Lots of new things

Aidan had her first day at her new school yesterday. They said she did well and she came home happy and full of energy. We had a really great evening together. Aidan even came home with a "Monday folder" that contains information about what she will be working on this week and information sheets for Christianne and me to fill out. We had to sign the folder and send it back today. It really is like being in school! This week, Aidan's class will be working on recognizing the letter "A", the color red, and circles. She had music class yesterday and I think today is library time. Unfortunately, we had a very tearful drop off this morning. She stopped crying about 5 seconds after I walked out the door and looked like she was recovering when I peeked in. Hopefully, it will get easier. The lead teacher ("Gran") seems to want us to sneak off while she distracts Aidan. We have a policy of always saying good-bye. It leads to more tears in the short run sometimes, but how awful for a child to confidently go off to play, thinking their parent is still there, only to turn around for a hug or encouragement and find them gone. That just seems not so good. So, we are still working out the kinks.

Aidan's speech has just exploded in the last few days. She is regularly using short sentences and communicating much more effectively. It was like she woke up one morning and it all just started to click. It really is fun to engage with her in the new way.

We are working on using the potty. She got a brand new Elmo potty for her birthday (early) and pull-ups. We haven't had anything happen in the potty yet, but we are making progress with spending time sitting on it.

Aidan is still struggling with a little biting. She's bitten me twice in 2 days. Last night she did it again and she got sent to time out. After time out is over, I always go in and ask her why she got sent to time out. Not that I really expect her to be able to answer that question, but I want her to get used to the expectation that she think about what she did (as she becomes developmentally able to do this). Last night, I went in and asked the question and Aidan replied, "I bite." I about fell over. We talked about no biting and using words when mad. Just another sign of her growth and development.

She had a great time with her birthday party on Saturday. We had 7 kids over and spent most of the time in the backyard playing with water toys. Later, she played in the sandbox with her wet bathing suit. Fun times! It was really a wonderful time for everyone. I'll get some pictures up.