Preschool!

This last Friday marked Olivia's sixth day of preschool. Alas, this entry was, of course, supposed to have been written and published her very fist day, but, oh well, I should stop berating myself for late posts - this is life - at least it's my life.

Anyways - preschool, I think I can say, has been a positive experience. I have just the right amount of time to pick Olivia during my lunch, and I've really enjoyed doing this. She's always quite jaunty as she walks out the classroom doors, running to hold my hand and show me whatever is in her backpack - we frequently stop to do this before even walking to the car. She waves goodbye to her teachers who, after week one, she would tell people are Mrs. Kane and Mrs. Bohr, and she frequently talks about her friends Kelby and Dannika. So far it seems like her favorite activities include playing kitchen and being outside on the playground. I don't really get much else out of her besides this and what she had for snack. Her least favorite activity - ironically enough - is quiet "reading" time. I guess she resists this a little bit which surprises me as she likes to do this at home. Otherwise, her teachers say she has been very cooperative and a bit shy but slowing opening up.


Brian does drop-offs in the mornings, and, although Olivia hasn't fully embraced this part of school yet, we're told that the "tears" don't last long. I say "tears" because they really don't qualify as such - they're just some watery eyes that I have no doubt are gone by the time Brian is back in the car. Her excitement about school otherwise makes me feel like she's in the right place - and really, I'm not surprised to have her be a bit hesitant - that's my Livy.

Independence and maturity have been growing tremendously with Olivia this last month. I'm not sure if this is because of preschool or just because - probably a combination. Olivia's been much more apt to get dressed on her own (well, with a little help still), put her coat on and truly try to zip it, and even leave her silky at home during daycare hours on occasion. She's shown a lot of interest in picking out her clothes too, and we've had some dry night-time diapers. During the day potties happen pretty much completely on her own - a major step forward after the brief chaos we had this summer when we had a couple weeks worth of accident-central around here - not what you'd expect for a girl who'd been potty-trained for over a year. Olivia has become the please and thank-you queen (finally!), and frequently positively rewards herself by making sure I've noticed her usage of the words. She also has been really insistent on walking in to daycare completely by herself after school. The fist time she wanted to do this I told her I'd just come to the door - no, that wasn't okay, so I told her I'd stand by the truck. Her reply - "Mommy go in the truck and close the door." Well, okay! So, since then, that's what I do after getting just about the sweetest hug and kiss goodbye.

My little girl is growing up, that's for sure. I remind myself to remember some things - how she still calls popcorn, hopcorn and the elevator, the elligater. I don't ever want to forget going school shopping with her, seeing how excited she was about her Tinkerbell folder or how proud she was to show her daddy the "Sneezknexes" she picked out for school. Of course, I could just about lose my mind sometimes like when she threw a tantrum for 20 minutes about wearing socks for the first time this fall or when she gets out of bed for the 4th time at night, but the good far out-weigh anything else. The random "Mommy, I love you's" are, as cliche as it sounds, truly music to my ears.

Well, I see this entry has gotten a bit side-tracked from its title, but I guess that's what happens when you post an entry only once in a blue moon. Enough for now.