The Dreaded Phone Call

We have had a relatively good start to the school year. We have also had a few bumps along the way. During the first week of workdays, Eli and Emmy seemed to adjust easily to the morning routine and the long days at school. We moved up bedtime in the evenings to around 7:30PM so that the kids (and adults!) are getting as much sleep as possible for the next day. On the second week, I got a call early on Tuesday before 9AM saying that Eli was sickly and needed to be picked up. It is always a sinking feeling when I see the preschool's phone number on my caller ID. At the doctor's office later that afternoon, it was confirmed that he had RSV. RSV and also Hand, Foot, and Mouth have been going around in Eli's class. Thank goodness he is a little older to fight off the virus which can be otherwise pretty scary with infants. He stayed with Grammy and Grandpa on Wednesday and Thursday, and then Boomer was able to work from home on Friday so that Eli could continue to get better. 

We had just two days of both kids in school before getting another dreaded phone call saying that a kid in Emmy's class tested positive for COVID-19. Her entire class can not return until September 7th. Ahhh! We've again had to call in reinforcements from Grammy and Grandpa, and Emmy has been enjoying some one-on-one time with them until she can go back to school. 

On top of all of this, I had to cancel my debit card after there were some fraudulent charges and I accidently backed into a concrete pole, scrapping my bumper on my car - uggh! I've tried to stay positive though since there have been some really good moments over the last few weeks, like special treats after school. 

We've started using a button system to motivate Emmy for good behavior. I borrowed the idea from my sister who uses it with her boys. Buttons can be earned for sharing, doing things without being asked, picking up toys, and being kind. Buttons can be taken away as well, for not listening the first time or for having a tantrum. Emmy always gets good reports at school, and she is my rule follower. She does not like having buttons taken away so the whole system has proven to be very successful. When she reached 20 buttons for the first time, we celebrated with a cupcake at the bakery downtown. 

On the weekend, we have enjoyed some fun plans with family and friends. A couple of weekends ago, we went to a winery and out to dinner with the Joneses. This past weekend, the original Bakewell 4 went on a wine tour called the Yadkin Summer Whites. We enjoyed wine and food pairings at five different wineries. Boomer and I also fit in a date night at a Dash game, and we spent one more Saturday at the pool for our last hurray of the summer. 

All in all, we are finding a rhythm between work, school, and family time. I'm hoping that soon we will have both kids back in school fulltime and a more predictable day-to-day routine. There were good things during the month of August, but I'm looking forward to a calmer, cooler September.