Posts Tagged ‘transitions’

Nervous Nellie

Wednesday, July 27th, 2016

From Wednesday Mom – Janelle:
Moving to a new town is exciting and overwhelming at the same time. My goal for the summer is to make sure the boys meet lots of other kids and hopefully make some new friends. So far, they both found a couple friends they feel comfortable around while swimming or playing together. School is approaching quickly, and I’m nervous about how well the boys will transition to their new school.

I contacted the school and requested a tour in order to calm our nerves. Last week, we all walked through the building and familiarized ourselves with the layout of the school. We met a few teachers and asked lots of questions. We left feeling more at ease.

The boys feel more confident starting at their new school than they did a week ago. They have a few friends to help show them around and at least know where to report on the first day upon arrival. Their confidence makes me confident they’ll do just fine. I think I’m naturally more nervous than they are, but I look forward to hearing all about their first day.

 

Great Outdoors

Wednesday, June 22nd, 2016

From Wednesday Mom – Janelle:
Our new house resides on a wooded lot. We love the beautiful greenery that surrounds our house and neighborhood. The trees provide shade from the powerful, southern summer sun and privacy from our neighbors.

The woods provide a home for lots of insects, reptiles, and mammals. Jack and Tate are having a ball finding all kinds of new life. They find lizards scurrying along the deck railing, lightning bugs in the evening, and big spiders that eat the mosquitoes. Our bird feeder is home to countless songbirds and squirrels.

The biggest animals we see regularly are deer. They roam our backyard daily and are NOT easily scared by our presence. Tate looked out the front door last week and found himself staring eye to eye with a deer on our front porch. Jack spotted a doe with two of her fawns while playing basketball in the driveway. We’re not used to sharing our yard with all this wildlife. It is really neat seeing them up close in their habitat.

I’m sure eventually the newness of spotting new critters will wear off, and Jack and Tate won’t think much of it anymore. For now, they enjoy finding new life right in our own backyard.

 

Big Boy Bed

Friday, December 5th, 2014

From Friday Mom – Erin:
Rory’s big boy bed arrives tomorrow. Rather than buy baby girl a full new set of baby furniture, we’re passing down Rory’s old crib and dresser and getting him new furniture.  We’ve been doing out best to get him prepared over the past month or so. We’ve been reading an Elmo book about being ready for a bed. We’ve been talking about sleeping in a big boy bed, how fun it will be to read stories in bed together, and how much fun it will be to snuggle under the covers in his big kid bed.

We know that we’ve got our work cut out for us in terms of making the transition. I’d been planning on leaving his crib in the room to help ease the transition, though his daddy has been reading other parenting websites and generally reading up on the “recommended” approach for such a transition. We’re currently leaning toward removing the crib entirely, recognizing, of course, that we may have a few long nights ahead of us if he doesn’t immediately take to the new bed.

I wish I could say we’d devised a fantastic plan, but the truth is, life has been so busy lately that we’re largely going to be winging it. Apart from making sure all of his furniture is safely anchored to the wall and blocking his bedroom door with a gate to ensure that he stays safe, we’re not entirely sure how it will all work out. But, as with most other milestones, we’re pretty sure it will work out eventually. Or at least that is what we are hoping.

Preparing for Transition

Friday, August 16th, 2013

From Friday Mom – Erin:
Rory starts daycare in a little more than two weeks. We have been very fortunate to have a sitter for him over the summer, but have opted for the slightly more affordable approach for long-term. Of course, as his time with his sitter draws to a close, we are second-guessing that decision. Mostly because this change is coming right as I am finally settling in to a working-mom routine.

This week, I called to schedule our orientation session and transition period with the head teacher in his new classroom. She rattled off a list of all the things I should be collecting, such as labels, extra sheets, extra outfits, etc., to bring with Rory on his first day. I had a moment of sheer anxiety thinking about the gargantuan effort that will be involved in getting both of us out the door in the morning and dropping him off at his new child development center on my way to the office.

I am also worried that Rory’s switch to daycare will coincide with his developing stranger anxiety. I see how excited he is in the morning when his sitter arrives, and I feel terrible about that. To date, he has been very laid back with just about everyone he meets. I hope that he is receptive to his new caregivers and that he is able to adjust quickly. We’ll be leaving him for a few hours a day at first to help transition, but I wish I’d built in a little more time to be able to help him make the switch.

I’m hoping that this is yet another time where my anxiety is worse than the reality. Or perhaps the task of labeling all of his clothes will keep me occupied enough to stop stressing. . .

Transitioning Again…

Friday, June 29th, 2012

From Friday Mom – Jaime:
Andrew has done remarkably well adjusting to his new daycare. Even the directors looked at him after a couple weeks and said it was like Andrew had always been there, he was so comfortable and everyone loved him so much…

Last week, they started transitioning Andrew into the pre-k classroom, which they call “the squirrels.” (Every room is a different woodland animal – don’t ask – he used to be in the robin’s roost). He did awesome. He was excited to be a squirrel. They have computers. And a bigger room. Cool marble toys. “Funner” books. “Gooder” costumes for playing dress up.

Monday morning went off without a hitch. He did great his first full day in the new room. Monday night, Andrew started whimpering that his tummy hurt. As you may remember, this is his go-to excuse for just about everything he doesn’t want to do. Sleep. Go to school. Stop playing. Watching something other than cartoons. It all makes his belly hurt.

The next morning, he started in with “my tummy hurts” again. He was lobbying – HARD – to stay home from school. He even, all too readily, agreed that he would stay in bed all day since he wasn’t feeling well.

I looked at him carefully, kissed his forehead to make sure he wasn’t running a fever, and asked if he was just freaked out about being in a new classroom. I don’t know what made me ask, but the next thing I know, I have a hysterical Andrew draped over me, sobbing into my neck. “Mommy! I want to stay a robin bird!”

My heart broke a little with his confession. I did my best to tell him it would be okay. But he wouldn’t get into the car until I promised to pick him up early, gave him 4 extra hugs and kisses, and told him he could stop by the robins to say hello to everyone in there.

Andrew has been a little extra clingy this week. Drop offs have been a little longer. But each day has gotten a little easier. He’s still pretending like he has a tummy ache each morning. And tonight he confessed that he’s still nervous about being a squirrel, but it’s not *quite* as bad now.

Change is hard. It’s difficult for us as adults. It’s even harder for our kids. But the good news is that they seem to adjust better than we do.

Farewell to Preschool

Wednesday, May 23rd, 2012

When we first moved to Meridian I searched and searched to find the perfect preschool for Jack.  I asked friends and neighbors their opinions and just about everyone told me the same one preschool was the best.  We moved here halfway through the year so I could only get Jack on a waiting list.

When it came time for registration we heard it was very competitive.  Oh, was it ever!  My husband and I (thanks to my parents being in town) camped out while waiting in line to register Jack starting at 4:30 in the morning.  It was a cold snowy morning in February that I will never forget.  I remember thinking to myself this is so crazy, it’s preschool, for Pete’s sake.  Well, it payed off because we got the last spot available.  Jack enrolled into the school’s summer program a few months later.  It was perfect.  It met two days a week, therefore a perfect transition period for the upcoming school year, which met five days a week.

Jack started the three year old class with a big smile on his face.  He loved his teacher, Mrs. Paula, and he made some great friends who are continuing on to Kindergarten with him.  He impressed me with his drawings, crafts and attempts at writing that came home in his folder everyday.  Before I knew it, Jack was starting his second year of preschool in the four year old class.  Mrs. Kara’s class was the oldest class in the school, and Jack felt pretty cool being one of the older students.   His development over the last two years has improved immensely.  The teachers at his school are so caring, and the curriculum is very beneficial in preparing the students for Kindergarten.  We were very happy with Jack’s preschool experience and hope to the say the same for Tate.

Jack’s last day of school was today.  He is excited about Kindergarten and meeting his new teacher.  Kip and I are looking forward to a new chapter in Jack’s life and what it has to hold.  We know he will do great and will help him along the way.  Happy Summer!

Moving Out… Fitting In

Friday, February 10th, 2012

From Friday Mom – Jaime:
We’ve been looking for a house for almost 2 years now. First down in this area, and then up north once I changed jobs. I honestly thought that we were never going to find anything and keep doing this insane commute every day… But the good news is that we’re getting close to being done with that!

The bad news is that we haven’t even begun to think about things like finding new pediatricians, new places to take Andrew on rainy days and – probably most importantly – a new daycare provider. It’s the stuff you don’t really think about until you REALLY need to think about it. I mean, we just got out of attorney review. Just did our inspection on Tuesday. We don’t close for another month, assuming everything continues to go well.

And if we don’t go check out the daycare place across the street this Saturday when they have their open house, they probably won’t have any spots left for Andrew – not just for April when we’re actually needing him to be in a new place – but for next SEPTEMBER. WHAT? People are booking spots now for September? I guess it’s the kind of thing I’ve had the luxury of not thinking about since we’ve had Andrew in the same place since he was 4 months old.

Which brings up another concern… He’s going to be somewhere new. Somewhere that is unfamiliar. Where everyone in the entire school doesn’t know and love him. Where he isn’t going to be the favorite kid of everyone in the classroom. Someone else will already have that role and Andrew will have to try to fit in.

I know. We all go through this at some point. And he’s still young enough that he should be able to do it easily. But I still feel badly that he’ll have to go through it.

Anyone have any ideas on how to make the transition easier on him?

Have a great weekend everyone

What would you do with more time on your hands?

Friday, May 6th, 2011

From Friday Mom – Jaime:
This week has been interesting. It’s my first week home between jobs. I wasn’t sure how I would do with this much time on my hands. I’m the kind of person who just needs to do stuff – anything – or the lack of inertia drives me crazy.

Turns out, I guess I needed the break, because I’m loving it. I’ve had the opportunity to do as much or as little as I wanted without the stress of having to worry about the office, clients or billable hours.

For the first time in a long time, I’ve been able to do a little something for myself each day. I can workout whenever I want. I started doing yoga. I’ve been wading my way through a stack of books I previously didn’t have a chance to open. I even started writing again.

But most importantly, each day I’ve picked Andrew up from daycare early, and we have gotten to spend more time together. We’ve done something special each day. Yesterday I took him to go see a movie. We’ve played for HOURS on the playground. We read stacks of books together.

I’ve loved being able to spend this extra time with him. And I’d like to think he’s enjoyed having me around more too. Yesterday, he grabbed my hand and told me how much he likes spending time with me. (This kid is going to be SUCH a heart breaker…)

Have a great weekend everyone. And to all you moms, a very happy mother’s day.