my little man is 5 years old!
this year gabe had some anxious moments leading up to his actual birthday. he was convinced that once he turned 5 years old, he had to leave his school and go to a new one. he was especially concerned about having a new teacher. i spent the week leading up to his birthday reassuring him that nothing was going to change and that his teacher was still going to be ms. edwards.
on his actual birthday, i sent rice krispy squares for him to celebrate with his friends. at school, they make birthday announcements over the PA system, and they go to the office for their birthday pencil present. apparently gabe got a bit nervous at all the attention during the birthday singing, but he was like that at his preschool birthday celebrations as well :P
for his birthday dinner, we let gabe choose the venue and menu. he opted to stay at home and make hawaiian pizza. and coincidentally, he wanted a pizza-making birthday party this year. so, we booked rocky mountain flatbread and invited 9 of his little friends. the kids had a great time making their own pizza and colouring their chefs hat. this was the first time that all the parents were able to drop-off their kids and have a bit of free time. but that meant chris and i were responsible for the kids...and believe me, we were head-counting every time anyone left their seats :P
the past few months have been a bit stressful as we prepped for kindergarten and tested out the waters with new experiences. i love to hear about his school days, the friends he's making, and how excited he gets about showing me his "yoga" moves (i've never heard of "pretzel" or "table" before). we've also had some hurt feelings when another kid thought it was his special helper day and gabe didn't speak up to correct the teacher, and when an older student called gabe a "wiener" at the playground, and hearing that one of his lunch buddies keeps getting upset with him (reason unknown, according to gabe). the momma bear in me just wants to wrap him up and protect him from these sad and hurtful moments, but gabe is so innocent (at least i think he is!) that he doesn't know how to respond. so, we've been using these learning opportunities to speak up and remember to ask these other kids why they're upset with gabe, or what situation caused the name-calling. there's that fine line between telling the teacher about inappropriate behaviour vs. being a tattle-tail. i don't want gabe growing up to be a snitch, but i also feel like he lets other kids railroad over him sometimes. it's hard being a mom watching from the sidelines :(
but on the positive side, gabe has developed friendships with a few of his classmates (most of them are boys!) and they have a great time together. thanks to this wonderful dry weather we're having, the fun continues at the playground after school. i've also met some parents while watching from the sidelines, but i have to say, i'm just not interested. i blame it on my pregnancy. with 2 months to go, there are days i should be in isolation and not allowed near others. my stretch marks are itchy, i've developed some sort of red spots, and this baby is causing serious pressure pains on my right side making me feel lopsided. i was hoping that being in the pool twice a week would ease some of the pressure and turn the baby around...he might've turned around, but instead of feet kicking me in the right side, i think he's head-butting me now.
8 more weeks to go. 8 more weeks to go. i can do it.
Monday, October 21, 2013
Thursday, October 03, 2013
"Fall"ing into routines
i'm really not sure where the time has gone...it's not like we're super busy, and we certainly didn't take any vacations over the summer. but alas, the cooler weather has arrived and a new routine schedule has been created.
as for kindergarten, gabe's transition went really well! for the "meet-the-teacher-interview", i took my mom with me for support, and to introduce her to the teacher since she would be doing the gradual entry. we warned the teacher about previous anxiety-riddled events, and she took lots of notes on gabe. but alas, the worrying was for nothing...on his first day of K, i said goodbye from home, and he went off with chris and my mom, and HE DID GREAT! the biggest test was going to be on my day off when i would do drop-off, but again...HE DID GREAT! he lined up with the other kids, turned to me and gave me a big hug, and marched into class without a backwards glance. i was a little surprised how easy it went, and was in a bit of shock...one of the mom's just chuckled at me...my boy's growing up :) and now that September has come and gone, he's been assigned to his permanent teacher and i am very pleased with the outcome.
our routine is becoming the "norm" now, with lunch prep every night and discussion about what will be eaten for recess vs. lunch. gabe's go-to meals are ham & cheese or jam sandwiches, and his daily vegetable is cucumbers. pretty boring, but at least he's eating his food :-) he's recently branched out from hawaiian pizza and will actually eat pepperoni pizza now.
we also have one activity on the go right now...swim lessons! because gabe is still in the parent participation class, i was determined that he would pass this level before he passes the "age limit". we've had 2 lessons so far, and much to my surprise, HE'S DOING GREAT! there's only 3 kids in the class, so we get lots of 1:1 attention, and it helps that we go twice a week so there isn't time to "forget" skills. once he passes this level, hopefully we can keep up the momentum and continue in january...but with a new baby, and ski lessons every sunday, i'm not sure how we'll manage :P
on the pregnancy side: i've had my 5th ultrasound and everything with the baby is looking good with all the measurements on target. the only red flag has been my fluctuating blood pressure. combined with the elevated protein levels from my quad screen test (which could be an early sign of potential placental problems), my OB is recommending monthly ultrasounds, blood tests, and check-in appointments every 2 weeks from now onwards. the best news this week was that i passed the gestational diabetes test...whoo-hoo! on the downside, i will have to get a flu shot this year :(
as for kindergarten, gabe's transition went really well! for the "meet-the-teacher-interview", i took my mom with me for support, and to introduce her to the teacher since she would be doing the gradual entry. we warned the teacher about previous anxiety-riddled events, and she took lots of notes on gabe. but alas, the worrying was for nothing...on his first day of K, i said goodbye from home, and he went off with chris and my mom, and HE DID GREAT! the biggest test was going to be on my day off when i would do drop-off, but again...HE DID GREAT! he lined up with the other kids, turned to me and gave me a big hug, and marched into class without a backwards glance. i was a little surprised how easy it went, and was in a bit of shock...one of the mom's just chuckled at me...my boy's growing up :) and now that September has come and gone, he's been assigned to his permanent teacher and i am very pleased with the outcome.
our routine is becoming the "norm" now, with lunch prep every night and discussion about what will be eaten for recess vs. lunch. gabe's go-to meals are ham & cheese or jam sandwiches, and his daily vegetable is cucumbers. pretty boring, but at least he's eating his food :-) he's recently branched out from hawaiian pizza and will actually eat pepperoni pizza now.
we also have one activity on the go right now...swim lessons! because gabe is still in the parent participation class, i was determined that he would pass this level before he passes the "age limit". we've had 2 lessons so far, and much to my surprise, HE'S DOING GREAT! there's only 3 kids in the class, so we get lots of 1:1 attention, and it helps that we go twice a week so there isn't time to "forget" skills. once he passes this level, hopefully we can keep up the momentum and continue in january...but with a new baby, and ski lessons every sunday, i'm not sure how we'll manage :P
on the pregnancy side: i've had my 5th ultrasound and everything with the baby is looking good with all the measurements on target. the only red flag has been my fluctuating blood pressure. combined with the elevated protein levels from my quad screen test (which could be an early sign of potential placental problems), my OB is recommending monthly ultrasounds, blood tests, and check-in appointments every 2 weeks from now onwards. the best news this week was that i passed the gestational diabetes test...whoo-hoo! on the downside, i will have to get a flu shot this year :(
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