Back in the swing.....

of things, that is. It has been one week since Gabby trotted off to school and I must say, it feels good! It is nice to get back into somewhat of a "routine" and be home more. I feel like I've gotten a lot of little things done around the house that I've been needing to do and we've also started our school year off right with a case of colds! Gabby had to stay home from school on Monday as she was running a low grade fever and complaining of headache and congestion. As kids do, she is pretty much fully recovered by today and is running around the house, lively as ever. But, as with 99% of the illness that comes into this house, it doesn't just stop with the first victim. I woke up this morning with a sore throat. I thought it was my allergies but it's only gotten worse and tonight Carson was starting to sound congested so I think it's just the beginning of a long cold/flu season! Brad asked if he was next and I told him just to give it a couple of days and it would be his turn.

On a high note, Gabby is LOVING school! It's apparent that she still gets a little nervous before she gets out of the car but she soon forgets and is running toward the school door. She is having fun experiencing the fun special classes as well. So far, I think computer might be her favorite. Having a choice of milk is also exciting. Here is a piece of conversation that we had last week after her first full day...

Me: Hey Gabby! How was school today?

Gabby: Mom, it was great, and you'll never believe this....we got to choose what kind of milk we wanted and we could choose between regular, skim, chocolate or strawberry. It was so cool!

Brad and I had to laugh later that night when I was telling him about it. He said, if you went anywhere else and that's all they offered, we'd be so mad but a kindergartener thinks it's the greatest thing in the world! I think Brad would agree with me when I say that we really do try to point out the little things in life as keys to happiness in our kids. So, we're happy that she is happy!
I have found that the time that Gabby has been in school has allowed me to spend extra time with Carson, clean or even just lay down and take a nap. No matter what I've done, I've felt it was well spent after the busy summer we had. The first week has gone fast, but it's been great!

First Day

Well, it's 2:20 and I survived. WAIT...I think this is supposed to be more about her than me but it really doesn't feel that way. What a wonderfully sad day this has been. I must say it felt good to be in a room full of 24 other parent's that probably felt the same way. I talked to at least 3 other moms who were going through this for the first time too with their little girls. "Mixed emotions" seemed to be the overwhelming feeling among us all. When we arrived in her classroom, it was a buzz with kids and parents travelling around to various centers in the room to work and play with different things. The teacher then provided a snack for the kids while she talked to the parents and then the kids were left with her while we went and heard from the Literacy Leader of the school. Gabby was hesitant to see me leave the room but by the time I got back, she had a smile on her face and told me how much fun she had! There is a another little girl from our church in her classroom as well as two girls from our addition so I think she will make many great friends this year! I left excited too as I got to meet the moms of these girls and it looks like even I might make some new friends. Maybe this kindergarten thing will turn out o.k. afterall!

Sidenote: I found out our school provides preschool classes for ages 3-5. Carson, how can we get you signed up?! The room is right across from your sisters so she can report back to mom on how you are behaving!

1st day of school

Well, our day together has begun! It started off washing dishes and cleaning up the kitchen from breakfast. Sweet little Gabby insisted on helping wipe down the counters since this was "our day together." She did a really good job and then we went and played hide-and-seek! After our game, we read a book and now we're in the process of getting ready to leave the house. She has chosen Olive Garden as her restaurant of choice today! One of her mom's favorites! That's MY girl! So far, I am feeling good about the day. It's beautiful outside, the sun is shining and we're having a great time together!

Bring on the services..

So yesterday I got two phone calls about 2 hours apart. They were from Carson's speech therapist and occupational therapist and they both wanted time slots for TODAY! Coinsidentally, I had already scheduled a meeting here at the house with Dustin, our service coordinator so I knew I would be home. So at 10a.m. I met with Dustin, at 12:45 Debbie was here for speech and at 6, Michelle was here for OT. Whew....by the time the kids were in bed, I was exhausted mentally. Here is how it went...
Dustin just came to check in.
Debbie feels that Carson is going to be fine with some speech assistance. She is going to be coming 1-2 times per week from now until February. She said that he has a lot going for himself and is way further ahead than some kids she sees who just sit and look at her, not uttering a single sound. So, I was encouraged by what she had to say. She also left me some great tools to use with him to encourage more speech.
Michelle was great as well. She did some play therapy on the floor with him and explained that she will be working with him on a lot of fine motor skills as she really feels he has a weakness in that area. She is also going to be doing a lot of sensory stuff with him to see how he handles it. She made us feel good as she said she works to rule things out rather than hurry and give a child a "diagnosis" which can sometimes turn into a "label" early in life and then it's hard to get rid of.
Michelle will be coming 1 time per week for now and may pick up services if need be and will also give me things that I can do to work with Carson at home. As it is right now, I strive to take an hour a day with him, usually in the evening, after Gabby goes to bed to work on things and it's going very well. We've seen some improvements in him in just the past 3 weeks so we're encouraged.

I'll keep you posted as things progress! Thanks for reading!

On the other side of Things

We have had a busy, action packed day with home services. Our day started out at 10 a.m. with our service coordinator stopping by to introduce himself and have me sign another paper. As he was here, it was so strange to me. When I graduated college, I spent a few months teaching preschool before I moved on to case management services with The Center For Mental Health in Anderson. I worked with kids who had anything from Autism to Behavioral Problems, in the school but primarily in the home. I was young and many times felt as if the parent's that I was trying to help saw me as young and with little experience but since I was there and they could count on me to show up and work with their kids, they listened.
When Dustin got here today, I took one look at him and guessed him to be around 22...almost 10 years younger than me. I knew he was new with First Steps and hadn't been in the profession long but I have to give him credit, he knew what he was talking about. You could tell he had spent a lot of time studying up and he wasn't arrogant. He admitted up front that he may not always have the answer to my questions but he would work hard to find them. He reminded me a lot of myself when I was working in that profession...young, but willing to work. I was impressed and think he's on the road to many great things.

Are we really doing this???

Last night, Gabby and I packed her backpack up with all the supplies she needed to have a successful year of kindergarten. As I sat there with her, I watched as she carefully put each item into her bag and placed it just perfectly so as not to lose or break anything. I thought to myself, "Are we really doing this? Is this really happening?" I can't believe I'm sending my oldest baby to kindergarten. I had flashbacks of sitting in the hospital with her the day she was born, in awe of how amazing she was. She is even more amazing now than the day she was born. My heart broke and rejoiced as she is getting ready to start a new chapter in life. I wonder how it will go for her. How many heartbreaks will we have to endure in just kindergarten alone? Will she achieve every goal she wants to? How do we as parent's, instill in her that it's not the "winning" that matters. It's the "winning attitude" no matter what the outcome, that really counts? I don't care if she doesn't come out on top, as long as she is proud of the job she did and she puts her all into it, I'm happy!

This evening, the school held open house for students, families and the community to come and see the new school. As we approached the entrance, after a long, hot walk from the parking lot, I felt my throat get tight and my eyes get misty. I said to Brad, "Are we really doing this?" He gave a little chuckle at me so as not to get too emotional himself and we entered. Thankfully, it was chaotic inside and so I was distracted from my thoughts, which was a good thing. We found Gabby's room and her face lit up like a light! She loved it! Her teacher seems very nice and Gabby is anxiously looking forward to Thursday. We also found out, while we were there, that there is another girl from church who is in her classroom so I think that will be good for Gabby, and Katrina to each have a familiar face when they enter the room on Thursday.

As we left tonight, I was feeling a little better about things. So, I guess the answer to my question, "Are we really doing this?" is, "Yes, we are!" and it's coming quicker than I'd ever imagined! Stay tuned for more postings on my emotional roller coaster this week! I'm sure I'll feel led to post!

Traffic Light Nap

Today we traveled down to Anderson to Mounds State Park for a family get together with Brad's side. As we were on the way back and getting ready to enter I-69, this is the conversation that took place.....

Gabby: "Mom, can I take a nap?"

Me: "Well, why don't you wait until you we stop and get you something to eat?"

Gabby: "O.k."

So we go through a drive through and she eats. She finishes and as we are driving down 69 asks again about taking a nap. Here's how it went.....

Gabby: "O.k. mommy, can I take a nap now?"

Me: "Well, can you wait for a little while? I really don't want you napping at this time of day?"

Gabby: "O.k. but as soon as we get to the next stop light, I'm taking a nap!"

Me: (Laughing) "O.k. that's just fine! If you can wait until we get to the next traffic light, you can take a nap."

End of conversation. Needless to say, she didn't make it to the next traffic light!