New School, New Phone ... What More Could You Ask For?

Well, the girls survived the first day of school yesterday and managed to come out unscathed. Margaret was a nervous wreck, but the high school planned a day of abbreviated classes and fun activities for the rest of the day. She met her teachers and was able to get from class to class without being late or without incident. She has a few friends in her classes whom she knows, so she feels a little comfortable there. Today will be a test because it’s a regular full day. I expect her to be very, very tired – if only from carrying around that massive backpack. But at least she doesn’t have all the binders she had to have from middle school. Some of the classes don’t require them.

To signify the importance of her entry into high school, we took a big step and presented her with a cell phone. (I know, I know. It’s against my better judgment and all I hold holy. I gave in to her father and agreed.) It’s a Virgin Mobile phone like mine, so it only has as much on it as you put; if you use it up, you have to add more money. She has rules and regulations regarding its usage and faces the consequences of having it taken away if she doesn’t use it properly. Plus, I can check her activity on line and she knows it. But she’s a responsible girl with a good head on her shoulders. She feels responsible and mature – more so now that we’ve given her this show of confidence – so I really don’t have any worries.

Margaret did join Key Club on the first day, something we all thought would be a good move on her part. It’s a community-service-based organization affiliated with Kiwanis. Looks good on a resume and gets her out of her shell a little more. Plus, it helps the community and the school. A perfect combination.

Patricia faced her first day with less anxiety. She was placed in the global citizens team, which we all wanted, so she was happy and relieved. She loves her teachers but of course, because Margaret was a global citizen, they all know her and she knew them for the most part as well. It will be interesting to see how she fares in the school without the shadow of her big sister there. She’s very excited about a writing program she was accepted into. This is the girl who scored a perfect 100 on her state assessment in English.

Brigid continues to thrive in Kathy and Debbie’s preschool room. She loves it there, and so do we. It’s a wonderful class – full of activity and fun. Kathy is always coming up with great ideas for the kids. This week is nursery rhyme week and every day they do a different activity that corresponds with a story they read. Yesterday was a book about three kitties who paint with their tails, so Kathy brought in cattails so the kids “could paint with their tails.” Tomorrow, they’re reading the Three Little Pigs, so the kids are making pigs in a blanket. How clever is that?

Baby B’s potty success continues, so we’re breathing a sigh of relief that it’s no fluke; she really is a big girl now. She takes pride in her accomplishments, and is now enjoying being able to dress herself (after a fashion. She may still get the leg holes wrong on her underwear {or wonderwear} but hey, who doesn’t?) Her vocabulary is off the charts and is now just a regular kid, talking up a storm and having interesting, sometimes serious, thoughtful conversations. She loves to make up stories that traverse from Point A to Point K with a whole lot of interesting details in between. I love listening to her ramblings. Her pronunciations are sometimes off, and she still swaps consonants, but she’s getting stronger and speaks many words and sounds very carefully. It will be interesting to see how she develops as a preschooler over the months.