Simon had good and bad days this week. Bad days are usually the result of being overwhelmingly tired. Being tired is the result of not napping or waking up at 6 am instead of 7 or 8. How does Simon behave on a bad day? He becomes stubborn - one day happily spending 45 minutes in the time out chair rather than saying he was sorry. He becomes destructive - enjoying nothing more than throwing toys everywhere and banging hard toys on others that might break. He thinks doing things to make us mad is really really funny - like waiting until we are watching before slowly dropping and handful of food onto the floor or climbing shelves and furniture while yelling "I'M CLIMBING!!" He is also much less likely to eat anything that is good for him - spitting half masticated food onto his lap and declaring "I'm not eating anymore." We hope for good days.

As you may recall, Matthew and Simon signed up for many community sponsored toddler classes as soon as we arrived. Monday was the final art class. For the most part, the class was a bust. Matthew convinced Simon to paint a little but, otherwise, Simon was disinterested in all artistic options. Wednesday Simon's "Child Chef" class was canceled for the week which was a shame because cooking interests Simon a lot more than art. So far they've made pretzels and fresh orange juice. Last Thursday Matthew and Simon started a free preschool class at the Mountain View Public Library. Simon was uncharacteristically interested and attentive for the entire class - so far it seems to be his favorite. Fridays Matthew and Simon take gymnastics. Simon participates to some extent but not enough for us to want to sign him up again. Our warm indoor pool opens again next week. It has been closed since mid-December for repairs. Simon is really looking forward to swimming again.

We've been looking into preschools and have appointments to tour two this week. Our hope is to find some place that is relaxed about authority while having a lot of different options for music, learning, and play. We also don't want to send him any more than a few hours three days a week (many preschools want the children to attend all five days) but definitely more than two hours two days a week (some preschools have only four hours a week options for children his age). Also, Simon naps between 1 and 5 pm so we need a morning program. Combine those requirements with finding a non-religious based school and there suddenly seems to be a lack of options. We remain hopeful about these two.

Also this week...

Intense focus on the potty begins and touring new neighborhoods with our real estate agent.