Friday, August 8, 2008
Accepted
Jax will be attending the Episcopal school! Yay! A Tuesday/Thursday slot became available. I was hoping to send him at least 3 days a week, but we'll take anything we can get at this point. I can always look into some alternative activities for Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I'm just relieved that he'll have a school and some little friends to play with. He's a social kid. Staying at home all day with Mommy and Baylor would drive him nuts.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Wait Listed
We're back from our school scouting trip, and it pretty much went as I expected. Not well. We already know that it's highly unlikely that Jax will get into the Catholic preschool due to it's insane popularity. We went with the "what the heck" mentality though, and put him on the waiting list anyway. You never know. Since they require the kids to be potty-trained, we could luck out and this year will happen to be the year that a bunch of 3-year olds just couldn't make that milestone in time. So while it's unlikely for this school year, he can probably go there next year for the 4-year old program.
What we really focused on today were the alternatives. First, we drove by an Episcopal school which is located in the historic district. It looked promising, but when we called yesterday for information, we were told that all of the teachers are out this week on vacation. Even though we knew that we couldn't really tour the facility, we decided to go by anyway. We were able to talk to the church secretary again, and she called the school's director at home so we could speak with her. She confirmed that there is a waiting list, but felt like there was a good chance that he'd be able to attend this fall. She didn't elaborate though. So I don't know whether she just said that to be nice or what.
The director said she'd call us tomorrow with more information. Given that there's a chance he could get in, we checked out what we could of the school. We peaked through the windows to see the classrooms and playground. It looked pretty nice. It's clean and nicely decorated. All of the toys looked well taken care of, and it's definitely a preschool, not daycare. The Catholic school told us that is where all of their wait list kids usually end up. A good sign, I guess.
From there we went by 2 additional options. Both of these schools have definite openings. So we toured the facilities, and both had the same reactions. NO WAY! I mean they weren't complete dumps, but they seemed like it compared to Jax's current school and the 2 church schools that we had already looked at. One was huge and was definitely more of a daycare. I kind of felt like Jax would just be another kid there. The last stop was just wrong on all levels. I mean it wasn't a dangerous environment or anything, but it just wasn't good.
So, for now, I guess we're kind of in a holding pattern. Let's hope the Episcopal Director has good news for us tomorrow or sometime in the next couple of weeks. Otherwise, home school and play groups are it, assuming I can find a play group!
What we really focused on today were the alternatives. First, we drove by an Episcopal school which is located in the historic district. It looked promising, but when we called yesterday for information, we were told that all of the teachers are out this week on vacation. Even though we knew that we couldn't really tour the facility, we decided to go by anyway. We were able to talk to the church secretary again, and she called the school's director at home so we could speak with her. She confirmed that there is a waiting list, but felt like there was a good chance that he'd be able to attend this fall. She didn't elaborate though. So I don't know whether she just said that to be nice or what.
The director said she'd call us tomorrow with more information. Given that there's a chance he could get in, we checked out what we could of the school. We peaked through the windows to see the classrooms and playground. It looked pretty nice. It's clean and nicely decorated. All of the toys looked well taken care of, and it's definitely a preschool, not daycare. The Catholic school told us that is where all of their wait list kids usually end up. A good sign, I guess.
From there we went by 2 additional options. Both of these schools have definite openings. So we toured the facilities, and both had the same reactions. NO WAY! I mean they weren't complete dumps, but they seemed like it compared to Jax's current school and the 2 church schools that we had already looked at. One was huge and was definitely more of a daycare. I kind of felt like Jax would just be another kid there. The last stop was just wrong on all levels. I mean it wasn't a dangerous environment or anything, but it just wasn't good.
So, for now, I guess we're kind of in a holding pattern. Let's hope the Episcopal Director has good news for us tomorrow or sometime in the next couple of weeks. Otherwise, home school and play groups are it, assuming I can find a play group!
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
School Scouting
Today we started collecting information on new preschools for Jax. Next to finding a place to live, this has been what has worried me most about our impending move. I'm very disappointed to be leaving his current school. It has been such a great experience for him, and I worry we won't find something comparable close to the new house.
We started asking for recommendations during our last visit to the area, and everyone said that the two best programs were offered through two of the local churches, 1 Catholic and 1 Baptist. Well, since we're Catholic, the choice seemed obvious. As it turns out, both of these programs are so popular you have to pretty much get your kid on the waiting list as soon as they're born.
Anh called the church office and asked them what kind of "donation" we were looking at to get our kid in, and they just laughed and said that wouldn't work. So then he questioned whether he should pull a "Jeff Gillooly" (You know, Tanya Harding's ex-husband who whacked Nancy Kerrigan's kneecaps.) and take out some other kids so there'd suddenly be open slots. Again they laughed and said that probably wasn't a good idea. As a last ditch effort, Anh then suggested that we line all the kids up and have them race to qualify for school. Jax would definitely smoke them all! Again, just laughter.
They did offer a small glimmer of hope though. They suggested we go ahead and put him on the waiting list because they require the children to be potty-trained and sometimes children do have to leave the program if there's a "problem." So now we're hoping that some kid will have an accident, actually multiple accidents, and get kicked out. Okay, I'm not really hoping that some poor kid will be emotionally scarred for life, but if it happens, it happens, and it works out well for my kid.
So tomorrow we're heading up to check into the 3 other options that also come highly (just not as highly) recommended. I'm sure one of them will work out. Otherwise, we'll just have to home-school and seek out some play groups. We'll make something work, one way or another. As a side note, we did go ahead and put Baylor on the waiting list for the Catholic program. They're certain he'll get in. I would sure hope so. He's 3 months old! Just how many names could possibly be ahead of him for the 2011-2012 school year!
We started asking for recommendations during our last visit to the area, and everyone said that the two best programs were offered through two of the local churches, 1 Catholic and 1 Baptist. Well, since we're Catholic, the choice seemed obvious. As it turns out, both of these programs are so popular you have to pretty much get your kid on the waiting list as soon as they're born.
Anh called the church office and asked them what kind of "donation" we were looking at to get our kid in, and they just laughed and said that wouldn't work. So then he questioned whether he should pull a "Jeff Gillooly" (You know, Tanya Harding's ex-husband who whacked Nancy Kerrigan's kneecaps.) and take out some other kids so there'd suddenly be open slots. Again they laughed and said that probably wasn't a good idea. As a last ditch effort, Anh then suggested that we line all the kids up and have them race to qualify for school. Jax would definitely smoke them all! Again, just laughter.
They did offer a small glimmer of hope though. They suggested we go ahead and put him on the waiting list because they require the children to be potty-trained and sometimes children do have to leave the program if there's a "problem." So now we're hoping that some kid will have an accident, actually multiple accidents, and get kicked out. Okay, I'm not really hoping that some poor kid will be emotionally scarred for life, but if it happens, it happens, and it works out well for my kid.
So tomorrow we're heading up to check into the 3 other options that also come highly (just not as highly) recommended. I'm sure one of them will work out. Otherwise, we'll just have to home-school and seek out some play groups. We'll make something work, one way or another. As a side note, we did go ahead and put Baylor on the waiting list for the Catholic program. They're certain he'll get in. I would sure hope so. He's 3 months old! Just how many names could possibly be ahead of him for the 2011-2012 school year!
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Water Babies
We finally made it to the pool, and the boys had a great time. This was Jax's first time using floaties, and intially he was pretty hesitant about getting in the water. I guess he didn't trust me when I told him that they'd help him swim on his own. Nope, he refused to get in on his own, even in the shallow end. He was clinging tightly to Anh, but after all of 5 minutes, he wanted nothing to do with either of us. He was Mr. Independence swimming around all by himself, and quite proud of it too. Some of our neighbors were also at the pool. So he had an audience feeding his ego too. He was more than happy to be their entertainment.Since Jax was busy swimming laps like the next Michael Phelps, Anh turned his focus to Baylor. Then it was my turn to feel anxious. I was convinced that Baylor would be scared by this new experience and would start crying, especially since he was overdue for his late afternoon nap. It probably wasn't the ideal time to introduce such a different environment, but I couldn't have been more wrong. He absolutely loved it! He only started crying after I tried to take him out of the pool 20 minutes later. So back in he went for some more splash time. At about the 45 minute mark, he simply couldn't fight it anymore and started to fall asleep.
We decided it was probably best to call it a day. It only took another 20 minutes or so to convince Jax that we would go swimming again tomorrow and that it would be okay to get out and dry off. He reluctantly agreed, but I suspect he'll have his swimsuit on bright and early tomorrow morning.
Monday, August 4, 2008
A Bit of News
We're buying this. The price is set. Documents have been signed. It's official! Well, I guess it's not truly official until we close, but it looks very, very, very promising. Closing is scheduled for mid-September. Anyone want to help me lug my stuff up those stairs? Just kidding! The movers are going to hate us.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Dilemma
Jax faced quite the dilemma today. He was torn between 2 loves, one old and one new. As you already know, he's a big Nascar fan, and today is the Pocono race. It's 200 laps long, and normally Jax would watch every single lap, despite Mommy's protests, like a die-hard fan.
Today, however, he strayed from Nascar. You see, on Friday, Jax discovered the X-games on ESPN. He has been watching all kinds of insanity involving skateboards, BMX bikes, Motor-Cross, and even some Rally car racing. The stunts these guys do are nothing short of amazing, and we've witnessed both the good and bad outcomes. As with Nascar, Jax seems to enjoy watching them crash more than he enjoys seeing them successfully complete their jump or trick.
While watching some highlight footage from one of the BMX stunt competitions, Anh asked Jax, "Can you do that on your bicycle?" Jax immediately blurted out, "Yeah," and then paused for a second and said, "Actually, No!" It was like he had the thought, "Yeah, I can totally do that. Let's go!" Then he realized, "What am I crazy!" I'm a little worried about what he might attempt the next time he gets on his bike.
He's not abandoning Nascar all together though. When the X-game coverage ended, he immediately wanted to watch Nascar. I think Jax might very well turn out to be an adrenaline junkie.
Today, however, he strayed from Nascar. You see, on Friday, Jax discovered the X-games on ESPN. He has been watching all kinds of insanity involving skateboards, BMX bikes, Motor-Cross, and even some Rally car racing. The stunts these guys do are nothing short of amazing, and we've witnessed both the good and bad outcomes. As with Nascar, Jax seems to enjoy watching them crash more than he enjoys seeing them successfully complete their jump or trick.
While watching some highlight footage from one of the BMX stunt competitions, Anh asked Jax, "Can you do that on your bicycle?" Jax immediately blurted out, "Yeah," and then paused for a second and said, "Actually, No!" It was like he had the thought, "Yeah, I can totally do that. Let's go!" Then he realized, "What am I crazy!" I'm a little worried about what he might attempt the next time he gets on his bike.
He's not abandoning Nascar all together though. When the X-game coverage ended, he immediately wanted to watch Nascar. I think Jax might very well turn out to be an adrenaline junkie.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Almost
We have almost witnessed giggling several times over the last few days. So far, Baylor has really only chuckled which is definitely cute, but makes us anxious to witness full on giggling because I know it will be even better. He's made even more progress on sleeping too. He'll know sleep for 6 hours, wake for a bottle, and then sleep for another 3, sometimes even 4 hours! We feel super lucky.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
