First day on the big girl van!

Today Lexie rode to school on the van. Was she nervous? No, she had no idea what was going on before this morning. Was I nervous? Heck yeah! I barely got any sleep last night. I thought I was totally cool with it, until right before we went to bed, when for some reason my mind started going to all those 'worst case' scenerios. Once that started, my mind couldn't stop. I was up half the night imagining her the next morning happily getting on the van, then totally freaking out when they pulled away from our house without mommy, and then she would start crying and hyperventilating and not be able to calm down without a binky (which is the only thing that brings her back to reality on the rare occation she has a total meltdown), but binkies aren't allowed at preschool, so she'd have to keep freaking out until they would eventually call me and have me come pick her up...
Anyway, apparently my sleepless night was for nothing. Wayne stayed home long enough to see her off, and I think she dug having daddy around for a few extra minutes. She got right on the van, and luckily there were already a few "friends" there already, which she loved. And then they pulled away. I watched the tinted windows to see if she was flailing around as they drove off, but I saw nothing. I called the school later and talked to her teacher, and she said that although she didn't know how she was on the van, she arrived at school happy and without any signs of a meltdown, so all must have gone well. I'll find out more from the driver when she gets home later today, I'm sure.

Above are some pics of her waiting for the van and then getting in, as well as some with her wearing her new new backpack, which I got yesterday. The little one she brought to school yesterday is too small for the paperwork she needs to bring home to us each day, so she has to have a fullsized one. It's hilarious because the bag is nearly as big as she is, but somehow she can keep it on her back.

Lexie's first day of school!

First note: Lexie's teacher spelled her name with an "ie" instead of just an "i", and I think it looks way cuter. We're going to have to do it that way from now on...

This morning we got up and while we got ready we watched the "School" Signing Time dvd. So when it was time to go and I told Lexie she was going to "School", she was so excited! When we got there, she got to put her coat and her backpack on her very own hook, labelled with her name and everything! Very grown up... Basically I just dropped her off and got the heck out of there, because her teacher said that's the best way to avoid tears, and it worked like a charm. When I picked her up, her teacher said she went straight into playing and didn't look back. At the end of the day, she seemed a little worn out, I think it was a whole lot of "new", but she still seemed to like school. In fact, she kept signing "school" over and over as I tried to usher her out the door. Tomorrow she will take the van to school instead of me driving her. This will be nice for me, as they'll be picking her up at 8:20 and dropping her off a little before noon. I think she'll really like driving with all the kids as well.

Sorry this post is so clunky, I ran a bunch of errands while she was at school, too many in fact, and now my poor body is completely wiped out, and it feels like it's taking my mind with it...

"First day of School! First day of School!"

(Brownie points for anyone who knows where that quote is from. Or sympathy points, as you've probably been forced to watch the movie over and over as I have...)

Today Lexi had her very first IEP, which stands for Individualized Education Plan. It's a meeting that happens once a year when you enter the school system, which for Lexi is at age 3, or for other kids their IEPs start whenever they enter the special education program. This is the kind of stuff I'm used to hearing about because my mom is a special education teacher, so for me it was exciting for her to start her "Big Girl" special ed stuff. We met with her teacher and the Utah School the Deaf and Blind preschool cordinator, along with a few other specialist, and reviewed where Lexi is right now and set goals for her for the next year. The best part was... Lexi is starting school! Her first day of USDB preschool is this upcoming Tueday. She'll go to school Tues-Fri from 9-11:30, until school gets out at the end of May. After that there will be some sort of summer school, but those details haven't been fully decided yet. Her teacher is AWESOME, and she has a Cochlear Implant herself. She believes in strong structure and expects a lot out of her students, which is exactly what stubborn little Lexi needs. We're excited to see what kind of progress Lexi will make in a school environment, and we have a feeling she's going to start shining.

"What we have here is a failure to communicate!"

Just now I was showing Lexi a picture of Cory O'Bryant holding little Tiger. I pointed at Tiger and said "Who's that?" to which she signed "Baby!", which is what she's been calling him. I made up a sign name for Tiger, since he's no longer a little baby, really, and certainly won't be when he's 2, 3, 4, 18, etc. So I pointed at him and signed "that's Baby Tiger". I then pointed at Cory and said "Who's that?" to which she correctly signed "Uncle Cory (Uncle C)". So I went back to Tiger, pointed at him and said "Who's that?". She signed "Baby". I said "Baby... what?" hoping for the response "Baby Tiger". Instead I got "Baby Brother". Uh-oh. Now I'm wondering if when we've been pointing out all the new blue clothes and blankets and bedding for Baby Brother, she's been thinking we just really really like Tiger and we're giving him a whole bunch of stuff. Oh, and it's his fault my stomach is huge. Very interesting...

To Do:

I've been thinking about ideas to scratch my "project itch". I've got a few now, some which I know what to do, others that need more research and thought, most with cost-efficiency in mind. I'm posting them here (in no particular order) mostly so I have a hard copy to remind me of what I want to do, but also so anyone who has suggestions can help me solidify my plans.

1. Done
2. Paint dots on Nameless Baby's blackout shade. (supplies bought. May be a fun group project)
3. Put up family pictures on Office walls.
4. Paint Lexi's walls (color picked out).
5. Done
6. Paint 2 large canvases for Guest Bedroom.
7. Paint wall in family room red.
8. Create 3D flower art for Lexi's walls (3?)

Look how big she's gotten!

I've been thinking about one of the pictures I took of Lexi with her "Big Girl Cochlear", because it reminded me of a picture we took of her forever ago wearing her hearing aid. Side by side, it's cool to see how much older she is now. The older picture was taken July 2006, when she's just over a year. The newer picture is April 2008, so just under three years old.

Second project done!

Yesterday Sharon (Wayne's mom) was nice enough to help me make the curtains for Lexi's two little windows. Because of their unique size, it was impossible to buy ready-made curtains, especially blackout ones. So I bought the same curtains we have up on her big window, and a big blackout curtain to hem down, and Sharon helped me literally every step of the way (I'm so lame, I have no idea how to sew) to make them. They look really simple, but I can't believe I actually got a sewing project done! Again, I couldn't have done it without Sharon, so big big THANK YOU to her. Now my two priority projects are done. So... the baby is supposed to come now, right? I need another project to pass the time, I think. It was suggested that I paint the other three walls in Nameless Baby's room the lightest blue from the dots, and I'd love to do that, but I think I should give myself a break for at least a couple of weeks before I dive into another big thing. I already have a flower stencil and stencil paint, so I may stencil-paint a flower border along the bottom of Lexi's big blackout shade. That should occupy me for a bit...

New Curtains

Here are a few pictures of my simple little curtains. I think they're pretty cool... for me.