Claire got new glasses!
Her eyes keep getting better, which is great news! …almost as good as the news that we can go back to having exams only once a year now! ;)
This time, she chose glasses that just happen to match our roses…
Coincidence?
Archive for the 'Milestones' Category
Claire had been growing her hair for a while now. I’d trim the ends every now and then, but that’s about it. A few days ago, we were talking, and she decided she wanted to donate it.
I got out the tape measure and determined that her donation would fit within the guidelines of Pantene’s Beautiful Lengths (8 inches), and that it would put her hair at the same length as the bangs she’s been tediously growing out.
“My hair grows really well, and I love long hair,” she said matter-of-factly. “It would make a really good wig for someone who can’t grow hair.”
Today, she told me she was ready.
Measured and ready to go!
(Please Note: Today was also Neon Day at School for Spirit Week…as if we need to justify such a bright outfit. Ha!)
She did it!
I almost cried; I was so proud of her.
What makes the timing funny is that tomorrow’s Spirit Day is all about “Crazy Hair.” I think her classmates will be shocked at the difference, but I don’t think it’s crazy at all… 
After years of begging to have it done, we finally acquiesced.
Claire got her ears pierced today!
She wanted little hearts in honor of Valentine’s Day, but they don’t offer those as the initial studs. So, just like her momma, she opted for her birthstone.
As you can tell by the photo above, they did them one at a time, and she didn’t even flinch.
That’s my girl!
No really. Hear me out. I’m not saying I want kids to fail all the time and never succeed, but did you know that failure and success are not mutually exclusive?
Claire has always been good at everything, right away: Ballet, Swimming, you name it. There was just a slight learning curve at some things, but for the most part, she was a rock-star from Day One.
What’s it like to not be the first?
What’s it like to be the last?
What’s it like to fail?
And fail?
And fail?
How will you know that the important thing is not the fall but the ability to get up?
Again?
And again?
And again?
Speaking of which, I’m not an ice skater. I’ve been told by my parents that I ice skated when I was 3 years old and loved it. I have really no solid recollection of that. I tried to take Claire ice skating in Beaver Creek in April (probably almost exactly 34 years later), but what ensued was not what I could classify as ice skating, per se. We had a great time laughing at ourselves, but Claire was itching to go and do and learn more, but I had no skills to teach her.
We’d said that when the opportunity arose for her to learn from a professional, we’d take it. So, Claire is learning to ice skate. I was offered a handy-dandy little coupon at the local Rec Center for her to try it out for the month at a discounted rate, so there you go.
Guess what! Finally, we’ve found something at which Claire is not the best, and I’m SO GLAD. No, really! She’s not the first across the ice. She’s not the most skilled.
She’s normal, and it’s eating her alive.
She’s learning one of life’s hardest lessons right now, and I couldn’t be prouder.
Soon, she’ll catch on and be zipping across the ice with the rest of them, but she’ll know what it’s like to fail. She’ll know what it’s like to not be the best at something. She’ll know what it really means to fall and how it feels to get up.
Again.
And again.
How can she not be a Diva when dressed in Missoni, even if it is from Target?
Last week, at school drop off, Claire told me that she wanted to walk to her room herself. She didn’t need me to hold her hand or help her do anything when she got down there, thankyouverymuch. I knew this was coming, as she’d been walking way ahead of me pretty much since the third day of school.
“I need to meet another mom at 8:00!” I said, trying not to pout.
“Great! You can wait for her in the lobby!” she said, using my own often-used trickery rationale against me.
So, I waited in the lobby and pretended to be okay with this turn of events.
When I picked her up that day, she pointed to the Drop Off Lane, marked with bright cones, and said, “You do know that there’s a whole LANE for moms who drop off their kids in the morning, right? YOU could be in that lane, Mom.”
Well, alrighty then.
That night, Claire told Daddy her plan about how Momma was going to stay in the car and just use the Drop Off Lane. Daddy’s responses went from, “WHAT!?” to “Is that safe??” to “I’m old…” to “Hey, Claire! Let me show you how to tuck and roll from a moving vehicle!”
In a startling turn of events, Daddy seemed to be coping well with this change.
The next day, we did just that. I used the Drop Off Lane, and Claire was THRILLED. She hasn’t looked back since. Quite literally. I’m lucky if she blows me a kiss at all.
Today, I was scheduled for one of my volunteer shifts at the school library. “How is this going to work?” I said out loud in the kitchen before school. Claire had it all planned: “You drop me off in the Drop Off Lane and then just go around again and park! But, please stay in the car until the doors open…okay?”
I’d picked a volunteer time near the start of school to make my life easier. I hadn’t figured in all the Rules of Independent Diva Handling.
At least she hasn’t given me a checklist. Yet.
Here is Claire on her First Day of Kindergarten! She and Baby Rose found a matching outfit to celebrate the big day. This is a day that Claire has been begging to happen for YEARS now. Her years in Preschool were awesome, but finally the “When can I go to Kindergarten!?” question has been answered!
Today! Early today. Our schedule will shift a bit as we get up and get out the door earlier than we ever have, but today went REALLY well.
The drive, parking, and drop-off were a breeze! I didn’t linger in the classroom, as she is really pretty independent, and I was afraid if I made too much direct eye contact with the teacher, I’d make a spectacle of myself. Baby Rose and I walked back to the car, and I didn’t get teary until I was a couple blocks from the school. But, that’s because the sun was in my eyes. (Yeah, that’s it.)
As I’m writing this, the house is quiet. Too quiet. Like the kind of quiet it gets when someone is plotting a dastardly plan. It’s making me twitch. I wonder how long this phase will last?
I’ll have 3.5 hours to myself every week day now. I’ve been waiting for this. Longing for this. I plan to use as much of this time writing as I can. Today, of course, is an exception (unless you count this post…). Today’s time has been spent fielding texts and calls from my friends, just checking to see if I’m okay. This is supposed to be Claire’s big day, but those in the know realize that it’s going to be more a transition for me than it is for Claire.
Am I ok? I am. I’m more than okay. Today is a great day.
Yes, yes, I know that Summer doesn’t really end until September…but realistically? Summer ends on August 22nd around here.
I can’t believe it will be Claire’s First Day of School!
We’re ready. The supplies have been purchased. (We squeaked in under $100, not counting clothes and backpack, at $98.08. Yes, for Kindergarten. No, I don’t get it either.) The fees have been paid. I giggle when I pay for “free” things, but I’m so thankful that she got it at our first choice! The first day clothes are picked out and all ready to go.
It will be nice to get back to a routine, but it will be a painful adjustment getting up and getting out of here earlier than we’ve ever had to with Claire on a regular basis. Painful for ME. Claire will be fine. I can’t believe I used to have a job that required me to get up at 4:30 in the morning. I can barely remember a time when I was up before the crack of dawn…but I did it…for years. Compared to that, the new schedule will be easy-peasy, but I’ve certainly been spoiled by my late-sleeper over the last five years.
The uninterrupted time I’ll gain to focus on my writing during the week, however, will be worth the crimp in my style.
School starts at 8am. There is major construction on the way there, but I think I’ve found a ninja route that will get us to the school relatively unscathed. This week, we’ll take it for a test drive to see how long it takes, factoring in the morning rush of a School Day.
Back to School Night is on Thursday, and then the Big Day is on Monday.
Just like that, we’ve got a Kindergartener living here.
Weird.
Will it be the first of many, or just the first of few? Either way, here’s to beginnings disguised as endings.
…to Kindergarten and beyond!
Today, Claire turns five-and-a-half! In case you didn’t know, this is a big deal around here.
Her last day of school is tomorrow, and although she’s sad that school will be ending, she’s excited for the summer, for Kindergarten, and for the opportunity to tell everyone that she’s officially five-and-a-half.
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