My heart goes to Mother's Day Out

This year both my girls go to Mother's Day Out.  It is Adeline's second year of "school" and Anna's first year.  Even though Anna is not quite one year old, I knew I wanted to send her to MDO.  Even though she's so small and such a baby, I was confident in my decision for several reasons.  First, we go to church at the MDO location.  Second, her MDO room is the same room as her Sunday school room and summer camp room (teacher too).  And third, I was totally sold on the idea when I learned I could match up the days my girls both attend.  In turn, I would get 8 hours of solitude a week.  It's a win-win situation for all the Barron girls.

And so on Wednesday, August 27th, I packed up my little ladies for their first day of school.  Adeline was incredibly anxious and thrilled about going to school.  She asked me day after day, "Adeline go to school today?  I want to go pllllllleeeeeeeeeassseeee!"  The girl loves it.  She is well taken care of, she is loved by her teachers and she comes home singing and talking about all the new things she is learning.  This year, Adeline goes 3 days a week from 9-2:30.  She takes her lunch and a napmat. 

My Anna baby was also ready to try Mother's Day Out even if she had no idea what was going on.  She attends 2 days a week.  For all the reasons I listed above, I was not at all weepy or concerned about Anna's first day.  I knew she would have fun walking around and playing with all the toys in the church nursery.  I knew she would like watching other kids and engage in the energy of music, stroller rides and a new routine. 

The morning of school, Adeline woke up energized and ready to go!  She got dressed in record time and took great pride in looking at herself in the mirror all dressed up.  I even heard her say, "oh, I look adorable!  I have my bows, they look nice."  I mean, where does she get this stuff?  I cracked up under my breath and watched her study her reflection.  She even told me she needed her tennis shoes so she could run fast.  And, she made sure to check her bag about 10 times to make sure "school pahee was in there for naptime!"  Adeline had so much loot to take on the first day that she looked like she was moving into a hotel!

Anna Baby had one simple little bag full of her school supplies and lunch.  I took one of Adeline's baby dresses and had a friend applique an apple on it for Anna Baby's first day of school.  I wanted her to have something special of her own and as always, I do love a good theme.  I LOVE "firsts" of anything.  To me they are a treasured memory of my kids' childhood, so even the first day of mother's day out deserves a cute outfit and celebration. 

When we got to school, Adeline was about to jump out of her skin.  She was SO delighted to be there!  First we dropped off Anna.  She was skeptical of the whole situation, but I quickly handed her over to the teacher and placed her bag in her cubby.  Since the teacher knows her from church, I didn't have a lot of explaining to do.

 

First day 2013 (2.5 years old)

First Day 2012 (17 months old)

 



Then it was Adeline's turn.  She waved to her old teachers in the two year old room and they were happy to see her.   She marched down the hallway like she owned the place, and she found her cubby. We put all her stuff away and then she realized she was about to enter a new room with a new teacher.  Her smile faded and she hugged my neck.  She whispered in my ear, "Mama, hold you. hold you, Mama."  So I scooped up my sweet baby girl and gave her a big hug.  I reminded her how much fun school is and how Mama and Adeline are very brave.  I told her I would be right back and together we walked into the classroom.  She beamed from ear to ear when she saw the bubble machine going and a doll stroller set up in the pretend area.  She was back to her fired up, school lovin' self.  Ms. Linda is her teacher and Adeline said hello without any hesitation.  Ms. Linda has a Masters degree in early childhood education.  She talks as slow as molasses and with a gentle whisper.   Adeline liked her right off.

And that was it.  The drop off lasted a couple minutes and I was out the door in no time.  The sweet taste of freedom for this mama.  I will admit that my mind was spinning on overload just thinking about all the things on my wish list - facials, haircuts, silence, a walk without a stroller, time in my house alone, maybe some needlepoint and a mindless magazine......who knows.  8 hours a week are mine for the making!  I will miss my girls during the day, but I need the downtime and I am thankful that I can leave them in a wonderful environment with people who care about them.

Anna Elizabeth is 11 months old

 

 

 

 

 

Anna Baby!

You are 11 months old!  Next month will be your first birthday and wow, the days come and go! 

You are full of personality and NEVER stop.  Your curiosity is infectious and the reason why you WALKED AT 10.5 MONTHS!  Amazing!  You want to know everything about the world around you as well as the fact that you are desperate to keep up with William and Adeline.  So, it's no surprise that you are my early walker.  It was so fun to watch you take your first few steps.  Your eyes were aglow and I could see the "A-ha" moment in your face.  You giggle and raise your hands in the air as you walk around the house.  You love to push anything with a handle and wheels - strollers, grocery cart, the toy airplane, etc.  In fact, when Adeline is busy playing with her babies and pushing her stroller, you race over to your grocery cart and catch up with her!  I know you both will enjoy playing with each other as you grow up.






At 11 months, you are around 21 pounds.  Your hair is coming in strawberry blonde and your eyes are blue.  You wear a size 12 month and some times you can wear a 9m.  I don't have you in shoes, but I think you are a size 4.5 or 5 because those are the sizes from Adeline's shoes that fit you.  You are curious about shoes and stand up with them on your feet, but you are not keen on walking around in them.  Sometimes you lift your feet and laugh and other times you pull at them and kinda cry.

 

You do not eat baby food anymore.  You LOVE table food.  You pretty much try anything we give you and so far, the only things you have disliked are bananas (Adeline too!), turkey and hummus.  You love real fruit and I am so glad as your siblings had a really hard time warming up to any table fruits.  You also LOVE a sippy cup of water.  You get really excited when I give you your sippy cup.  Most of the water goes in your mouth, but you also find entertainment spitting it out. 

You still drink a bottle of formula a few times each day.  Since you prefer table food, the formula bottle is more like a drink now.  The only full bottles you tend to drink are the one around 9am in the morning and the bottle before bedtime.  You go to sleep around 7:30 pm and wake up close to 4am.  If we give you a small bottle, you will usually sleep until 7am.  However, from 4-7am, you are in our bed.....I DO NOT MIND A BIT.  In fact, I will miss you when you decide you have had enough!

11 months has been a wonderful month of growth for you.  Aside from walking, you are engaged in active play.  You like to study how trucks move, you like to open and shut the doors to the play kitchen and you take play food in and out of the fridge.  You LOVE LOVE LOVE baby dolls like you sissy.  You hug them, you try to eat their faces, you touch their eyes, you talk and holler at them.  It's precious to watch! 

You also like to sit next to me and Dada on the couch. Sometimes you beg to be placed up high on the couch and we tuck you in next to us.  You will sit still for a long time and just watch the tv or play with a toy.  It's fun to have your little body nestled right next to me. 

You smile all the time and laugh at William a lot.  You know exactly when Dada is coming home from work and the second he walks in the door, you are reaching out to him with open arms.  You DO NOT want down from his embrace, so you tend to hang out with Dada upstairs while he puts his work clothes away. 

11 months.  I know I say it every single post, but the days take my breath away.  Your first year has flown by, but when I look back at all the months behind us, I am so thankful for the hundreds of memories we have already made.  I look at pictures and I can feel myself in the moment with you.  Especially those first few days in the hospital.  Those are the most precious days of my life and I am so grateful to be your mom.

Happy 11 months to my Anna Baby.

Anna's car

The weather was fantastic Saturday.  We spent most of our day outside at the park and on the driveway with all our outdoor toys. 

Anna absolutely loves to be in the thick of the action when William and Adeline are around.  She cannot get enough of her siblings.  They don't have to do anything specific except just be in the room.  Anna locks her eyes on their every move and delights in their high energy.  The quietest whisper of their voices and Anna is wide eyed and sitting up frantically looking for William and Adeline. She screams when they scream.  She smiles and laughs when they giggle.  She babbles at them as they carry on conversations and play together.  She crawls as fast as they run.  Anna simply sings to their souls. 

While out on the driveway, Anna wanted to leap out of my arms and onto the "big kid" toys that her siblings were playing on.  She wasn't the slightest bit satisfied sitting in the stroller and watching the action.  She needed to be IN it.  I noticed William's push car in the corner of the garage, so I strapped Anna in the seat and took her for a spin. 

She was in heaven.  If she knew to fight back, she would have never let me end the ride.  Oh how she giggled and laughed and beamed in pure satisfaction.  She was driving her own car just like her sister.  William rode circles around her on his bike and Anna just thought he was Mr. Cool. 

It is so fun to watch my kids play together and interact.  They truly enjoy each other's company and I am so grateful.  Yes there are fights, but the good times far out weight the milliseconds of bickering.  William and Adeline make up games together and have more fun acting out scenarios.  That day on the driveway, they pretended to be gas station workers, rode in a parade and drove to Colorado to visit Horn Creek.  Lots of pretending!!!

WILLIAM TACKLES FIRST GRADE

First day of First Grade and William rocked it!

This kid was fired up and ready to take on the world Wednesday morning.  Since 4 year old preschool, I have asked William the same two questions every morning on his way out the door.  It is my prayer that he is confident with who he is, that he treats others with kindness, that he understands mistakes teach life lessons, and most importantly, that he knows without a doubt that we are proud of him. 

So by asking the questions and hearing the same answers come out of his mouth every time, I hope that he leaves the house on a positive note and ready to tackle the day.

The first day of First Grade began with a wide eyed smile and a mighty voice chanting his answers as he raced out the door.

What are your three bests?

"Responsible, Respectful, and a Good Person!"

What is William Barron's number one best?

"SMART! SMART! SMART!" and he shouted that one with his arms in the air as he climbed into the car with Dada. 

Then I watched my First Grader take off in that big ol' backpack that now fits perfectly on his shoulders.....the same ol' backpack that dwarfed him in preschool.  Growing up and now a "GRADER!"

Happy school days William!  We are so proud of you.

Meet the Teacher

Last Tuesday was Meet the Teacher day at Holland Hall.  William's teacher. Mrs. McFadden, was not there because she was taking her daughter to college.  However, her assistant, Ms. Synar was there.

William was super excited to go back to school and see the First Grade room.  He was just SURE there would be so many differences now that he was a "Grader."  First off, he was pleased to see his very own desk with a name tag.  He introduced himself to Mrs. Synar and told her about his two trips to Colorado this summer.  He proudly introduced his sisters and asked Mrs. Synar if he could try out the Smart board and dry erase boards.  I could tell he was very excited!

After an hour, we wrapped things up and headed home.  I struck out completely on babysitters so I had no choice but to take the girls with me on this important day.  I held my breath and packed a lot of snacks, toys and gear.  I talked with Adeline about William's special day with his teacher and how she needed to play quietly and wait her turn while William and I saw his classroom.  I wasn't sure if anything I said made a bit of sense to her, but low and behold, Adeline and Anna were perfect.  They never made a peep and Adeline played with her doll the entire hour we were there.

 

"Momma, you are my best friend"

There are those tiny little moments that you least expect.  The ones that surprise you and sweep you off your feet.  The moments that make you stop and relish BEING IN THE MOMENT.  Those snapshot memories that you cannot replace.  You cannot get them back.  Yet in that tiniest of a moment, you wish with every ounce of your being that YOU JUST DON'T FORGET THAT VERY MOMENT.  EVER.

I had one of those the other day.  I mean, I have had moments like I described above several times during my life.  But this one in particular just made my heart sing and filled my body with complete joy. 

The other day I was busy cleaning up the kitchen.  I was down on my knees wiping up a day's worth of crumbs from under the table.  I hadn't showered in 24 hours, my "to do" list clouded my mind, my shirt was covered in wet Graham cracker and I had just rewashed the dishes in the dishwasher just so I didn't have to empty it.......

And then I heard a tiny little voice behind me.

"Momma, hold you? plllleeease"

I turned around and my Adeline was standing there just looking at me.  She was holding her dolly and her pahee. 

I was so preoccupiedd and worn out.  But I heard that little voice and I don't ignore it.

"Of course I will hold you Adeline," I said.  And I scooped her up on my hip like I always do.

Without a second of hesitation, Adeline wrapped her hands around my neck as tight as she could.  And then she buried her pigtails in my neck and leaned towards my ear.

"You are my best friend Momma."  And then she laid her head on my shoulder.

THAT MOMENT.  It's one in a million.

In THAT MOMENT my day stood still and my fog lifted. 

I won't ever forget it.

William got Mrs. McFadden for First Grade!

William has been waiting at the front door every day for the last week for the mailman to bring his Holland Hall teacher mail.  It's the letter that tells each child who their teacher is for the upcoming year.  This year, William got Mrs. McFadden.  He seemed very excited and satisfied.  However, I don't think he really knows who she is!  Mrs. Rain's, his Kindergarten teacher, placed William in Mrs. McFadden's class, so I have no doubt that William is in the right place.  He loved Mrs. Rain's dearly and I know she would do everything she could to make sure William has a fantastic 1st grade year.  So here we go!  Mrs. McFadden- we are excited!

Monday was the back to school party at Holland Hall.  First graders got to play on the water slides from 12-12:45.  There was a sno cone truck, popcorn and Holland Hall t-shirts available for the kids.  It was just a time for everyone to reunite and catch up from the summer.  Halfway into the party it started raining.  We had to cut it short, but after 12 runs down the water slide, William was ok leaving when the rain rolled in.

Here's to First Grade! 

a moment snapped

This pic was taken while the trio was busy making dinner in the play kitchen.  William was whipping up a kid's meal while Adeline was performing ballet moves.....topless.  Just seconds before I took this pic, I wrangled a wooden knife out of Anna Baby's mouth. 

Tis just a snapshot of our life.  

WBB Just Talkin' age 6.5 years

Me:  "so you think you will still be a pilot or work in the control tower?"

W: "well, I will be a pilot for sure but probably just fly myself around.  I would hurt people if I crash but I won't crash if I work in the control tower.   So I can probably do both.  Do you get fired when you are a pilot?

Me: "well you can get fired if you do something very bad or you don't follow the pilot rule book."

W: "do they really shoot you?"

Me: "huh? What?"

W: "do they really shoot you when you get fired? Are there real bullets? I hope they don't really shoot a gun. "

Me: "oh no! It just means you loose your job and you cannot go back to your office."

W:  "oh well that is really bad.  I am looking forward to all those years I  going to relax in my office and draw at my desk!"

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Me: "William, are you glad you have sisters?"

W:  "mom, that question is crazy.  I mean, I love my sisters because when God gave me my sister Adeline, I turned into a Big brother and that is a huge deal.  It is very similar to when you had me at the hospital and I made you a mom."