It's MLK Day, observed anyway, and it's quiet in the office. Most schools in the area take this day off and so, the kiddo doesn't have school. Childcare was also closed which meant we either had to find a place for her to stay or one of us had to stay home with her. Dad opted to stay with her since he has field work this week and will make up his out of office time very quickly. Many other parents had to take the day off as well...hence the quiet!
She was so very excited that today was her day with daddy. She had the whole day planned and I'm curious how it's going. There was to be some Lego building, puzzles, more Legos, maybe some time to practice letters and karate, bacon for breakfast...she had it all planned out and even asked me to come home after dinner so she had more time with dad. I rolled my eyes when I turned my back to her.
At any rate, I'm glad she's excited about today and I hope it goes well for them both.
Friday, January 15, 2016
2016
It's been some time since I've been around to write here and I metaphorically kick myself in the rear when I think about it. I don't think anyone expects me to write here, nor do I think anyone comes here to read this...really it's for me and me alone but upsetting none the less because that means I can't even keep up with this for my own sake! I've told myself that I'll write more this year. So I should at least get this started off right...I'll just write a ton today and get all of this out of my head.
Last year, the kiddo started Pre-K. Generally speaking, all is going well. At the end of October, my father in law died unexpectedly. The very night he died I was sitting in Lil Bit's classroom on a Thursday evening apologizing to the teacher for bringing my daughter to parent/teach conferences. I had no one to watch her; the drama of the call to go to the hospital being so abrupt, we just all did what we had to do. I would find out later that evening that he passed away. We chose not to tell Lil Bit until after Friday so that she could have a normal day at school with the other children dressing up for the classroom Halloween party (she made a beautiful Elsa). She cried for quite a bit when we did tell her (I had to make my mouth say the words but I don't know what I said). She eventually calmed down and asked some serious and painful questions. She's done well with his death and I was surprised because she spent every weekday with him. They were close. She still randomly tells me how much she misses him and I never know what to say.
Sadly I feel that she was prepared in some ways for understanding death because we had to put Riley to sleep in May. I still cry over that time, I miss that big lug of an animal. But what I realized from that time of a 4-5 year old trying to understand death is that she just didn't. The morning we had to have him euthanized, I told Lil Bit to give Riley a big hug, it would be the last time she would see him. She cried a bit, worried, was upset...it passed in about 5 minutes. I had to reexplain the situation when she came home that night and there was no Riley. She didn't understand why I was crying so much. A few weeks after he was gone she asked the serious and painful questions. "When is Riley coming back home?", "He isn't, he's gone" I'd try to answer, what else was there to say? Eventually I tried the Heaven approach and she said, "well when he gets tired of it there and misses us he can come home". No kiddo, it doesn't work that way. So...lo and behold she learned the hard way, this time she knew Grandpa was not coming back. It's a hard lesson and I'm sad she had to learn it so early.
So anyway, in that parent/teacher conference I learned that her teacher thought she was a beautiful young girl, that she was very kind and caring, that she seemed to show more patience at school than I've ever seen her display at home, that she and another boy in class were "the item" and that she wasn't doing so well learning her letters. After that, we practice letters daily to an obscene level. I also had her eyes checked as her teacher thought maybe she was having a hard time seeing in class. Turns out her eyes are fine, for now, though she'll likely, eventually, need glasses. Also, I asked the optometrist about Lil Bit's watery eye. Nothing was visible topically so that can be unpleasant news if we have to do something otherwise. I'm going to consult with the doctor at our upcoming visit.
The remainder of the year passed calmly and quickly. The school Christmas classroom party was fun and I was thrilled to plan and attend it. I look forward to the Valentine's Day class party. I'm happy to be back on a routine schedule as well. It's calming to the nerves.
Lil Bit started taking a martial arts class. Should she stick with it she will be trained in Krav Maga. So far she loves the kicks and punching. Sometimes at home she does "dances" incorporating the moves she learns. I love it. She's doing well with the class and loves her Sensei's D and CT. Her overall improved behavior is worth the expense.
In early October we bought the kiddo a new bed. It's an IKEA loft bed with desk beneath. Early this year we bought her the storage furniture that matches the bed. Her room has since been clean and tidy; she loves her space and I love that she keeps her space tidy. She's also been sleeping in her own bed every night since the new bed. I miss her sleeping next to me but I know it's for the best. I miss her though.
We've also been reading chapter books. I don't even know how we got started reading them but we love them. Currently we're reading "The Wide Awake Princess" by E.D. Baker. We accidentally read the second book of that series first...oops. The next book we have lined up to read (and we're really looking forward to) is "Woof" by Spencer Quinn.
Last year, the kiddo started Pre-K. Generally speaking, all is going well. At the end of October, my father in law died unexpectedly. The very night he died I was sitting in Lil Bit's classroom on a Thursday evening apologizing to the teacher for bringing my daughter to parent/teach conferences. I had no one to watch her; the drama of the call to go to the hospital being so abrupt, we just all did what we had to do. I would find out later that evening that he passed away. We chose not to tell Lil Bit until after Friday so that she could have a normal day at school with the other children dressing up for the classroom Halloween party (she made a beautiful Elsa). She cried for quite a bit when we did tell her (I had to make my mouth say the words but I don't know what I said). She eventually calmed down and asked some serious and painful questions. She's done well with his death and I was surprised because she spent every weekday with him. They were close. She still randomly tells me how much she misses him and I never know what to say.
Sadly I feel that she was prepared in some ways for understanding death because we had to put Riley to sleep in May. I still cry over that time, I miss that big lug of an animal. But what I realized from that time of a 4-5 year old trying to understand death is that she just didn't. The morning we had to have him euthanized, I told Lil Bit to give Riley a big hug, it would be the last time she would see him. She cried a bit, worried, was upset...it passed in about 5 minutes. I had to reexplain the situation when she came home that night and there was no Riley. She didn't understand why I was crying so much. A few weeks after he was gone she asked the serious and painful questions. "When is Riley coming back home?", "He isn't, he's gone" I'd try to answer, what else was there to say? Eventually I tried the Heaven approach and she said, "well when he gets tired of it there and misses us he can come home". No kiddo, it doesn't work that way. So...lo and behold she learned the hard way, this time she knew Grandpa was not coming back. It's a hard lesson and I'm sad she had to learn it so early.
So anyway, in that parent/teacher conference I learned that her teacher thought she was a beautiful young girl, that she was very kind and caring, that she seemed to show more patience at school than I've ever seen her display at home, that she and another boy in class were "the item" and that she wasn't doing so well learning her letters. After that, we practice letters daily to an obscene level. I also had her eyes checked as her teacher thought maybe she was having a hard time seeing in class. Turns out her eyes are fine, for now, though she'll likely, eventually, need glasses. Also, I asked the optometrist about Lil Bit's watery eye. Nothing was visible topically so that can be unpleasant news if we have to do something otherwise. I'm going to consult with the doctor at our upcoming visit.
The remainder of the year passed calmly and quickly. The school Christmas classroom party was fun and I was thrilled to plan and attend it. I look forward to the Valentine's Day class party. I'm happy to be back on a routine schedule as well. It's calming to the nerves.
Lil Bit started taking a martial arts class. Should she stick with it she will be trained in Krav Maga. So far she loves the kicks and punching. Sometimes at home she does "dances" incorporating the moves she learns. I love it. She's doing well with the class and loves her Sensei's D and CT. Her overall improved behavior is worth the expense.
In early October we bought the kiddo a new bed. It's an IKEA loft bed with desk beneath. Early this year we bought her the storage furniture that matches the bed. Her room has since been clean and tidy; she loves her space and I love that she keeps her space tidy. She's also been sleeping in her own bed every night since the new bed. I miss her sleeping next to me but I know it's for the best. I miss her though.
We've also been reading chapter books. I don't even know how we got started reading them but we love them. Currently we're reading "The Wide Awake Princess" by E.D. Baker. We accidentally read the second book of that series first...oops. The next book we have lined up to read (and we're really looking forward to) is "Woof" by Spencer Quinn.
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