Village

You know, that VILLAGE everyone talks about that it takes to raise a child? I need my village. Can you tell me where someone finds a village? Preferrably not the dung hut, live with your in-laws, slaughter your pet goat for dinner kind of village. Something less smelly and more this century would be good.

Food glorious food

• Picked Miss C up from her new room.
• The staff told me what a great day she had. She slept on her cot, washed her hands like a big girl and just overall did well.
• Her daily report said she ate all her lunch and colored with crayons.
• Got her in the car.
• She started screaming before we got on the interstate.
• Screamed for a good portion of the ride home.
• Slapped her own leg a couple of times in frustration that I would not climb into the back and retrieve all the toys she had thrown.
• Briefly consoled her with a good rendition of 5 Pockets by Joe Wise.
• Got home.
• Daddy made dinner.
• Miss C signed she was hungry but refused to sit in her high chair.
• Sat her in her seat at the dining room table.
• She ate a little and then proceeded to throw the rest.
• Her fork flew across the table.
• Cottage cheese flew on the floor.
• A clump of rice hit her Dad.
• She refused to eat.
• We moved her away from the table.
• Put on her PJs.
• She grabbed her paci and blankey.
• Still wouldn't eat.
• Ate a bite of cottage cheese, then spit it out and threw it.
• Ended our attempts to feed her dinner.
• This day care transition is wearing us out.
• We will survive.

This is it

Tomorrow is Miss C's first full day in her new room. Today I gathered up all of her stuff and it was like a reminder of how far we have come in the last nine months.

She no longer uses her paci while at day care. Miss Panda, that went from home to her crib when she first started, no longer hung on her crib and was tucked in her box. The clothes we brought for outfit changes no longer fit her and the bibs are too small. Everything is for the infant Miss C, and she is no longer an infant.

I didn't cry today when I dropped her off. I didn't get sappy with the teachers. Miss C gave them their card and gift cards that we got them, but I tried not to make a big to-do about the change. Better for her, and better for me I think.

It will be weird tomorrow taking her upstairs to her new room. I won't want to leave her. I will again struggle with my decision to being a working mom rather than a stay at home mom. We'll get through the newness together. I know she'll adjust far more quickly than I will but seeing her thrive and grow will help me get through it.

Happenings

Miss C is taking two week 2 of her transition to her new room much better than last week. She hasn't cried when I dropped her off or picked her up. I am still talking up the Penguin room on our way to the day care and she hasn't cried NO! NO! NO! when I mention it which is good.

Each day her time in the new room is extended and now she is there from 10 to nap time after lunch. She's playing hard with the bigger kids and when she makes it home she is wiped out. Tonight she went to bed an entire hour early because last night she was up until almost 9:30 for what we think was a combo of a belly ache and tooth ache because her incisors are still coming in.

As predicted her vocabulary is increasing rapidly being around the kids who are talking more. Each day it seems like she is saying more and trying to same more. We may end up with our hands full once she starts full fledged talking but for now I am loving her ability to communicate with us.

Transition status

This week began Miss C's official transition to her new room with the 18 mos to 3 year olds. The week started off with her clinging to me and crying like she had just been poked in the eye with a sharp stick. It ended with her not wanting to get in the car seat to go to day care.

In between that she spent a couple hours each day in the new room with the new kids and new teachers. She played outside and did some of the things she normally would do, but she also started learning to drink out of a cup with and to have a more structured day. There were moments where she didn't want to go to her new room but once she was there she was ok.

The week was rough for us with the transition because she came home exhausted and well, our basement got two inches of water and work for me was crazy busy with me having to be there by 7 every day. We managed but I can say all of us were ready for the weekend to arrive.

By yesterday afternoon Miss C doing a little better so I am hoping things get even better next week.

Her moves

Two of the most hilarious things Miss C is doing right now is trying to snap her fingers and jump up and down. The jumping does not involve actually getting her feet off the ground but she bends her knees and moves her arms like she's going to leap as high as Michael Jordan any second.

Her snapping goes along with her dancing. At first I couldn't figure out what she was doing because she'd wrap her fingers around her thumbs while dancing then flick her thumbs. I finally figured it out.

This afternoon she hung out with me in the driveway playing with (and eating) chalk. She loved all the colors and particularly enjoyed coloring her dad and me. When the chalk got boring she went around the yard picking up gumballs and sticks and putting them in a plastic bag.

Oh, and SP calls those shorts her Daisy Dukes but after she was rolling around in the dirt in her nice clothes I decided to put something on her I didn't care got ruined.

Pictures

Miss C likes to crawl into the laundry baskets and help fold clothes.


If you look closely you can see the mulch that covers her teeth. She thought eating it was hilarious.

Oh so innocent as she sits in the flower bed covered in mulch.

Here's our girl heading to bed with her blankey and Elmo.