Good News!

So, Izzie's first two days at her new school have gone so smoothly, I can't believe it!!

On Monday, I took Izzie into school about 30 minutes early so I could sit with her for a while before I left to work. We walked into her class, with no problems! First, let me just say this, I am CONSTANTLY amazed at how calm this classroom ALWAYS is! So, we sat and started to talk to some of the other kids. She seemed very comfortable. Then, after about 15 minutes, I said my good-bye... I thought about this before I did it... I thought, should I sneak out or say good bye to her???? I decided I didn't want us to have a relationship where she doesn't trust me, so, I wanted to reassure her that I was going but "mommy will be right back". :) Well, immediatly after I said my goodbye, Izzie had me in the choke hold... Ms. Amber took her and started playing with her and 5 mins after I walked out the door (yes, I sat outside the door) she was perfectly fine... I continued that day to call them 4 times... yes, seriously... but, I was so stressed out about her eating and sleeping well there... of course, she was fine! :)

She did have a melt down last night and this morning, but... that was pretty expected. They said she was pretty quiet yesterday, so, I assumed all her energy should come out through the night and morning today.

She slid into school this morning really easily. She wasn't thrilled about it, but.. there was no melt down, which is amazing for only the second day!

I am really proud of her... this is a big thing in her life.. and in her days... This transition teaches her so many life lessons... about socialization and disposition and trust between her and I. These are important things that I really wanted to make sure we do in a positive and smooth way. Maybe I'm over dramatic to some people... but, this is the relationship that I want with my daughter! I love her so much!

Sooooo, in other good news! Izzie is doing amazing with the potty training! I decided that it wouldn't be a rushed process, but I bought a little "potty aid." I don't know what else to call them. And, I converted her potty into a toddler toilet and then bought a little step stool. I bought some books to read to her to help her learn about the potty and I let her run around and use the potty whenever she asks at night time and on the weekends. So far, she has successfully asked for and used the potty 2 times!! Yaaaay for Izzie! Most of the time she just likes to sit up there and read books... she may get that from her mother! :) But.... seriously, so long as she's asking for it... I love it! So, my plan is just to continue this and hopefully through time and positive praise she'll get there! I know she's young for it, now, but... through time! So, I thought I'd share some pics that she'll kill me for later, but...

Here's my little munchkin! Learning the potty!

Izzie's last day at Nazarene Daycare!

Today will be Isabella's last day at Nazarene daycare... and, to be honest, I am a little sad to say good-bye to all of the wonderful people that have touched Izzie's and my life there.
We went last wednesday to sit in with her new class at Hilldale. I wanted to let Izzie get comfortable in there, while I could be with her, and before she started a whole week there by herself. When we first walked in, Isabella put the death grip on my neck. We recieved a really warm welcome from one of her teachers, Ms. Amber. (the other teacher was out sick, Ms. Andrea) All of the children in her class had just come in from the park, and they were just having playtime in the classroom. We took a seat in the middle of the floor, and immediately, all the children were coming to Isabella and bringing her toys to play with. I was amazed at how calm the atmosphere was in a classroom full of 7 1-2 year olds. Ms. Amber has such a calmness about her. I loved that she was down on the floor interacting with all of the children, too. There was a "floater" in the class room, Ms. Tiffany. Ms. Tiffany floats from room to room to interact with the children and help with anything the teachers may need. She was very sweet with all of the children and you could tell a couple of the little girls just loved her and wanted to cuddle with her. After about 10 minutes of being there, one particular girl took the most interest in Izzie and vise-versa. She came up to Izzie with her hand out to take Izzie's hand. Izzie gave me a quizical look, like, "is this okay?" Then she took the little girls hand and they were off to explore toys together. It filled my heart with such a comfort to see that happen.
We stayed for about an hour, and I got to ask Ms.Amber the million questions I had about their daily schedules and such. And, she was very interested in getting to know Izzie and asked a lot of questions about her likes and dislikes and the schedule that she is used to. All in all, I felt really reassured by this visit and comforted with the sight of Izzie having a good time playing with the children!
This morning was hard, though! Saying good-bye to Mrs.Lana. She is a very special person to Izzie and I. It is amazing how these teachers and daycare providers touch your childs life. Mrs.Lana has helped me raise Izzie into the wonderful child that she is, today. She has had an AMAZING impact on Izzie's life. Izzie spends 8-9 hours of her day with this teacher, and I could not have been more blessed with such a wonderful person to be in Isabella's life like that. I will dearly dearly miss her. She gave Izzie a good-bye present, today. :) A stuffed Minnie Mouse! It was very cute. And, she gave me a special card, that really touched my heart. We made a pact to stop in every now and then to say hello. I think it will be good for Izzie and I love just coming in and talking to them. They are great ladies over at Nazarene!
So, ready-set go on Monday! Just pray for Izzie. I love her so very much and I just want her to be happy here and transition in the best possible way! Thank you all for the prayers, too!

This will be a big change!

For the past year, Isabella has grown and thrived with her daycare at First Church Nazarene. We were blessed with amazing teachers in her infant room, who still check in on her on a daily basis. And, the one year old room teacher, Mrs. Lana, has been more than amazing to Isabella. You can see in Isabella's eyes how much she adores her.

For a couple different reasons and recent opportunities, though, I have decided that we are going to make the transition into a new daycare. We have been on a waiting list for Hilldale Church of Christ's daycare/pre-school for quite a while, now, and we recieved a call that Izzie was next on the list for an opening there!

I have heard so many amazing things about this daycare! After researching it myself, taking a tour there, and meeting all of the teachers, I feel like this is the right move for us.

One of the biggest concerns I've had with her current daycare, is that it is only that... a daycare. Hilldale Church of Christ works on an A Beka curriculum, and they start integrating this curriculum into their classrooms at 2 years old!! This, I love!!! I was not entirely educated on the A Beka system until recently and for those of you who haven't heard of it either, here is a clip from their main webpage, explaining their purpose:

"Three decades ago, God raised up A Beka Book to provide Christian schools with God-honoring, high-quality textbooks and teaching aids to help each school fulfill the goal of its ministry. The hundreds of traditional Christian educational materials developed by A Beka Book have been developed and refined over a period of 50 years in the classrooms of Pensacola Christian Academy. Christian schools throughout the nation recognize that A Beka Book sets the standard of excellence in the publishing of textbooks and other materials for Christian schools."

So, obviously, they only begin integrating this into the 2 year old room, in the form of crafts and stories and small projects, but I'm very excited about it!

I'm, also, very nervous about this! Isabella was born a creature of habit. She loves and lives routine! Sooo.... this transition into a new daycare, new teachers, new surroundings.... will be a little distressing for both of us, I'm sure!

But, ready-set-go! November 10th will be Isabella's first day at her new school! Please pray for Isabella! I really hope she transitions well!