First Day Of School

Yes, it is November but right after the last post sleep at our house went on a two month hiatus. Not sure why but my wonderfully easy baby who started sleeping through the night at six weeks decided that she wanted her turn at waking every 1-3 hours too. Guess she was curious about  how well I can function in half human/half zombie mode. The blog, my yard, and exercise where the hardest hit in my sleep deprivation state. However, (knock on wood) the last three nights she has slept with only waking once (!!!!!) and feeling like a competent human again is slowly coming back to me.

But now back to L's first day of school....

Way back in September L started Montessori preschool. Joe and I had always wanted to do Montessori and after seeing a crazy, perfectionist side of side L come out at a more traditional preschool we decided that the switch was a must. After touring lots of schools in and near our little burb I ended up finding an amazing one just a few blocks from our house. L has been flourishing there! The debilitating need to be perfect has subsided and has been replaced with the confident, self initiating child that Montessori totes. She loves it, we love it, we couldn't ask for a better place for her to be.

She couldn't wait for school to start. She had toured all the schools with me and clicked with this head teacher the most and waited for months to go back. On the first day of school she chose an outfit in honor of Aubree, as Aubree has a matching one, and literally RAN all the way there.

All ready to go.

Wondering why I am still taking pictures.

Being a good sport about it though.

Just told me that was enough.

Gave me her backpack and started running.

and running....

and yelling an occasional "hurry up, Mom!"

And then running even faster cause she saw the school insight.

Went right to her name on her locker and took off her shoes.

Considered playing doll house but....

...in true L fashion climbed to the top of the indoor tree house and...

...played with Legos instead (she then told be it was time for me to go now).

I just love how neat and organized Montessori schools are. This is part of the work room (tree house is in the play room)

More work room.

And another. At the begining of the school year the head teacher doesn't put that many work items out. But as the kids get use to the environment she adds more to the shelves. She also switches things out frequently. I really should do a post on Montessori education but we will see if I get caught up on this blog first.

 

When I came back to pick her up it was recess time and she had already made a group of friends. One of things I love about L is how easy it is for her to fit right in and make friends. I was a painfully shy child and am so happy she is not.

So happy. And thus begins the "I don't want to leave" that we go through every day. May change her pick up time to the 1 pm option vs our current 11:30 am.

This school has brought out an adventurous side to L. The child who previous felt slides weren't safe now loves them, as well as climbing high heights.

 But what did mom and Hannah do while L was at school? Sleep deprivation hadn't fully kicked in yet so I played around with taking the type of corny pictures that make Joe shake his head and laugh.

At four months Hannah had already decided to not comply with my antics.

No matter how hard I tried.

So I put her in a basket and she still resisted to look at the camera.

But then she realized she could eat the basket.

And even gave me a token look or

two.