First Day of School

We managed to make it to out the first day of school. . . earthquakes, hurricanes and tornadoes weren't going to stop us!  We didn't have power and the elementary school was running on generators but that wasn't going to put a damper on the day for the girls.  All three were very excited and very ready to get back to school.  Adeline has been counting down for days.

Savannah started 2nd grade this year.  Her teacher is sweet, and exudes many qualities that remind me of my oldest.  They should get along splendidly.  To top it off, our neighbor, Savannah's dear friend, is in the same class too.  Here is a picture of the two of them as they met their teacher on the first day.

We walked Lila to her classroom.  Most Kindergartners took the bus so there were just a few of us waiting at the classroom while the teachers collected the other children off the bus.  Lila's teacher comes with a glowing reputation and started her day by carrying a crying boy down the hallway.  It was nice to see that they still hug and carry when deemed appropriate in Kindergarten.  Lila was very excited to get her day started and greeted Mrs. Fisher with a gentle "Boo!" from behind her back.  At that point, I knew she felt comfortable.

Adeline is going to her IU classroom again this fall.  She is starting a new schedule and is picked up from home and rides the bus to school.  She attends the afternoon session which is also new.  Adeline was such a big girl and didn't want any help getting on the bus and said goodbye to me immediately once stepping on.  It was as if she was saying, "I got this mom.  You can go now."  We were thrilled to have her old bus driver back.  Lila was not so thrilled because Adeline didn't want her to even step on HER bus.  Miss Adeline gets a private ride to school as she is the only on child on the bus.  Not such a bad gig!  Especially since her bus comes with a five point harness!

She wanted to make sure I got her backpack in the picture.  Boy does she love that thing. 

My schedule is very different this year. I no longer drive 1.5 hours each morning to get kids where they need to be. I drop both Lila and Savannah at the SAME school which is five minutes from my house. I have to say, having them together warms my heart. They got a peek of each other on the first day of school assembly. Oh, how sweet it is!

I have Adeline to myself each morning which is nice change. She has been in school each morning since she turned three. I have never had her all to myself. She is incredibly entertaining and good when out and about. I love the idea of our time together.

My first pick up is Lila at 11:40. I expected all smiles on the first day of school. Unfortunately, when she was released to me, she looked empty and sad. I asked her what was wrong and, apparently, a boy sitting next her in the circle (the kids were waiting to be called to the door for dismissal) ripped up the leaf she found and was planning to give me. He did this while it was still in her grasp. Then, he had the nerve to laugh. She dropped the leaf pieces at my feet and said, "He wasn't very nice. He laughed and it wasn't funny. He made my heart sad." Ugh! Is this what public school is going to be? I sincerely hope not. I am keeping an open mind and reminding myself that Lila is resilient. I made her teacher aware and she is keeping an eye on Miss Lila Grace. Yep. That is what she requested the teacher and children to call her - Lila Grace. This is the name I planned on her using until everyone shortened it to Lila during her NICU stay.

Here is my deflated Lila on the first day dismissal. Not the picture I wanted.

Alex went to pick Adeline up from school while Lila and I got Savannah off of the bus. It was her first time on the bus. I am not a fan of the bus but since it is less than a five minute ride and Adeline dismisses the same time as Savannah from a different school, I figured Savannah could make due. She doesn't love the bus but says she will tolerate and is even ready to walk home without me meeting her at the bus stop. That would disappoint one eagerly awaiting little sister who wants to knock her down with a hug the minute she gets off the bus. Here she is running to hug her big sister at the bus stop.

The Not So Official Kindergarten

We have been agonizing over what school Lila should attend for months.  At first, we thought she should go to West Chester Friends, but that didn't work out.  Next, we enrolled her in a very academic 5's program at her preschool.  We felt pretty satisfied with the decision but couldn't deny the fact that she makes the cut off for Kindergarten.

I should back up.  There is absolutely no way that I would send either twin to an official Kindergarten this year.  Savannah was in the same boat with her birthday being days before the October 1st cutoff (they have since changed it to September 1st.)  Even with her academics well above average, we held Savannah in order to give her one more year with us, at home, in the bubble. . . whatever you want to call it.  We want the same for the twins.  I don't feel you can go wrong when you give a child more time in the nest.

Here are the facts. . .

Public Kindergarten is the same amount of hours as preschool. 

Lila has been evaluated by numerous people and she scores average every time.  She has been given IQ ratings by two different psychologists and both, independently, rate her as smack dab in the middle of the curve.   AVERAGE.  

Adeline will continue in her developmental IU classroom but move to the afternoons which is more rigorous.

We want the girls in the same grade.

Savannah is doing 2nd grade in our local public school.  

Keeping the above in mind, this is what we have come up with.  (I should note that this decision was well supported by the last psychologist who evaluated Miss Lila.)  My baby girl is going to do public Kindergarten.  While this was not an easy decision, it seems to make the most sense.  Lila will keep the same schedule as preschool because our Kindergarten is a half day program.  We figure it can't be too taxing because of this.  Lila will REPEAT Kindergarten at West Chester Friends' full day program the following year which will track the twins in the same grade.  Finally, we hope, by attending our public Kindergarten, we will gain a better understanding of how Lila learns which will help us make more informed decisions about her schooling next year.  Although she scores average, we are convinced there are some processing delays or learning differences waiting to be diagnosed.  Kindergarten will also give her greater exposure and possibly better prepare her for success in her REAL Kindergarten program the following year.  We were assured that Lila would be well supported with instructional staff, have an IEP that involves, at the very least, speech therapy, and be grouped based on her ability.  Kindergarten is tricky because there are so many children entering that are already reading.  Lila isn't close.  The school psychologist promised me that it is a nurturing program that the children love.  It is low stress but at the same time, has a solid academic program.  Only time will tell. 

The icing on this decision is that Savannah and Lila will be in the same school.  In fact, they are in the same hall, only doors apart.  They will walk in together each morning and Savannah will drop Lila at her classroom door.  Another perk is that Lila will have exposure to older kids.  She is the youngest kid in her class.  We hope the more mature students help our girl grow a bit more confident, independent and push her to act older.

Tonight was our sneak peek at Lila's classroom.  Lila walked in with a very serious face and tight grip on my hand.  She introduced herself to her teacher as Lila Grace and has requested that her teacher and fellow students address her as Lila Grace, not Lila.  Miss Grace found her name on the walls, checked out the toys (wasn't one of the kids that was going to drop everything and start playing though) and asked me a ton of questions regarding various items around the room.

When we left, she still seemed happy with our Kindergarten choice.  I, on the other hand, am terribly nervous.  She is so YOUNG!  She lacks maturity and confidence.  What I can say is that my little girl is very sweet and kind.  I don't want to choose anything that would put undue stress on her or take the wind out of her sails.  I want to keep her pure heart intact and let her be happy and carefree for as long as she can.  I guess I have to go on what the speech therapist said that evaluated her yesterday.  She said that Lila is the type of kid that is going to love Kindergarten.  Although there is a significant language delay, she described my girl as smart, social, and likable.  She expected Lila to get along just fine.

Again, only time will tell. . .

I just want to go back in time and let her curl up on my chest like a little frog while I rock her in the safety and comfort of our home.  Where did my baby go?

Six months old and barely the size of a newborn.  I miss my tiny baby!

Happy Birthday To My SWEET Girls!

Turning Five!

This is their last four year old picture. They are more than excited to be turning FIVE!

The decorations are hung and gifts are wrapped. . .

Now that they are tucked into bed and undoubtedly dreaming about turning five, I take time to focus on where I was five years ago. Five years ago was the worst day of my life. I laid helpless while my babies were robbed of more time inside me. Surprisingly, Adeline showed strong signs of life but, when given prognosis, wasn't expected to ever make it out of that NICU. Lila, in comparison to Adeline, looked like a baby and was expected to fare better than her twin. She was my beacon of hope on that day. When wheeled through that NICU for the first time, I couldn't bare to look at either baby very long because it was too painful to digest.

After settling into my postpartum room, my doctor came by to visit. I was a mess but I clearly remember him saying, "Today is a day to celebrate." I looked at him with anger and sorrow while letting his words drift in the background.

Little did I know. . . he was right.

Here is a video I made of their first year.  If you met them on the street today, you would have no idea that this is where they started.

Make a video - it's fun, easy and free!
www.onetruemedia.com

Good Bye Grandma and Grandpa. . . And Cousins Too!

As far as cousins go, we couldn't ask for a more energetic and same aged bunch as these kids. My kids played with them EVERY day we were at Alex's folk's house. They LOVED every minute of it!  Three thousand miles is just too far when we could have this. . .

Good Bye Grammy and Papa

Washington

Here are some lasting memories of our trip.

We were able to get our hands on my childhood boat and take the girls out on the Columbia River.  This was the first time that their toes touched down in fresh water.  The girls were surprised by the cool temps and lack of waves but eventually found their groove.  Savannah proved to be most nervous while on the boat. She and I were took a ride behind the boat on the tube and she hated every minute of it.  After being on the river with my girls, I realize how different they are when compared to me at a young age.  I was up on two skis by the time I was Savannah's age.  I was a go-getter while they are Nervous Nellies. 

We also went to the local firehouse again. In theory, Adeline loves to look at firetrucks, but in reality they terrify her. Not to worry, Lila made up for Adeline's lack of participation by asking the fireman if she could wear his coat and helmet.

Our lasting impression is always how much our kids love their cousins.  They only see each other once a year but boy, do they enjoy them.  We are so lucky to have such wonderful family.

855 Years Old

The girls' celebrated an early birthday again at my parent's house.  We were lucky to have my brother and his family join in on the festivities.  Costco was gracious enough to make us a cake with each girls' name and favorite color flower.  We sang three different times and let each girl blow out their individual candle.  Then, of course, the girls were inundated with a ton of gifts.  Lots of Car's toys, Hello Kitty and Cozy Critters. 

Adeline's favorite gift was one that we gave her cousin. Angry Birds has a plastic version and is most fun if you play with an older cousin who will build the structure and retrieve your catapulted birds.

Did You Really Wait?

While putting my oldest to bed, she asked me, "Do you remember when I was in preschool and asked you to wait in the parking lot?  You always told me you would.  Did you really wait?"  It was like a light went off in her head and she uncovered yet another one of my many white lies.

I came clean and told her I didn't wait.  She giggled and looked back at me with big smiling eyes.  Moments like these make her feel so grown up because she can look back at her young self and find amusement.

A day later she continued to grow up before my eyes with this:

"Mommy, you should move to the middle of the country so that we will never have a chance of living 3,000 miles apart when I grow up (stemming from the fact that I live 3,000 miles away from my own parents)." 

I looked at her with quizzical eyes and reminded her that she has always has claimed she wants to live with me forever - in my house.

She responded with. . . "Well, I really want to live with you forever and that is definitely what I am planning.  The thing is, well, I think you change your mind when you become an adult and don't end up wanting to live with your parents forever."

Gulp!