About Pre-School...

It's awesome. Really. Sydney's learning so much, having a good time and we've really seen some really big improvements in just over 2 months since she's been there.

The Pros?

1. Her speech is greatly improved! She's speaking in much more complete sentences, is better able to communicate and her frustration level has gone way down. Some days I'm stunned by the things she says to me. She isn't quite there yet she's come a long way.

2. Her motor skills have exploded. We had some feeding issues and feeding herself was still very challenging for her. Some of it was simply because she much preferred being fed, I think, and she wasn't very motivated to do it. Seeing other kids feed themselves was all she needed and within a week she was exclaiming, "I do it, Mommy! I do!" Awesome.

3. Absence really makes the heart grow fonder. I go pick her up and she reacts like a rock star walked in the room. She literally screams, then drops whatever she's doing or holding and knocks anyone or anything out of the way to get to me. The other kids have started doing it too and one little boy in particular runs over, grabs my leg and squeals, "Mommy!" Let's just say I look NOTHING like his Mommy. May she never walk in and see that.

Of course, we won't talk about the time when Daddy and I went to get her and I walked in and she started running over and then she saw her Dad, screamed LOUDER and ran right past me into his arms. Can you say Total Daddy's Girl?

Now she alternates between that and bursting into tears when I walk in like she just had the worst.day.ever even if I could see her having fun before.

Was #3 really a pro? I'm not sure.

4. Besides the social and conversational skills she's developed, she's really learning a ton and we know what she's taught everyday so that we can reinforce it with her.

The Cons?

1. Oh.Em.Gee. The Drama! She went from being a kid who would bump her head or hurt herself so badly that I would gasp and she would look around and go right back to whatever she was doing. Now? Everything is a crisis. Everything is an emergency. Everything requires urgent attention. Every "boo-boo" needs a band-aid and she didn't even know what a bandaid was until she started school! She didn't even get actual band-aids after vaccines.

2. The whining. It took me a while to realize that it started right.after she started school and people, my child manages to sound like a sick cat when she whines. She asked for something and would whine until she got it, even while seeing it being prepared. Every question was a whine. Thankfully we seemed to have passed that phase!

3. The Defiance. To be fair, sometime around April she seemed to have realized she was actually two and she started testing the boundaries but man did it get worse when she saw how other kids behave! Brian and I have really had to re-work our discipline strategy lately and it's been quite the experience

4. THE SICKNESS. I knew she would get sick once she was around kids. I was prepared for it. Turns out I wasn't. In June 2008, she had one cold and not so much as a fever since. I mean, she's been through teething and the discomfort it brings and she's felt warm but she never had an actual fever. In two months, she had what seems like two colds, random runny noses, 2 days of a very high fever and lethargy and some more unpleasantness that I won't get into.

This is how unprepared and inexperienced we are. The day she had the fever I went to girlfriends and was like, "help! help! what should I do?" It was total 'sky is falling' here. I'm usually a google first and ask questions later girl but poor baby was the sickest I had seen her since she left the hospital and it was total panic up in here. B was no better, he raced home and held her all evening. Such amatuers we are! 

One of her teachers took the following pics so they are pictures of pictures:

She does her curriculum based stuff in the morning and then motor skills and play stuff in the afternoon. The day they were doing this was the first and only time she couldn't care less when I walked in the room. She did not want to leave! Go figure.                                                                       

They were playing dress up. What is she supposed to be? A crazy homeless person?

I could

start this post off by telling you how busy we've been or I could tell you how time consuming uploading photos can be on this site. I could tell you that school has kept me busy and an almost 3 year old keeps me busier. I could tell you that my laptop even died at one point and I had to wait a few weeks for his replacement. I could tell you that finding two hours to do an update is harder and harder but that would just be excuses, so I won't.

Instead, I shall distract you all with pictures!

The last time she happily sat still for a picture. Then Daddy decided to show her videos of herself that were on the camera and now she thinks that's all it's for. As soon as she sees the camera she wants to "See Shi Shi!" on the screen. She doesn't quite get that she actually has to do something before videos appear.

We went to Busch Gardens with my friend Dani (not pictured) and we had soo much fun...even if it was sooooo hot outside!

She loved this simple swing! Go figure.

First day of pre-school. Yes. Pre-school. That deserves a post by itself so look for more on that later. Oh the things I had to do to get these pics!

Playing with cousin Logan. Double.Trouble.

Uncles and Aunties and Baby Dani

I have some more pics to transfer from my external hard drive so look out for those soon. No, I'm not committing to an actual date for when those pics will be posted. I have learned my lesson!

Yes, I know

It's been a hundred years since I last posted. We've been verrrry busy the last few months and between all that and school, I just have not been inspired to do any blogging.

To make up for my absence, I'm just going to post pics from October 2009 to present and hope that will appease all of Sydney's relatives.

October 2009:

We went to the zoo

It's a really cool zoo and they have done a great job of keeping it very "jungle-like" and natural. It felt like we were wandering through a forest and just stumbling upon animals. They had all kinds of creatures and I was being a good sport (I'm not very outdoorsy) until we came to the reptile exhibit. I haaaaaaate reptiles. Hate. So there's a big sign welcoming us to the reptile area and I am adamant that I won't go in. First of all, there was a wooden bridge over a lake, suspended by rope that led you to the other side of the place. In that lake were the gators.

Did you hear what I said?

A wooden bridge over a lake filled with gators.

I'm shaking and arguing with B and saying things like, "No. No. No. No. I did not go through all that I've been through with my child to surrender her to gators! No sir! We are NOT going in there!"

And B was all, "Don't be ridiculous! Is this what you want her to see? Do you think they would allow this if it wasn't safe? Have you ever heard of anyone being attacked here?"

That's when I covered my ears and starting chanting, "Blah. Blah. Blah. Blah!" Mature, I know.

Yeah, yeah, I'm usually big on not transferring your fears to your children but did you hear what I said?

A wooden bridge over a lake filled with gators.

Ok.

We stand there debating for another 10 minutes or so as another couple is exiting. The woman shrieks and exclaims, "Oh My Goodness!! Look at that gator!" and she's pointing in MY direction. I was about to faint and then I glanced at the fence beside me and this is what I saw:

It just looks like dried up dirt or old tires/rubber, right? I saw it and didn't think anything of it but I admit I didn't really look at it that long. That, my friends, was an 800lb gator! See where the wood of the walkway is? I was standing right there!!!! I threw the camera to B, grabbed Syd's stroller and hustled us out of there.

Another angle:
This is how I like my gators:
Sue Me.

Tomorrow: November 2009 and a video.