Backpack Treasures - 5K Edition

You can reference the 4K version here.

"I made my skin brown," said my self-aware boy!

I was told very severely I wasn't allowed to use glitter glue on the collage
(even though he used it on his name, go figure).

The First Day of 5k

In the words of the walrus, "the time has come..." for 5k to begin.  

I have no idea why he looks shorter here than he did on the last day of 4k; guess those first day of school worries are so heavy that they are weighing him down ;)

(P.S. check out that floor under his feet!)

So, he has had a good first week of school.  Tears Monday, Tuesday and today (first day to get out of the car by himself).  There are so many more kids at this school than last year!  And this is our first year with uniforms.  I have worried about his reaction to this for the entire past year, but he has done great.  He has managed to eat a little bit of breakfast each day, which is a big deal for his nerves.  He has not been whiny at night about the next day. 

Here's a look back at the 1st day of 4k.  For the sake of capturing all pertinent info, last year he had an Iron Man backpack and a Spiderman lunchbox.  This year he has a MState backpack and a How to Train Your Dragon lunchbox.  :)

Your continued prayers for his adjustment are appreciated!

Comedy and Drama

Behold, Elliott on the last day of 4k:

A look back to the first day of 4k:

Two important things to note. (1) These expressions do not truly depict his emotions.  He is VERY excited to be finished with school.  Apparently he just didn't feel like smiling this morning.  (2) Looking at the molding on the closet door, look how much he has GROWN! :)

A Milestone Day

Yesterday was Elliott's 47th day of school.  In that time, he has had a smiley face every day, he has visited the treasure chest 3 times, and he has been absent 3 times.  But yesterday was super important for 2 reasons:

1. It was the first morning he ate breakfast at home before school.  His nerves have not allowed him to do that at all since starting big school.  He repeated this feat this morning.
   
2. It was the first time - since day 3 when things went awry - that he ate his entire sandwich (or both dinosaurs as he says) at lunchtime in the cafeteria.  He has been eating one half/one dinosaur, then eating the other one in the car when my mom picks him up.

Wow.  Much like daycare, it took him ~8 weeks to get his grip.  I guess this means 8 weeks is now a constant, not an outlier.  Sigh.

My Little Celebrity

Elliott's class was featured on the news last night!

Check out "WCBI News @ 6 Part 2 - 09.14.10" under videos.
http://www.wcbi.com/

Regression Analysis

So, it's a really good thing that I wrote about Elliott's (POSITIVE!) first day of school. Because since his 180 degree turnabout after day 3, those positive first few days are a vague memory. Some days I swear it never happened.

Lots of tears and worrying have filled our mornings and nights ever since. He eats, on a good day, 1/2 of his sandwich at school. He even refused his Popsicle at the Superstar party on Tuesday (children who have smiley faces for the entire month get to attend a party) for fear that it would make his stomach hurt. Doug and I really, really hate the phrases, "My stomach might hurt" and "My stomach hurts at lunchtime."

He has regressed to sleeping in our bed. He cries every day. But once he gets to school, he does well (other than the lunch stuff). Today, as it is not only Friday but treasure chest day (10 consecutive smiley face days to choose a prize), he was slightly more composed. But guess what? Corgan chose to regress today. And selfishly, I thought, "Thank you for letting me have a slight break."

Elliott's teacher sent me the below photo this morning, along with a note that the PE teacher thinks Elliott is the sweetest child in the class (AWW!). Notice that Corgan is smiling, but then notice the smiley faces on the wall to the left.

Corgan's name is the only one on the middle face - prior to 9 am this morning. Uh oh!

And here is a quick pic of us supporting our DAWGS today!

Happy Friday!

Backpack Treasures

Yes, he is Hispanic.

I keep wondering which one I am?

Yes, Elliott, we have noted your true feelings about big school.

4K Play

Wanted to share a few pictures from "big school." Unfortunately, as of Thursday of last week, Elliott regressed on his excitement. Let's see, that sentence is about as watered down as I could possibly make it. Let me try again. After having 3 good first days, the next 5 have been awful. Crying, crying, crying...not eating his lunch...terribly emotional. My beloved Erica attained some resources for me, and his teacher assures me it is normal. But "normal" separation anxiety doesn't make it any easier for mom and dad.

Interrogation: 1st Day

Here are the few nuggets we gleaned from Elliott and Corgan regarding their first day of 4k:

• They ate breakfast
• They got to pet Moe (the class guinea pig)
• They played on the playground (and Elliott updated me that the piece of play equipment we watched them work on Friday was now fixed, ha!)
• They ate their lunch in the cafeteria, and then...drumroll...
  
• They sat in their chairs and waited for Grandmommy to come pick them up!
  
• Corgan also asked Penny today if it was going to be another short day (they get out at 2:15)
  
• Elliott told me this morning that you cannot take your shoes off in the classroom, so I asked if someone did that yesterday and got in trouble. He said, "No, those are the rules."
• He also reported that they did not have PE yesterday, but the coach did come to their room and talk to them

So let's recap. After lunch and nap, they get picked up by Grandmommy at 2:15, go get Kitty, and our back at our house by 3 pm to play. I want to go to 4k!

The First Day of 4K

Dear Elliott,

Today was your first day of 4k at CBS. We have literally been preparing for this day for months. I was 3rd in line the morning of March 11 to register you; Aunt Penny and I took you and Corgan for a tour on April 9; you had your testing on April 20; you had your speech test repeated on July 23; and we went for open house on August 6. That's a lot of preparation! Not to mention all the talking (cheerleading!) for big school, the big production of your last day of daycare, buying school supplies as a family, and even grocery shopping for school lunch stuff all together. We worked very hard to get you prepared in every way we could for today. And I will say, you had been talking a good game for quite awhile. And as your mother, who knows you better than anyone, I was anxiously optimistic.

You didn't cry before bed last night, which was a really good sign with you. In fact, I overheard you repeating the morning schedule I had given you to your daddy as you were about to go to sleep. It was so precious. This morning you woke up in a good mood, even giving a little cheer for big school. But your nerves showed through when you sat down to breakfast with Daddy. You were unable to eat, but that was ok. You were still being calm, even telling me how brave you were being! And you were! You minded so good this morning, following the aforementioned new morning schedule. You were proud to put on your new Iron Man t-shirt from Granna and to carry your new Iron Man 2 backpack and Spider-Man lunchbox (with a Spider-Man thermos of water, a turkey and cheese sandwich on whole wheat - cut into 2 dinosaurs - in your green sandwich box, carrots and ranch, baked cheetos, grapes, and a napkin inside - you always ask for a napkin with your McDonald's order, which I think is so cute). Corgan came to ride with us, and y'all were all prepared to even get out of the car yourselves on the first day of big school.

Unfortunately, I made an error in traffic planning. Since there are 3 schools within just two blocks of our house, morning school traffic is a big problem. I chose the wrong route, which caused a small traffic jam. And since you feed off my stress like a leech, you became anxious, which resulted in your stomach hurting. Bless your heart, you starting crying and panicking, two common reactions lately when your stomach hurts. So, I parked the car and walked the two of you to your classroom. You cried all the way in; Corgan noted, "I'm not crying."

Luckily, when we reached your room, you stopped crying, put your lunchbox in your cubby, hung up your backpack, and after I convinced you to give me a hug, walked into Mrs. Michelle's class like the big boy you are. If it were possible to will you to have the first best day ever, it would happen as I have used all of my mental energy this morning focusing on you having a good day!

You and I are quite the nature versus nurture study subjects. How in the world, other than Divine planning, could you have ended up with so many of Papi's and I's neuroses? We both have the nervous stomach, and I was always terrified of the first day of every school year. I even stayed up past 1 am this morning worrying (and crying) for you. Just know, sweet boy, if I could take the nerves away for you, I would do it.

I hope you are having the best 1st day ever. I can't wait to hear about your day when Grandmommy picks you up at 2:15. And one day, should you only remember the bad stuff of first days of school, you will have this account of a good first day of school.

Love,
Mami


P.S. I did not call your Daddy hysterically crying after the drop-off, as he had predicted. :)

Nerd Alert

This is what a 30-year-old/mom of a 4-year-old/
been married 10 years/have 2 degrees
but I've gone back to school anyway,
looks like sitting on a dock doing homework
while everyone else fishes in the ridiculous heat.

Class Clown

I have decided that weight and school have something in common. In school, if you make less than an A, your GPA takes a quick dive. But for every additional A you add back, it barely climbs back up. In weight, all the good steps I take toward being healthy take a very long time to equal into pounds lost on the scale. But lo and behold I have a bad day like yesterday (Zaxby's for lunch, cake for afternoon snack and Wendy's for supper), and watch out! The scale is a moving! In the wrong direction, of course.

My Life As a Student, Take Three

It should go without saying, but I will say it anyway. Being a student when you have a child/children is totally different. Not only are you sharing your brain between work, school, spouse and household duties, now you've added another, and more needy, person to the mix. Before, even when I was married, I could and would put school first. That partially explains why I've never had a good housecleaning routine -- first five years of marriage I was in school. On one hand, part of me is glad I can't be that obsessive about it this time. For instance, we played Memory the night before my first A&P exam. On the other hand, it is really hard on me not to be able to put school first and foremost again. Because, you see, making good grades is the only thing that I'm REALLY good at. A's are my drug. I'm not kidding. The high I get from an A is unbelievable. Unfortunately, like all drugs, the high doesn't last long enough, and then I need another one and another one. And that blemish on my record from Chem II from my second semester in 1999? It's the equivalent of getting busted for first offense. I'll never forget it, and I'll never stop regretting it. Pathetic, I know. But hey, what's an A addict to do?

Crystal Clear

It is now completely apparent as to why I got ma'am'd at class earlier this week.

Thanks ever so much, Elizabeth, for finding this photo op so amusing.

Day 8: The Natives Need a Planner

SW class: Tuesdays and Thursdays 11 am - 12:15 pm

ST class: Work on homework and quizzes during lunch hour on Mondays and Fridays

SW volunteer work: Wednesday afternoons 2-6 pm

Walking: Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays 6-7 pm

Bill paying: Apparently Monday morning at 6:30 am

Rest of life To Be Scheduled...

MWF Seeks Normalcy...Or Not

As you may have noticed in the past few days, I've been struggling to get myself into a healthily functioning routine for the fall semester. In my deliberations, it occurred to me that I've not really had a "normal" married life. Here is what I've discovered about my roles over the past 11 years:

(1) Single, full-time undergraduate student, working part-time [2 years]

(2) Married, full-time undergraduate student, working part-time [2 years]

(3) Married, part-time graduate student, working full-time at a job I hated [3 years]

(4) Married, working full-time at a job I hated, and pursuing an international adoption WHILE ON LUPRON [1 year]

(5) Married, FINALLY A MOMMY!, working full-time at a job I hated [1 year]

(6) Married, a MOMMY!, working full-time at a job I love [2 years]

(7) Married, a MOMMY!, working full-time at a job I love, and going back to school part-time as an undergraduate student [current]

Wow, two major thoughts remain. First, poor Doug, he deserves sainthood. Second, I might not suck at life quite as much as I previously thought. I have new found respect for myself after composing this list. And I also wonder what the hell I have against a "normal" life? Ha.

Schedule Me This

Ok, so I'm back in school taking two classes this fall -- one on campus two days a week and one online. So I'm trying to remember how to work homework back into my routine. I've never been able to effectively clean house on a schedule, but I'm especially bad at it when I'm in school. And my current physique states quite loudly that I've never been able to effectively incorporate an exercise regime. So, riddle me this, how am I supposed to now do ALL these things at one time, on top of being E's mom?

So now, ladies and gentlemen, I will try to schedule the impossible! For me, anyway. I have established a walking schedule (thanks, Eddie!) and somewhat of a HW routine. Now I just have to marry those together with home life. Thank goodness my man actually helps around the house.

Oh, and did I mention I'll now be volunteering 1 afternoon a week starting in September?

There is a Fly in the Room

My thoughts will not settle long enough on just one topic to expand on it. I do recall this feeling quite a bit the last time I was in school. Though I am so very glad to report that I am totally digging American Government, even sticking out like a sore thumb in that room. I definitely made the right decision about dropping the other class. It's all I can do at night to get a chapter read. So, I will post soon. I hope.

My Irrational Hatred of Counters

2002-2005 was a very hard 3-year span. Just ask Doug. I graduated with my bachelor's in May 2002, started on my master's in August 2002, and took my first full-time, professional job in August 2002. Oh yeah, and we bought our house in March 2002. That's the published, obvious stuff. The real hardship was the infertility battle. Then again, it was partially the infertility battle, but mainly the battle of how to proceed with the adoption. What are our options? How to we get this kind of $? Domestic or international? What country? The amount of trees that died in my quest to possess every piece of information on international adoption is amazing. I had a very hard time throwing out my research at a later date because I had such a connection to it.

As much as I hated my master's, I realize that the pursuit of it and the completion of it partially saved me from an emotional breakdown. Instead of ticking off the days until I was 25 and we could begin an international adoption, I busied myself with research papers and night classes (vomit).

So why am I reliving this today? Because I just signed up for my first course as a undergraduate readmit/second bachelor's student. I am pursuing my dream to become a social worker. Yes, it is the ambition I did not fully realize until 2005. I believe it to be my calling. But, I have to admit that it may not be a coincidence that I am doing this now as I begin to feel the tugs of the baby bug. Going back to school just might save some poor person's social networking page from my irrational emotions.