Nicole Tasker Woods

The days leading up to Aidan’s first day at preschool feel like a summer break before he goes back to school – or in this case, starts school!

There’s so much I still need to buy for him like a lunch box, water shoes, name tags – the teachers at his preschool strongly recommended labeling EVERYTHING he brings with him. I’m trying to play out in my head everything that he will need at school so that he’s not wanting for anything.

I’m a little nervous about the morning routine. Getting him up early so he can have breakfast, brush his teeth, change his clothes and load him up in the car for the hour long drive to Burbank is going to be a bit nerve racking. I’m sure we’ll have it nailed down after the first week, but I’m still anxious.

However, now’s not the time to worry about school. Now’s the time to enjoy the summer break and make some memories we will never forget! Bring it!

Aidan has been with a nanny all his life. I started interviewing caregivers when I was 4 months pregnant because I wanted to be prepared. I wanted time to get to know the person that would come to our house 5 days a week to look after our baby & our dog, Cali. I thought that I would find the perfect nanny and she’d look after Aidan until he turned 5 and started kindergarten. Boy was I wrong!

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Aidan has finally been accepted to Warner Bros. preschool program and I am THRILLED!!!

He starts July 14, which is also the day that they start water play each morning. I went to an orientation for the preschool last week and was seriously overwhelmed with how many activities & classroom events they have scheduled for these kids. I must admit, I was worried when I heard they serve lunch family style and each child has to serve themselves. The kids must look at the food they are about to eat and decide if they need a plate or a bowl, a spoon or a fork. Yikes! Sounds like a very messy first day.

I’m worried about Aidan getting picked on while at school. He’s a lot bigger, taller & thicker than other kids his age so at the park, older kids will tease him for the way that he talks. He talks just fine for a 2 year old who is turning 3 next month. But kids see how big he is and assume he’s 5 or 6. I almost drop-kicked a 6 year old bully at the park this past weekend for telling Aidan he didn’t say ‘doughnut’ right. I could have killed that kid.

It’s probably good I’m not in the childcare profession. For one, I couldn’t handle it. That’s way too much pressure & too much stress for me to function. I’d probably pick a favorite and spend the whole day protecting them from bullies. For that reason, I think it’s probably best for me to give Aidan a full week at preschool before I drive over there and pick him up for lunch. I don’t want him to pull away from activities & not participate because he thinks I’m coming to get him at any minute. I want him to love school so much he cries when I come to pick him up. Here’s hoping!

Our nighttime routine involved me lying with Aidan in his bed while he drinks his milk at 8:30pm. Then we talk for a few minutes, we mooch & I leave so he can find some dreams.

About 10 minutes later, he’s kicking the door to tell us he has just pooped.  I used to go upstairs to visit with him while Ryan changed the poopy diaper and Aidan would say, “Aidan got poop!” at the top of his lungs.  By me being in the room, Aidan would take it upon himself to order me around while fist-pumping, “Mommy got to spray this room!”  Indeed, I would have to spray air freshener to eradicate the poop stench.  Then he would say, “Mommy fan!” instructing me to fan the door open and shut, open and shut to further remove the smell of poop (while he jumps on his bed).  And finally, he would tell me to lay in bed with him for a second time so he could drink even more milk.

This routine would take anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes.

As much as I love laying in bed with my little boy, I also love spending time with my husband!  So I decided it was time for Daddy-Law.

Now, Ryan does the poopy diaper change solo and when Aidan asks where I am (sometimes he cries out for me), Ryan tells him that I am sleeping or taking the dogs for a walk.  I enjoy sitting quietly downstairs listening to the whole routine, with father & son conversing back and forth.

It may take 2 or 3 additional applications of Daddy-Law to get the A-man to finally close his eyes and sleep, but it certainly does free up my evenings!

I got the best Mother’s Day mooches every minute yesterday! I will admit, I do get them a lot every other day, but it just felt more special on Mother’s Day. Ryan got Aidan to say “Happy Mother’s Day Mom” and he said it about a million times…

…when he was going down the stairs.

…when he was riding in the car.

…when he was playing at the park.

The best one was at lunch. We were at a Mexican restaurant, sitting outside under a big yellow umbrella. I gave him a mooch on the cheek and he grabbed my face with his little pudgy hands and laid a big wet one on my cheek. Love him.

As soon as I heard Aidan making noises around 7:30am on Sunday morning, I threw on some sweats and a hat, scooped him up and we headed to breakfast. We split a plate of pancakes, 2 fried eggs & some bacon. We were munchin’ away, enjoying a quiet restaurant with only a couple other people dining that early in the morning. We had a great time together and buttermilk pancakes never tasted so good. But the only thing sweeter than the syrup was Aidan saying, “Mommy takes care of Aidan. That’s Mommy’s job.” Love him!

One night last week, Ryan was up all night working so when he finally fell asleep it was on the couch in the blue room. He does this from time to time so that he does not disturb me or the dogs. The blue room is where is where I usually ‘rock’ Aidan to sleep before bed. It isn’t usually a problem for Ryan to sleep on the couch in the blue room, unless Aidan wakes up in the middle of the night due to a bad dream or just restless nighttime hours.

On this particular night, Aidan woke up screaming so it surprised me when I found Ryan sleeping through the racket. I comforted the little man, changed his diaper and tried to put him back in his bed, but he said, “Sit mommy couch?” I told him we couldn’t because Daddy was sleeping on that couch. I hushed his cries while I showed him where Ryan was sleeping. Aidan was perplexed. Where would he and his mommy sit to get back to sleep?

I have never done this before but I said to him, “How about this: I will get your milk and you can drink it in bed and I will lay next to you in your bed. Sound good?” He was pretty happy with this idea so he scurried into bed and waited for me to bring him some milk.

Ever since that night, when I’m done sitting with him on the couch and I carry his heavy, sleeping body to bed, he always wakes up just enough to ask me to lay in bed with him. “Mommy, lay in bed.”

How can I say no to that?

Just felt my first sizable earthquake – 4.4! I was lying in bed, watching TV with the dogs and all of a sudden it felt like a strong wind was picking up and then the shaking started, but not violent shaking. It was just a slow, gradual movement. Not scary at all. I wished Aidan was awake to feel it so that he knows it isn’t anything to be afraid of. The dogs freaked out and started barking; I thought that would wake the Big A up for sure, but nope, he continued to sleep soundly in his bed.