Today started out wonderfully. I gave Carrie the chance to do whatever she wanted on her last weekday before school – a playground, the musuem, the zoo… She chose to stay home to ride her tricycle, draw with chalk, and bake cookies.
We did all of those things, and Denis even came home from work early and brought us lunch.
Things sort of went downhill around dinner time though…Carrie wound up going to bed with a fever of 101.1. Um, school starts in three days. This is not good.
Carrie’s teacher (along with a lot of the other primary school teachers) had an open house this afternoon. We went and met her teacher and dropped off her supplies, and then she had a chance to ride a bus around the campus. I rode with her, and let me just say that I’m really, really glad my school bus riding days are over!
Her teacher seems really nice, and was surprised that Carrie was reading the sheet of instructions that told us where to put each kind of supply we’d brought. This promises to be an interesting year for all involved, I’m sure!
Today was the last day of soccer camp. Carrie loved it! She was even goalie for a bit of their game and managed to block a goal.
Four and five year olds playing soccer is pretty funny to watch. A lot of the time they’re standing around looking at the scenery. Sometimes they completely forget which goal they’re supposed to be headed for. And the concept of passing really completely escapes them.
But Carrie liked it enough that she wants to continue, so I guess maybe I’ll sign her up for indoor soccer this winter, if it seems like she can handle another activity besides school and dance. If not, there’s always next summer!
Dear Carolyn,
This is the last letter I’m going to write to you before you become a great big Kindergartner. I can’t even imagine how that happened…I swear just a moment ago you were my teeny tiny little munchkin, just learning how to smile.
We’ve had a busy, and I think wonderful, summer. You’ve taken classes for gymnastics and swimming, and you just started soccer today. We’ve gone to library story times, you’ve read to therapy dogs, and we’ve frequented the farmer’s market. We’ve visited the children’s museum, played on playgrounds, drawn with chalk, blown bubbles and ridden tricycles…well, you did that last one, not me! We’ve managed to fit a few playdates and playgroups in there. I’ll admit you’ve also watched plenty of TV. But you’ve read dozens and dozens of books and colored and played with your dollhouse and ponies and Barbies. We’ve really probably squeezed every last drop of fun out of this summer that we could have!
It’s going to be hard watching you get on that bus in a couple of weeks. I can’t promise I won’t cry, because for the past 4 years and 10 months, my life has revolved mainly around you (and for the past year, your sister too). You’re my little sunshine, and I’m going to miss you all day long! But I know in my heart that you’re ready – academically, socially and emotionally – to take this step, even if I’m not. Maybe by the time you’re headed off to college I’ll have learned to let you go a little more easily.
Love, Mommy
A funny story: we were meeting my brother for lunch at a particular restaurant where Carrie really likes the chicken soup. But it was 90+ degrees and I steered her away from the hot soup and suggested something else instead.
So she asked if she could order the soup another time when we went out there with Uncle Michael in the winter. And I said that we certainly could find a day she has off from school in the winter to meet Uncle Michael for lunch there. And she said, “Wait, I’m going to be in school in the winter, too?!? How will I ever build a snowman again?”, followed by many tears, until I suggested that maybe they did that in kindergarten at recess when there was snow, and plus, there are weekends and afternoons.
I think maybe she thought that she’d just be in school for a few days or weeks, not that this is the beginning of nearly two decades of academia. (If you count college.) Wonder what other misconceptions are floating around in that little head of hers?
Susie and I took the kids to the Strong Museum for what will probably be the last time before the big kids head off to school. It was pretty deserted, so the kids got to do pretty much everything they wanted to, including riding the train and the carousel.
I did have a little run-in with a less-than-nice person when I sat down in an out-of-the way corner of one of the rooms to nurse Anna, though. She didn’t actually confront me, but accosted a staff member to complain about how all these women had the nerve to just sit down wherever they wanted to and whip it all out to feed their babies, and why on earth couldn’t they just do that in the bathroom? It creates such awkward situations with her 6 year old screaming “Look, Mommy, boobies!” And really, what about the dads who come to the museum and have to witness it? Won’t somebody think of the dads?!? Somehow there was also some bit about a Jim Carrey movie in there too, about how his (adult) character went up to a nursing mother in a park and started nursing and how disgusting that was.
For the record, other than myself, this woman, and one other mother, plus the 6 or 7 children who belonged to us all, the room was deserted. Also, I don’t “whip it all out” when I nurse. Anna and I have a lot of practice being discreet. You’d have to stare pretty long and hard to even see a flash of my nursing bra, let alone any skin. Plus, well, my right to nurse wherever I want (and I don’t want to nurse in a bathroom, thank you very much) is protected by law. Oh! And the little room set aside for nursing moms, that I would have prefered to use anyway? That was occupied by a bottle feeding dad. I have no idea what the Jim Carrey movie has to do with me.
Soooooo.
Luckily I managed to get over her insane ranting (it helped that the staff member apologized profusely (though it certainly wasn’t her fault) after the woman left, and that the other mother in the room was very supportive) and have a great rest of the day at the museum.
But sheesh. Some people.
Carrie just completed two solid weeks of swimming lessons. She did not get her Red Cross Level 1 certification, but I never really expected her to, as she was by far the youngest in class. But she did really show some marked improvement in her swimming skills, and I bet next summer when she takes this class again she’ll earn her certification.
And with this – unless a spot opens up in soccer camp at the end of August – we’re done (hear that? DONE!) with all the little mini camps and classes we signed up for. Now it’s just library story times and playdates (if we can manage to ever schedule some) until the end of the summer!
Dear Carolyn,
For the record, when you are 30-something and you recall when you were little and you took gymnastics, and I say something like “honey, you never took gymnastics, it must have been something you wanted to do so much that you just imagined going to a gymnastics class”…? Yeah, you were at gymnastics class this summer. Just for four classes, and it was pretty low-key, but you did, in fact, do gymnastics. Here’s some photographic evidence:
Love, Mommy
P.S. Ask Grandma why this whole conversation was necessary in the first place. It’s called “parental amnesia”, and as much as we parents want you children to think we’re infallable, our memories have been permanently damaged from sleep deprivation and … well, mostly sleep deprivation. So there’s going to be large chunks of your childhood that I will never remember, and the only record will be this blog. (Hm, better go pay that hosting bill…)
Dear Carolyn,
Today you are four-and-three-quarters. See? I’m teaching you fractions and you’re not even in kindergarten yet!
It’s been an incredibly busy month. We’ve had two parties for your sister, one of which included seeing all of your cousins from our of town. You’ve had several little mini camps and started swimming lessons this past week – every day for two weeks! We’ve been going to the library for story times and their “Paws for Reading” program every week, and the farmer’s market to pick out fruits and veggies and to see if the clown is there making balloon animals. It’s kind of crazy to compare it to what last month felt like, when it seemed like we were doing pretty much nothing all day. And you know what? Amidst all this busy-ness, you’ve turned back into my perfect little angel. I think you get bored too easily with staying home and relaxing!
You alternate between brimming with excitement over kindergarten and being terrified about it. You regularly come out with statements about how you don’t want to go to kindergarten because “everyone will laugh at me because I’m so small” or “I’m scared to sit next to kindergartners on the bus because they’ll be 5 and I’m only 4.” Part of this is Daddy’s and my fault for talking in front of you about how you’re going to be among the youngest in your class. Part of it is because people always seem to be commenting on how petite you are. And part of it is because you’re related to me and worry is just part of our genetic makeup.
What I can tell you, what I’ve been telling you, is that you’ve always been the smallest and the youngest so far in school. And despite that, you’ve always been able to make friends easily because you are kind, and honest, and funny, and charming. You are good at sharing and at helping, and are always concerned about how other people feel. And those are the things that make you ready for kindergarten, not how old you are or how tall you are. If you just be yourself, people can’t help but like you. I know I certainly can’t!
Love, Mommy
I did about three double takes when, as we were getting into the car after gymnastics class this morning, Carrie complained about the heat. Not because it wasn’t hot, but because her exact words were, “Mommy! It’s sweltering out here! Turn on the air conditioner and roll down my window, please!”
My four year old knows the word “sweltering”.
Of course, even though it was a good bit humid, it was really only maybe 80? And not exactly sweltering. I’d reserve that word for Disney in July. (100 degrees and 100% humidity? Now that’s sweltering.)
Denis says we should blame it on all the episodes of Word Girl Carrie has watched this summer. It does sound like a Word Girl word – where else would she have picked up such a word? It’s not exactly one that comes up in everyday conversation…