Evie started at her new daycare this week and the transition has been much smoother than I'd anticipated. When we moved last year and she started at Evergreen, it took her two full months to go from absolutely sobbing when we left to saying, "Bye, Mama!" and be happy as a clam. The change was overnight back then. It was so hard to leave her while she was sobbing and I was so relieved when she finally seemed comfortable there. So, I was kind of anticipating that we'd have a similar timeline of adjustment for her at the new place. The first day, Seth and I both dropped her off in her new classroom. She was okay while I stood there playing trains with her and some of the other kids, but then when we started walking out, she was doing the cry so hard that no sound was coming out. Oh, it broke our hearts. But the next day, Seth says she only whimpered a little bit when he left. Then by Wednesday, she didn't even notice he had left, and when I took her yesterday she was fine giving me a kiss goodbye. Today we both took her so we could drop off some cupcakes for her birthday, and again, no problems. She went straight into the classroom and started chatting and playing with her classmates. She even gave me a kiss at my request and went right back to playing. I think it's remarkable that her adjustment period was cut down from two months to two days. And I am so grateful.
Some funnies from this week: During bathtime she often colors with a washable crayon and a plastic picture that adheres to the wall of the bathtub. It's a picture of an octopus on a beach, and when I told Evie it was time to get out, she said, "No. Lemme color Daddy Hottopus."
In the car on the way to a store last weekend, Evie started playing pretend that a dragon was chasing the car. "Faster, Mama, the dragon's coming!" She would exclaim. She would talk about where the dragon was and whether he was flying or walking to chase us. That imagination!
Last night, reading Make Way For Ducklings to her, I read about how the people of Boston threw peanuts out for the ducks to eat. Evie said, "No.... Peanuts for elephants!"
Last weekend when Seth and I celebrated our 12th anniversary of coupledom, I'd had Tia do my make up and Evie watched her do it for a bit. Last night as Evie was brushing her teeth and I was taking off my makeup, Evie said, "Whachu doin', Mama?" "I'm taking off my makeup." "You gotta lotta makeup?" "No, not a whole lot." "Tia did it for you?"
At Granna and Grannadaddy's one day, I was after her to go potty, which she has been difficult about - and I can't blame her because we ask her to go every single hour (we've backed off since and that's working out a lot better). After the third or fourth, "Evie, you need to go potty." She ran out of the room and down the hall saying, "Leave me 'lone, I'm growing up!"
She is indeed growing up. She is mostly independent in her potty routine. She can see when the dogs need food or to go outside and she takes on the responsibility of helping them without being asked. She can run fast, play ball pretty well, jump, spin, dance - all these things she couldn't do or could barely do last year. She reads to herself (she recited all of Brown Bear forwards and backwards to Seth a few days ago). This week she started asking for her blanket to but just around her neck rather than "hiding".
But last night, as I was singing to her, still her favorite "Monkey and Tarzan" song (actually called "You'll Be in My Heart"), she closed her eyes, took my hand and pulled it up onto her face so that my palm was on her cheek, my fingers in her hair, like I used to do when she was an infant and was upset. Like I have continued to do on some nights when rocking her to sleep for the last 3 years. What is it about your own child's little acts of sweetness that melt your heart and make you want to bottle time? I could relive that sweet moment over and over again for the rest of my life.
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