Preschool Update

Well, after much deliberation and long talks with my parents and then the preschool director, it was decided that Isa will take a break from preschool. All the crazy behavior is shouting that she's just not ready yet for preschool. On many days, there is a single teacher for the 5 children and that means no real one-on-one time. So Isa is misbehaving (in BIG ways!) in order to get that attention. We'll keep in touch with Sprout and maybe she'll be ready to try again in the fall. I really think that this preschool is a great fit for her if/when she's ready for that much time away from me, in a group setting. She did well when it was twice a week but three times a week was too much with everything else we have going. If money were no option, I'd just continue to pay the full price and send her twice a week. But our budget can't take that.

There were lots of tears on my end about this decision, primarily because I LOVE this preschool. I love the director and teacher. I love the other kiddos. I love the location. I love the entire vibe of the school. And while logically I know this has nothing to do with my parenting, it still feels like a parenting failure that my child is the one having major tantrums. It's pretty devasting when your child has such extreme behavior issues and difficult not to take it personally. Plus-let's be honest- there's also a part of me that is selfishly sad to be losing my scheduled baby-free time each week.

The upside is that we'll have more free time again. And this summer is already grossly overscheduled and a little less running around will be good. There are lots of friends that we haven't seen in months because there just hasn't been any time to get together. Without MWF school, there will be more opportunities for my parents to take Isa for overnights. Then today we took my car into the shop for a tune-up and found out that there are some major repairs needed. For example, the left front wheel could have broken off at any point- yikes! It isn't worth putting that much money into the old car, so any saved preschool money will be used towards a new car.

The 2010 to-do list is really turning out to be a bust!

Et tu, Isa B

The last two weeks at preschool have been dicey for Miss Isa B. Last Wednesday she started throwing things and Friday it got so bad that they called me to come get her. She was throwing toys AT the other kids and I could hear her wild animals screams in the background.

After racking my brain, all I could think was that it had been a very hectic couple of weeks. She was going to sleep a little later because of the longer days and still getting up by 6 a.m. So maybe she was harried and sleep deprived (a combination I know well). And she just snapped.

She spent the weekend with my parents and seemed to do well. Monday and Wednesday this week she did much better at preschool. A few minor incidents of throwing or hitting, but easily redirected and no tantrums. Pretty typical preschool stuff. I thought perhaps the previous week had just been a fluke.

Until today. When I got a call that she was again throwing. The teacher would put her in the "take a break" beanbag and instead of waiting until she'd calmed down then rejoining the group, Isa would sneak back into the room, grab something and throw it, then go back to the beanbag.

On the way home today, I asked her about it. Here was our dialogue:

Me: Isa, Miss Rachelle said you had trouble with throwing again today. Why were you so mad?

Isa: (in a sad, soft voice) I want to be with you.

Me: Don't you want to go to preschool?

Isa: No. I want to be with you.

*sigh* It's hard to argue with that. It isn't a necessity. She doesn't have to be in school because I'm working. It's supposed to be a treat for both of us. She's not yet three and she's definitely a Mama's girl. Maybe she simply isn't ready for preschool yet. To be honest, that's exactly why I didn't go to preschool- I wanted to be with my mom instead.

And now, lest this post become too depressing as I think of the loss of my morning free time, I leave you with a goofy picture of Isa, Space Cowgirl. (She's wearing a pseudo-cowboy hat and astronaut vest.)

Are we there yet?

I started a post about how fed up I am with my life at the moment. And everytime I'd type a sentence or two, I ended up deleting them. Too depressing. Too whiny. I felt guilty for even feeling whiny when I know that my life is actually pretty darn good.

I have a mostly great kiddo. This week not really, but in the grand scheme, she's wonderful.

I get to work from home. It can be exhausting to work at night but I like not having to be at work 8 hours a day Monday through Friday.

I have a really wonderful support system. Case in point- my parents are taking Isa this weekend so I can have a few days off.

And yet, I'm having a week where all I can do is look around and think "Is this it?". Because I feel like we're just scraping by with so many things and I'm tired of it. In the great American tradition- I want MORE. More for both of us. And quite honestly, more from myself (which would probably result in more for Isa).

I don't want a life full of different people or places or experiences. I guess I just want to rearrange all the pieces into a more appealing picture. More vibrant. More awake. It's a rather daunting task and I have no idea where to even begin.........

(And now I'm hitting publish before I can erase this entire post as well!)

This week in numbers

(Warning- this is a post where I brag rather relentlessly about my child. Read at your own risk!)

2 - more photo shoots for Chasing Fireflies (this time for the holiday catalog)

18 - approximate hours spent driving to/from those photo shoots

7 - hours slept by Isa in the car on the first day

2 - hours slept by Isa in the car on the second day (guess which day was an easier drive)

3:30 - a.m., time we left the house on Wednesday to get to the shoot

3 - adorable outfits modeled by Isa for the upcoming holiday catalog

2 - dinners from McDonalds eaten this week

630 - dollars earned by those two photo shoots (woo-ha!)

20 - number of fabulously healthy and now super clean teeth that Isa has

This week Isa was called for another shoot with Chasing Fireflies. The shoot was down on Mount Hood in Oregon, a 4+ hour drive from Seattle. Wednesday's call was at 8:15 a.m. and I decided the easiest thing to do was simply drive down in the wee hours that morning. Otherwise it would mean driving down late Tuesday, paying for a hotel, and hoping Isa fell back asleep after getting her from the car to the hotel. It was just easier for me to get up at 2:30 and pack her into the car where she, as anticipated, went right back to sleep for the majority of the drive. When we were released Wednesday afternoon I assumed that meant we were entirely done. But Thursday morning the agent called and said they wanted her back. By that point it was too late to make it down on Thursday, so on Friday we made the trek one more time but with a more reasonable call time of 1:00 p.m..

The room adjacent to the work area was open for families and in between Isa's shots, she got to play with lots of other children. Everyone had toys and food, which kind of became communal property for keeping all the children happy. That's actually where most of our time was spent and not on set. On Wednesday, we were there for a total of 4 hours but less than an hour of that was actual "work." Same thing on Friday- 3 hours there and less than 1/2 an hour working. A pretty easy way to earn money!

All the shots were outside in the snow, which should be gorgeous, but conditions were pretty miserable with blowing icy snow. The crew did an amazing job holding up umbrellas and scrims to keep the snow away from the kids. I'm not sure that Isa even noticed she was outside in the cold as she was hamming it up, singing songs for the crew and saying silly things to get laughs. On Friday, her shot was with an older girl (in little sister/big sister holiday dresses) and Isa totally upstaged her! After shooting them together, we had the girls wrapped in blankets waiting to do individual shots. The photographer asked who wanted to go first. I was all prepared to do the Mama thing and suggest Madeleine go first so Isa could warm up a bit more. But, no- Isa threw the blanket off her shoulders and declared it was her turn. And then all through Madeleine's solo shots, Isa continued to sing and dance.

I cannot wait to see the final shots in the catalog! I'm trying very hard not to turn into a Stage Mom, but it's hard not to be excited and proud. At the photo shoots she did such an amazing job. I hadn't expected her to be quite so easy to work with and get a good picture from- she certainly isn't that way when I take out my camera. She stood where she was supposed to, smiled nicely, and was incredibly entertaining. When the photographer tells you that your child should have her own TV show, it's hard not to glow with Mama-pride. Who knows if/when she'll have another casting, but she did a really good job this time and also had lots of fun. (And, let's be honest, money is tight around here and $770 this month for her simply looking cute is pretty fabulous!)

In other news, on Thursday morning, Isa had her first dental appointment. Again, she was a total rock star- sat there in the chair, opened her mouth when asked, closed it when asked, let the hygienist do everything (cleaning, flossing, fluoride treatment) without any fuss. I was very impressed. The dentist said that we needed to lose the paci in the near future. I almost hugged him when he added "which I know is easy for me to say." I'm contemplating strategies and timing now but am very apprehensive about actually discontinuing it!

No photos from the modeling gigs, obviously, but here are some shots from the dentist:

ETA- Okay, I have tried about 12 times to fix the messed up paragraph formatting/spacing. For some reason what I see in the draft is not what Blogger publishes. *sigh*

Isa B, Isa B, where for art thou Isa B?

Caught in the swirl of busy-busy that always seems to surround us, there's where!

Preschool continues to be wonderful for both of us. Isa loves, loves, loves going to school with her new friends and I really enjoy having the free hours every week. They've worked on recognizing their own name, made beautiful art projects, learned about body parts, and are now studying birds. The neighbors just got new baby chicks and Isa has told me about meeting them many times. Yesterday she also told me "Mama, birds fly because they have wings. People no have wings so we don't fly." As an added bonus, she almost always uses the potty at school (more on that later).

Several weeks ago we heard from the modeling agency about a casting call. Once we got there, the first few outfits went well. Isa smiled nicely for the photographers, looked adorable in the clothes. And then it all fell apart. Major meltdown due to hunger (the snacks I brought weren't enough it seems). The photographers were amazingly cool about the whole thing- simply said to go have lunch and then come back. I was shocked that they wanted to see more of her after hearing the screams but we did as told. Apparently they liked what they saw (before and then after the drama) because they booked her! It's for the fall catalog for Chasing Fireflies. She did an amazing job at the shoot. I don't think she was in front of the photographer for more than 15 minutes and they said she was done. There isn't much modeling work for toddlers here in Seattle, so it may be another year before we're called again but this first time was fun for everyone.

There are potentially big happenings on the potty training front as well. Sunday post-nap Isa told me she wanted to use the potty and then actually did! Usually potty-time is initiated by me and resisted by her. After the potty, she put on a Pull-up and promised to keep it dry. And then she did! After the second successful trip to the potty that afternoon, Isa wanted her big girl underpants. I thought "what the heck" and got a pair out for her. It was only an hour before bedtime and those big girl underpants stayed totally dry. Yesterday I put her in the Pull-up from Sunday afternoon. By the end of the day, it was clearly past its prime but still dry. Wooha! Of course today, while she was at Christina's house, there were many fun distractions and regular potty time didn't happen. But I'm hopeful that she's finally decided she WANTS to be potty trained. At this point that's really the only thing holding her back because I know she's fully capable of doing it.

But here's what you really care about, right? I can hear you all screaming "shut up woman and give us the photos!" :)

Check out the ponytail- a full 5 inches off the top of her head! Looks like a beehive doesn't it?!?!?

Snuggling with Auntie Mollie and Soona-puppy

Looking so very stylish in her big girl underpants, rainboots and Fancy Nancy purse!

And finally, last week we watched some videos from when she was really little. Right now Isa LOVES playing "little baby" and so she, of course, wanted me to put the blanket on the ground so she could recreate the video.

The original (it's long but OH MY GOD, wasn't she cute?!?!)

The remake (okay, she's still pretty cute!)

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

There's no way around it- paying my mortgage each month isn't easy. We live a paycheck-to-paycheck existence and it's stressful. But I just can't bring myself to sell the house and move somewhere cheaper. I LOVE Seattle, this neighborhood, the people on my block. Maybe someday it won't be such a struggle but in the meantime I'll find a way to make it work because this is such an ideal place to be, for both of us.

While I knew that this was a very diverse area, a recent article affirmed that my zip code is actually the most diverse in the entire country! During the adoption process I never had to worry about raising a black child in an all-white environment. In the larger neighborhood, whites are the minority. Plus, Seattle is a very liberal city and I never feel like we stand out. It isn't unusual to see families with two dads or children whose skintone doesn't match their parents. And while general diversity is wonderful, even more important to us is that there is also a very large Ethiopian community in Seattle. Within walking distance of our house, there are 3 Ethiopian restaurants. We eat at the closest one almost weekly and Isa will actually ask for injera if allowed to choose a restaurant for dinner. (Well, sometimes she chooses pizza, but it's pretty evenly split!) It's something small but it helps make " 'Opia" part of her normal routine.

The Ethiopian community in Seattle is a wonderful resource. Everytime we attend a community event, we are welcomed with open arms and Isa, of course, charms the pants off everyone. One organization holds bimonthly gatherings for families that include cultural presentations and dance lessons. I believe they have Amharic lessons for older children as well. Because these events are always scheduled smack in the middle of naptime, we had yet to get to one. Yesterday Isa went down really early for her nap, so I decided to wake her in time to join in. It was a blast! Isa found another 3 year old to run around and dance with.



Our block is amazing as well. The first weekend I had my house, my dad and I were painting when we heard a knock at the door. It was the neighbors bringing over freshly baked cookies (still warm) to say welcome to the neighborhood. I had no idea that people did that nowadays! Every summer there's a big block party and pre-Isa I would join neighbors to sit on their front porch in the evenings drinking and talking. We have a lovely old library, tiny cinema, a dozen or so restaurants with a wide variety of cuisines (Mexican, Caribbean, BBQ, Italian, Thai, etc), a Farmers' Market in warmer months. I've said numerous times that when we need a bigger house, I'd rather find a way to add onto this house than move.

Last Sunday was gorgeous and warm. I was reminded again why I love this neighborhood. The school playground down the block from us was swarming with families playing in the sunshine. When we got back from playing, the neighbors were out front having a picnic and Isa decided to insert herself into the fun. Gracie brought out her facepainting kit and while I went into our house to fix dinner, Isa sat next door being turned into a clown. Here is the result of Gracie's handiwork on her mother and Isa:


So, somehow I will find a way to keep paying the mortgage. Because it really is worth it.

Schoolgirl

Today was Isa's first day of preschool!

Until June she'll be going to school Monday and Friday, 8:30-12:30. When she finishes with Wednesday morning ballet classes, she'll be in preschool Wednesday mornings as well. The school is within easy walking distance (when the weather permits, which sadly wasn't today) and I absolutely love her primary teacher. She's someone I would be friends with outside of the school in a heartbeat. Plus, her daughter is very much like Isa, so I know she's prepared to deal with Isa's over the top personality. It's ideal in so many ways.

Isa was beyond excited, although perhaps most of all about the fact that she got to bring a lunch with her. Teacher Rebecca told me that Isa grabbed her lunchbag from her cubby numerous times before it was actually lunchtime. I cut her cheese slices into heart shapes last night to make it a bit more special but I'm not sure she even noticed.

She had zero trouble saying goodbye to me which was good and bad. Much easier for me to not have to deal with tears, but sometimes a Mama does want to feel like she'll be missed! I got a little teary-eyed leaving her there. I knew it would be bittersweet. These mornings apart are going to be so good for both of us but I feel a bit guilty sending her off when I don't really need to. And it just reminds me how quickly she's growing up.

I went straight to the gym after dropping her off. It was so lovely to do a hard workout and go right home to a shower that could be as long as I wanted it to be! Then my friend Autumn came down for brunch to celebrate the big day. I have a long list of fun projects to do in my new free time and I'm going to add in a little more work as well.

Not surprisingly, Isa had a glorious time! They did artwork, made peanut butter balls, and did lots of playing. She had tons of things to tell me about her preschool and was also so thoroughly exhausted that she went down for her nap without any fuss (a bit of a problem in the last week).

On another note, for the first time today when I asked Isa to smile for a picture, she did it. And a real, nice smile not the usual cheesy face she normally makes. Nearly as exciting for me as the start of preschool.

my big girl with her princess lunch bag

eating her peanut butter balls with Auntie Autumn

YUM!

today's artwork (bad pic, I know)