Preschool! Seriously?

Whatever parent first said it goes so fast had it right. Wow. Truer words have never been spoken. It has been hitting me hard lately that Abby is growing up. Quickly. Confidently. Enthusiasticly. Not so much for her mom here.

Abby moved up to the preschool I class at her school in May. I was not prepared. I think I was just resisting her growing up because preschool to me is for kids who are at least 3. I thought I had another 6 months. Plus, I really really liked one of her teachers. Abby talked about Ms. Sydney all the time, but they said she was ready and they wanted to move her up with her regular possee who she has been with for at least a year already. I guess it made me feel good that the school believed she was advanced enough, and she even moved up ahead of several kids who had already turned 3 because she has generally good to great behavior most of the time and she is is 100% potty trained. But, the main teacher in the preschool class is one of the best at the school, and Abby became a big fan of hers day one. The teacher has given me great feedback about Abby and says she is doing fantastic and is extremely well behaved (except when she's not). She has also noted that Abby has a major stubborn streak. Yes, teacher, I know all too well about that. I have a terrible stubborn streak too. When Abby digs her heels in about something, watch out world....

We met up with Abby's friend E and her mom at the Dallas Aquarium one Friday that I took off from work. The Aquarium is pretty mediocre but we selected it to get out of the heat, and we thought the girls would enjoy it. That they did. Abby remembered E from a few other events we had attended, and the girls hit it off from the get go. It was packed, but we had a great time seeing all the fish, penguins, sloths, turtles and some seriously scary looking reptiles. Abby did not care for those critters and got a bit spooked. We had a great lunch at the Aquarium as well, and it was nice getting to know E's mom a bit better as well. I feel fortunate to have met some other families with Guatemalan children who feel the same way I do about wanting our kids to have some friends that look like them. I have talked a lot to parents with older adopted children, and they all agree that maintaining relationships with other adopted children in tranracial families was a key to their child's development and confidence. I couldn't agree more, and I look for any opportunities I can to foster that as Abby gets older.

Abby and E @ Dallas Aquarium

Turtles

Abby sees her Grandma at least once a week. I love their relationship. Abby calls her "My grandma" in the proudest voice. It is adorable. My mom is just plain silly with her and can get away with it. Abby loves their time together. We usually go to my mom's house on Sundays and go to the farmer's market, shopping or go swimming. Abby swims by herself now just with the little floaties on her arms. She will do laps in the pool and leave me in the dust. She has become quite the little fish. I can't wait to start swim lessons for her in a few months.

Abby doesn't have a big sweet tooth at all, but my mom shows her love with food and introduced Abby to the Golden Oreo. Abby at 5 cookies in one sitting. It was particularly gluttonous and will not be repeated. I couldn't believe it. I have never seen Abby want more than a little of anything sweet. But, one cookie goes a long way to incent Abby to eat all the healthy stuff on her plate at dinner time, so the Golden Oreo can be a good thing.......

Abby and Grandma

Abby Lounging at Grandma's Eating Golden Oreos

Abby After A Swim at Grandma's

Social Butterfly

Abby's School had a Spring Fling one Saturday. It was a beautiful day, and we had a great time. Standard picninc fare was served, and they had a bounce house, movie, face painting, and all the teachers dressed up. But, none of tha really mattered as far as Abby was concerned. The fact that her best bud, E, came to the Spring Fling was definitely the highlight for Abby. All the teachers talk about how inseparable Abby and E are together, but I had never really seen them play together for an extended time. To see pure joy on Abby's face was amazing. I had a nice time chatting with E's parents as well. E's mother is a teacher, so E will not be in school much over the summer which will be disappointing for Abby, however, I am sure she can adjust even if it won't be quite the same without her there full time. Abby and E ran around holding hands, and jumping up an down for an entire hour. They were like two peas in the pod. I got such a kick out of watching them play together.

Spring Fling Event

Abby's social life is getting pretty busy now that she is getting to the age where she will play with other kids. She has a good buddy in her gym class on Saturdays named M. He is a great kid and has a really cool mom which is great for me. He also lives nearby. They are only 2 weeks apart in age, but M. is about a foot taller than Abby. They are at complete opposite ends of the spectrum size wise for their age group. Abby just adores him and talks about him all the time. She reserves a special smile for him that no one else gets to see. It is just too sweet. We went to his house for a playdate, and Abby and M. had a great time especially playing in M's awesome sandbox that his dad built for him. Abby loved it, and we are talking about signing the kids up for swimming classes together as well when they get too old for gym class later this year.

Abby and M' First Playdate

The following weekend, Abby attended another friend, M's, birthday party in Arlington. It was a beautiful day held in a gorgeous backyard, and M's party was really fun although Abby was a little shy around the other kids. Mostly because of the long drive over to the party, Abby had fallen asleep and was still sleepy and a bit out of it at the beginning of the party. They played Pin the Tail on the Donkey, blew bubbles, and covered themselves in Hello Kitty bandaids from head to toe. M's mother gave out great party favors, and Abby became a big Hello Kitty fan that day. Abby likes to wear the bandaids as some type of badge of honor even when her "boo boo" is not discernable to the naked eye.

M, the Birthday Girl Turned 3

Abby got a great new kitchen that we put in her walk in closet in her bedroom. It is now her favorite toy. She likes to "cook" something everyday, and the kitchen also includes an attached barbeque grill. She has become an master chef in a few short weeks, and loves cooking for others. I am so hopeful that this is a sign that she is going to start bugging me to send her to culinary school later. She certainly isn't going to become a gourment chef by watching me in the kitchen. I am a pathetic novice. I try and when I put my mind to it, I can deliver, however, cooking stresses me out. I just do not feel comfortable. My mother gets scared watching me chop things (I think it is because I am left handed though) It explains why when Abby first got her kitchen, she mostly played with the microwave....

I also bought Abby her first real soccer ball including cones. She loves it. She is a natural already. She even stops it sometimes by putting her foot on top of the ball. She is really quick too. She knows not to use her hands too. I don't think I could be anymore thrilled that Abby already likes the one sport I can really teach her. I plan on signing her up for lessons when she is about 3 1/2, next spring hopefully.