Proud Mama

Proud on so many fronts, but today I am beaming. My little guy attended his first day at The Nature Preschool! Considering other tough transitions he's had away from me, I was relieved that he said good-bye without tears. Don't get me wrong, he was clenching my pinky finger and pulling away from the door as we approach the Nature Center. But as other families piled in, he reconsidered and followed suit.

We placed his belongings in his "oak tree class" cubby and donned his beautiful little tree cookie name tag. We looked at all the interesting activities in the classroom, everything from homemade play dough to wooden cars and blocks, to the chalkboard wall. The book nook was inviting, full of familiar books like "Nuts to You" by Lois Elhert. Children were busy at "work" all over the room.

And I knew, intimately, what the rest of the day would hold.

When I told him it was time for me to say good-bye with another hug and smooch, the teacher was there to help redirect him. Not because it's wrong for him to be cautious about this new setting or miss the comfort of mom - both are completely normal. But helping him go to school, on his own, helps him unlock what he is capable of when I'm not there. If mom or dad is always around, then how can a child learn who they are apart from the family unit?

Ultimately, I'm ecstatic to watch E's independence blossom with or without me around.

I founded The Nature Preschool (along with instrumental others) when E was only a twinkle in his daddy's eyes. Now in our fifth year as a licensed program, hundreds of other children are benefiting from our nature-based approach to child-centered learning. Indeed, I am very proud to share this with my sweet son today.

E dressed himself - with two t-shirts and backwards shorts.

After fixing his wardrobe malfunction, off we went. He was skeptical...

This is the entrance to his classroom at The Nature Preschool at Irvine.

I'm so proud of my little guy!

on the tree tops

It didn't take long to go from lullabies to mud pies for my little boy. The most glaring example of just how "big" my baby has become is when he learned to climb his first tree. He literally went from not being able to climb it one day, to figuring out the very next. The huge smile of accomplishment was all over his face.

When I was a little girl our childhood home had a huge maple tree in the front yard. There was one strong, long, low branch perfect for me to shimmy up the trunk, cling and scoot out on the long branch, and then grab on with the back of my knees and hang. It was my thing to hang upsidedown like that all the time. Being in my tree felt liberating. Up there I was untouchable and surrounded by a lush, leafy world, a quiet place of peaceful observing.

Watching my own son have that experience fills me with pride and hope. Yes, I'm proud that E was determined enough to figure this out at the tender age of 3.5, but I'm also hopeful. I'm hopeful that he will find joy and solace in a tree of his own.

first day jitters

Two huge first days this week: my son's first day of a drop off school program and the my own preschool's opening with the most families we've ever enrolled.

I couldn't be in two places at 9 a.m. Monday morning (surprising, right?) so I had to iron out the hiccups at work in order to focus on my son. Easier said than done. The two weeks leading up to Monday were brutal on all fronts.

Despite my halo of crazy, can I just say that our son is amazing? For all the worry my husband and I had about him being left on his own, he surprised us both. There was a brief look of concern and a "where's mommy?" as a few more children entered the room when it was time to say good-bye. I told him, "I'm right here. I'm SO PROUD of you! I love you!" and my eyes filled with tears. That was my sign to get out of there fast. Daddy reassured him he'd be back to pick him up and we waved good-bye. Off we went.

Given the fact that there's only five kids in his class with two teachers, and that school only runs for a couple hours, the logical part of my brain knew he would be just fine. And he was! The best part was how proud he was of himself. "I is so proud."

I have to trust that these new experiences will have just as much value and positive effect as what we've tried to provide. But letting go is scary! Except for close family, he's never been dropped anywhere before. He stays with our sitter when we work, but even that is like staying with family since she's been with him for nearly two years. It was a total crap shoot as to how he would react to being left on his own. I know the tears may still come once he adjusts after a couple of weeks, but for now I couldn't be more relieved.

Then, still wiping my tears, I shifted gears onto my preschool's big first day. By the time I arrived I could hear the children singing and there were no parents in sight. Could it be that things went that smoothly? Thanks to the amazing teaching and admin staff, everything went off without a hitch!

The week ended on a high note when E returned back to school and still walked right in like he owned the place. I stood there dumbstruck, trying to take it all in. My baby has grown into a little boy. Already! I is so proud!

 

beach baby

I still can't wrap my brain around the fact that my baby isn't a baby anymore. From the flip flops, to the undies, to the toddler bed - it's more than I can stand!

Luckily he loves mommy's "millions of kisses!" and let's me refer to him as a "baby panda" sometimes. He is such a little cutie!

Here are some pics of my beach baby from the weekend. He insisted that he needed to wear his sunglasses!

yucky boy

"I is a yucky boy."

"Yes, you ARE a lucky boy. You live in America! It took a lot of hard work to make America our country. And do you know what? Today is America's birthday!"

"She is not here? Mare-ka is not here today."

"Well sweetie, America isn't a person, it's the place where we live. We live in America. We love America, that's why we have a special party and light our sparklers."

"It's Mare-ka's happy burf-day!"

Not sure how else I could have explained the idea of country or the 4th of July to my two-and-a-half year old. But thinking about it now, I don't know that I needed to.

Much of what shapes my love of America is centered around childhood memories like these: eating watermelon, lighting sparklers, smelling food on the grill, climbing trees, and catching fire flies. I never realized how these memories are inseparable from the freedom, peace, and safety we enjoy America.

Just like people, America isn't perfect and there's always more work to do. I hope my boy will learn that he can make a difference. He can make our world an even better place. His ideas and dreams matter. And they can come true...in part, because he is an American.

fast times

It's been a whirlwind of work/family juggling this last month. I don't even know where to begin!

Let's start with the year-end celebration of my Nature Preschool in May. The final festivities felt like we were throwing a giant wedding! All went off without a hitch - even the weather cooperated - and the children had a joyful day to celebrate with loved ones.

We said good-bye to diapers Memorial Day weekend.

Fast forward two weeks to the first annual Nature Preschool Conference on June 8-9, 2012. It was a huge success! We had nearly 100 attendees from across the country and a wonderful keynote speaker, author/educator David Sobel. Marty Watson from the Dodge Nature Preschool in MN and Stephanie Bozzo's crew from the Audubon Nature Preschool in MD presented insightful perspectives on how they approach nature-based learning. I've never been more nervous, or felt more relieved, after presenting and learning from this amazing group of conference participants. I'm already making plans for next year's big conference on June 7-8, 2013 at Irvine Nature Center!

Did I mention that I booked a trip to Rehoboth and we left the day after the conference?

So, yes, crazy busy, just how I like it.

The boy is doing BEAUTIFULLY with potty training. I read "Diaper Free Before Three" by Jill Lekovic and the minute I put it down I thought, yep. Let's take this bull by the horns and dive in. Day 1 was the most difficult but we stuck to our guns! We used a pull-up on the first day at his nap and then at bed, but my clever husband said "that's confusing - if we're going to do undies we should get rid of the diapers altogether". How smart he is! On Day 2 we were totally undied up.

For your amusement, this is Day 1 of potty training.
I believe there were 9 wardrobe changes all told.
But smooth sailing from Day 2 forward!

Rehoboth Beach was a great get-away for all of us. I really wanted to re-connect with E after being pulled in so many directions for work. He loved the beach (once he took his hands off his ears). He's highly sensitive to sounds so the crashing waves, laughing children, squawking gulls, and boats took a couple of days to get used to. Thank goodness summer is here!

my world (no offense, hubs)

He's everything I'd ever hoped he'd be: happy, playful, sensitive, clever, creative, curious, and sincere. Did I mention he's adorable just like his daddy? He's also willing to get dirty making art projects, likes to dig in the yard by my side, dance with me, and eat my cooking - with minimal complaints. He always gives me some sugar or a hug exactly when I need it.
What's not to love? I'm the happiest mama bird around.

rise and shine

It started at 6:45 a.m. Rise and shine! Guess who's ready to go outside? A little dew in the grass never spoils his fun. I am (yawn) happy to follow him out to the backyard in my ragged out jammies when the sun is already shining and the air feels warm. It's going to be a good day. Now if I could just get the coffee started...

I'm happy to report that our fruits and veggies are well on the way. The downside? My kid is like a rabbit! He is so excited to pick the strawberries that he wants to yank them off (unripe), take a bite, and then chuck them in the yard as he exclaims "birdies eat dat!". Sigh. I suppose there are worse things he might try to eat. (Like his boogs. Or his bath water. Or potting soil.)

aww!

This little man is keeping me on my toes! See what we've been up to in the last couple of weeks. E's first Easter egg hunt photos are here too.

Yes, mom. I'll help you make bread!

Who cares if my jammies don't match?

Raw bread dough...yum.

I found slate tiles on clearance in packages of 9 (I'm talking $3 bucks a set.)
For less than $10, I got enough to paint an outdoor alphabet set for E.
I'm gonna make these for my students, too.

E liked organizing the slate into a grid pattern.
Kinda related to his love for puzzles, I guess.

Bubbles!

Hand over those bubbles, mom!

Why does everyone have a basket again? Are you sure about whole "hunt" thing?

Ah-ha! I put the eggs in the basket!

Look there's something in these eggs, mom!

Once he figured out there was candy inside, he was all about gathering the eggs!

The egg hunt was hoppin'!
With any luck the Easter bunny will visit our house tonight....

where'd he learn that?

Any guesses?

Fresh off a new hair cut I guess he had reason to give some 'tude. Can't imagine where he's seen that pose before...

So, you'll be happy to know that day 2 and 3 of "month of meals" were a success! The angel hair pasta with broccoli and parm was a hit (shrimp for the hubs). My homemade mac and cheese was delicious - I used cheddar and pepperjack for some zip. It was well recieved with the in-laws tonight, along with some yummy oatmeal cookies. Needless to say I'm sick of pasta so I'll have to switch it up tomorrow.

Yes, you have mastered the fridge. Now let's close it!

Because of the rain I didn't get to deal with the ivy yesterday. I mean it this time, tomorrow is the day!

super cute Sunday

He saw this hat at the store and exclaimed "Dada's! Dada's!". Naturally, I had to get it for him and he LOVES to wear it!

Guess who learned how to open the fridge?

am I dreaming? part deux

You'll have to read the first am I dreaming? post to really appreciate this one. But all I can say is hallelujah! I woke up this morning and it was light outside. My toddler was still sleeping! Given the success of our big weekend event at work, we've deemed this a PumpkinFest Miracle.

I tried the new game plan on day three (yesterday) when he woke at 6 a.m. - rock, snuggle, and sing in his room until the sun was up. Our house was calm and we had a great morning together. He even had a two hour afternoon nap (still not his usual three hours, but better than one). His bedtime routine was our usual snuggle story time followed by daddy tooth brushing. Then he went to bed at 8:30 p.m. And he slept until after 7 a.m.!

I don't want to jinx it. But maybe the stars have aligned once again? Could my good sleeper be back?

We are in no-man's-land about the two year molars. I don't think they are in yet, so I'm sure we could be dealing with this for a couple of weeks. I'll be sure to ask the pediatrician when we go for our two year check up.

little things

Our baby is growing ever closer to age two. And with his independent, determined, busy-body spirit comes a faster paced world for us to keep up with. I'm trying to savor the little things, those simple moments of discovery and joy. But wow is the cliche true: oh how time flies.

Pipe cleaners + plastic jar = fun!

"Well, if I can't ride my trike yet I'll just sit on it in the rain."

Mushrooms are weird but irresistible to touch!
(Yes, we wash our hands. No, we're not freaks about letting him touch them.)

This makes my heart pitter patter.
Is it wrong for me to hope he'll be an artist like mama and dada?

The orange paint is a natural cornstarch paint that we tried.

That's it, E. It's more fun when you get messy!

This is a favorite pastime: - s-l-o-w-l-y rolling cars and trucks on the table and watching with steely concentration.