Back to School

So the time finally came for Dad to go back to work (after his BIG three weeks off) Mom to REALLY go back to work, Anna to go to school full time and Hallie to start kindergarten. Big adjustments all the way around! Luckily, Dad was already in the swing, Mom was ready for a paycheck after 12 months, Anna had settled in very well to her few hours a week at daycare and, by July, Hallie was telling people she was going to kindergarten.
Other than Mom and Dad's anxiety about starting kindergarten, the first day went off without a hitch. A benefit of being the daughter and granddaughter of teachers is that Hallie is completely comfortable around a school - especially her new school since it's work for Mom and she's been brought there since about 4 months old.  Colleagues greeted us with smiles combined with expressions of disbelief  as we arrived on campus.  Hallie grinned and responded to each person though she had no idea who they all were.  Mom explained to her that it was going to take time for her to learn their names since there were so many of them and they've seen her since she was a baby.  She practiced the new principal's name all summer (she's known her by her first name since she could talk and now she has to be formal)

We had made this trip to the school many times before but it didn't hit us until about half way down the hall that we weren't just there to work in Mom's room or drop off one of the many boxes of stuff that gets carted back and forth. This was a whole new chapter in Hallie's book as well as ours.  Her experience was a little different than ours was, having gone to preschool for four years first - a bit to UN learn there - but she was excited and more than ready for the challenge ahead.  She knew where to find her room since we had practiced the route a few days earlier and when we arrived, she marched right in.  She found her name tag (which was not a popular accessory) and after a few pictures and a look around the room, we kissed her goodbye and wished her well with all our love. 

In this instance, a nice thing about teaching is that one rarely gets a chance to sit all day, let alone think of anything but lessons and duties.  So, Mom and Dad's minds were kept busy and they didn't have time to fret over the 4 yr old they just sent into a world of 5 yr olds. Though a verdict has yet to be reached whether it is a plus or a minus to be sharing a school site, it was nice for Mom to be able to get a quick hug and kiss in the cafeteria after dropping off her class for lunch!  Hallie had fun, loved her teachers and enjoyed the chance to play on the big playground. There were a lot of new friends to meet, projects to make and rules to learn. 

It will be interesting to see how the kindergarten Hallie grows and learns and adapts to her new expectations. According to her, it was hard to sit and listen all day and not get to play but it was 'good'. So after a rough day of hearing rules; classroom, cafeteria, daycare, she had no challenge at all deciding on a place for a dinner celebration. Red Robin, of course!

Last Days of Summer

With a couple weeks left before the official start of school, we tried to squeeze in a bit more family fun. It was a hard realization that, not only did Mom have to go back to work, but we would have a kindergartner who wouldn't be able to miss school when her parents wanted to play hooky and enjoy a family day.  Still surprised that kindergarten came so soon, we did our best to keep from missing our little toddler (who now seems so grown up) and worked on adjusting to having a new toddler with whom we three can share the world. Big sisters have a lot to share, you know.  With four years of experience has come the wisdom that only a child can share with another and have it mean so much.  Hallie was thrilled to explain and instruct Anna - ever so sweetly - in the ways of the world (or in this case, Dodger Stadium and the Discovery Center) and impart her wisdom and savvy moves to her little disciple.  It is on these outings that the parents find themselves obsolete and merely serving as chauffeur and financier.  If Hallie could drive and get Anna into her car seat, they'd be gone in a heartbeat. Clearly a disappointment, to have to have one's parents cramp your style.

Regardless, we had a great time those last few weeks.  The day after Anna's birthday party, we baked in the top deck of Dodger Stadium for a few innings while watching the Blue Crew take on the Rockies.  As the game began, we heard the 

announcement that it was the hottest opening on record (who TRACKS these things?) though with the heat wave still to come, it's a good bet that the record spun around a few more times. It was definitely the hottest on our record though - 104 at game time.  We stayed long enough to have some Dodger Dogs, polish off our water bottles and take a few pictures.  It was too bad it was so hot because Hallie and Mom were really enjoying the game.  We did leave with a real metal lunch box (sans thermos) as a reward for braving the sun.

The other thing on our 'must see' list was the special exhibit at the Discovery Center in Santa Ana called The Body (as shown by the gang from Sesame Street).  It was so perfect for little ones and we had a great time exploring.  Not only did we get to shop in Hooper's store, but there was enough play food for at least a classfull of kids and shopping baskets were plentiful. 'Always foods' and 'Sometimes foods' were showcased behind the counter and lunch could be dished up right there - just pull up a stool!  Each friendly face smiled atop a sign about their particular area of expertise; Ernie with the bath, Oscar delicately handling the issues of digestion, the Count counting bones and Big Bird measuring feet.  It was fun to be on a miniature Sesame Street and answer the game show questions hosted by none other than, who else? Guy Smiley!  Hey, we know who he is.... It was so worth the trip just for that.  Of course we made time for the dinosaurs and do it yourself science.
 Mom particularly liked the station that allowed guests to make there own cloud puffs while Hallie had fun with the river table and green screen.

So, other than the usual issues of trying to teach Hallie not to crowd and to wait her turn when the other children (and parents, by the way) are nightmares on feet, we had a great time. And, as Anna and Mom had never been there before, Hallie was proud to show off one of her new favorite places. She was definitely in her element and we are thrilled to have a little scientist who is as happy exploring as she is doing 'experiments' in the bathroom sink.

As the summer comes to a close, we look back on all of the 'stuff' that we do that keeps us so busy that we can't remember what we've done. Let's see...... several trips to Disneyland, a few days in San Diego at the beach, Sea World, in Coronado and environs, birthdays, baseball, the zoo, aquarium, park, museums and a movie for Hallie and Mom. It seems we did a good job at getting it all in before the days of summer had gone by. If we missed anything, it'll just have to be squeezed in during our holiday breaks (because, of course, we would never miss a day of school!)

Words to live by

As we approached the 1 year visit with the pediatrician, we prepared as though we were taking an exam.  We remembered the general questions, knew Anna had grown and gained and was walking around her 9 month visit so... no worries.  Well, except for that one question, "Does she say any real words yet?"  Now, for the third time we've been in a quandary.  Do they count if we know what she's saying?  or.... if she uses the same "words" for the same things consistently?  or... does the doctor, with all her expertise and trained ear, need to understand her?  Well, we could have a dozen more and never remember the answer or resolve the issue.  Ultimately the doctor wants to be sure she is building her language and developing social and communication skills.  In the event that Mom and Dad hem and haw too much or glance at each other for help without getting anywhere near a definite answer, the doctor reverts to "Does she babble and make sounds, show emotion/respond to faces, etc.  Our dear doctor knows us well enough now that she laughs as we transform to schoolchildren searching to give only the CORRECT answer and mercifully cuts us some slack.

Eventually we came up with some version of this report.  Anna says "Hi", "Dada" and "Bye bye" (which she also says at the door OR when one of us puts our shoes on and grabs the keys).  She says "Baby" clear as a bell and says "wawa" for anything to drink.  This includes our giant cups of Coke and Iced Tea but of course she only drinks milk and water (doesn't care about juice).  She says something that sounds remarkably like "Hallie" and it is always directed at her sister.  As previously mentioned, she doesn't use her baby signs - she just opens her book and says the names of the object on the page. Well, except for dog and cat that is, as she pants and mews respectively.  It should also be mentioned that she clearly says "No" in an incredibly charming, albeit forceful, way.  

Alas, though hat and head sound virtually identical to the ear and the difference between ball, box and block are subtle to the point of genius, with the help of gestures and faces, Anna gets her needs met and expresses herself to us and a few select others who are worthy of her attention (hang in there, she might like the rest of you someday)  If you were 1 and had to wait for someone to feed you and open the doors for you these few words would be those you lived by too.

Where has the year gone?

As always, we are amazed that where once lay a small peanut of human being, now stands (or runs) a sturdy little toddler with her own agenda.  And, as always, that agenda rarely coincides with that of her parents.  Confident and keenly aware of her charm (devilish as it may be) she has continued to move forward and hasn't paused to look back.  To some degree, things are easier for Mom and Dad as they have weathered this latest round of immunizations, food introductions and adjustment to daycare.  The car seat is turned, the bottles were quit cold turkey (by the way, why is everyone stunned by the fact that we just stop giving them one day?) and the exersaucer has been gathering dust for three months now. Likely, having a pre-schooler in the house made the year go by more quickly but we are still stunned. Time doesn't march on... it rolls right over you!  {This is particularly true for Mom who is headed back to the classroom but we'll save that for another time}
Anna is gloriously unaware that she is unable to do everything her sister does (which can be tricky since her sister doesn't know she can't do them either) and is incredibly aware of what she wants to do NOW. She only wants real food, thank you, or we'll hear about it. She tries to put on her shoes and likes to carry ours around. She reaches through her sleeves, raises her feet to step into her pants and is constantly walking around pulling on hats so low over her eyes that she narrowly misses every piece of furniture or wall in the place. She likes pickles, egg salad and is a tomato fiend (she gets that from Mom) and would eat yogurt and tortillas all day if allowed. She loves her bath and water in general as evidenced by her seeing something as brief as a commercial and telling us about the water. She uses some of her baby signs but mostly reads the little board books aloud instead of signing. She loves to play and climb over her big sister just as easily as she will climb in her lap. She comes when her sister calls her and, at top speed. She runs low to the ground, head down (that comes from Dad the football player) and strikes out in front of her to move anything in her path. Powderpuff, here we come. Hallie will be cheering in pink and Anna will be mowing down the other team. The sisters continue to build their incredible bond and, though that does not bode well for our future, we relish those moments with the joy that only parents can feel at seeing the two together and laughing as we've never laughed before.

So, just about a year ago, Anna joined our family and has done nothing less than make it a better one. Though we can't believe that 12 months have passed, we can't imagine our lives without her. It won't always be as easy as taking her to Denny's for her birthday dinner (we expect her palate to improve with each passing year) but we will happily weather the next bout of chicken nuggets as a food group, bigger and better teeth coming in and the inevitable creeping crud that prefers a toddler as a means of transportation as we make our way to 2!

Birthdays are coming

We just discovered that we could add a link to the girls' wish lists to our blog. They must want us to shop - it couldn't be any easier!