The opera is done. Kevin is home. Life has greatly improved.

Patrick's speech is hitting a stride. He's spontaneously trying lots of new words (like pillow and puppy). A few have become quite popular (like MINE and baby). It's so encouraging to see. I worry about my little guy, not being able to communicate like most kids his age. I wonder what other kids think about it. But he's getting there. It's pretty cool to hear.

Fiona is still a newborn. We get tiny glimpses of what her personality might be like. Then she falls back asleep. She and I attended our first Mommy/Baby yoga class today. Turns out Mommy's abs are shot. I don't think this will be a bikini summer.

We checked out the preschool I'm hoping to send Patrick to in the fall. It's part of our church, and friends have had positive experiences. The only downside is that the time interferes with my MOPS group. While I'm disappointed that I won't be able to be on leadership in the same way, the conflict answers the question of "What do I want to do for MOPS next year?" Having the question answered for me made it easy. Sometimes that's nice as well. I'm excited for him to start "school." I think he's ready for the learning.

Several days of boundary-setting smackdown are making a difference. Our WOW program at the museum, music class (at church, very low key), and a playdate were 95% successful. Meaning significantly reduced shoving and other physical play. We've also pounced on the testing behaviors at home and are noticing a difference already. I think Patrick needed us to firm up with him, and I'm glad to work on this now instead of when he's five. He's such a great boy, and I want others to love him almost as much as we do. Difficult when he's shoving kids over and waving toys in their faces. So it's a start.