Bee's Three's

I have been meaning to write about the first week of school. A few things (remodeling, hurricane...) have kept me from being able to focus. I guess it is just hard to explain so every time I started, well, I stared at the computer and then worked on something else.

It starts more with the day before school. It is the first I have seen Ayden Jane get nervous or anxious or whatever. In some ways it was really cute because it was totally in anticipation of something great. Some of the ways it showed up, though, made me a little nuts.

First there was the crying. AJ is not usually a big crier. I think she cried more in 3 days than she did in the first 3 years. It was just evidence that she was emotionally on the edge of the cliff and any little thing could send her hurdling over. Normally when she gets upset enough to cry it is pretty short lived. You guessed it. She managed to cry so long she forgot what she was crying about. It was pretty funny when I asked her, with admittedly a bit of frustration in my voice, why she was crying and she just blurted out, I don't know!

Secondly, she she she she is stuttering bad. It's likely not a true stutter. Often times she will repeat 5 or 6 words in a long thought several times until she can finish it. Here is an example, "after grandma and grandpa come to my house can we go to the beach and to the pool?" That's what she FINALLY says. Usually she will get stuck at a point like this, "after grandma and grandpa go, after grandma and grandpa come, after grandma and grandpa come to my house, we we we , after grandma and grandpa come to my house we can go to the beach and to the pool" Helping only results in starting the process over....

Thirdly, independence rules. I am quite sure that independence is a positive way of looking at the need to control. This becomes evident when she is stressed. Open a door to a store? She will do it. Touch the door and she will close it and start over. She wants to pour the milk, carry EVERYTHING, get in her car seat herself in HER time frame, choose who does things for her she can't like get the bath ready... The list definitely goes on.

Definite temper tantrums. Pretty sure they were more mild than the ones I wanted to have though!

Yes, it carried it's way into school. Absolute melt down because we sent in extra clothes. "I a big girl. I NOT have accidents. I don't need to bring clothes!" Tears, no consoling, completely heart broken that the school could not comprehend she was a big girl... I tried lots of things to help her not take it as a personal attack. All the kids have to, its just a rule, it is in case you spill paint or something on you... Nothing helped. Then I got smart. The extra clothes are in case the clothes you wear get itchy and you need new ones. BINGO. She bought it. Another melt down as she had to hold the teacher's hand coming down the steps. It's a rule. Every kid holds the teachers hand... "but I a big girl. I can do it myself, I won't fall...."

When we asked about school afterwards she just couldn't tell us much. Not a big surprise. I know her receptive skills are in over drive. Each morning though she was soooo excited to go. She was non stop talk and motion in the evenings after school because of all the input she received at school. I don't know what I would have done with her without the pool! Amazing how just swimming it out helped calm everything. Words came better, she could focus for more that 2 seconds, she was just calm. Sort of like the disorganized storm inside had all calmed and she was back in control of her little body. By day 3 things were much improved.

Tomorrow starts a new week and a 5 day one at that. Wish us luck!