First week of school

This week was a great day for us going back to school.

Roger started Tuesday and is having a great time with ideas and students. He was bursting with excitement this morning when he came home from doing the paper route. I am excited that I am still teaching a 9th grade honor's class, but I also looped up with one of my classes (moved up to 10th with one class) and then I also have another group of 10th graders. It has been fun so far!

Alex was so excited about riding the bus. We let her. She was escorted down to the bus on the first day by mommy, daddy, sister Kath, brother Chris and his girlfriend Abbi. She was thrilled when we waited, she danced. She needed help the first two days with the seat belt, but by Friday she was doing it by herself. She loves her teacher. She loves the grown-up feeling of school, too, I think. She is such a little sponge. They had a fire drill (it sounded 'like a duck being squeezed'-qwaa-qwaa-qwaa). She tells me each day who gets in trouble (that means they can't have a popcorn party). She loves art, music, health, gym. Next week she has library. She said that a couple of times (like when they watched a movie in health) she forgot she was in school. She gets so involved, she forgets. :-) Chris has made sure that he was down at the bus stop the first two days.

Yes, I still sobbed when my 3rd one got on the bus and waved with a HUGE smile until I couldn't see her anymore. Whoever says it gets easier is full of crap. Roger who went into school late so he could see Alex off, called me after he left. He asked, "What bus is she on?" I told him. 'Ok, I think it must have come already." "Roger? Are you up at her school?" "Uhm--ye..ah...." :D

On Friday she told me they needed to wear red, white and blue. She started to tell me she didn't want to---it's not my little fashion bug's usually-type of outfit. So...I told her that Sept 11th is a very special day for us and we have to remember it and honor it. I tried to water down what happened. Do you know how hard that is? Bad people took control of 4 planes....She said she understood why it was important. Last night before bed (hours and hours after we discussed it in the morning)she said she hoped that all those people were okay in heaven. (I didn't mention heaven.)"That they were taking care of one another." Love that girl.

Today Alex has her first return to ballet class. Tomorrow is her first soccer game. I overheard her tell someone she is a little nervous, but when we had practice on Wed, Chris and I were pleasantly ASTOUNDED by how aggressive Alex can be in going after the ball!

Now for Kath. Kath is having a very tough week without her sister around. I am still job sharing, so I am home every other day. She tells me in the morning, "No! You stay home!" But she is good for Robin, or at least that's what Robin says. :-) She misses Alex and with everyone's scheduled changed, she is feeling very unsettled. She is the one left home. So 'staying home' has become a big thing. And she asks all day when Roger will be home.

Then, as I mentioned, she hurt her tooth. I believe it happened when we were at PT one day at the park. That day I turned around and she had quite the bloody nose. I never checked her teeth other than to make sure they were there. But now I think that she hit that tooth, rehit it from when she first learned to walk and chipped her two front teeth on the tile floor in the foyer. When I saw it this weekend, the gum looked grey and swollen too. On Tuesday (of course this happened on a 3 day weekend!) I called and brought her in to see my dentist. She gently cried into my chest and wouldn't let the doctor see more than a peek or two. He said there was trauma and he would love to take an x-ray but he didn't want to frighten her any further. He suggested a pedidentist. So I began my calls-in the car, in the parking lot. Did you know that pediatric dentists do not allow parents in with children? How insane is THAT? So...as I have been searching, calling, contacting others about who they use, trying to find a friend of a friend, I have been doing healing touch, positive intentions and so on (hey, figured it couldn't hurt, right?) And the swelling is gone and the gum looks pinker. Huh. I bumped into a couple of medical professionals I trust and told them, asked them and they said they would not go the route of a root canal (as was a possible suggestion). She would have to be put under sedation. I am trying to avoid that at all costs, especially with this girl.

She also had her orientation on Friday for her school. She was mad because Thursday night was parent orientation and she couldn't come, Chris took care of the girls. :-) Her orientation was 1/2 hour long. She made a picture on a paper that has her name on it and she will sit on it (working on name recognition) during circle time. She tried to play with a couple of kids, some weren't as friendly. :-) She saw where her cubbie is, where to hang up her coat, where the class fish is, where the library is, the potty and so on. She was so exhausted with just that 1/2 hour that when we went to my school afterward she put her head on me and lay on me the whole time...except when she asked to get down..took my hand..and dragged me towards the door. :-)

Last night we went to a friend's book signing at Barnes and Noble and her little friend ran up to her to hug her and since Kath wasn't braced for the enthusiasm she fell backwards and hit her head HARD. She cried so loudly and then put her trains down and said she wanted to go home. I sat in the back with her and held her. She said her head hurt and I wanted to make sure that she didn't have any negative reactions. Then we got them ready for bed and I just couldn't stop thinking about it so I picked her up and brought her into sleep with us where I felt I could monitor her all night. She slept great and she is great this AM except for a little bump. I felt so bad for my friend. I think it bothered Kath that much more because she was so tired after such a busy day, despite napping in the car before food shopping (see I told you it was busy! :-))

Anyway, that was a quick trip through the week. Hope you all had a great week. We send out our thoughts to my mother-in-law who is mourning the loss of her husband, as I wrote last time.

Enjoy your week.