A Year of Gratitude: Day 304

Today I am grateful for this.

I am also incredibly grateful for the people, teachers and educational professionals, who care for my kiddo while he is at school.  With each interaction I am more and more impressed by his school and the level of dedication they have to all the students of the school, not just the ones they are in charge of.

Have a wonderful day!

A Year of Gratitude: Day 303

Today was not easy, I'm not going to lie.  Between dropping Baylor off and seeing him sit alone on the line, his head resting on his knees, just waiting for school to start, the fact that I just missed him so much, the pressure of trying to get things done so that when he's done with school I can just hang with him and Mollie, the epic meltdown he had after his PLAY therapy session after school, and Mollie b*tch slapping me right before I turned out the lights and wished her sweet dreams, it was a bit of a stressful day.  At one point, as the kids were moaning and protesting the meal I made (and have made a ton of times, thank you), I excused myself and ran upstairs to cry.  It wasn't good, but at least no one saw the ugly cry.

But, it had its moments.  And for those I am grateful.

For finally starting to settle into a rhythm with Mollie while Baylor is at school.

For getting the chili made ahead of time so I could play with the kids before dinner tend to the meltdown.

And last, but certainly not least, for the moment when Baylor hopped into the car after school and when asked how his second day of school went said, "FAN-tastic!"  Music to my ears, I tell you.

No, he still doesn't like recess.  He still has worries and concerns.  Mollie is still acting out when she sees Baylor getting so much attention.  And the house is still an ever-loving mess.  (Really, it's unreal right now.)

But there are those shining moments in the day that I'm trying to cling to in the middle of all this madness.  And for those things I am so very grateful.

Have a wonderful night!

A Year of Gratitude: Day 302

I wanted to do this long gratitude post, mostly because I have so much to be grateful for today, but I am absolutely spent, both physically, mentally, and - most of all - emotionally.  So here it is, the gist of it ...

Today I am grateful that Baylor's first day of kindergarten went so much better than I thought it would.  So ... much ... better.  I am going to thank my lucky stars tonight and hope they keep it up for, well, for the rest of his school years, quite frankly.

Have a wonderful night!

That's What They Said: Kindergarten Worries and Wonders

(the day before the first day of school)
Baylor:  "I'm nervous that when I get to school no one will love me."



(as she was taking off her shoes when we returned home from dropping him off)
Me:  (noticing Mollie was resting her head on the shoe bench)  Honey, are you okay?  Are you sad?
Amalia:  (sadly)  Yes, I am so sad we didn't go to Meijer after we dropped Baylor off.



(after we dropped him off and were back at home)
Me:  Mollie, in about an hour and twenty minutes we'll go on over to Oma's house.
Amalia:  What?
Me:  We're going to go to Oma's house.
Amalia:  (very sadly)  But we can't go without Baylor!  We always go with Baylor!



(after we picked him up and while I was making dinner)
Baylor:  Oh, Mollie took the xylophone apart.  She wasn't supposed to do that.
Me:  I know, buddy.  But it's okay, don't worry about it.
Amalia:  Mommy, can you help me put this back together?
Me:  Hey, Baylor, can you go help your sister put that back together?
Baylor:  Sure!
Me:  (reeling with surprise at his affirmative answer)  Great!  And hey, why don't you teach her how to put it back together?
Baylor:  (to Mollie)  See this one?  It's a C.  C says "kuh, kuh".  Say it with me now.
Both:  "kuh, kuh"
Baylor:  Good.  Now this one is a D.  It says "duh, duh."  Say it with me now.
Both:  "duh, duh"



(after they got through most of the xylophone they started playing with a sound machine that had been brought to the living room and put it on "heartbeat" mode)
Baylor:  Ooh, Mollie!  Let's stomp our feet to the beat!
(and then they did just that)

Baylor's First Day of Kindergarten: During and After School

With Baylor away at school, Mollie and I were a little adrift today.  While we were at home I was basically trying to keep myself from sobbing the morning away, so it was nice to be able to get out of the house and head to my parents' abode for a while.  My mom wanted to go out to get some mums to plant, so Mollie and I tagged along to take our mind off things and away from the empty spot in the car.

When we got back, Mollie helped Mom unload the car ...

... and water the new flowers.

Then we came inside, and Mollie did a few puzzles before lunch.  Well, she spun this one around anyway.

After lunch and a fitful "nap time", we headed over to Baylor's school, picking up some donuts at Robinette's on the way.  While we were at Robinette's I got a call from his school; it was the principal just calling to let me know how Baylor's day went and that all was well.  That was a relief, though I knew I would only truly feel better when I saw him with my own two eyes.

We got to school twenty minutes early but were already eighth or ninth in line.  And when the time did come, the line didn't move for the longest time.  It was really chaotic and made me feel pretty anxious about finding him before he started to feel like I wasn't there, but then we spotted him, his Batman shirt shining in the sunlight like the bat signal, and I felt better.  After a few more minutes we made it up to him and I hopped out of the car into an enormous, twirl-him-in-the-air hug with tons of smiles; hands down, it was the best feeling of the day.

Once we got him strapped in, he started to get upset and sad, and he said he already missed "her".  When we asked who that was, he said, "Mrs. Murphy, my teacher.  I already miss her."  And with that I knew that school had gone at least moderately well.  From then on he perked up and told us all about school: how they went on a scavenger hunt around the school with Pete the Cat, how they learned about the number one, how he ate his lunch, how he likes both the teachers in his room.  His only complaint was that he didn't like the outside part of school, a.k.a., recess.  He said, "I didn't play with anyone.  I just sat there."  I knew this would be the toughest part for him, and we're ready to work on it to make all of school great for him.

The instant we got home he requested to do some Legos.  But don't start thinking that he went quiet on us; no, no, he talked and talked and talked the whole afternoon and into the evening.

After he talked his way through dinner, he got to play Lego castle with Bryson and Mollie.  Then we read some books, two downstairs and one upstairs, and got ready for bed.

Unfortunately, the books did not exactly have a calming effect on the kids tonight.

It was a lot of time without each other so I think they were just soaking it all in before bed. While we had them both in bed by 8:00, Baylor didn't end up falling asleep until about 9:10; he was talking, talking, talking to himself and needed to go to the bathroom twice before he finally was able to get some shut-eye.  (This isn't surprising, though, as he didn't go to the bathroom at all today until AFTER he got home from school.)

He seems moderately excited to go back to school tomorrow, so there is hope for the morning, though I know he'll be an hour behind on sleep, something that never wears well on him.  Fingers crossed for a good day tomorrow!

Baylor's First Day of Kindergarten: Before School

Well, today was the big first day of kindergarten for Baylor, and it was met with some anxiety on both our parts.  I got up and made sure I had enough time to prepare everything I could for him, as my own way to calm my nerves.  I made his lunch: grilled cheese, fruit salad, and Newtons, one mixed berry and one baked apples and cinnamon.

He also wanted string cheese, but since he'd been having trouble finding it during his practice runs for lunchtime, I thought I'd wrap a note around it to make it easier to find.

I got him up at 7:00, and we chatted in his room for a bit, mostly to coax him out of bed.  After Mollie got up, we got breakfast.  He was nervous to try a new flavor, dragon fruit, of yogurt, but he did it!  I hoped this would show him that good things can happen even if you're nervous about something.

Mollie, of course, needed to give her opinion as well.  Funny girl ended up eating it all in spite of her initial protestations.

We quickly got ready and I was able to snap a couple pictures of my little guy on his big day.  He chose out his shirt himself; it's his favorite right now and it makes me wonder if he feels just a little more brave in it.

Our plan was to just drop him off at the front of the school with one of the teachers or drop-off helpers, but when we got there there were none to be found.  Seriously, not a school employee in sight.  Thank goodness Bryson came with me; I was able to take Baylor back to the playground myself and see that he got there alright.  Along the way we ran into the two kids who live next door, the younger of whom is in Baylor's class.  He was having a rough time and his older sister needed to go to a different part of the school, so I took him by the hand and helped him back to the playground.  It was tough to see him so upset, and I was surprised that Baylor didn't get upset as well.  Another adult who knew the little guy a bit better came over and tried to get him to calm down, and I was able to focus on Baylor.  It was insanely bright behind the school, and Baylor asked for his sunglasses but I didn't have them with me; as soon as I got home, though, I grabbed them and got his name on them so we'd be ready for tomorrow.  He wasn't ready to play just yet, in part because of how bright it was, but he did let me snap a picture of him!  Look at my brave little guy!

I asked him if he'd rather just wait in the line with his backpack and he said yes, so we walked back to his backpack ... and he promptly sat on it, lunch and all.  Hopefully his lunchbox and the container holding his food protected everything.  We'll see.  After I got him seated on the ground, I told him I had to leave - our car wasn't parked in an appropriate spot and I knew it might just get harder to leave the longer I stayed - and I gave him a kiss and told him I loved him and would see him after school.  Then I walked away.

Then I left and my heart broke a little bit.  I was pretty sure I could make it to the car without crying, but an old teacher friend (and the parent of a former classmate of mine) asked how I was doing and started hugging me the minute she saw my chin quiver.  (Mrs. Champagne, if you're reading this, thank you from the bottom of my heart for the hugs and reassurances.)

And now, we anticipate 3:15 ... hopefully it'll be all smiles then.

A Year of Gratitude: Day 301

Today I am grateful that I was able to hold myself together and not cry as Baylor went through waves of worry about his first day of kindergarten tomorrow.  Even when he said he was worried no one would love him, I still managed to keep it together and calm him down.  I don't know where that strength came from, but I'm sure glad it stepped in today to help out.  Let's hope it hangs in there for tomorrow.

I will tell you, though, that after the kids went to bed and Bryson and I settled in to watch a little television before bed, this commercial broke me.  I had it all held together nicely, no tears, no quaking heart, and then this came along:





and broke me to pieces.

Here's hoping my strength comes back overnight, and I make it through the morning dry-eyed.

Have a wonderful night!

That's What They Said: Growing Up

Baylor:  Mommy, when I grow up, I'm not going to be like other grown ups.
Me:  (smiling)  I know, sweetheart.  But how do you think you're going to be different?
Baylor:  When I grow up I am not going to have a job.



(Bryson was sidelined for a couple days with a thrown out back.)
Amalia:  What did Daddy say on the phone?
Me:  He said his back feels better!  Isn't that great?
Amalia:  Yeah!  Hooray!  Now we can smush him!


Amalia:  (in an irritated tone)  Mommy, did you hook up on me?  I was calling you!



Me:  Baylor, what would make our trip to Chicago the best ever?
Baylor:  (smiling)  If we got to see Steve and Katie.



Amalia:  I'm going to Timbuktu.
Me:  Oh, I will miss you!
Amalia: (in a reassuring tone) Don't worry, I'll be back before dessert!

A Year of Gratitude: Day 300

Today I am grateful that my kiddos came back safely from their first outings on Sea Doos while we were up at the cabin for the annual Labor Day get together.  Some might say I'm not the most relaxed of mothers, so it was a big relief to me to see them have fun AND come back safe and sound.

Have a wonderful night!

A Year of Gratitude: Day 299 (a day late)

Today I am grateful for my sister, Christine.  She is an amazing baker, and yesterday she baked her heart out to help me.  She made crumpets for the kids because apparently my children are a bit British; they love having crumpets with jam for breakfast.

Just look at all that crumpety goodness!

I'm also grateful to my mom for convincing me that I didn't have enough time (or attention, let's be honest) to make a cake from scratch and that a lemon Bundt cake out of a box would work out just fine.  She was right.  I can't wait to take this to the family gathering at the cabin today!

Then, after the cake cooled, Christine supervised me while I made lemon glaze for the cake.  Without her help, it would have been a runny mess instead of this beautiful creation.

To top it all off, she made homemade Parker House rolls for me to take to the cabin.  They are gorgeous and perfect and, no doubt, delicious.  I can't wait to brag about my little sister.

So Christine, thank you for astounding me with your baking skills yet again and helping me out so very much.  It would have taken me days to do what you did in a few hours, and none of it would have come out quite as perfectly.

Have a wonderful day!