Seven Months Down

Seven months down! The first six months felt like they were an entire year in themselves. Now, I feel like time is going to fly by now that we’re over half way. I got very little accomplished over the summer between our travels, C being home all day, and me feeling ill from this moldy climate. Now that C is back in school and I’m feeling better physically, I hope to be a lot more productive.

The new school year began at the beginning of this month. C is doing one more year of PreK. She misses the birthday cut off for Kindergarten in the state of GA by only one week. Had C been born in October when she was supposed to be, starting kindergarten wouldn’t even be considered, but because she was born early, it was suddenly a decision we could make. August and September birthdays are a real issue – those kids are going to either be the very oldest or the very youngest in the class, there is no in between. It’s a decision that has to be made based on the individual child.

C missed the cutoff for starting preK last year but she was still allowed to go, as a 3 year old turning 4 (the very youngest in the class by almost a whole year to some), and she did fine. Therefore, some people assumed we would push her ahead into Kindergarten this year. C may have done fine as far as knowledge and if she really wanted to go to Kindergarten this year, I would have considered sending her.

As it is, since she did miss the birthday cutoff, we’re technically not holding her back, we’re simply not pushing her ahead. If she ever asks about it, this is what I will tell her:

The biggest deciding factor – she has absolutely zero desire to be in Kindergarten and she adamantly does not want to be in school for a full day.
She is going to miss a lot of school this year, as in at least six weeks. It is fine missing that much PreK since it is repeated information but it would be detrimental to miss that much Kindergarten, especially as the youngest in the class already a bit behind.
As a former elementary school teacher having seen both ways, I would much rather her be the oldest in the class and have things come easily rather than be the youngest in the class and have to struggle in any way to keep up.

As much as I’m looking forward to having a full school day to myself to work on other areas of my life, I am very thankful to have this extra year with my only baby home with me for most of the day. I feel lucky that we can allow her the extra year to mature, learn, and play before starting her full-time school career. I can see already this school year that she is picking up on things so much better and retaining more; she will get much more out of PreK this year than she did last year. I know that she is going to blossom this year and will be confidently ready to start Kindergarten next year.

Speaking of school, I am unbelievably glad that it started again when it did. After our summer travels, we had four weeks at home during which it was too hot to do anything, I wasn’t feeling well, and I only had a break from C while she was sleeping at night. I need alone time to stay sane and be a good parent and that’s something I don’t get living thousands of miles from all family, with no close “let’s hang out” friends nearby, and a deployed husband. By the third week, my patience was gone. I felt like a horrible mother… there was too much yelling and feelings of anxiety, stress, and anger. I did the best I could, knowing that once school started and we got a break from each other, that I would be rejuvenated and my patience would return. It took over a week of C being back at school, but my patience did return. I’m not angry mommy anymore; the time alone in the mornings is enough to keep me balanced.

Near the end of the month, the temperatures started slightly cooling off (though it’s still too hot), allergen and mold counts have gone down some, and mushrooms stopped popping up daily. The reduction of mold spores in the air directly correlated with me starting to feel better. I’m so relieved the worst of the summer is over! I’m already at my upper limit of stress as it is, so when I had to deal with added health problems from a mold allergy, it sent me over the edge. It was very hard to stay positive mentally when I felt so bad physically. I’m grateful to know that we will be moving before mold season starts here again next year.

C started swimming lessons again. Despite only swimming a few times over the summer, she was able to pick up exactly where she left off. She knows how to swim now, but we are sticking with the lessons to continue to build her skills and confidence. She enjoys swimming, she’s good at it, and it’s such a valuable life skill to have. I’m insanely proud of her but more importantly, she is proud of herself for what she is able to do!

We have been preparing for C’s upcoming 5th birthday party, which will be a princess theme this year. This is her first birthday party where she actually decided the guest list herself. She is so excited! J’s mother arrived at the end of the month to be here for the party and J’s sister will also be arriving soon as well.

We are also busy preparing for a big trip! The only good thing about a year long deployment is that servicemen and women get two weeks off for “rest and recuperation”. Most opt to take this break at the half way point but we decided to put it off a bit so that we will be closer to the finish line when the trip is over. We saw no point in J coming home to Valdosta since there is nothing here so C and I are meeting him in Europe instead. We will be galavanting through Germany, Paris, and London for over two weeks while catching up on over 7 months of missed hugs, kisses, and conversations. We are counting down the days!

Month 7 Events: