Yesterday we celebrated Anna's 3rd birthday with a small party with her brothers and cousins. Since we are soooooo cramped in the rent house, we had it at my mom and dad's....8 kids and 10 adults - there is no way we could pull that off in our house! Thanks Momma ;-) Anyway, the kids had a good time. The gift of the night...a Cinderella light up stick...go figure? My guess is that it has Cinderella's picture on it and it looks like a mini-light saber - what could be better? Oh yeah and she loved the incredibly gaudy Cinderella pink streamer ponytail holder from my sister. Sorry if any of you have these, or like them....just not my personal taste and my sister is well aware of that. We are very basic bows, barrettes type ladies...but Anna sported it very well and yes, I will let her wear it...to the mailbox!
See what I mean?
Today was Anna's first pre-school speech session. Since she is 3, she no longer qualifies for the "in-home" therapy and is transitioning into the school system. Thankfully, the school system is working with us and allowing us to only come for speech right now. Eventually, I will let her go more but not yet...still holding this little bird in the nest.
I know that it will be beneficial for Anna to go and I WILL put her best interest ahead of mine, but she is sooo tiny and the fact that she isn't verbal yet, I am just not comfortable with it just yet. I do want her to be transitioned to go more before Elli gets home because I think it will be very good for Elli to have some time with me alone without having to compete with Anna 24/7. Then we will start transitioning Elli into Anna's class. I know that Anna has a lot of ground to cover before she starts Kindergarten and I want her to be as prepared as possible. We want her to excel to her abilities whatever that may be. We know that she is sharp, she just hasn't been able to convey what's in that cute little head of hers just yet.
Anna and I went to the school this morning for her first day. She will only be going on Tuesdays for now. She was very excited to be going solo with Momma. I don't think she understood where we were going, but she just knew she had her new backpack and Parker was at home with Daddy. We got to the school, put on her jacket, backpack and I had to snap a couple of pictures for you guys ;-) She was so excited as she was taking it all in.
Seriously, how adorable is she? This is 'one' of the moments I wanted to put her back in the car and come home...simultaneously excited for her because I knew she was excited.
No, she isn't pointing at the "Welcome to Pre-School" sign, but rather saying "light!!" She loves lights.
We walked into her class and she squealed as she remembered the room and the teacher from our IEP meeting. All the other kids were seated on a rug in the center of the room ready for a story. Anna went straight to the middle of the carpet, right in the middle of all the kids and started hopping around. The teacher introduced Anna to the other kids, who were too cute, and they all said, "Hi Anna!!!" She then started walking around the circle waving and saying, "hi" to each kid...yeah, I was swallowing pretty hard at this point. She didn't want to sit on the carpet with the other kids and the teacher let her do her own thing. She walked back to me where I was bent down on the floor and sat in my lap. "Oh no, I missed my 'slip out' moment," I thought. She started whining, laying her head on my chest. I got up on my knees where she had to lean against me, but couldn't sit in my lap. After a minute or so, she walked away and sat in a chair. They divided up into small groups and when she got her paper and crayon, it was time for me to leave my little baby all alone in a room full of strangers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh my heart was ripping out of my chest...the torment!!!!!
"Hi, Hi, Hi" (wave, wave, wave).
Paper, crayons...good to go.
Okay, a little dramatic I know, but it was painful...painful. I do not like not having "supervisory control" over my kids, especially when they are tiny...did I mention how tiny she is? She wore a sweater size 24 months people...jeans - 24 months...and a diaper!!! She is a baby! I know, a 3 year old baby, but still a baby to me. But, no tears from either of us and I left.
I drove to the library and tried to get interested in a book...not thinking about her or the strong desire to constantly check my cell phone. The time passed and I was ready to go back and pick her up...hopefully finding her very happy and no evidence of tears!
I walked to the office door and there she was looking out the glass waiting for her momma! She yelled, "mama!" when I opened the door and wanted me to pick her up. Of course I obliged and the speech therapist told me she did really well...good girl! We told everyone good bye and we will do it again next week.
Growing pains are hard...on all of us!
Yeah for Anna being a big girl & for momma not making her mascara run!
Rodney, Marcy, Carter, Jacob, Parker & Anna
