The Start of School....

...preschool, that is. :)

Madelyn had her first day of preschool on Monday. We were all so very excited to see how she would do. Sunday night was a difficult night for us because she was so excited that she couldn't stop talking....long past her bedtime. After a little coaxing, and a gentle reminder that the sooner she went to sleep, the sooner she could wake up, she finally fell asleep, and Chris and I enjoyed some quiet time before heading to bed ourselves.

At about 6:15 AM, Madelyn came into our bedroom, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, proudly exclaiming, "I'm a preschooler! I'm a preschooler!" "Okay then," I thought as I tried pull myself out of bed. Here we go...

Madelyn insisted on braids Sunday night so that she could have "curls" for her first day of school. This is a new favorite of hers, which makes me laugh because I work so hard to get rid of my curls. But it is a nice trick that frees me up in the morning when I am trying to get two people ready, so I don't complain. I really am (for the most part) happy that she is starting to develop her own since of style. God knows her mother has zero sense of style, so I am typically of no use when it comes to that. She knows what she likes, that's for sure, and she doesn't usually keep it to herself.

Chris decided to go into work late so we could both drop her off at school, so it was nice to have the extra set of hands to help be sure we had everything. Lunchbox - check. Backpack - check. Change of clothes - check. Parent signature form - check. School project - check. Holy cow this preschool business is a lot of work. ;)

And off to school we went...

The drop-off was smooth as butter. We walked her to the room where she gets to have breakfast, and she dropped her backpack and lunchbox at the door, turned to give both Chris and I a hug and kiss, and simply said, "Bye Mommy and Daddy. I love you." We are so blessed. It was wonderful to be able to walk away with no tears from anyone. Not even Daddy. ;)

End of Week Update

I am happy to report that we have completed four of the five days of preschool, and every one has been a success. Drop offs and pick ups are great, and apparently she does well during the day. Well, at least we haven't heard otherwise, so we'll assume the best.

I have really enjoyed our new conversations this week. At first I have to really pry to get answers, but she usually gives in and tells me some of her favorite things from the day. For example, she loves Circle Time when her teacher reads stories. She also loves recess (shocker!) and playing with Marissa. I can see her little mind working in overdrive already. Her expressions are bigger, and her descriptions of things are vivid. She told us of the "bear hunt" they went on, and how they learned new rhymes. Her favorite so far: "Zip it. Lock it. Put it in your pocket." (That's the cute preschooler way of saying be quiet, or keep a secret. I'm not really sure.) Apparently you can make anything into a song or rhyme when you're three, and that suits Madelyn just fine.

Tonight we were hanging on the floor in her bedroom, and all of a sudden her eyes got big, and she jumped up and ran to the bookshelf. She pulled a book off the shelf and came over to me asking, "Do you know what this is?" pointing to the book. I said, "That's a book." She said, "No, Mommy. What's this?" I said, "What is that?" She proudly exclaimed, "It's a spine!" I chuckled because she was indeed pointing to the spine of the book. And then she went on to tell me about the spine in her back, and how they both hold things together. I was tickled. I love watching her grow and learn. Listening to her excitement as she explained this new information was so awesome! I am looking forward to all the new things she will certainly teach us!
 

First School Project

When we went to Madelyn's Open House, they gave us a special project to work on together. We had to add some pictures to a sentence strip and let Madelyn decorate it.

We tried to include pictures that showed the things she loves most. She had a good time deciding which pictures to use. I would show her several pictures of Bunny, for example, and she'd pick the one she liked the best.

Then we glued them to the sentence strip (I did most of that to make sure they would all fit on the strip of paper.) But, then came the fun part. The part Madelyn was most excited about... STICKERS!

I found some stickers that matched the theme of some of the pictures (cooking, the beach, dogs, etc.) and she got to put them where she wanted them. She thought this was really cool.

When the project was finished, she also added her name, a rainbow, and of course, her very favorite thing to draw, a smiley face on the back.

Her teacher will be laminating each child's project so they can hang them in the classroom and talk to each other about them. What a fun way to get to know each other!

Preschool Visit

Today Madelyn's teacher had an open house where all the kids where invited to come check out their new space and meet their new friends. During our home visit, Mrs. B told Madelyn that she thought Marissa would be her new friend. ALLLL last night Madelyn kept asking, "When do I get to meet my new friend, Marissa?" When she woke up her first words were, "Do I get to meet Marissa today?" I quietly thought to myself, "I sure hope so or we're going to have one disappointed kid."

When we got to the classroom, Madelyn was surrounded by lots of little munchkins and their parents. She was eager to get into the classroom, but was a little shy at first. She quickly wondered the room (holding either my hand or Chris's). As soon as we made our way to the kitchen (Madelyn was most excited to see this), guess who we met? Yep. Marissa. The first introduction was a little shaky, however. Two shy girls not quite sure what to do in this new place with all these new faces made for an interesting conversation. Well, okay the conversation was all of about three words, but it was a start. :)  So we moved on to other things like shaving cream, bugs, dollhouses, and books! Oh my!

It was fun to get a chance to play with Madelyn in her classroom. It seems like they have a well thought-out plan that gives each child the opportunity to gradually adapt to a new environment, and I really like that.

Before we left Madelyn had another opportunity to talk with Marissa. This encounter ended with a hug, so we had marked improvement. :)

Madelyn was really mad when we had to leave. We told her we had to beat the rush of the school buses outside (truly not a lie because I was not interested in fighting that traffic). We told her after the school buses left the school closes. Wrong answer, Mom. Madelyn cried almost all the way home from the school because she didn't want it to close. She wanted to stay and play with her new friends. sigh

I only hope she as is excited to go on Monday, and has such a great time during the day that she doesn't want to leave. That would be the mark of a successful day. We'll keep you posted...
   

Home Visit

Every time I tell someone that we just had a "home visit" they look at me a little strangely. I have to quickly explain to them that CPS did not pay us a visit, but rather, Madelyn's preschool teachers came to meet her.

First of all, preschool. How did that happen? How is our little punkin getting ready to go to preschool? Boy the time sure does whip right by you when you're having a blast! We spent some time last spring discussing some of our preschool options, and ultimately, we decided to put her in a school in the district where I work. I felt it was my obligation to do some research and find the place that seemed to be most suitable for Madelyn. I have to say, I think doing your homework really pays off! Now, I know she hasn't started yet, but Chris and I (and Madelyn, too) are so excited about her new teacher.

Back in May, Chris and I paid a visit to one of the schools on our list. We were sold from the minute we walked into the classroom. Her teacher was so accommodating and answered all of our questions. She gave us time to wonder the room to look at everything and I must say, pulling Chris away was a challenge. He was like a little kid, wanting to play with all the cool toys! :)

We didn't spend anymore time visiting classrooms because we felt very confident that this one was right. So off we went to fill out our paperwork, and then played the waiting game to see if we would get into the class. And we did!

So today Madelyn's teacher came by to do a "home visit." This is an opportunity for them to meet in Madelyn's environment where she feels most comfortable. I LOVED this idea! Not only did her teacher visit, but both of her assistants came, too! Madelyn was so excited that she was going to have THREE teachers! Both of the instructional assistants, Mrs. B and Mrs. W., spent some time playing with Madelyn while we talked with Ms. M. Auntie Kim would be so proud because Madelyn insisted the three of them have a tea party. And that's exactly what they did. :)

We were both impressed with this wonderful opportunity, and told everyone we couldn't wait for school to start, especially Madelyn! Tomorrow we get to take Madelyn to visit her classroom, and she can hardly stand it she so excited! Stay tuned for a report from the classroom...

Our Little Fish

Madelyn has been taking swim lessons since May 2010. She would go to a small class (4 kids or less) once a week. We were so amazed to watch her grow over the course of a year.

This summer, we decided to enroll her in the city's Parks & Rec program figuring it would be a great way to get her out of the house, while at the same time improving her skills. What a great decision! The Parks & Rec program was fantastic! The classes were still small (no more than 6 in a class, although there were typically only 2-4). She swam four days a week, Monday - Thursday for 30 minutes each day. We owe Rachel, her summer babysitter, a huge thank you for getting her there every day, even on days when Madelyn was less than cooperative. ;) THANK YOU, Rachel!

Today we spent the morning swimming in our pool, and I decided to take some footage of our little fish. She has come a long way with her swimming skills, and we are very proud of her!

Special Gift from Grammy

We have been telling Grammy that Madelyn needed a new apron to use for all her time in the kitchen. Grammy made everyone matching aprons for Christmas a few years ago, but I was thinking it might be nice to have one for her for all the other days of the year. :) Grammy said as soon as she got home from her summer travels she'd whip something up.

And boy did she ever! Not only did she sew an apron for Madelyn, she made a matching apron for me, and one for her dolly, too! We are so blessed to have the most talented Grammy in the world who always goes above and beyond.

  THANKS, Grammy! We love you!