birthday boy!

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.