Kindergarten!!

The customary First-Day-of-School-Picture-in-Front-of-the-Garage-Door

Eva enthusiastically started Kindergarten this week. She had a great time getting to know a new school, new teachers, new routines and new friends (and seeing some old friends from Preschool). The staff tell me she has been doing very well with work time and is having fun at recess, in music and at the library.

She's been anxiously awaiting Kindergarten since she started to spend some time in the mainstream Kinder class when she was in Preschool. By 7:30 a.m. on the first day, she was dressed and dancing and hoola hooping around the living room and making snow angels in the carpet to her Party Mix CD I made for her (her favorite dance/techno and lively pop songs).

So excited she can hardly stand it! (This is at 7:30 a.m.--2 hours before school starts).

Eva is going five days a week for a few hours a day to a public elementary school that has the Primary Life Skills program for the district. I don't like the term "Life Skills" because it makes it sound like they're learning how to cook, make their beds and balance their checkbooks. They're little kids. They're learning the same things other little kids are learning. The just need a little more teacher time and assistance. I prefer a "Supported Classroom". So anyway, she is there.

There are two Supported Classrooms at the school with Kinders, 1st- and 2nd-graders combined. One class generally has the Kinders and those in need of more support. The other class, the one Eva is in, generally has older kids and those who have more skills and abilities. She is one of two Kinders in this class with eight 1st- and 2nd-graders. Other Kinders in the district don't start classes until this Monday, but since Eva's class has mostly 1st- and 2nd-graders, her teacher said I could bring her this week if I wanted to. Sure! The more school the better!

I'm glad she is in this class and will have the older kids from whom to model. I'm grateful that the staff recognized that she has the skills to be able to succeed in a more challenging environment. And that I didn't have to petition for her to be given the opportunity to be in this class, which I would have if she'd been assigned to the other class. I am very proud of her.

Hooray for new adventures!

Preschool Graduation!

OK, so I'm a little behind here but summer's just too full of fun outdoorsy things to do (and I refuse to take my laptop outside and ruin all that blessed relaxation). A few weeks ago Eva graduated from Preschool. She'll be headed to Kindergarten in the fall in a supported classroom (the district calls it "Life Skills" but I hate that term). It's a class for Kinders, 1st- and 2nd-graders with special needs. I'm excited for Eva to have the older kids to model from. There will be regular opportunities for Eva to spend some time in the mainstream Kindergarten class, too, which she also did this year.

The preschool graduates, families, teachers and therapists met at a local park for play, food and more play. Each graduate received a darling green felt mortarboard and tassel and a certificate.

Picking out a flower for Mommy.

Happy Summer! Look out Kindergarten, here comes Eva!

Uno, dos, tres...PINATA!

Eva's preschool class, kindergarten, first and second grades have been rehearsing a musical called "We All Celebrate". All the kids sing a few songs together and each grade sings a song or two on their own. Unfortunately, Eva (and Jerry and I and his parents) will be in San Diego the night of the performance! Her teachers said that she has so thoroughly enjoyed the rehearsals and being with the big kids. She does love music.

I went to a rehearsal today and took this video. They're singing "Uno, dos, tres, pinata!" The kids are encouraged to dance while they sing. Eva is, of course, the little cutie in the green sweater. (Thank you, Abby for the beautiful sweater!)

Perspective

First, a note: I know I haven't posted for awhile and it certainly isn't because there has been nothing to share. But now it's a month's worth of little things all smeared together. So back to today...

I picked Eva up a little early from school today so we could go to a dear friend's retirement party. Eva has been the Morale Booster/Therapeutic Hugger/Sweet Heart-Melting Charmer at my work since she first came when she was 3 weeks old. Everyone at my work has been incredibly loving and supportive of our family from, literally, the DAY she was born and our lives changed forever. Each coworker ("family friend" I should say because they are so much more than coworkers) has shown their love for and acceptance of us in their own way. It was wonderful today to see everyone together in one space, celebrating our dear Lynn and his new adventures as a retiree!

Back to school...we left the classroom and headed down the hallway. Eva was walking all by herself, carrying her backpack and a weep tried to escape from my throat. It was only last spring, when Eva started school, that she could walk only about halfway down the hall, holding my hand(s), before her legs would tire and I'd carry her the rest of the way. And that was a huge accomplishment. Today, I watched my little baby walk BY HERSELF the entire length of the hallway (it's about 100 feet, I guess?) No hands held; no falling; no brushing the wall for support. She was charging ahead on her own, taking a piece of my heart with her.

Another day, another reason for celebration. How lucky I am to get to celebrate so often.

Bus, Mama! BUS!!

Ready for school!

Eva started taking the bus to/from preschool yesterday and LOVES it. L.O.V.E.S. it. The little yellow bus comes to our driveway and I help her get on and the driver, Stephanie, helps her into her car seat (a school district car seat already attached to the seat). Cooper was over this morning and we three stood outside to wait for the bus. When Eva saw it coming down the street, she shrieked, "BUS! MAMA! BUS! BUS!" and wiggled and jumped up and down (in her own way, without her feet leaving the ground). She pulled me down the driveway. She and Cooper stood at the bottom of the stairs and Stephanie said, "C'mon, Cooper. Go up the steps and hang on to the rail". He just stood there holding my hand. He was very cool about riding the bus. Eva nudged him out of the way and started to climb the stairs all by herself, radioing in on another friend who was already on the bus and calling her name. It's quite possibly the most exciting thing to happen to her. She talked about it all day yesterday and will today, too, I'm sure. Stephanie said yesterday that Eva jabbered all the way home. She's so silly and funny and I love her so much. My big girl.

My Time

A few people have asked me recently, "So, what do you do when Eva's at school?" Well, I do whatever I want. Whatever I want. I don't stay home very much. I do things that I can't do with her or are easier when I'm by myself. This week, I explored hilly, dippy, woody trails that are too bumpy/narrow/steep for her stroller (e.g. Arroyo Park, Whatcom Falls Park). I run or walk until the songs from Signing Time stop playing in my head to the beat of my footfalls. I go until I get into a zone and then I keep going. I don't listen to music so I'm alone (alone!) with my own thoughts. I compose essays in my mind, like this one. I notice the shiny green buds on the trees and hear the birdies calling to each other in the canopy over my head and know that spring is coming.

Today's trail was great--knotted with roots and rocks, hills and dips, curving around trees. A natural trail. Not some smoothed out, gravel-packed, wide boulevard of a maintained trail. Those are great for strollers but when I'm alone, I want to get off the trail and onto something more exciting. This trail had a long sweeping railroad tie staircase that was fun to run down and leap up a couple times. And a smooth blue-green pond that fell over a waterfall. There were trees everywhere and duck pairs hanging out in the morning sun. Ah, deep breath. On a narrow bridge over the waterfall, I meditated and stretched for a bit. The sun warmed my back and relaxed my muscles. The rush of water drowned out any white noise of civilization and the swirls and bubbles focused my vision to the Now.

Then, I hopped and walked briskly back down the trail, up the stairs and walked as fast as I could back to the trail head. There, I met an elderly Russian gentleman whose truck broke down (his radiator, I think). I offered him my cell phone but he said, in choppy thick English that he didn't know how to use one and needed a tow truck. So I phoned a couple places and got him a tow truck with only 10 minutes to wait. He was so grateful when he cupped my hand between both of his strong old man hands. His voice wavered a bit as he said, "Thank you. Bless you." over and over. It feels so good to do something for someone when my only reward is this fuzzy feeling.

So this is what I do when Eva is at school. I also take a shower, eat bread with peanut butter and honey and drink a cup of milk after getting sweaty. I write. I don't do chores (though I organize them in my head) or run errands or talk on the phone. I don't get on the computer or idly flip through a magazine or do other time-sucking things. I do this: sit on the back deck and write and soak up the sun (in jeans and a sweatshirt--it's not spring yet!)

First Day of Preschool

So Eva went to preschool today and had a good time. She was content to play with the play kitchen and scoot over to the books (we'd visited the classroom a few times already) and even said "Bye, mama! See you!" when I said she was going to stay and play and I was going to go. Until my hand touched the doorknob to leave. She turbo-scooted across the floor with a whimper and a distressing expression. I offered some sort of soothing words, though in my rattled state I don't recall what they were. The classroom assistant said, "Go. It's OK. You can call us any time you need to." Whoosh. I closed the door behind me.

I walked down the hallway; searching for the nearest exit; blinking furiously. Every cell was tingling and I was trembling slightly. My chest felt curiously like it would both collapse inward and explode at the same time. As the cool outside air filled my lungs I thought, "I'm not far enough into my life to have a kid in school". By that, I meant, my memories of my childhood friends' parents were that they were adults. They had it all figured out. They didn't have the insecurities, doubt, and emotional turmoil we kids had. It's possible I was mislead by their taller stature and that some of them had life no more figured out than I did then. Than I do now.

I drove home in a fog. Mixed-emotion tears and a wry, proud smirk on my face. I had grand plans of an hour and some of yoga in a quiet house this morning. But a bladder infection, which assailed me last night and a mind full of words itching to get on paper put those plans on hold. Maybe tomorrow.

When I picked Eva up, two hours later, she seemed neither stricken by my absence nor reluctant to leave school. She chatted at me all the way home, about swings, trains, and backpacks. She was tired early this evening though has been fighting the sleepies. Her little brain a firestorm of synapses. Thus began our long journey through public school.

"Go ahead, mama. I'm ready for school".

Yikes!

Eva starts special ed preschool on Tuesday (2/26) at Northern Heights ES! Excitement and anxiety are closely related emotions and I think they're both in me right now. More to come next week...