First Official Day

Today Makenna officially started pre-school.  She still goes to the Jewish Community Center but now instead of being in their Early Childhood Center, she's in their pre-K class.  After class is done, since I'm still at work, she goes to what's called "drop-in."

This also starts the official end of naps during the week.  I have a feeling weekends are still going to be nap-filled until she can really adjust without one.  As I predicted, she fell right asleep on the way home.  Of course, taking her swimming after picking her up probably helped speed up the process of her passing out.  If it wasn't for her seat belt holding her in, she would've toppled right over onto the floor.  I didn't know it was humanly possible to fold in half at the side but she seems to have mastered it.

This also now means a change in her bedtime routine.  Usually we'd start to get her ready around 8:30pm and now I have to move it to around 7pm.  This then means that dad, if he wants to see and spend time with her, has to come home earlier.  Not that he'll be able to every night but so far, tonight, he was able to get home and eat dinner with us and then put her up to bed.  This then also means, more free time at night.  So far it's a bit strange as I keep looking at the clock figuring I should get myself off to bed but it's still early.

She seemed to like her class so far.  I was nervous that I was going to have issues dropping her off to her new teachers, Jean and Dusty, but I think she had most likely met them several times previously so she at least knew who they were.  She did request that we go in to her old class to say hello to her old teachers Rachel and Karen.  "Mom, let's just stop in and say hi."  I agreed and she was willing to then go off to her new class.

Since I don't see her teachers when I pick her up, I don't get the daily "attitude" report.  So I guess I'll have to ask the next morning how she did and if there was back-talk or yelling that we have to address.  In her previous class I would get these reports and then we'd talk about how we could better improve on the way home.

Her new back-talk comment, to me, has been - "stop it."  Today at least came with a please, "Mom, stop it please."  This was still said in an exasperated voice as though I had embarrassed her in front of her teenage friends and she's now mortified at my presence.  I firmly told her that although I appreciate the please, the "stop it" comments have to "stop." 

She was also following up the comment with, "You just told me three times."  In my mind I was thinking three times was the minimum I was telling her things.  Today's "three times" comment was mostly about coming closer to me so I could help her finish getting dress after swimming.  So telling her something repeatedly was happening and then she'd tell me to stop it and that I had told her three times, in her exasperated tone.  I realized that part of this was due to her being tired so I cut her some slack but for the most part, I told her tired or not, that's not how she talks to me.  Plus, even though I have told her something three times, until she responds in the manner I'm expecting, I will repeat myself and the way she can remedy that is to respond appropriately on the first request.

I know I talk to her in an adult like manner at times, and then I wonder why I'm so shocked when she uses a vocabulary word in its appropriate context.  The other day she said, "now it's ruined."  I'm sure I've said this word to her but I was surprised she picked it up and used it correctly back to me. 

More I realize through her actions and words how quickly she's growing up and I'm just not ready!