Preschool Update

So, in my last post I talked about Ella's first day of Preschool and how we were hoping that her second day would go okay...

Turns out when we woke up Thursday she wanted nothing to do with Preschool! She cried and cried saying that she didn't want to go anymore. Between Tuesday(her first day) and Thursday I had tried to pry as much information as I could from her about her first day and she seemed to like it overall minus a few parts of her day. I don't know if I had mentioned before, but she had woken up from her nap crying and upset on her first day. Ella has mentioned being afraid of rest time and being by herself. In result, I did not even attempt to take her on Thursday! Our mornings are hectic to begin with and leaving with her unsure is not an option!

Since Thursday, I have talked to Ella about Preschool and I honestly don't think we are going to even push the idea of it for a while. She tries to get herself excited about it, but I can tell she really doesn't want to go. I can remember my first and only day of Preschool all too well!! I didn't want to go back either. Some people probably think it is crazy that I don't send her anyway to teach her to deal with the situation, but my thoughts are much different. First of all, I could never leave her somewhere crying or even with the thought that she would be upset during the day. If I were able to run and pick her up it would be much easier. However, that is not the case. If it were Kindergarten or something else that was required... well that would be a different story. But, Preschool isn't mandatory and I don't want her optimism about school to diminish! She is super excited about coming to school with mommy and I wouldn't want anything to put a damper on what she thinks school is supposed to be! The main reason for sending her to Preschool was for the social skills she would learn, but anxiety isn't something I want her to have to deal with at the age of 3. I guess she will just have to continue mingling and socializing at Children's Church and on playdates for now! :)

Preschool Woes.... Preschool Joys

So, preschool has been a pretty big "to-do" in the Donovan household for many reasons. First, Ella has lived a fairly "sheltered" life the past 3.75 years. She has not been around many kids and has only been watched by immediate family. Therefore, she has had the full attention of the adults watching her and in a sense, had full range of how her day was structured. Second, I really want her to venture out and find her own identity. With her not being around many other children her age during her day to day, she really has no clue what life has to offer her. She only knows what her parents and family teach her. In ways, keeping her sheltered like this is a blessing, but I also want her to be able to see diversity and decide for herself who she is (keeping in mind she is only 3 years old)!

On the other hand, preschool hasn't been the easiest thing for us either! I have gone through the whole grieving process not wanting my baby to become a big girl. Not to mention we have had difficulty deciding where to send her as well. With both of us working full-time, a half-day preschool was not an option as transportation would be impossible. I also didn't want to send her everyday of the week! So, we finally decided on Grace Early Learning Center which is located where we go to church. We figured it would be a familiar place and not so scary for her!

This morning was the BIG day. We had gone out to school the week before to show her her room and with a little confusion she was able to see where she would be going and learned her teacher's name. This morning when I woke her up she was a little leery of the idea. She couldn't understand why it was still dark outside (with this being the first day in 7 weeks we have woken up before the sunrise!). When she found out I was taking Grayson to Nana's before taking her to preschool she had a total meltdown!!! I knew right there it was not going to be a successful preschool day! So, I headed to mom's with Grayson and Ella in tow! There was no way this mommy was dropping off her baby at preschool crying!

So, about 2 hours later, mom called me at school (my first day mind you) saying she was on her way to take Ella to school!! I couldn't believe it and was so proud of her for changing her mind! She was proud too as you can see from her pictures!

As soon as the bell rang this afternoon, I ran out the doors to pick up my BIG GIRL! Ms. Gina said Ella had a terrific day! Other than waking up from nap scared and missing her mommy, she had a total successful first day of preschool! She is even excited to go back on Thursday!! WOO HOO :)


Here is Ella posing in front of her very own cubby!

This is Ella with her teacher Ms. Gina!

The Birthday Boy Turns One

A year ago today we were welcoming our sweet baby boy into the world and now he is turning one! I knew having another child would change our life, but you really don't understand how profound the change is until it happens. The moment I laid eyes on this little boy I was head over heels and overwhelmed with love! I was so excited to be having a boy and excited to see how different it would be. Turns out... it is absolutely wonderful! Grayson is the sweetest and most content baby. He laughs non-stop, genuinely loves everyone, loves to play, adores his sister, enjoys to cuddle and give kisses, eats like it's the last time he will ever get to, sings in the most precious voice, enjoys balls and anything with wheels, can make a mess in a matter of seconds, thinks he can do everything on his own, and loves sugar (like the rest of his family!).

Today, we had Grayson's first birthday party with immediate family and close friends. We did a ball theme since he loves balls and anything in the shape of a ball! I really think everyone had a fabulous time... especially the birthday boy!


Amy Johnson made his birthday cupcakes! I knew we all loved the strawberry so Grayson got to have pink cupcakes. :) She also made him his own special ball cupcake which he thoroughly enjoyed.


I decided to put together a string of balls that showed Grayson's growth over the past year. It was neat to see it all put together today.


Grayson's Nanny, Grandbubby, and Uncle Casey were there to celebrate.


Grayson got all sorts of cute gifts, but was not into opening any of them. So... mommy got to do it all (with the help of Ella and Ava of course).


Grayson and his daddy made a fashionably late appearance for the party. We all clapped for the birthday boy when he arrived!


My Aunt Denise made Grayon's birthday shirt! She is very talented and he enjoyed showing it off!


Grayson's Granny, Papa, and Aunt Jackie came to celebrate.


Grayson's Nana, Pa, (soon to be) Aunt Jess, and Uncle Daniel all came out to party as well!


The boys enjoyed talking in the corner!


Everyone enjoyed the pizza, salad, and cupcakes!


A good time was had by all!


The birthday boy chowed down on some pizza!


Keaton and Grayson spent lots of time sitting in the ball pit!


The cupcake was his favorite part of the day!


He loved it!


He made a little too much of a mess, so we bathed him in the sink!


He loved this part of his birthday too!


The party was a total success!




Happy first birthday Grayson! Mommy loves you so much!

The girl loves to paint...

All summer long, Ella has asked to paint over and over again. She would paint for hours if I let her. She usually paints on paper and has been wanting to get into the acrylics. Anymore I don't even have to set up for her. She grabs her colors, gets her brushes, puts some rinsing water in a cup and tears off a paper towel. There is most definitely a mess that follows her creativity, but it's so worth watching her enjoy herself.

This past weekend, we went to the Breyer Festival at the Kentucky Horse Park. We really aren't what you would call "horse" people let alone model horse collectors, but I found the tickets on Groupon and what would have normally been a $50+ experience was only $10 for the entire family. I thought it would be fun and different for all of us. Come to find out, Ella was in heaven when she got to paint her very own Stablemate. She was happy with her finished product. :)

Swim Lessons

Ella has always been a little "iffy" when it comes to water. She's not terrified of it, but when it comes to getting it in her face she is not a fan! Her cousin Ava is the same way when it comes to water, so Jackie and I decided swim lessons were a must this summer. We arranged for the girls to go to a semi-private class with each other so they could get a little extra help. So far, they are doing wonderful! They are both on class three of six and have made huge progress! I think these swim lessons will definitely be something we need to continue.







Full face under!! Woo Hoo!

Look Who's Walking

Grayson is 11 months!

I just cannot believe my baby is 11 months old! The past eleven months have totally flown by and I have enjoyed every moment of them! Grayson is such a sweet baby with a terrific personality, not to mention a total stud! (Maybe I'm a little bias.) :) Here are a few tidbits about Grayson at 11 months:

Eating Habits:

• Grayson eats everything he can get his hands on! Literally! Even if it is a Styrofoam sword that tastes terrible! :)
  
• He loves to eat and would eat all day if I let him, hence the stout figure. There aren't many things he doesn't like which makes my life much easier.
  
• I typically try to feed him whatever we are eating on top of his yummy toddler treats. He loves the Gerber Graduates Fruit Twists and can down one in less than 5 seconds!
• Any time I get his highchair plate ready he starts reaching and saying "ummm". Like I said, he loves to eat!
• Grayson is a pro at the sippy cup and straw, minus the times he throws it in the floor.
  
• Grayson is still taking 3 bottles and loves them too death! He now knows the word "baba" and says it anytime he knows mommy is getting it!
  

Sleep Habits:

• Grayson still isn't a huge napper, but is on a pretty good schedule this summer. He still wakes up for his early bottle anywhere from 5:30 to 6:30, but then falls back to sleep.
• We have had the luxury of sleeping in until 9:30 this summer which is WONDERFUL!
  
• He will typically take a nap right after lunch (some days before) and another nap later in the evening. Neither of his naps are terribly long compared to how his sissy slept when she was his age.
• Grayson goes to bed each night anytime between 7:45 and 9. It really depends on when he wakes up from his late nap and what we are doing.
  
• The only issue I am having lately is the fact that he is fighting sleep. I guess he has realized how fun it is to be awake!
  

Play Habits:

• Grayson loves to play! His most favorite toys are balls and anything with wheels. He will empty his ball buckets many times each day and loves to push around all of our wheeled toys. He knows how to say "ball."
  
• Grayson still really enjoys playing with Ella although I think at times they drive each other crazy. Ella is sometimes too aggressive and he pushes her away. And, other times she needs her alone time and he follows her everywhere she goes. I remember those days with my own brother so well. :)
• Grayson loves playing games with people. He loves to play peek-a-boo, the pick up game, and shaking his head. He will throw anything to you over and over as long as you continue to pick it up for him. He also loves to shake his head right now and expects you to do it too.
• Grayson's first clap happened this past weekend at the Fourth of July parade and he has continued clapping ever since!
  

Here is a picture of the aftermath of Grayson and blueberry muffins. :)