Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Proud Parents

So tonight Kurt and I had Parent Teacher Conferences for Eleanor. I can safely say as far as I was concerned, I was concerned. I was convinced they were going to say she acts up in class, she doesn't listen to instructions, she is behind in her development stages, yada yada yada.

We walked in and the director of our daycare was scurrying to get a classroom empty so we could meet with Eleanor's teachers. I knew it was a bad sign. Why on earth were they panicking? Little did we know we were the ONLY parents in Eleanor's class to meet with the teachers to learn of our child's progress. I told the teachers it was important to us that we were all on the same page and teaching her the same things in the classroom and at home. Consistency is key, right? No need to confuse our little one. 

I am not bragging but we had a glowing meeting regarding our peanut. I knew she was a great child but her teachers are in awe of how great of a toddler she is. 

A few highlights you ask? She loves to sing and dance. She is great with being able to communicate to her teachers as to what her needs are and that's a tool that some children at her age cannot utilize. She knows sign language - please, milk, water, thank you, and more. They said she knows what animals say. They asked her in our meeting, "Eleanor, what does a horse say?" She ran over to us and screamed, "NAAAAAAY!" Kurt and I were shocked? She never does that at home. She is truly blossoming at daycare. 

They said she loves music. We already knew that of course but we didn't know she sang while she colored? They say she always sings while she's doing art! She is the only child in the class that loves circle time where they sing and dance. She's the first to sit down and participate. I think we have a future contestant on American Idol in our not-too-near future. 

What I was most proud of during our meeting this evening was hearing that Eleanor is a genuinely loving child. When her friends are in distress, she offers her binky to them. She knows what soothes her and is willing to give that up to someone who needs it. I just love that about her! She loves giving hugs to her friends and when they are having a timeout from having a tantrum, she goes down and sits next her friend to console him or her. They also say she is very calm when at the table with her friends, eating a snack or lunch. She doesn't scurry away from the table to go play, when she's done. She just sits there in content with her friends. They say that doesn't happen with the other toddlers. 

We knew we had a one of a kind little girl on our hands but I think it's safe to say we were both floored by the feedback that we received. We weren't sure what we were going to hear. Tonight just made us even more confident that daycare was the right choice for her after she turned one and in particular THIS daycare. They are so good to her and thanks to them, she has done nothing but flourish from her experience thus far!

So there you have it - with a lot more love, patience, consistency, time and parenting we might just raise a wonderful young adult!  

Saturday, August 4, 2012

Welcome to Poopville, Population 2

I just scratched my head before I started typing this. No joke. Not sure if my head itched or if I was thinking how do I start this post. It's been so long since I've written something like this. Kurt is in Florida so I have some free time on my hands. Actually that's a lie, I have less time on my hands since I am alone with Eleanor. I have always respected single parents, but caring for a sick child as one takes the respect to a whole new level. Eleanor has a little bit of a flu bug. I think she caught it from me earlier in the week bc I was pretty sick for a couple days. However, with her lower immune system, I think it's carrying on a little longer than we anticipated. 


So the title of this post pretty much sums up my time alone with Eleanor. She has been the victim of an extreme case of diarrhea and I've been the victim of an extreme case of cleaning it up. Every time she gets up from sleeping the sheets are smeared in her poop. I haven't changed her sheets in her whole life as much as I have since Kurt left for Florida. 


Last night we were playing a game, she would throw a small toy up in the air and I'd squeal. She LOVED it and kept doing it, laughing uncontrollably from my squeal. I would do anything to keep that girl laughing so we continued this game for a while. As she threw up the toy, she'd pop up a little in the air and then land on her bottom. With a loaded diaper, I'm sure you can imagine the consequences. I had NO IDEA she had gotten sick again however our new area rug was clued in way before me. Poop was splattered all over our black and white striped rug - which we had recently purchased (of course). 


Poopville has recently withstood quite a bit of hustle and bustle. This morning I was determined to not let the constant cleaning of poop slow me down. Eleanor and I went to the local Farmers Market to get some fresh fruit and cheese and then the park for some swing time. She was having a blast at the market - I had to quickly take her past the blueberries bc I didn't want her to have a melt down that she couldn't eat any of them at that moment. When we stopped at the park and I took her to the swings, she freaked out. She didn't want me to put her in the swing. I'm so bummed she doesn't like the swings. I really want to enjoy the swings with her, but it's not her cup of tea.


So I have been trying to exercise more of my gratitude muscles as of recent. When I'm complaining about something, I try to think of the bright side. For example, "I'm so stressed out with my job." I then flip it around to, "I am lucky enough to have a job and a job that I love makes me even luckier." So while I've been touring around Poopville these last few days, I've been thinking, "Man this is awful, poop all over me, all over her, all over the house." Then I do my flip and think how lucky I am to have a child. So many people try to have one and cannot. And then I have dug a little deeper. I have this beautiful daughter who unless you were to smell her butt, you wouldn't even know she was sick. She's so happy, so fun to be around and even better, I get her all to myself this weekend. No distractions from her devilishly good looking father, who by the way is her obsession. 


So there you have it. Looking at my situation at first glance, it's easy to see the obvious - it's been a "shitty" weekend without Kurt. But boy do I have everyone tricked. I'm reveling in my amazingly poopy weekend with my amazingly hysterical daughter. Nothing's stopping us. We might even do the zoo tomorrow morning, so take that Poopville!