other day he had a whole dialogue to himself about his upcoming babysitter coming over to play with him.  He is also reading us books and it blows me away.  To see that retention of material and repeat it back is so cool.  Lastly, Cooper is singing now all the time.  He used to be very bashful about singing out loud and now I will hear him sing several of his favorite songs anywhere.  This includes on the bus/train, at home, at the store, everywhere.

Adventures with Emory

Wednesday, Libby and I took the Max to Gresham and spent a lot of time at Borders with Cooper and Emory. It was freezing cold that day with a mix of rain and snow so we spent all of our time in the store. We found some great deals on books and also read a bunch while we were there.  The boys had a great time on the Max/bus and playtime at our house too.

Train Adventure

Cooper and I woke up at 6:30am this morning to start our train adventure day. We took the bus/Max to Union Station to catch the 8:30am Amtrak to Seattle. There was a lot of build up to today, Cooper's asked me everyday if today is the day we are taking the train. All in all the train ride was great, Cooper loved it, it was quiet and relaxing. However, there was one not so fun thing that happened. We went to the dining car, bought some snacks for breakfast. We went back to our seat and started eating, Cooper had to go potty. We got up and went potty, came back and three minutes later had to go poo potty. He got up rather quickly and started toward the bathroom, I followed and could tell he was coughing/gagging. Well sure enough right as we got to the bathroom he heaved, all over me and the bathroom floor. We spent a good 15 minutes in the bathroom. I called Sharon while in the bathroom, and she said it could be from the movement of the train. Cooper has never had motion sickness before so who knows. After all that we went back to our seats and he was fine the rest of the ride. (This happened an hour into the ride, we still had 2+ hours left). Cooper was fine, acting fine, telling me he wasn't going to gag anymore. I, on the other hand, was constantly worrying that he was going to hurl again. At the end of the ride, the man next to us told me that Cooper is a great traveler. He really is a great traveler and he was incredibly well considering he "gagged" numerous times.
We arrived in Seattle a little late, Sharon picked us up and we spent an hour at her store so she could finish working. Then we drove to the Whidbey Island Ferry to take the ferry to Anancortes, our final destination. I have never taken that ferry so it was another great adventure. However, once we were in the line about to board, Cooper said he had to go potty.....can you see where this is going? I took him and he started gagging again. Sure enough he gagged twice outside before I got him in a bathroom at a restaurant. He peed and said he was fine, "I don't have to gag anymore." Great, can I now! (my internal dialogue). Again, he was fine, Sharon was fine and safe from vomit in the car and I was worrying about the cause and if it would happen again. The wackiest thing is that my worry is 1. for him, wondering what he has but also 2. for the innocent bystanders that may witness a kid hurling. I know that is a strange thing to worry about and useless. I cannot stand seeing someone vomit in public and so I guess was projecting those feelings on the strangers around me on the train and ferry.
The ferry ride is about 20 minutes, we got some great pictures and went back to the car, Cooper with french fries and some milk. He has been fine and hungry all night. I have no idea what the gagging deal was today. He is not acting sick, he doesn't have a fever and he has an appetite. I am the mom that wants/needs an answer, whereas Sharon is not concerned based on his behavior. She is also the more nurturing mom when it comes to sicknesses.

We made it to Rosey's and are all excited to start our weekend with take it as it goes plans!!

Public Transportation

Cooper and I have been taking public transportation a lot lately.  Coincidentally, Portland was rated  #1 in the nation for public transportation this week.  This new trend started with a friend we met through a parenting group, she and her son take public transit all the time.  We started weekly adventures with them a couple weeks ago and are now making it a standing weekly adventure date.  Cooper and Emory are really cute together. Emory will be three this April and I am hoping they attend the same preschool in the fall.
We have been to the Zoo, the airport which also has a playground and Clackamas Town Center.  I am also incorporating public transit on the days I watch Larkin.  Cooper and Larkin and I have been to the Children's Museum, Lloyd Center and Pioneer Place, downtown.  They are also really cute together and often scream WEEEEEEEEEEEEE the whole time on the train and bus.  Most of the adventures include a bus and train ride.  Cooper wanted to take the bus to preschool yesterday so we did.  We rode two buses there and one home.

Bathroom

We started the demolition for the upstairs bathroom today.  Cooper was super excited to start hammering the wall, he was very patient while Sharon and Dory designed the bathroom.  After all the design talk finished they started smashing out the wall.  Cooper did quite a bit of work, taking breaks to play and read with me also.  He was a big helper today.  He also enjoyed telling me that, "the workers are coming downstairs," and "Mommy this is a workzone, you can't be in here."

Hoyt Arboretum

We took a great hike today with Anna and Elliot.  The kids had a blast running and exploring the woods.  It was pretty long hike and I only brought the one stroller knowing one of the three would want to sit a bit.  They all walked most of the time which was pretty great.  Toward the end of the hike we found a creek and they spent a good half hour throwing rocks.  We also found a fairy and white picket fence in a tree base. 

Elliot yelling at Cooper to keep his hands off her rock (or something in that vein).

Cooper's Picture Taking

This morning Cooper was interested in taking some photos by himself.  Here are his snapshots.
Cooper's Feet

Riley

 The carpet

 The grate (this is his favorite spot to sit when he is cold and/or tired).

 The door

 Donee and Larkin

 Riley

Tram and Streetcar

Cooper and I took an adventure on the OHSU Tram today and the Portland Streetcar.  We had a great time, Cooper loved the sights on the Tram.  When we got to the hill we walked around and explored the different sky bridges.  We also found some cool tunnels to explore.  I used to work at OHSU years ago and I knew some of the cool tunnels and areas to explore.  We had a great time.

Cooper was even more excited to take the Portland Streetcar, he loves watching that train.  We took it from Riverplace to Central Library, stopped for some books and reading time and then back to our car.  He had a blast, was able to see and say thanks to the conductor too.

Sunshine

We took a great walk with Erin, Teo and Ciaran yesterday. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, it was a great day.  We saw lots of birds nests, birdies and ducks.  Cooper loves exploring so he was checking out the nests and watching the ducks and investigating where the water comes from that goes into the creek.  I think he was pretty cold because he didn't ride his bike as much as he usually does.

Happy Chinese New Year

It is the year of the rabbit, my year. I read somewhere not to expect a warm, furry, sweet rabbit. We will see.
Here is a picture of the lanterns Cooper and I made for the new year.




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