Nap Time is Over

We gave up on Emmett napping months ago. He dropped it well before he was 3 and it took us a few months to finally accept he was done. Now we encourage "quiet time" or "down time" or simply tell him "you need to be alone".

As parents sense when their child really needs to rest after a long day, we explain to Emmett the importance of taking a break for the sake of everyone's sanity. Recently, we told Emmett that no nap/down time means he will be really cranky.

We just had a big weekend here in Seattle as our dear friends, Jason and Ashley, got married. Emmett was part of the festivities and rehearsal night, which means staying up late. We begged him to rest before the evening events and yet, he turns it on me...

He said, "Mommy, did YOU nap today?"

I replied, "No, I did not."

His response, "Then you're cranky!"

Emmett and Mommy on TV!

King 5 did a one hour show on "Learning for Life". They choose Nanny's School to talk about the importance of playing while learning for kids before the age of five. Nanny being the huge advocate she is and well-known expert/childcare educator in town was interviewed. Nanny asked that I get interviewed, too!

Emmett's cameo is brief, but cuuuuuuuuuuute! I love that we're holding hands and you see Anya in my belly!

http://www.king5.com/video/eveningmagazine-index.html?nvid=393158

Enjoy!

First Day of School

Our boy begins another year at Nanny's School and we're thrilled! The last 2 in a half weeks have been life-changing to say the least for the whole Arnold Family in Seattle. On top of our newest addition and Emmett learning what it likes to be a big brother, school was out of session, so structure was missing from our daily routine. Emmett was missing the magic of Nanny and so was mommy and daddy!

Anyway, here is a lovely pic of our adorable son as he starts his final year at Nanny's. His report on his first day back was "Emmett has worked so hard at utilizing his good friend skills...he truly is a leader and makes us proud"! He makes us proud, too.

Big Brother

On August 20th at 4:33pm Emmett became a BIG brother. He met his new sister shortly thereafter. This posting is the story of Emmett becomming a Big brudda.

In the months leading up to baby sister's arrival Emmett and Mommy frequented the library to find books on little siblings, how they arrive (some in rather graphic detail) and the impact this will have on the family. Emmett loved reading these books before bed and he embraced the idea that a newcomer would arrive soon. He loved to tell everyone that a baby was in Mommy's belly and would soon come out of her "Bagina." Still, some pieces were missing for Emmett and a few weeks before her arrival I remember Emmett asking, "How do I become a big brother?"

Well, that day came and sure enough becomming a big brother was easier than he thought. The tough part was yet to come. In fact, within about 1 hour of her arrival Emmett said, "I don't want be a big brother anymore."

Bedtime came rather quickly that night and the next day the work began. In the afternoon Daddy and Emmett took some time to go out and play at a park. This turned out to be good outlet for some of his energy. While leaving Emmett suggested that baby sister live in another house.

Since that time Emmett has become more fond of "My Baby" and enjoys kissing her and patting her on the head "as gently as possible."

Let's Water the House

Seattle's summer so far has been a scorcher. To be 8 months pregnant in this heat makes me think this is revenge for doing the same thing to my mom, but in humid St. Louis. Thanks, mom! Anyhoo, we're making the most of it and spending plenty of time outside in the yard with the hose. Our main objective has been to water all the plants. Until now...

One afternoon, Jodi and Emmett are in back taking care of our precious plants. Jodi gets a call and sure enough work requires her to break away for a minute to pull some paperwork off the internet. Jodi turns to Emmett and asks, "mommy will be right back and do you promise to stay right here with the hose?" Emmett nods and we part our separate, but o-so brief ways.

It could not have been more than 4 or 5 minutes. Jodi runs downstairs, turns the corner and low and behold, the hose is in the middle of our kitchen and water is being sprayed EVERYWHERE. Jodi screams, "No!" Emmett exclaims, "mommy, I am watering the kitchen!" with such a level of enthusiasm that it was hard to stay upset. It's just water after all, right?

Let's just say the kitchen was FLOODED. Literally, an inch or two of water on the floor. While mommy was cleaning with god knows how many towels, Emmett of course was outside now with the hose. Within a minute or two, Emmett managed to spray water through the windows saying, "I'm cleaning the windows, mommy!" That's when I knew it was time to put the hose away until he is 10.