Samantha's First Week of Kindergarten

Samantha: 63 Months, Week 4
Aedan: 28 Months, Week 2

This week was a big deal as it was Samantha's first week of kindergarten. We planned what we were going to pack her for lunch, had her clothes laid out, and were all ready for her first day. She was super excited, of course, and woke up before 7:00. Ben and I got up earlier as well so that we could be showered and ready by 7:00. That way we could help Samantha and Aedan get ready, make lunch, and eat breakfast together. Here are the kids playing together that morning before breakfast. 

Samantha was very excited about school, so she had no trouble getting up and getting ready all on her own. She picked out a dress to wear on her first day and wanted me to do her hair with a little pony tail braid. We decided to make a family trip to drop Samantha off at school on that first day. Here are the obligatory first day of school pictures. Man, I can't believe my little girl is in kindergarten already.

Aedan was happy to pose with Sissy. I love this cute "cheese" smile on his face in these pictures. He was excited right along with Sissy, but I don't think he totally understood that we would be dropping her off and leaving her at school, and that she wouldn't be back until after he woke up from his nap. He as definitely going to miss Sissy.

I almost forgot to have Samantha pose with a sign, just as we did for her two years of preschool. I feel like you can't see the words very well on this, but her teachers are Ms. Cornwell and Ms. Newell.

As we got closer to her school, Samantha got more and more excited. She giggled and squealed excitedly, and even started singing this cute little song. Can you tell she's excited? :)

We decided that we would walk her to her classroom on the first day and from then on we would just drop her off at the sidewalk and she could walk into school on her own. Daddy was excited to see Samantha's classroom since he didn't get to come Meet the Teacher Night. Here is Samantha standing by her seat.

It was very strange leaving Samantha at school, knowing that she would not get home on the bus until 4:10. When we dropped her off at the door to the playground, I gave her a hug and kiss and started to tear up, but I wouldn't let myself cry in front of her. (Plus, I had done plenty of crying the night before when talking in bed with Ben. I think I got all my tears out then.) However sad and strange it was, I knew that she would have a wonderful day, and I couldn't wait to hear about it when she got home.

Samantha's school has a program called ClassDojo which is a way for the teacher and parents to communicate back and forth in a safe environment. With this website/app, we are able to see occasional pictures of our kids throughout the day as well as small comments about their behavior in the classroom. Here are some pictures from Samantha's first day of kindergarten. Unfortunately, they had a very rainy first day of school so the kids weren't able to go outside and play. Samantha didn't care though because they got to have inside recess instead. Here she is doing puzzles with the little girl that sits across from her at her table.

Since Bahweting is funded through both the state and the BIA, they incorporate a lot of Native American culture in the school. In fact, the go to Culture class two days a week. Here is a picture from Culture class. You can see Samantha on the far left of the picture. She told me that she was lucky to get a seat at the very front of the class. I'm glad that she likes to sit in the front because usually the best and brightest students will sit in the front, rather than in the back where there are more distractions and you can just blend into the background. Samantha actually got two +1s on her first day for being on task, one at the beginning of the day and one at the end of the day. I enjoyed getting a little glimpse into her day through these pictures.

While Samantha was at school, Aedan and I went to a First Day of School breakfast with other moms from the area. I was glad to be invited and looked forward to meeting other moms with school age kids. Aedan did pretty well playing at a new house, as long as he could keep coming near me to show me toys or just to check that I was still there. It's definitely different going out with just one kid. It's simpler in a lot of ways, but I also don't have Samantha to keep tabs on Aedan anymore. She was always such a big helper in that way.

During our trip to Chicago, I wasn't able to rock Aedan to sleep so I just had to lay him down awake for nap time. Well, that continued for a few days after we returned as well, and it made me a little sad. I love cuddling with him every afternoon and watching him fall asleep contentedly in my arms, and I want it to continue as long as possible. Luckily, he got back into the habit of falling asleep with me again, but every day I think that it could be my last day of rocking him to sleep, making our time together that much more special. Later that afternoon I thought that he was awake from his nap. (He's so quiet sometimes when he wakes up that it's hard to tell if he's awake or not.) I went into his room to check and found him fast asleep like this, with his legs up in the air, his ankles crossed, and his feet resting on the bars of his crib. The ways that little kids find it comfortable to sleep always amaze me. I just had to take a picture of it.

We knew the beginning of school would be a rough adjustment for Samantha, and that she would be a lot more tired. However, we decided to keep up the tradition of Ben's family and go out for ice cream on Tuesday night to celebrate the first day of school. We went to a new restaurant where it took much longer than anticipated to get our ice cream. Samantha got Bubble Gum ice cream and then complained that it had pieces of bubble gum in it because she was afraid that she couldn't swallow them and would have to spit it out like normal bubble gum. Aedan chose Dreamsicle ice cream because he loves the color "n'orange" right now. Ben and I both got chocolate. It was pretty good, but we got home later than we would have liked. Plus, both sets of grandparents wanted to talk to Samantha about her first day of school. She was a little too tired and out of it to make any sense when talking on the phone, but it was sweet of them to take the time to talk to her.

With Ben teaching four classes, two of which go into the evening and Samantha in school all day, it seems like our days just fly by. Samantha had another good day at school on Wednesday, getting three +1s for for being on task and one +1 for working hard. They are concentrating on a letter a day, with Tuesday being A and Wednesday being B. Here they are practicing writing their letters. I love seeing Samantha working. She writes her letters so well. I'm amazed at how much her handwriting has improved through our work together over the summer.

Aedan and I got our grocery shopping done first thing in the morning and then had a lot of time to play outside, which is his favorite thing to do. In some ways it's hard being up and ready for the day by 7:55 because then Aedan wants to be outside playing at 8:15. Then, I have to figure out how to occupy the rest of our morning. For some reason I have gotten out of the habit of having my phone with me as much to take pictures and videos, but on Wednesday morning I took these videos of Aedan playing soccer. He specifically requested his soccer jersey that morning, and I was impressed with how well he was dribbling the ball down the driveway. I think he would really enjoy playing soccer, and he definitely has more skills than Samantha did when she played last fall. It's funny how every kid is different. Samantha has always been more cautious with trying new things physically, whereas Aedan just throws his body into things and is much more sure on his feet. It will be interesting to see how these attributes play out in their interests and hobbies as they get older.

That afternoon when Samantha got home from school, she had her first homework assignment to complete and take back to school the next day. Aedan was still napping at this point, so Samantha and I sat at the counter in the kitchen to do her homework. It was simple, just coloring shapes different colors according to the key, but I was impressed because Samantha knew all the color words without me having to read them to her. She was pretty excited to do her homework, so I took a picture of her working hard.

Wednesday was a rough night at home because Ben has his late class and then he had another meeting to go to as well, so he didn't get home until almost 9:00 at night. When Samantha is tired, she has a hard time listening and being respectful, so it was a bit difficult for me to get both the kids in bed at a decent time that evening. After they were in bed, I just collapsed, exhausted on the couch after a long day.

On Thursday Aedan and I ran some errands around town and got some things done around the house. We still have quite the list of house projects to get done, and although none of them are urgent, I'm trying to get things done when I have the time. One nice thing about Aedan is that he is good with running errands and helping me around the house because anything where he gets to be near me is fun to him. Whereas if I were doing these things with Samantha she would complain about being bored. Aedan is eager to please and often wants to be a good helper for me.

I know Samantha will get lots of papers and projects throughout the year, and I can't keep everything, so I decided to just take pictures of her first two homework assignments before throwing them away. According to school policy, they will get homework every night Monday through Thursday, to be completed and turned in the next day.

On Thursday night when both Ben and I were busy getting work done on our computers, I got two phone calls from the sub call system about a sub job on Friday. The whole process took so long, and I hadn't gotten the official email with my log-in information for the online job system, so I assumed that I wouldn't be able to take a job for that first Friday. Because of that, Ben said yes to a meeting at 3:00 on Friday afternoon. However, after getting the phone calls and then a follow-up email, I tried to think about how we could make it work for me to accept the job. I did not think I could be offered a job, and I hated the idea of turning down the first job I got offered. The sub job was for the high school and ended at 3:05, so we decided that I could take it and Ben would say he would be 10-15 minutes late for his meeting. This all happened so quickly and so unexpectedly that I didn't know what to think. I was excited about going to work but didn't know what to expect in subbing at a high school.

Friday morning came early for me, as I wanted to be out the door by 7:30 so that I could get to the high school and figure out where I was supposed to be and what I was supposed to do. Since we only have one car, we already made arrangements for Samantha to be picked up by the bus on Friday mornings so that way I had the car to drive to schools if I got a sub job. It was an early morning for everyone.

I ended up subbing for a paraprofessional in the special ed room which was a little out of my element, but definitely an interesting experience. I have some experience with special needs kids through teaching Sunday School at Hill Country Bible Church to being a Special Needs counselor at Spring Hill for the summer, but it has been awhile, and I've never been with high schoolers. There was a main special ed teacher as well as four or so other paraprofessionals, so there were plenty of adults to help with the 14 or 15 kids in the classroom. Plus, every hour different high school students came in as part of the Links program where they talked with, played games with, and interacted with the students in the special ed room. I didn't know exactly what my role was to be, and they probably didn't really need me that day since they were having a more unstructured "Fun Friday," so for the first part of the day I just watched the interactions of others to get more of a sense of the abilities of the kids in the classroom. I was also willing to do anything the teachers asked me to, from helping a certain kid in the lunchroom to walking a kid to the bus. As the day went on, I felt more comfortable jumping in with the kids. I played card games, sat on the couch and tickled one boy with severe autism and limited verbal skills, and read books to a sweet boy in a wheelchair. I was amazed at how each kid could interact and communicate in their own way, even if it was different.

I really enjoyed my day in this classroom. I really enjoyed being back in a school environment around kids. Being a mom is a job where you get so little feedback about your performance which often leaves me wondering if I'm doing a good enough job. However, during this one day back in a school, I felt like I do have something else more to me than a wife and a mother. The teachers in the classroom expressed how much they enjoyed my help in the classroom, how I was easy to work with, and how, if I was willing, they would love to have me back whenever I was able. In fact, the main teacher mentioned how they actually wanted to hire someone for a permanent part-time position in the classroom and wanted to know if I'd be interested. I had to tell her that I was only available on Fridays due to my husband's work schedule and childcare restrictions, but that I would love to come back on another Friday if they need a sub. I felt so good that they were pleased with my performance enough to want me back again. I felt confirmed in my teaching abilities and my love for educating and nurturing children. Even though it's only been three years that I've stayed home, I feel like it's hard to remember what it was like to be a teacher in charge of my own classroom. I don't want to diminish my impact in being at home, and I don't know if it's because we have been trying to get pregnant for so long to no avail, but I have been feeling more antsy at home, like I don't know what my purpose is, and I'm glad that I still feel called to the teaching profession. So when I'm ready to go back to work, whether that's in the next year or so if I don't end up having another baby, or another few years from now if I'm blessed with another pregnancy, I know that I want to continue on in the teaching profession. I know that is where my gifting lies.

While I was gone subbing for the day, Ben got to hang out with Aedan. Since I had the car and Ben needed some books from campus, he let Aedan ride his tricycle around campus that afternoon since there are a lot less students on campus on Fridays. Aedan loves riding his tricycle and has pretty good stamina for riding longer distances. It's impressive.

They made it all the way down to this area with the large rocks to climb and sit on. I think Aedan enjoyed his one-on-one time with Daddy for he doesn't get that very often.

Weekends always go by way too quickly. We wanted to be sure to take it easy this weekend since Samantha just had her first week of school. Plus, it seems to always be rainy on the weekends lately, making it that we can't go do anything outdoors. There aren't many indoor options for entertainment around here, so we spent a lot of the weekend playing at home together, which is just fine with me.

Actually, on Saturday afternoon Samantha and I went to see Finding Dory at LSSU's arts center. When I took her to The Jungle Book over the summer, we saw that Finding Dory was going to be playing, and Samantha expressed interest in seeing it, so I wanted to try and take her if possible. We got tickets for the 2:00 show on Saturday, so Ben stayed home while Aedan napped so Samantha and I could see the show. It's fun to be able to go see movies together, to go on a little Mommy-Daughter date. Samantha enjoyed it, and it's easy to take her to a movie because she can sit still and pay attention for a full length movie. Aedan, on the other hand, would be too much of a handful to take to something like that. We will definitely have to keep our eyes out for other kid movies that play throughout the year.

Both kids were pretty tired and cranky on Saturday with lots of crying and time outs. I think it will take a while for everyone to adjust to our new schedule of the school year and learn how to adjust our sleeping schedule to accommodate it. However, that evening before getting the kids ready for bed, Aedan wanted to sit on the potty and he actually peed! I was getting the bath tub filled with water, and I think the running water helped him go. I didn't actually see him pee, but he made a weird face like something tickled him and then he looked down. When he got toilet paper off to wipe himself, there was a wet spot on the toilet paper as well as a few splashes on the front of the toilet seat. I made a big deal out of it and was super excited that he finally allowed himself to go pee on the potty, even if it was just a little. Something we did with Samantha, in particular to encourage her to go poop on the potty, was to have the potty fairy come and leave her a few M&Ms if she went in the potty and not in her diaper. We decided to have the potty fairy come for Aedan as well, so Ben got a few M&Ms set out on the coffee table for Aedan. Aedan was super excited that he went pee in the potty and that he got M&Ms. Hopefully having this success will help him have more interest in sitting on the potty in the future. He hasn't expressed too much interest in it yet, and I don't want to push him when he's not ready, especially since potty training tends to take longer for boys than girls. It will happen eventually for him, but I was excited for the success of that night.

As the day progressed on Saturday and into Sunday, I developed a pretty bad head cold. My guess is that I picked up some germs from being in the high school on Friday. I was feeling pretty lethargic, my head was fuzzy, and my nose was running, so I was glad to have a low-key weekend at home with the family.

With the start of a new week on Monday, Aedan and I were going to be falling into a new routine. We will go grocery shopping on Mondays, go to MOPS every other Tuesday, and then go to the library for story time on Wednesdays. It felt good getting back into the swing of a routine, and I was looking forward to having opportunities to meet other moms and give Aedan the chance to play with other kids his age.

Also, on Monday morning Ben had his follow-up appointment with the urologist, following the tests he had a couple weeks ago in relation to us dealing with infertility. I don't want to say too much detail because I don't want to embarrass him, so I will just put it simply. It doesn't appear that there is any issue with him that is causing us to not get pregnant. So, now we are left with either there being an issue with me, or that, for some reason, we are not supposed to have a baby either now, or ever, I suppose. I have a doctor's appointment on Friday to see what is going on with me, so we will see what comes from that.

Mondays are always long and hard with Ben being gone on campus for about 11 hours. Plus, I was feeling even worse on Monday with lots of sneezing, my nose was running, and I just felt crummy. I would have loved to just lay on the couch and rest all day, but as a stay at home mom with two kids, that's not an option. Once Samantha got home from school that afternoon, the kids had a smoothie popsicle for a snack, and then we just took it easy that evening. I helped Samantha with her homework, read books to the kids, made a simple dinner of fettuccine alfredo with broccoli, and then Samantha requested to paint after dinner. A quiet, indoor activity sounded good to me, so we got out the washable paints, brushes, and paper, and Samantha and Aedan had a great time painting together. Samantha was very careful to not mix her colors, cleaning off her brush before switching to a new color. Aedan purposely swirled all his colors together on his paper plate. Samantha carefully painted certain shapes and objects. Aedan haphazardly drew lines and swirls, on both sides of the paper. It's so fun to watch how different these two are. Part of it is the difference of three years of age, but I know part of it is personality as well. Even though I had a hard day and didn't feel well, I'm glad I get to spend my time with them. I'm glad I get to make them meals, read books to them in the rocking chair, and hug and kiss them every night before bed. In all of our struggle to try and have another baby, I'm pretty lucky to be the mother of these two wonderful kids.

(Blog about September 6-12, 2016)