Bean has started "school"! It's pre-school, but I'm not going to take away her sense of arriving in Big Girl World now she is going to school like "my fwiends". It was a mad morning the day she started. I had hardly slept the night before - worried I'd sleep in past my alarm! (I remember doing that when I was working early shifts, as a student nurse...worrying, not sleeping in!) I had chatted to a number of experienced mums...HOW do you get 2 young girls out of the house, into rush hour traffic & to nursery in time for the bell? Well, more in time for them opening the pre-school door, but you get a sense of the level of my fluster-ings at this new season in Stamp Family life. Asking around was one of the best things I've done. Always, always, always ask the more experienced when you have a new challenge to master. There is nothing new under the sun. Don't reinvent the wheel, be willing to learn from others experience. Following this has served me & my family well.
We made it...with 15 minutes to spare!!! Bean had a whale of a time meeting her teachers & new friends. We've already managed to line up play dates for the holidays! She is a real social whirl! When I dropped her off the first time, I felt like a spare part...which is good. We are raising our girls to be independent - & feeling like I'm not needed is a sign that we are successful in our mission. Yesterday I had to persuade Bean to come home at the end of the school day, after being greeted with a disappointed "ohhhhhhhhhhhh, I mean, Mummy...you're here...<pause for thought, small smile> I did miss you!"
Other things that we have fought & conquered (or just suceeded in)...
- Dear Hubby has had proper flu. Not your wussie, namby-pamby man-flu. But proper, challenge-all-my-nursing-skills-to-keep-his-body-temperature-from-surface-of-the-sun-realm-&-hydrated-enough flu. It's was horrible. He's now 80% better!
- Pea is sleeping through from 7 til 7(ish!). No more waking her, to give a feed, when we go to bed. No more staying up until the feed is due. One night this week, I was even tucked up in bed at 9pm for the first time in months.... I'm well impressed with Pea, seeing as we had got back in the habit of night-feeding when she was in hospital. It's not taken very long at all for her to get back into sleeping properly at night time!
- Pea is also self-feeding! She sits in her high-chair - while we are having tea - munching on rice cakes or toast or garlic bread. All that can be heard from her corner of the table is "mmmmmmmmmm, mmmmmmmmmmm, hmmmmmmmmmm..." as she devours whatever morsel is in her vice like grip. She'll often pause, regard the snack for a while, then go back to her vigorous & enthusiastic attack!
