Today was a big day. Lucy went to her little "school" to meet her teachers. She will be going to a mother's day out program 2 mornings a week starting next week. To put it mildly, she did not like going to school. She was only there for an hour and she was upset most of the time. Her teachers were so sweet and encouraging. We are just going to take it slowly and see what happens. I am not going to force this on her and if she is just not ready to handle it, then she just isn't, and I am perfectly fine with that. I will say, I am looking forward to two mornings to go to the grocery store, Target, clean or just chill out by myself for a bit. It will be refreshing and I will be quite productive.
We got up this morning and got ready early so that we would have plenty of time to snap a few pictures before we needed to leave. We ended up having enough time to stop by Starbucks and enjoy a tea and muffin as well. Lucy's school is at our church, so she knew where we were before we went in. She was just unsure and clinging to me. I hope she transitions okay. I know she will have fun if she can just relax. You know what I was most worried about? Her Mongolian spots. For those of you who don't know what Mongolian spots are, they are these darkened spots on her back and butt that look just like bruises. They are very common in Asian people. A lot of the time, they are just on the person's bottom, but Lucy's come about half way up her back and three of them look like finger marks to me. It would be VERY easy for someone who did not know about them to assume her back and bottom were all bruised up. I don't want people thinking that, so I talked to the teachers about them and told them I would be happy to have Lucy's doctor write a note about them since they are documented in her chart. The teachers definitely thanked me for pointing it out before they just saw them while changing a diaper. I am totally paranoid about people thinking that she is all bruised up because I have actually had strangers ask me about the "bruising" on her back when we were at the swimming pool.
Here she is on her first day of school.
Such pretty catchlights
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Meet the Teacher Day at School
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30 comments:
love it! i am so excited for her (and mama)!!!! hang in there it might be a rough 2-3 weeks but i know she will love it once she gets used to it! i remember liza's teacher last time telling us it usually takes 7x for them to start feeling better about things..
sucha big girl with the backpack! :)
Well lucy is lucky cause if my kids don't like school, OH WELL, cause they are going!!
No, she will be fine. Just a little time to get warmed up. We go tonight for orientation. Start Friday. We have a hello kitty back pack as well but the girls aren't allowed backpacks. Weird, ya. but Lucy is too cute. And good luck.
Those pics are adorable, and what a fun memory to have! I hope Lucy warms up to the idea of being at school!
Poppy has Mongolian spots on her bottom and ones that go up her back that look like fingerprints too. We didn't see them until we were at the doctors office the first day she came home. I just about had a heart attack and I actually thought maybe her foster family abused her! Luckily our pediatrician recognized them right away and explained what they were. But I feel the same way, whenever she is in her bathing suit I always explain them to friends and family so that they don't think they're bruises.
Lucy with a backpack on....wahhh!!! She is just getting so big even if it's only MDO! The transition may be slow going at first, but I think she will do great!
Oh my gosh I wasn't at all ready to see her in her little backpack! I felt like crying! She looks so big! sniff. Is it sick and wrong that I actually felt better knowing she didn't love it? I just think it would be too much to have her walk in all big and old like an experienced student!!! I'll be curious to see how it turns out for her. It would be SUCH a nice few hours for both of you so I hope it works out.
Two mornings a week without kids sounds like heaven right now! I know what you mean about the spots. Both my boys have them, but Tank Boy looks like someone beat the tar out of him, and they go up his back AND there is one on his elbow. Though that one has mostly faded, thank goodness!
Aw, she's so precious with that big backpack. It'll probably take some time for her to warm up to the idea of school, but she'll get used to it and LOVE it. I have no doubt. And no doubt Mama will love a few hours of freedom. ;)
Oh my goodness. Little Lucy is growing up so quick. She is so beautiful. I agree with Nikki, I wasn't ready to see her with her little backpack on.
Shelly and Rob Weston
Hi Kelly,
I've been following your site for a while and really enjoy your photography...as well as your journal about Lucy, family, and motherhood! I'm interested in progressing with my own photography and would love an appropriate camera recommendation if possible. Please email me if you get a chance : )
My daughter has Mongolian spots as well. More than I've ever seen. They are on her bottom and alot on her back. When we brought her home I took pictures of them (for my own protection) and showed them to her pediatrician and asked her to document it as well. We've had questions too, from people thinking they are bruises. Hers actually show up less in the summer, because when she gets tan, you can't see them as well. Still... each day I'm waiting for "the authorities" to show up at my door. ha,ha
Taylor cried every morning the first two weeks of MMO. By the third week (which was the cutoff time I had set in my head for taking her out all together) she stopped crying but they still had to get an extra care taker in her room that just did nothing but hold her the whole time. I, in turn, would drop her off, go to the store and then just sit and stare at the clock until it was time to go get her because I felt so bad. After a month she started clapping when we pulled into the parking lot even though she was sad when I left...even that soon stopped as she'd run off to play with her new friends. Now, i can't count the number of times she asks me every day when school starts back up. Come to think of it, we're BOTH counting the minutes.
The pictures are TOO precious. She looks so grown up.
Oh, you will LOVE the Mama time : ) She is such a beautiful little school girl. That backpack makes her look so grown up!! It was really rough for us the first two weeks then she was fine and loved it.
On the Mongolian spots..Annslee has a pretty big one at the top of her booty but it has faded a lot in the last three years. When we met her she also had one on her arm that looked like a thumb print but honestly she hasn't been that pale again so we can't see it LOL I did document it at the doctor and school though. Sounds like Lucy's goes high enough for people to notice...sorry if you have been made to feel uncomfortable.
Enjoy your Mama time!
Lucy looks like such a big girl with that backpack. I am paranoid about Jade's Mongolian spot too. Whenever she bends over and a little of her crack shows I feel like I have to explain what it is.
such cuteness. i love her dress. hope she learns to love her little school - it took chloe a long time to warm up to the school thing. it will happen though :)
I can't believe it hasn't been asked yet, but I have to know where the dress is from. It is so vinatage and cute with the ball-fringe trim!!!! I want to go make one right...well two, but still I absolutely adore the dress.
On school, see if the school will let you stay in-class with her for the first few times to let her slowly transition to the idea. We recently tried this with the twins and the church nursery and it worked well. The first few times we didn't even try to leave and stayed active in what they were doing. After those first couple times, they started to separate from us a bit and we would take that opportunity to leave the room for just five minutes and come back in. The point is so that they know we are coming back and aren't flipping out about it. Another thing that worked well with my older two was that I would give them my necklace/watch/book or whatever to keep for me while I was gone. It helps if it is something you usually have with you. The watch was the thing I used as it was just about the only thing I regularly had on me. Again, helps them know your coming back. Also, this is very typical of children this age...adopted or not (just in case you were worried.) I've seen it many times working in the nursery.
Again, email me or post about the adorable dress!
Zoe has them too, sound a lot like Lucy's. Our ped told us that if she started any care outside of the home she would draft a letter for us.
Hope it gets better for Miss L!
xoxo
What a big girl!! It is unbelievable how grown up she looks with that backpack. I can't wait to see you in October! I am having so much fun at school. This semester I am actually have a class working 4 hours a week with a preschool class. How fun is that! Give the brave girl a big hug and kiss. She'll be adjusted in no time.
She's just adorable with her Hello Kitty back pack! Crossing my fingers for you that she loves her school.
Lana has those Mongolian spots as well and I also really worry that people will think they are bruises. (Her back looks like someone kicked her at the base of her spine.) What's weird is that Gabe had a large Mongolian spot on his bottom when he was born, and our doctor commented that he had never seen such a large Mongolian spot on a caucasian child before. It's now faded to almost nothing, but, I do think it's odd he had one. Maybe he was foreshadowing the arrival of his sister?
good luck! She looks so sweet and pretty in her dress :)
Wow, I didn't know she'd be starting school! I'm sure she'll love it, and OMG, 2 free mornings a week would be like a dream come true!! I don't even know what I'd do with myself...probably sit and stare at the wall. I bet she'll love it once she adjusts and settles in. And the fact that it's someplace familiar will probably make the transition a million times easier!
I love that first pic of her.
Oh,such cuteness! I bet she'll warm up to school once she knows the other kids and realizes it can be fun. Kaneu took a looonng time to get there but now he really looks forward to it.
I'm dying over the dress, I mean, dying over here! I love it, gotta find it - where, oh where is it from?? Makes me want to break out the sewing machine, though that would require dusting it off b/c it's been such a long time.
Lucy looks so cute and so big with her backpack! Mattix has mongolian spots on the top of his booty/bottom of his back and I've often thought that maybe someone would see it and think something bad. I hope Lucy loves school; I'm sure it will get easier as she gets used to it. I'd be lying if I said I weren't a little excited about the idea of enrolling Mattix in a VERY part time program in six months. :) I had thought about doing is a little sooner, but he's note quite ready. One day...
Ok finally ALL caught up - and wow have you ever been busy :) But how did you not cry when you took her to school, she looks so grown up in these pictures? She is so cute, I hope that school works better for her next time!
Okay, Lucy looks so grown up in these pictures..... :(
You know, I think it's more difficult for the parent than the child when the child has to adjust to something new, such as going to school. Petunia does NOT like change in any form, so we actually have to got through transition issues each time she's promoted to an older class. For her it takes about 2-3 weeks. (She isn't upset the entire time, usually just for a few minutes after I leave. The remainder of the time is spent playing with her friends.) I'm sure Lucy will do fine before long and really begin looking forward to going. I think Jenn gave some really good advice, by the way.
We have the same situation with the Mongolian spots. Petunia has them on her booty, back, shoulder, and the top of her arm. Thankfully there are several Asian kids in Petunia's dayschool, so the teachers didn't even bat an eye when they saw them.
Love the photos of your schoolgirl. She's really getting to be a big girl! Where, oh, where does the time go?
When my daughter was small and going to day care (she is 38 now) I put a small object in her pocket after I had kissed it. She knew whenever she was lonely or sad that she could take it out and it would remind her of my love and make her happy. She has done the same with her children. It might be a good idea to tell the teacher she has it. Good luck.
We've been going though this too. It is so hard. I hope it goes well.
Awww, poor little gal! And poot you...it's probably even harder on you than it is on her. I imagine once she gets used to the new situation, she'll end up loving shcool. And oh my is she am adorable little school girl!
om she is so cute with her little backpack. I love it! I know at my kids school they have the moms stay with the toddlers until the kids are ready to seperate from them. Sometimes this takes a few weeks (but usually just a few days.) I can totally identify with wanting to go to Target in peace!
Amelia has one on her booty and on her upper arm. The arm one totally looks like a handprint...I carry a note from the dr. with me.
Kell--can't tell you how many times I had to PEEL YOU off my leg!!!! Sunday School, MDO, etc. It will get better!!! Love ya , Mom
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