Guest post from Papa Nick: Bubble Bath Rhymes with...Trouble Bath?

Tubby Time is a highlight of my Tuesday evenings at the Whitten's. I arrive around 5:00 to help Eric with Asher, Benjamin and Charlotte while Rebecca works late. Some Tuesday milestones over the years - learning to climb trees, helping each one with reading, Charlotte's learning to ride a bicycle...

This week Eric and I started with our tech geek version of, "How was your day?" while the children played and dinner cooked. A friend from the block had come over to play with Asher and Benjamin, she decided to stay for dinner. We had "Dinner Theater" where I held up and read a picture book as the children ate. We discussed the pictures, Charlotte read some pages for us, even raising her voice when the words were in BIG PRINT. Asher also read a bit, but Charlotte was reluctant to share the duty. Didn't realize this foreshadowed further adventures.

More playing between dinner and dessert. After dessert it was Tubby Time, an all-around favorite. There's a rule to encourage prompt attendance - the first one in the tub gets first choice about where to sit - first class is next to the faucets - and when they get out - usually last since bath time is even nicer when you can stretch out by yourself. Second one gets second choice, third one is stuck, usually has to sit at the far end where the water is shallower and cooler, then get out first. Tonight it was Asher first, then Charlotte and finally Benjamin. 

Added some shampoo to the water, and it was a bubble bath. Asher made a bubble beard and mustache - he was quite handsome. 

Charlotte couldn't seem to get comfortable in the middle. No matter how Benjamin sat, she was convinced he was squeezing her space. She would push him with her legs or arms and constantly complain. Fortunately, Benjamin was very patient with her. All evening I had noticed that 8 year old Whitten children are substantially more mature than the 7 year old versions. 

I asked Charlotte to calm down and notice how much space she had. She replied, "I just want to relax and hit my brother!" When she repeated this and we saw scratches on Benjamin, Eric took her to the shower. Finally had a great time with just two boys in the tub. They started making waves that threatened to spill out of the tub. We improvised on Hues Corporation "Rock the Boat" - "Rock the tub baby, Don't let the wave splash out! Our love is like a tub on the ocean, sailing with a cargo full of love and skin lotion! Moisturize, don't let that skin dry out!"

After moisturizing and tooth brushing, I said goodnight. Asher and Benjamin were each reading in their beds before lights-out. Eric told me Charlotte was in her room. I entered, saw the blankets turned down with Gray Kitty and Black & White Kitty. No Charlotte. I stood there looking, thinking out loud, "Hmm...Charlotte's pretty skinny but I don't think she's under the blankets...I'll see if I can spot her from the other side...No, she's not here, either!"

I started bending down to check under the bed and an invisible child called out, "Don't look under the bed!" When I got down, there she was - some books, a few second-string animals, very pleased with herself. Still in her birthday suit. 

I said, "Looks like Charlotte's wearing her invisible pajamas tonight!" She was very pleased with the concept. As she emerged we discussed the benefit of invisible pajamas - they don't have to go through the laundry. I mentioned that you could just leave them on the floor and the room wouldn't be messy. Charlotte warned that someone might trip on them. We decided it would be OK to just throw them in a corner.

Eric had to work hard to persuade Charlotte to replace the invisible pajamas with underpants and warm pajamas visible to the adult eye.

All-in-all, a wonderful evening. Though I rushed out the door and forgot to thank Eric for sharing his children.

8 year well visit

This afternoon I took the boys for their 8 year well visit. The nice part is that they haven't been to the doctor since their last well visit! Except for flu shots, which apparently gave them PTSD, because they wouldn't stop asking if they were going to shots, or, as Benjamin said, S-H-O-T-S.

There is not much to say- the visit was uneventful, and both boys are healthy. 
Asher was: 50" tall (48%, 2 inches taller), 56.6 lbs (53%, 2.5 lbs heavier)
Benjamin was: 48.5" tall (23%, 1.75 inches taller), 54.6 lbs (43%, 5 lbs heavier)

The doctor wasn't pleased that Asher hasn't gained very much weight. She wants me to load him with calories, no matter what they are. I asked her if that is something she has to tell other Jewish mommies to do, or if I'm the only one. She did say that at this age, she would rather see kids be a little underweight than overweight. But really, I could never imagine that I would have children with any trouble gaining weight. How can a growing child only gain 2.5 lbs in a year when I can gain that much in a weekend? It's a mystery to me.

I told her that Benjamin has been making great strides with his ADHD and that his teacher told us he is vastly improved in the classroom. And with Asher our only concern is that he is too picky about food and that it's keeping him from eating enough.  She really didn't seem worried about any of it (either that or she wanted to get home to her family for dinner), so we got clean bills of health and went on our way. Another year of wellness- we are so fortunate.

Charlotte- is reading!

Hair in braids hours before she got a haircut that is a little too short

An update on my big-little girl: She has taught herself to read! Eric and I are quite impressed with her ability; she is even reading with inflection. Neither one of us did anything to teach her, other than my saying "sound it out" if she found an unfamiliar word. And there you go- she is off and running, just like she has been with every other major milestone in her life.

Charlotte and I got to spend extra time together today. She asked that I come and join her for lunch at school, and rather than stay home and do my work notes or clean the house, I went and had lunch with her and her friends at their little table. Then I got to sit on the carpet with her in my lap and read a book to her and some of her friends before I left to run errands.

After school, the sun was shining (and it is supposed to snow the next 2 days, don't even get me started), so I made Charlotte play outside. She had no same-age friends to play with, so I became her playmate. We went on the swings together- and I mean together, she sat in my lap and let me do the pumping- and I got extra hugs and kisses. We did a little racing and playing tag; she is actually quite fast and I didn't have to slow down too much for her to catch me. We played hide-and-seek. When we got home she came to help me in the kitchen while I made matzo ball soup. And then after dinner, we had extra snuggles on the couch before I left for work. I adore her, especially when she is in a sweet and loving mood like she was today!

I am so proud of my girl for being so smart and so strong and so confident. I hope that it carries through her life and she can grow into a smart, strong woman.

Thank goodness it's over...

No great tragedy or trauma, but the past week (9 days, really) were trying. It feels silly to complain about what are simply the normal ups and downs of life, but here I go.

It started with a snowstorm on Friday the 2nd. I was surprised by it- it came with heavy winds and snow. Trees toppled everywhere, roads were blocked, the train lines all closed down. We managed to all get home safely, and I even brought in a couple of the boys' classmates whose mom couldn't get out of the city.  Everything was calm and pleasant, until- the lights went out. The good news was, my parents had electricity. We packed up one night's worth of clothing, the food we had bought for dinner, and went over to my parents' for the night.

On Saturday, still no power at home, or pretty much anyplace else we were supposed to go (a birthday party for Charlotte, a fundraiser for the boys' school that Eric and I had planned to attend).  After breakfast, Charlotte said, "I think I'm going back to bed to take a nap." I didn't think much of it at the time, but by the time she woke up from her "nap," she was flushed and feverish. Child #1 down.

My mom had come down with a cold at the end of our trip to Sedona (another entry for another time, it was beautiful and filled with delicious food) and was mostly dead when we arrived, so she stayed on the couch the whole time, coughing and blowing her nose. I started to feel congested in my chest and not 100%, so that made 3 of us who were sick.

By Saturday night, Benjamin had started with a fever as well, and it seemed like his tonsils were swollen. Sick person #4.

Sunday morning I took Benjamin to urgent care. The boys' Hebrew school had been canceled- no electricity at the synagogue. We still had no electricity at home, and Eric and I had gone and collected more belongings, along with all of our frozen and refrigerated food. Benjamin's diagnosis was "viral," so I took him back to my parents' house to rest.

Charlotte still had a fever as well, and we had tickets to go the Harlem Globetrotters on Sunday night, but 3 of us had to stay home. Monday came around, and instead of having time to myself, I had two children and a sick mom to take care of. Charlotte and Benjamin weren't sick anymore, but couldn't return to school because of their fevers the day before, so it was the worst- two un-sick kids, bored out of their minds after an entire weekend in the house. In addition, I had an appointment to register Charlotte for kindergarten, an appointment for my annual with my gynecologist, and all 3 kids had appointments for the dentist. By evening I started to feel pretty lousy myself, and ended up canceling my clients so I could rest and get to bed early.

Tuesday I sent everyone off to school and got myself ready to go to work. By lunchtime, I had a text from Eric that Benjamin's fever was back, and he was sent home from school. Around dinnertime, I got a text from Eric that our power was back, and we could return home again (yay!). Lucky me, I got to be at work and avoid all the packing and moving- Eric handled it all.

Tuesday night schools closed for Wednesday due to another snowstorm. I canceled all my clients and we spent the day at home. Snow days at the beginning of the winter are one fun thing after another- sledding, snowball fights, the kids play for hours in the snow, we have hot chocolate and Eric makes a fire in the fireplace. This snow day, Eric worked all day without stopping, the kids didn't want to go outside, no one went sledding, and I made soup for dinner which all 3 kids refused to eat.

Thursday I had to go back to work, but the kids had a 2 hour delay, and Eric had to go out of town in the afternoon for a meeting. Then, Asher had a fever and couldn't go to school at all! Sick person #5. We had to patch together care- my mom, who was still mostly dead, got them from school in the afternoon and stayed with them until I got home around 5; then we had a babysitter come from 6:30-9 so I could go see more clients.

Friday was a similar mess. Asher had to stay home from school, and I had to go to work, and Eric wasn't here to take care of him. I dropped him at my parents', rushed back to our house to go to the elementary school to watch Benjamin participate in the 2nd grade "Famous Americans" assembly, then rushed off to work, saw one client, then brought lunch to my mom and Asher, then rushed back to work to see 2 clients, then rushed to pick Asher up from my parents', then off to pick Charlotte up from school, then rushed home to get Benjamin from his school. Every minute was accounted for and there was no room for error. Fortunately, we made it through the day, and I even managed to cook a homemade dinner and get it on the table by 5:15.

By Saturday, everyone was healthy again, and Eric had returned home, so we could try to resume a somewhat normal life. All 3 kids had over-indulged in TV and ipads, and their behavior showed it.  This week we have gone screen-free and had an improvement in attitudes and cooperation. Now we are eager for the snow to melt and the spring to come. And we hope for no more weeks of disaster!