Since my last post, the weather has turned a little chillier and school is in session... It's officially Fall in my book, and I'm really excited about it! This is my favorite time of the year! It also means that Benjamin boy will soon celebrate his 2nd birthday! WOW!!! Where did the time go? He's been the most fun little man in our house, and he's really acting like such a big boy. I suppose it's time for the birthday to come so we can officially call him a 2-year old. We've had a great month around here. August ended pretty uneventfully, but we enjoyed the last of the warm weather outside at the playgrounds in our apartment complex. We've gotten to be friends with some neighbors and their kids, so that's been nice!
September brought some exciting news: Benjamin was accepted to attend Early Head Start school, a classroom-based pre-preschool for ages 18 months - 3 years. He goes every Wednesday and Thursday from 8 - 11:30 AM. He's one of three kids (Cohen and Jazlyn are his classmates), and his teachers are Miss Katie and Miss Darlene. So far, he LOVES it! I've had to stay with him the whole time every day, but he's getting more and more comfortable with the classroom, the schedule, and his teachers and friends. I'm hoping that soon enough I can drop him off for that period of time and have 3.5 hours ALL TO MYSELF!!! I could get seriously caught up on some chores with that kind of free time! :) Anyway, they really are great with the kids. Here's the daily schedule:
8 AM - Welcome to school! Free play with the many, many toys and games in the classroom. Benjamin especially loves the slide, building blocks, and toy cars.
8:15 AM - Time for breakfast! The kids line up to wash their own hands (with assistance), dry them, and sit down at a little table that's been set with real plates, cups, napkins, and silverware. Miss Darlene brings in a cart of breakfast food, with everything on its own serving plate. The kids practice serving themselves and passing the dishes, using tongs to pick up foods like English muffins or waffles and miniature serving spoons to scoop fruit and vegetables. Each child also has his own tiny pitcher filled with milk. They pour their own milk into little cups to drink from. (That's Benjamin's favorite part - he loves using a big boy cup!) They are taught to eat nicely and quietly while staying in their chair until everyone is done. :) We're still working on that!!! After breakfast, the kids take their plates and cups to a clean-up station where they scrape their own plates clean, throw away garbage, dump any extra milk, and put their dishes away in the correct bins. Then they wipe their own table clean and get ready to brush their teeth! Tiny cups of water and pea-sized squirts of toothpaste are ready to go while the kids grab their own toothbrush. Then they practice brushing their teeth and tongue, sip, spit, and wipe their mouths clean. Then... it's time to play!
8:45 - 11:00 AM - After a scheduled diaper check/change, the rest of their morning is full of activities, games, and toys. They spend time outside (weather permitting), and play soccer, hula hoop, and use the the playground equipment. Inside, there's always a fun art project, lots of books, and organized play. The teachers do a great job with the kids; the small class size is really ideal for this age! Benjamin is fitting right in! They really work hard to make assessments of each individual and cater a program specifically for that child. They focus on skills like social-emotional, fine motor, sensory, etc... Benjamin's still really new so they're still learning about him, but I'm quite sure they're realizing what a little smarty pants he is! :)
11:00 AM - The kids wash hands again and sit down for lunch! The routine is the same, and when they're done dumping plates they have free play for the remaining time until the parents come to pick the kids up! What a day! So far, school has been a hit. It's a year-round program, and once he turns 3 he'll be eligible to graduate right on up to the regular Head Start program. Since he's never been to daycare, I feel like this type of program is a great way for him to catch up on his social skills and get comfortable with the idea of being around other kids and adults for short periods of time. We feel very lucky to have this in our community!
Besides school, Benjamin is flourishing at home. He's super active and incredible talkative! He sings all the time now, and knows tons of songs! He loves nursery rhymes the best, including Itsy Bitsy Spider, Twinkle Twinkle, Pussy Cat, Baa Baa Black Sheep, 3 Blind Mice, and Ring Around the Rosie. I've also realized he knows almost every word to all the lullabies I sing to him nightly... he's started singing along, and I CAN'T STAND IT, it's SO CUTE!!! It takes everything out of me not to bust up giggling with delight at how cute, sweet, and sort of scraggly his little voice sounds. Benjamin can count to 20 and he also knows all the letters of the alphabet. He loves to draw, sing, dance, play with trucks and cars, watch Mickey Mouse, and visit the playground. He's just beginning to communicate with me about his bowels... he's even gone poopy in the potty a few times!
We had our first experience with surgery yesterday, when Benjamin had a plugged tear duct opened. It was a very simple procedure, but they had to put him under anesthesia, which made me a nervous wreck! Everything went very smoothly and quickly, and soon enough we made it home and he was back to his normal self after a long nap. We're very grateful for everyone who kept Benjamin in their prayers!
Well, Joel has moved on from his Peds rotation to OB. He's enjoying that so far, and he starts Labor and Delivery tomorrow for the next 2 weeks. It boggles my mind that he's over there delivering babies every day! Can he really do that?!?!? :) I've been enjoying my time decorating for Halloween, playing with Benjamin, spending time with friends and family, and driving my new VAN! YAY! After a huge ordeal with Joel's car accident, we ended up getting to keep the insurance check and handing it right over to my parents, who sold us their van for a great price. It's SO nice to have something roomier! Benjamin loves being able to look out the window, too! We're the whole package now, with the mom van. Now all we need is another kid!!! Hah. Well, until next month... (Which should be exciting! BENJAMIN'S BIRTHDAY!!!!) Bye!
