This week has definitely been an adventure!! I was prepared for anything! But I will be honest - I wasn't prepared for 100% happiness. I expected a little bit of exhaustion... some crankiness... and definitely some complaining about the new schedule and long days away from each other. And that's just how I thought I would feel!
Brian has woken up with his alarm and handled the morning routine so well. So far Hope has been very cooperative, too, by sleeping in until close to 8am! Brian and I have been having fun talking and being silly in the driveway as we wait for the bus.
It's turning into a special time for us!
He's loving the bus ride in the morning. His good friend, Grace, is the stop before him and his other good friend, Danny, is the stop after him!
For the first couple days his lunch and snack were coming back half eaten - or untouched. I wasn't stressed about it - it's all an adjustment as he figures everything out, including how to use his time. But I did come up with a new plan that's been going well for the past two days! I filled a big container with snacks and gave him some control while he helps me pack his lunch and snack! I pick the main portion - whether it's a yogurt or a sandwich - for lunch. Then he picks two things from the container and tells me what kind of fruit he wants for snack and lunch. Since he makes the choices, he gets excited about eating them! So far it's been working, so we'll see if it lasts!
I also have a couple of strict rules. If he comes home with the main part of his lunch un-eaten, he needs to eat it or have something nutritious before he is allowed to have a snack like Goldfish or pretzels, etc. I also have a no candy or "junk food" (outside of what's in our snack container which I suppose could be considered "junk food") during the school week. It's not a big change for him so he's not struggling with that rule.
When he gets off the bus, he's so happy to see us. I get a big hug and kiss... and then he kisses Hope. This afternoon he said, "I missed you, Hope! Did you have a good day, sweetie?" Ha!
He comes home FULL of pent up energy and is, literally, bouncing off the walls. He's not being bad - just WILD! And he knows it! Today I asked him a question and he said, "Hold on, Mom. First I need to exercise. I'm going to run around the house ten times before I answer." And off he went... 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10!
I never did get that answer.
I also came up with a fun routine that actually helps me get information out of him in a natural way. We make a "book fort" in the kitchen! Brian chooses a stack of books and we sit on the floor and read and have a snack.
Hope is right in there, as usual. This little girl wants to be included in everything - especially if Brian is there!!
There's always something in the books that remind him of something that happened at school. Like his first visit to the school library today! The only downside to this "book fort" part of the day? When arthritic Mommy has to get up off the floor!
Hope and I have been having a great time this week. I do love having more time, just the two of us. We're working on peek a boo and Sooo Big! She is such a sweet and easy baby.
But this week, we had a little incident. We were sitting in the bedroom together on the floor and right in front of me she toppled over. Her head met the corner of one of the bottom posts and made a little dent in her skin. She was stunned...and cried for about twenty seconds...and then she was fine!
She is one tough cookie.
Sounds like Brian is adjusting to a full school day amazingly well!! My daughter, who will be 6 in November, did Transitional kinder last year, and is in full day kinder this year. She was coming home with her lunch uneaten at the beginning of last year too. I think she was so busy looking around in the big cafeteria, and chatting with her new friends, that she forgot to eat. She'd always say, "Oh, I was going to eat my sandwich, but I ran out of time!" I read somewhere that cutting everything into little bite sized pieces might help - they can just pop pieces of sandwich in their mouth while they're admiring their new surroundings, ha ha. I did actually cut her sandwiches and everything else into little bite-sized squares, and it helped. She's a little better at managing her time now, but I think she still prefers socializing over eating!! Brian is adorable in all his pics - such a happy, agreeable guy!!!!!
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