Sorry about the radio silence. I’ve been busy. We all came down with colds by the time the sun set on the second day of pre-school (faster than I was expecting). For two weeks straight, the Boy was so stuffed up, I had to put him in my Moby Wrap for naps so his nose could stay clear enough for him to sleep. I was up to my eyeballs in winding up to and winding down from a trip “home” to see friends and family. And the Boy’s been getting more and more mobile, determined to trap himself under every chair he can find (and pull himself up on every surface, regardless of its stability) and subsequently requiring rescuing. Not to mention the fact that since I bought a snow suit in the Girl’s size, she has been going through a sudden and intense growth spurt, determined to outgrow it before the snow flies. In other words, she is eating constantly, all the time, forever. Every time I sit down, I hear this little voice saying, “Mummy, I’m still hung-gary. Can I have some food, please?” And I say, “But, sweetie, you’ve already had oatmeal, a glass of milk, an entire banana, almonds, two slices of ham, and it’s only 9:00 am!” And she says, “yeah, and now I want some buttered bread!” Which she inhales. Not to mention the Boy gets excited every time he sees her eating, so I end up feeding him too. Then I clean everybody up, and I think I’ve bought myself some time, so I sit down. Cue the little voice, “Mummy, is it lunch time yet?” To which I say, “Lunch time?? No! It’s only 9:30! Are you seriously still hungry?!” And on and on and on. Apparently she’s been eating everything in sight at Pre-school too. They send a little note home everyday about how she did, and what she ate. The last one, after listing off a great pile of food, said, “She ate very well today!” So it’s not just me she’s been eating out of house and home.
Anywho, I know I left off on a bit of a cliff-hanger. I know you’ve all been waiting around, wondering the answers to the following questions: how did she do at Pre-school? Did she spend all day crying? Did she, in fact, shit her pants?? The short answers are: Good, No and No (well, not at pre-school, anyway).
The long answers? She cried when I dropped her off the first day, and the first day only. She cried when I picked her up for the first two days. Like bawling, couldn’t be consoled, sort of crying. She didn’t want to leave her new school friends even though, by the time I pick her up, most of her friends have already gone home. Then she was super excited about school! Couldn’t wait to get there! Couldn’t even stop to say good-bye to the rest of us when we dropped her off, even! I could see the mixed emotions on her face when I would pick her up, too. Her face would light up when she saw me, but then twist in anguish because it meant that school was over and it was time to go home. It’s only been this past week that the manic edge has worn off. She remembers to hug and kiss me good-bye, and when I pick her up she runs to me and gives me a big hug. But there are no tears, and she’s completely relaxed. And she is blossoming there, which is so gratifying to see, I can’t even tell you.
She didn’t shit her pants…at school. She saved that particular honour for me. At school she snaps her anus so tight that NOTHING CAN ESCAPE!!! For the first few weeks that meant that she was coming home and having “accidents”(a word that is egregiously ill-equipped to convey just how soul-crushing it is to have to deal with another human being’s inability to shit in the toilet three or more times in one day). And then two weeks ago she had two enormous pee accidents at school, the last one seconds before I appeared to pick her up. She only had one spare set of clothes, so she had to come home in her pee clothes. I started packing two sets of clothes after that, BUT she hasn’t had to use them AT ALL since then. AND she’s been so much better about going to the toilet at school AND at home, on her own and without prompting. So woo hoo! She’s even better at playgroup. She shares the toys now! And makes friends so fast you’d think she’s been doing it her whole life.
She *is* still 3, so she’s still somewhat of a pain in my behind. However, the change (for the better) that Pre-school has brought has been undeniable. So yay!
In other news, it’s soon November! And you know what that means? NaNoWriMo! I know, right?? I don’t think I’m quite up to NaNoWriMo, this year. I did it once (successfully) when the Girl was around 5 months old. I haven’t even attempted it since then. Next year. Maybe. But in lieu of NaNoWriMo, and in an act of solidarity with my NaNoWriMo peeps, I’m planning to post every day in the month of November (and if not every day, at least 30 times). This will be quite challenging for me as I’ve found posting even once a week to be almost impossible (as you can probably tell). But I’m thinking it will be just the kick in the pants I need to get into a better blogging mindset, and perhaps have a more regular schedule when it’s all said and done. Wish me luck! (I’m going to need it).
The Domesticated Nerd Girl 