A Visit to Hannah’s School

I’m guessing you’re noticing a theme here.  School, school and more school. 

I made a conscious decision to slow down our lives substantially for the first couple of weeks of school so there isn’t much else to write about right now.  Hannah and I normally live very busy and active lives but since she is suddenly going to school all day, every day, I guessed that she would need more mommy time and more down time so I slowed us down.  And I’m glad we’ve done that.  Last Friday night she had 2 long crying spells in her sleep and I’m sure they we caused by all the changes she had experienced in the previous few days combined with how tired she was.  I held her, rocked her and comforted her through them and she eventually settled both times.  In the morning she had no recollection of them which is typical.  When she was a baby she suffered with night terrors especially when we travelled, was over stimulated or tired and they still occur occasionally although thankfully not nearly so often.  This week she has done really well even with the hiccup in her bussing.  Ange is still taking her each morning and I pick her up each afternoon.  Hopefully all will be resolved by the end of the week.

Wednesday was a welcome BBQ and meet the teacher night.  I was really excited to go to Hannah’s school with her and she couldn’t wait to show me around!  Here she is in front of her cubby with her box of duck tissues and self portrait above.

We ate our lunch in the area that she waits for her bus with her Early Childhood Educator (ECE), Miss H.  Miss H works alongside her teacher Mrs. C in her classroom fulltime.  I am thankful that there are 2 fulltime staff in her class of 23 students.

After the BBQ Hannah led me to the gym where there was a hands on display of therapy animals for the kids to look at and touch.  All of these animals are used by a local organization that does therapy with children.  There was a baby kangaroo

a hedgehog

a white cockatoo

and even a baby fox!

There was also a tortoise there and suddenly the story of the tortoise and the hare made much more sense.  Give this boy space and he could move!!

I was really excited to see her classroom so that I could picture where she is each day.  She was in her glory in the kitchen area

and we built many block towers together before it was time to go home.  This one collapsed just as I snapped the picture.

Hannah is loving school and is excited to go each morning!  Details of her days are still slow in coming but over time they do.  I have been nothing but impressed by her school, her teachers, the office staff and the organization and care they have for all of their students!

An update on the bus:  Thankfully the bus situation was resolved yesterday.  It ended up being much more involved then either the principal or I realized but thankfully a solution was found and Hannah will be back on her first bus with her bus buddies on Tuesday.  I’ve enjoyed the extra time I’ve had each day when I picked her up and took her to daycare but will be happy when she’s back into her normal routine too.

Hannah is flourishing and JK is great!

It Was Only Day 5 and the Principal Called!!

Oh no! 

It was about 9:30 this morning when my desk phone rang and I looked over to see Hannah’s school name in the call display box. 

My heart began to beat…fast!

I answered to hear, ‘Hi Catherine, This is CB, principal at xxxx PS.’

My heart beat even faster!

She quickly reassured me that all was fine with Hannah at which point I think I began to breathe again.  LOL!

It seems like her bussing needs a little adjustment which is going to mean a couple of days of changing things up. 

When I originally called the school to inform them that Hannah would require a bus from Ange’s, I didn’t realize that there was more than one bus to her school from that pick-up location.  As I mentioned in my first bus post she was assigned to a different bus from her bus buddies but the driver had allowed her on his bus since I wasn’t sure which one she was to be on.  She’d been on their bus all of last week so I thought it had all been taken care of.  Ummm…no.  Unfortunately it hasn’t and the school has been advised by the bus company that until the switch is officially made that the school is required to put her on the other bus.  Since the 2 buses take 2 different routes there is no guarantee that they will arrive at the drop-off at the same time so between the principal on I we quickly worked on a Plan B for the next couple of days.

I understand rules are there for a reason and this is just a ‘glitch’ for us.  I’m still very thankful that all these rules are in place because those rules help keep my child safe and truly that’s the bottom line!

Mrs B and I chatted through my options and it quickly became evident to both of us that the easiest transition for Hannah would be for me to make arrangements with work to pick Hannah up at school for the next few days and drive her to Ange’s.  She in turn ensured that Hannah’s bus buddies knew about the change for a few days.  The other thing she did was go down and talk with Hannah herself and assure her that Mommy was going to pick her up today.

When I went to pick my sweetie up she was in the JK pen with her teacher who was diligently checking each child’s pick-up sheet to ensure the person picking them up was permitted to do so.  I saw older siblings turned away because the parents had not granted permission and honestly, I was thankful.  I am thankful that they are SO careful.   Mrs C saw me and called to Hannah and opened the gate for her to leave.  We said goodbye and were on our way. 

Hannah still wasn’t too sure about what was happening but I tried to explain that there was a little mix-up with her bus and Mommy would be picking her up for a couple of days.  I quickly noticed that the tag identifying her bus had been removed from her bag so that she was not accidentally put on the bus. 

I cannot express how thankful I am that the school is so careful with the care they take of Hannah and the other students!

I drove her to Ange’s and my little sweetie was pretty quiet.  I explained that I was taking her to Ange’s for a bit while I went back to work and then would return to get her soon.

Her little voice came from the back seat, hesitantly saying, ‘Mommy, this is a confusing day!’

I told her that I totally understood and what she needed to know was that this was just for a couple of days and soon she would be back on her old bus.  I made sure she knew that Mommy was going to be right with her through this.

The second part of the temporary change was that she was also supposed to be on the new bus in the mornings for a few days.  This wouldn’t have been as difficult as Ange would have put her on the bus and the same teacher as always would take her off but tonight Ange offered to drive her to school for me and drop her off in the pen until the change back to her original bus is finalized.  This was an AMAZING gift!!!  Thank you Ange!

I am thankful once again for Hannah’s 'go with the flow’ personality and security to know that it’s going to be okay.  She truly is amazing!!

Soon she’ll be back on her original bus with her buddies but for now Mommy is blessed to see her gal an extra few minutes each afternoon!

A Special Visit with Friends

On our way to the airport for our Disney trip, Hannah and I were able to enjoy a visit with special friends.  Karen and family live a couple of hours from us and sadly we don’t get together nearly as often as we should!

Karen and I first met back in 2007 shortly after she returned from China with her dd Samara.  We hit it off immediately and a precious friendship was born.  We have that great kind of friendship where we may not see one another for years and yet when we get together we pick up right where we left off.

The same seems to be true for our kiddos.  Sadly the last time we were all together was August of 2010 just days before I went back to work after my maternity leave.

While Karen and I have seen one another, our kiddos have not.  That being said, they had a blast together!  Hannah loved their home and the great playhouse they have in their spacious back yard.  I must admit that that’s the one thing Hannah and I both wish we had, a larger back yard.  Ours is super tiny and every couple of months it’s the one desire she will express about our home as she says, ‘Mommy, I wish we had a back yard.’  I do too baby girl, I do too!

During our visit we had such a great time chatting and catching up that I forgot to pull out the camera until we were getting ready to leave. 

It was wonderful to see you friends!  Let’s make sure our next visit doesn’t take another 3 years!!  We love you!

Hannah’s 2nd Day of JK–Adding the Bus Portion

Today we added the next part of the puzzle and after a minor bump of not knowing what bus number she was to go on, it went well.   I didn’t realize that there would be more than one bus at her stop both going to her school, but there is.  I have arranged with 2 sisters on her bus to walk her from the drop off at a school close to Ange’s  up to her house for me each afternoon.   Ange will put her on the bus each morning which is a huge blessing!  Who knew one of the biggest stresses in parenting would be the 10 minutes between when her bus arrived at the drop off location and Ange’s house?!

Mommy speaking with the bus driver ensuring she can go on his bus and finding out what I need to do to have it switched permanently.

My brave little girl walking up the steps of the bus for the first time.

First official seat on the bus. 

Once she was on board I ran to my car and quickly drove to the school.  Since I’ll normally be at work during this time I just wanted to know the routine so that I could have peace of mind while I’m there.

Hannah making her way into the school with the teacher’s responsible to get the kids from the bus to their classrooms.

From here Hannah gave me a quick kiss on her way by and then she was on her way. 

I returned to the school at the end of the day to learn that process too.  Her ECE teacher took she and the other bus students from her class to the front of the school, keeping them inside until their bus arrived.  I was happy to know this step and to know that she was being watched so carefully as this area of the school is very busy with cars, buses and many children moving about.

Once again I hopped in my car and drove up to the school near Ange’s.  The bus arrived shortly after that and Hannah came off the bus holding the hand of her bus buddy who will be walking her to Ange’s each afternoon.  She was happy and excited after her day at school and we were off.  The walk isn’t far and she did well.  I am so thankful to have found these responsible girls to help me out.

So, day 1 on the bus is behind us and all-in-all it went well.  I never took a bus to school so this is a new stress for me but it’s been a good start and I can only hope it continues to go well.

Great job Hannah!  Once again, you made Mommy proud today! 

First Day of JK!!

Today was Hannah’s first day of Junior Kindergarten (JK) and she was so excited!!  She woke up and happily called out, ‘Yay!  School today!’

I took today and tomorrow off work and it was wonderful to be able to enjoy this special day with Hannah without the pressure of going to work.  This will be something I’ll do again for sure!

Grandma came over to share this special day with Hannah too.

We headed to the school while Hannah chatted happily from her car seat and then walked confidently to the school while still holding Mommy’s hand.   (OK, this was my idea.  If she’d had her way she’d have happily skipped ahead all on her own!)Mommy on the other hand was having a tough time keeping it together.  As we walked toward the school yard and waited for her to enter the kindergarten pen, I was close to tears and was continually biting the inside of my cheek. 

Hannah?  Still happy and excited although she did admit to being a bit nervous.   Oh so understandable baby!

We made our way into the pen and met Hannah’s teacher.  We’d found out who she was early in August and since then every single person we’ve met who is familiar with her said she was a wonderful teacher and how fortunate Hannah is to have her!

By this point it had warmed up a bit so she took her jacket off.  I giggled as she walked up to her teacher and attempted to give her her jacket to hold.  Ummm…nope.  Sorry kiddo, you’re in JK and you get to care for your stuff.  She popped it on her head and it was all good!

It was now time for the kids to head inside.  She lined up with the others and this is what happened.  She rocked it!  She melted me with her, ‘I love you very much!’

And that was it.  No tears….from either of us!  I went in to the school and worked through a bit of the bus stuff for tomorrow and then mom and I went out for breakfast.  Even though I didn’t anticipate a call I’m sure I checked my phone no less than 20 times as it sat on the table beside me!

I went back to school to pick her up for lunch and could see her sweet little face looking for me through the door.

I had to laugh when I saw that she was now sporting the oh so stylish Cinderella socks with sandals!

When I picked her up she was in a great mood and shared this little dance with me.  Oh how I love her carefree, happy, love life spirit!

Hannah’s first day of JK was a huge success even though I didn’t hear a lot about it.  I know a few things but I’m confident with time more details will come out.

One really neat thing happened at the end of the day.  A ‘God moment’ for us.  As Hannah and I were watching the kids board their buses in prep for tomorrow, I began to chat with a lady whom I found out is the principal.  She asked if Hannah was born in China and we confirmed that she was.  She smiled and said, ‘My daughter is too and she just started Grade 7 today!’  Ms.  B and I even used the same agency!  What a blessing to have someone who will have a special place in her heart for my little girl and look out for her!

Tomorrow….first day on the school bus.  *gulp!!*

Congratulations my big JK girl!  Mommy is SO proud of you!!!