The Power of Cheerios

Today was Jayla's first day at The New School. As we got out of the car, she started screaming because she didn't recognize where we were. I managed to calm her down as we walked up to the door. I explained to her that everything was new. I have no idea if she understood the concept but, it quieted her down. We went in and Jayla was very curious about her surroundings as we walked through the halls. When we approached the door to her classroom, she stood and just stared at her new classmates. I talked with her new teacher for a while, giving Jayla a chance to get comfortable. She spent 5 minutes or so hugging my legs. I explained to the teacher that Jayla would need to eat breakfast, so she poured her a bowl of Cheerios. Jayla walked over to the table. The teacher put her in the chair. Jayla grabbed the spoon and put a bite in her mouth. She then turned to me, waved her little hand and said, "bye bye". I took my cue and left my big girl in her new environment. It was totally her way of telling me that she would be fine and that she liked it well enough to let me leave her there...after all, they had food!

Her teacher said she had a great day. She was amazed at how much Jayla could eat. Maybe I should start warning people about that. Apparently, Jayla polished off two full lunches of chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, and pears. I was not at all surprised that she managed to consume twice the allotted amount of food. Her teacher said that Jayla never cried, whined, or even wimpered all day long. Best of all, Jayla has been reunited with another little girl who was in her class at the old school. The teacher said they were two peas in a pod all day. She even let them nap beside each other. (This little girl's mom is the one who tipped me off about this new school.)

Jayla was absolutely giddy all evening today, which makes me think she had to have had an awesome day. She went to bed about 45 minutes early tonight - I guess she was worn out.

So - so far, so good. I am happy. Jayla is happy. I think it was the right decision for us...finally...

Don't Worry

Luckily, her nose broke her fall...

More School Decisions

This is Jayla's last week at The School That I Settled For After The School That I LOVED Closed Down After Giving Me Two Weeks Notice. I just never was completely comfortable with it. It felt like Jayla was spending the better part of her day in complete chaos. I feel like she needs a little more structure. Plus, you know, "the fall", the eating insane amounts of food that I don't necessarily approve of, the playing with 3 and 4 year old kids that are 3 times her size...and such. Not to mention how long I agonized over not hurting their feelings when I told them that my child would be leaving...and their response was, "Okay. Let me write it on the calendar." So, I'm done with them and we're moving on...on Monday! I'm excited. I think Jayla will really like the new place. Hopefully, this can be the end of the childcare drama for a little while...

More Than Just Words

Tonight my husband and I sat on the couch and watched Jayla walk around the family room, playing and singing to herself. She has turned into such a big girl and it's just amazing to think about how fast it has all happened. Two years ago this week, I found out that I was pregnant with Jayla. And this time last year she was just learning to roll over. Now she can run, dance, jump, and talk.

Talking is the funniest thing. In the past couple of weeks, she has become a little mimic machine. When our families were here for Christmas, she learned everyone's name. She somehow manages to use the word "Uh-oh!" about a trillion times a day! That is by far her favorite. Tonight when my husband got home from work, he said, "Hi Jayla" and she replied "Hi Daddy!". It was so cute. She also likes to say "Oh" when you tell her something. She can point out and say eyes, nose, mouth, ears, and hair. But what takes the cake is when I sang "I Love You" to her tonight and she repeated it...

How can I freeze time?

This weekend my husband and I were talking about how time seems to just fly by. We have been married for almost 5.5 years now and both of us agree that it's all a blur after that first year. He seems to think that is just gets faster as you get older. But, here's the thing...I need it to slow down just a bit so that I can enjoy Jayla right here at this perfect age. She is so fun and cute right now. Who do I need to have a talk with to make that happen?