Head case
Biggest take-away from our conference with Jack's teachers last week? We have an almost-4-year-old boy who likes to fool around and get attention.
It's not like they told us anything we haven't already heard. He needs reminders to stay on task. He can't keep himself quiet and he can't keep his body still. He doesn't take a nap and he can't lie there quietly for the half-hour when everyone else does.
But you know what? HE'S (almost) FOUR. For the love of God, it's preschool. It's not like he's preparing for the SATs here. Of course I didn't say that to his teachers, because I get it. He's disrupting other kids and they can't spend all their time focusing on him. And that's not fair to anyone.
But in the end, I think it's just Jack being Jack. He wanders around here at home. He has never been a fan of using his inside voice. He's spent the last two years hip-checking his sister and not showing remorse about it. He rarely takes a nap on the weekends and he's definitely not quiet for a half-hour in his room.
When we picked him up from school today, his teacher said he had an awesome day and she couldn't believe how great he was. Apparently, the key to good behavior is a head injury, such as the one he got last night.
If you follow me on Twitter, you know we took Jack to the ER because he fell and hit his head at the pool, complained he was going to throw up an hour later and fell asleep in the car on the way home.
Josh had taken Jack and Emmie and I stayed home with Maeve, so I got the information secondhand, but apparently he was walking away from the hot tub area and the floor was super slippery and when he fell backward, the back of his head hit the raised tile ledge around the hot tub. Josh said he cried for about 10 minutes, and was fine. They went to dinner afterward and during dinner, he ate some pasta but then didn't want his pizza and started crying that he felt like he was going to throw up. After he fell asleep in the car, Josh started to suspect maybe these things were all related.
After they got home and he told me what happened, I called the pediatrician's service and the doctor on call told us we should probably take him to the ER just to be safe. He was sobbing that his tummy hurt and had a bump the size of an egg on the back of his little skull. We had our awesome neighbor (and longtime reader), Chris, come over to stay with a sleeping Emmie and an awake-and-ready-to-party Maeve and headed out to Children's Hospital.
After bathing ourselves and Jack in hand sanitizer several times during the 25-minute wait in urgent care, a doctor pronounced him "likely fine" and told us kids can actually puke twice after a head injury before they even think about giving a CT scan. Who knew?
Jack of course stopped crying the minute we left the house and was all smiles for the nurses and doctor. He gave them all a play-by-play of the events of the night and made everyone laugh with his detailed descriptions. Thanks to our (recently changed and expensive) health insurance, that little excursion set us back a couple hundred bucks. Awesome!
After returning home with the doc's permission to send him off to school in the morning, he finally got to sleep around 9:30 p.m. We were instructed to wake him once an hour to make sure he wasn't concussed and since I am awake multiple times per night to feed Maeve, I just went in and checked on Jack as well. Of course, he was up and ready for the day at 6:15 this morning. Seriously, does this child never sleep in? Does he have a secret alarm I am not aware of?
But apparently, his tiredness made for some docile behavior today. And lucky me, because we dealt with all that nonsense and didn't know how he would be today, Josh didn't fly out as scheduled and worked at home today. Yay! A one-day reprieve from single-parenting! And one more day to sleep in! I mean not that I don't love having my husband around, but let's face facts: my sleep is more important than anything right now.
But he left tonight and I was on my own for bathtime and bedtime. And let me tell you, at one point, everyone but me was crying. And I just had to laugh because there was nothing else to do. I came downstairs with Maeve to find an empty wine rack -- and that's when I started to cry.
It's not like they told us anything we haven't already heard. He needs reminders to stay on task. He can't keep himself quiet and he can't keep his body still. He doesn't take a nap and he can't lie there quietly for the half-hour when everyone else does.
But you know what? HE'S (almost) FOUR. For the love of God, it's preschool. It's not like he's preparing for the SATs here. Of course I didn't say that to his teachers, because I get it. He's disrupting other kids and they can't spend all their time focusing on him. And that's not fair to anyone.
But in the end, I think it's just Jack being Jack. He wanders around here at home. He has never been a fan of using his inside voice. He's spent the last two years hip-checking his sister and not showing remorse about it. He rarely takes a nap on the weekends and he's definitely not quiet for a half-hour in his room.
When we picked him up from school today, his teacher said he had an awesome day and she couldn't believe how great he was. Apparently, the key to good behavior is a head injury, such as the one he got last night.
If you follow me on Twitter, you know we took Jack to the ER because he fell and hit his head at the pool, complained he was going to throw up an hour later and fell asleep in the car on the way home.
Josh had taken Jack and Emmie and I stayed home with Maeve, so I got the information secondhand, but apparently he was walking away from the hot tub area and the floor was super slippery and when he fell backward, the back of his head hit the raised tile ledge around the hot tub. Josh said he cried for about 10 minutes, and was fine. They went to dinner afterward and during dinner, he ate some pasta but then didn't want his pizza and started crying that he felt like he was going to throw up. After he fell asleep in the car, Josh started to suspect maybe these things were all related.
After they got home and he told me what happened, I called the pediatrician's service and the doctor on call told us we should probably take him to the ER just to be safe. He was sobbing that his tummy hurt and had a bump the size of an egg on the back of his little skull. We had our awesome neighbor (and longtime reader), Chris, come over to stay with a sleeping Emmie and an awake-and-ready-to-party Maeve and headed out to Children's Hospital.
After bathing ourselves and Jack in hand sanitizer several times during the 25-minute wait in urgent care, a doctor pronounced him "likely fine" and told us kids can actually puke twice after a head injury before they even think about giving a CT scan. Who knew?
Jack of course stopped crying the minute we left the house and was all smiles for the nurses and doctor. He gave them all a play-by-play of the events of the night and made everyone laugh with his detailed descriptions. Thanks to our (recently changed and expensive) health insurance, that little excursion set us back a couple hundred bucks. Awesome!
After returning home with the doc's permission to send him off to school in the morning, he finally got to sleep around 9:30 p.m. We were instructed to wake him once an hour to make sure he wasn't concussed and since I am awake multiple times per night to feed Maeve, I just went in and checked on Jack as well. Of course, he was up and ready for the day at 6:15 this morning. Seriously, does this child never sleep in? Does he have a secret alarm I am not aware of?
But apparently, his tiredness made for some docile behavior today. And lucky me, because we dealt with all that nonsense and didn't know how he would be today, Josh didn't fly out as scheduled and worked at home today. Yay! A one-day reprieve from single-parenting! And one more day to sleep in! I mean not that I don't love having my husband around, but let's face facts: my sleep is more important than anything right now.
But he left tonight and I was on my own for bathtime and bedtime. And let me tell you, at one point, everyone but me was crying. And I just had to laugh because there was nothing else to do. I came downstairs with Maeve to find an empty wine rack -- and that's when I started to cry.
Labels: Holy hell three kids, Injuries, Jack, School
posted by Amy at
8:12 PM
14 Comments:
I am right there with you. I have an "almost" 4 year old who seems to have a hard time "sitting quiet" in circle time at school. We got a talk about it at conferences too. We left and my husband said: "yup, he's 3 and perfectly normal" I also understand how you feel about your husband being gone. My husband is in the military so he's gone alot and had the nerve to leave me with a 1 month old and 3 year old for 5 days. What was he thinking?!?!?! My thoughts are with you! You have a hilarious blog, by the way!
I'm loud. My husband is loud. It's genetic. Infuriates me when Clayton's (3-1/2 yrs) preschool teacher constantly shouts at him to "USE YOUR INSIDE VOICE." For the love of Jessica Simpson, he doesn't have a freaking inside voice.
There is about a ten minute period every single afternoon when both boys are crying and I wish so hard that Ryan would come home in the middle of of that but he never does. He only comes home when I've doped them up with raisins and they are sitting placidly at the table as I make dinner. Not fair.
so sorry to hear about jack's head!
I love when people act like your kid is all out of control bceause he can't sit still and quietly for a half an hour - are they not familiar with children of this age? The expected attention span of a three/four year old is 10 minutes! At least they didn't try and tell you he needed to be medicated or something!
Right there with you with the laughing! There was a night I was alone with the kids and they both started to cry and I just lost it - and laughed! Because really? What else could I do?!? (But I think I too would cry if I saw an empty wine rack.)
i feel your single parent pain. my husband took off for business a few weeks after having my second (so now that seems easy, now that i have three) and i remember the juggling of multiple needs. and the tears. there is nothing to do BUT laugh, since nothing will change anyway :-) good luck!
It's amazing what I learn reading your blog... I'm totally filing the "puke twice" rule in my book for future reference, as my son is ALL BOY. Rough & Tumble.
I haven't actually tasted it, but I picked up a bottle of "Mommy's Time Out" Pinot Grigio... Sounds like you could use a bottle or 3 yourself.
Oh, as for being loud, have you had his ears tested for hearing? I was really loud like that, until they found I could barely hear I was so in need of tubes. Other than that, it was great to read the meeting revealed nothing new or really unexpected (other than the teacher's expectations...)
LOL... The empty wine rack would have made me SOB...
It's a good thing you have a blog so you can document this for posterity. It will probably be one of those that makes you laugh in the future!
oh goodness Amy, you really should right a book about the exciting adventures of mommyhood. Soo glad that Jack is ok.
Oh Amy...I feel you girl! Hub works late so often, I just tell him to take his time if he thinks he'll get home after 8pm, because by then most of the hard work is done already!
I keep a steady supply of wine and sweets on hand for nights like those. It kills my diet, but saves my sanity. There I've said it.
The empty wine rack would have be bawling as well!
(((((((((((((((((hugs)))))))))))))))) I would be rocking in a corner in a fetal position.
And FWIW, Jack's pretty freaking perfect, in my humble opinion.
I have two teenage kids and I still understand the hustle and bustle of raising them. I am so glad to see that I am not alone in this! You made me laugh! Love your blog!
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