Every day this past summer, Ellie woke up and signed "school" and said "*ss" while signing "bus". I suppose we need to work on those b-words seeing as she was screaming "*ss" for the whole world to here. She takes after her Mama.
So imagine her delight when Chunky Chicken learned that she was really going to school! Only, there was no bus. The confusion was evident on her face. She had her flashcards and crayons and plopped down in the middle of the driveway to wait for the bus. With a lot of cajoling, mom and I finally got her into the car. Oh, I didn't tell you that my mom was visiting? Drew was out of town on business and I was still having A LOT of back and hamstring issues. My mama flew down from St. Louis to help us out and she was indeed a big help. My house was finally clean! . . . for 24 hours.
Anyway, there was no bus because transportation services had down that she was in the early morning class. In June, after school let out, Ellie's teacher told us she was moving to the late morning class. This wasn't conveyed to the transportation team until the week before. I received 4 phone calls tell us that her pick up time would be 7:18am. School would start at 9:45am for her. True, the school is within walking distance and ordinarily this wouldn't even phase me, but I just got off crutches! I can still barely drive because pushing on the gas pedal requires the use of my hamstring. Anyway, it took a few days and the bus kinks were finally worked out, much to Ellie's delight.
As we arrived at school on that first day, Ellie nearly dragged my mother into the classroom. She was that excited! My mother tried to get a picture of me and Ellie at the door, but as usual when it comes to mother-daughter pictures, she was more intent on running away. . . to the classroom.
As you all know, my little girl hasn't been eating. All of that changed with the start of school. My little Bearity-Bear ate all of her lunch two days in a row. Peer pressure! Routine! The last two days she only nibbled a few bites, but that is still progress! It was such a joy and relief to know that she was finally eating!
At the conclusion of the first week, the teacher and aide have informed me that Ellie is doing very well. She is following directions. My jaw dropped with that one. She is listening when she is told "no". Another shocker.
This year, The Bear is going to float into the typical pre-K classroom. It won't start for another few weeks, but I am eager to see how she does. It is a bit risky because she has to walk down the hall and not run into Mr. M's 5th-grade class and proclaim him to be a "dada".
Finally, no week would be complete without Bear getting into trouble. This time, there was an attack by the dreaded fire ants on the playground. Fortunately, this fire ant incident only results in 6 bites, mostly around her waist band. They looked pretty nasty, but seem to be clearing up without any signs of infection. [see this past spring's incident]
I am excited to see what this year will bring and I must say that I am very happy to see the Ellie Bear is happy to be in school again!
Ellie's First Day 2012-2013
Ellie's First Day 2013-2014
I hope she has a spectacular year!
ReplyDelete