Coming out of her shell

We've had so much fun lately.  Last week we took the Amtrak train to Ann Arbor and then spent the afternoon at the Children's Hand-on Museum.  We could have easily driven, but the train station is close by and once there it was only half a mile walk to the museum, and Emily LOVES trains, so it was a fun way to spend the day.  She was a little scared when it pulled into the station, but I think she adored being on a real train.  And it was a nice, albeit expensive way to avoid traffic and finding parking.

The museum was SO much fun.  I hadn't been since I was a kid and I barely remember it.  I knew she'd have a good time, but I really had no idea how much fun she would have, and Ryan and I had a great time too.  We only made it through the first floor and the toddler room on the mezzanine.  They offer a fantastic deal for a year membership, AND it covers grandparents so they can take her without us as many times as they want.  Since we still have three more floors to see, we got the membership.  I'm excited to go back.

By the time we got back to the train station to go home, we were all whipped.  Especially Ryan because he works nights, and we left a couple hours after he got home that morning so he didn't sleep all day.  We got there about an hour early and then I got a text saying the train was delayed an hour, so we had an almost two hour wait.  Then there was some confusion about there being another train coming in before ours, so long story short, we waited all that time, and then we almost missed our train because I thought it was the other one.  Thankfully we were sitting outside and heard them yell, last call for train 352.  Whew, I would have cried if after all that we missed our train.

The next day Emily and I met my friend and her two boys at the park so they could play, and we could chat.  I'm so proud of her.  We beat them there by a few minutes, so once I got her sunscreened-up, I told her she could go play, so she ran off and made a bee line for these three girls that were playing on the swings.  Once the boys got there they all played, but then we decided to head over to another playscape across the park, so as we were leaving one of the girls yelled out, bye Emily!  Oh momma is so proud, she made friends and they were sad to see her go.

When she was really little she beat other kids up, and then she went through a really shy stage, so I am thrilled to see her getting along with other kids and not being glued to my leg.  She can still be shy, but I wasVERY shy when I was young.  I don't want her to go through that.  Life will be so much easier for her if she's not so super super shy.  I am sure I would never have run over to 3 girls I didn't know to play when I was her age.  Then my friend's oldest was playing with a girl about his age (7) and the two of them were running and climbing all over the playscape, and Emily was running after them yelling wait up guys, hey guys, wait for me!  She did really well climbing up the "rock" pile, and I've noticed she's just much more open to playing on most everything now.  Before she used to shy away from certain parts of the playscapes, not wanting to go down most slides and kept wanting me to play with her and even climb up in the structure.  I don't think she even realized I was there half the time that day.

A couple days later we were playing in the front yard and the neighbor kids were out.  She gets along really good with Daphne next door, who is also 7.  It's nice because she takes Emily under her wing and kind of watches out for her and takes her by the hand to go play with certain things.  It's too bad they all go to private school, it would be nice if she had an older friend that she knows once she starts school.  But with the way schools are now, she likely wouldn't see her much anyway.  When I went to school it was K-6 at one school, 7 and 8 at another and then 9-12.  But in our city anyway, it's K-4, 5-6, 7-8, and 9-12.  So when she starts Kindergarten, even if Daphne went to that school, it would only be for the one year and then she would move on to the 5-6 building, and then they would never be at the same school together ever again.

Then the little boy across the street came over and he and Emily kicked these big foam dice around the yard for a while.  He's 5, so I think he is starting K this year, so he'll be in 2nd grade when she starts K.  So at least she'll have one friendly face in the school....that is if he goes to public school, I don't know.  I worry about this kid.  We notice he crosses the street a lot without looking, and he also rides his power wheels out into the street, crosses to come over to our side, and he'll go down one driveway and drive in the street and then go up another one.  Our street is residential, so 25mph, but most don't go that slow, and we live right near a curve.  Someone comes around that curve too fast while he happens to be crossing or in the road....I'm afraid to think of what could happen.

His parents are almost never outside with him.  I try really hard not to judge because parenting is so hard, and I don't want to be a helicopter parent, but I really don't think 5 is old enough to be playing out in the front yard by yourself, especially when you're a kid who doesn't do well with looking for cars before crossing the road.  I really do think Emily could be trusted to know better, but never say never, and I still wouldn't let her be in the front yard at 5 by herself for more than a couple minutes.  I am sure (I hope) they keep an eye on him from inside the house, but if the worst were to happen there is no way they could react and get outside in enough time to help him.  And I am sure they are not watching him much of the time or he wouldn't be crossing the road like he does.

So while they were playing, Emily ran in the backyard to get something, so he followed her to help her get it.  We've never formally met his parents, and she and him were in the backyard for a good 3-5 minutes.  Had they looked out their window right then, their son would have been nowhere to be found.  There is no way in hell Emily would get the opportunity to dissapear into someone's back yard of a family I have never even met.  They just had a baby girl a few months ago.  I'm starting to get rid of Emily's baby gear and clothes she has grown out of.  Maybe one of these days I'll go over there, introduce myself and see if she could use any of the clothes or gear.  I still don't know how to say to another mom "hey you're not watching your kid and he's going to get hit by a car one of these days", but if I at least formally meet her and maybe get to know her, maybe I can somehow bring it up.  Or at least feel better about him coming over and being in our yard and them not knowing.

So he was riding his little F150 power wheels the other day.  He's cruising down the street with his music on, his shades on....so cute, a little ladies man already.  The older girls next door would hitch a ride in the back now and then, and Emily said she wanted to ride.  I would have let her if he stayed on the sidewalk, but I wasn't about to let her ride with him when he goes out into the street.  I never thought I would be telling my daughter no to going for rides with boys because they are irresponsible drivers already.  She's only 3 for crying out loud, haha.

Speaking of power wheels, my dad got her one for his house last summer, used.  He got it out the other day but despite charging it, the battery is dead.  So yesterday she points at him and says you fix my car, ok?  I can't drive it!  Hahaha, she cracks me up.

Today we went and signed her up for summer dance class.  It's only a 5 week program, but it will be a good intro to dance, and if she likes it, we'll consider a 6 month program this fall.  I cannot wait to see my little ballerina in her leotard and ballet shoes!  We also need to get her signed up for swim lessons, and then next summer she will finally be old enough for the tennis program I do in the summer.  I say finally, but I've been looking forward to this since I found out they start little kids at 4....we weren't even married yet then, so it must have been at least 7 or 8 years ago.  To think all that time has passed, and she is almost the age that she can enroll, that's crazy!  I won't go all crazy sports mom, but I will confess, I will be a little crushed if she doesn't like tennis.  It's one of my favorite things in the world, and it would be so awesome if she genuinly enjoys is too.

We had dinner at the mall tonight, and before that we let her play for a bit in the indoor play area there.  The last time we were there was January I think....yeah because it was MLK day and I forgot kids would be off school and it was busy.  But that time, she wanted us to follow her around the whole time, if any kid tried to use anything she was playing on she would back off and let them do it.  I don't want her to be a bully but I also don't want her to get walked on.  But today she took off playing, I watched as another little girl came up to her and asked what her name is and she said I'm Emmy, and the other one said do you want to play with me and she said yeah!  Those two and another girl all took turns chasing each other around and playing.  Ugh, my heart was bursting.  My little girl is coming out of her shell!

Some of it could just be age, but I really think the daycare at the gym can take a lot of the credit.  We don't go as often as I'd like to, but most weeks we go at least once.  Being around other kids, and other adults that aren't us or the grandparents is so good for her I think.  She's really blossoming.  So happy we decided to join that gym.  Some people seem to think it's odd that we're only doing one year of pre-school for her.  Maybe if kindergarten were still half days, we would consider it.  But with K being all day now, I don't really see the need for two years of Pre-k.  Like I said, she's getting social interaction with other kids at the gym daycare, with dance coming up, the kids in the neighborhood, when she starts swim class, kids at the playground, my friends' kids, her cousins (who she'll see weekly once they're out of school) and tennis next summer.

Maybe if she were struggling with certain things like counting or ABC's or whatever, but I would say she is on track, if not a little ahead for her age.  I know kids like school in the early years, but pre-school starts the lifelong commitment of things she has to do.  First school, then a job, then school and a job, then college, then a career.....why not let her stay home one extra year before she starts all the has to's in life?  Besides, she won't be my baby forever, I'd like the extra year with her too.  

So we ditched the diapers at nap time about a month ago.  She has done really well, I think she's only had one or two days where she had an accident.  Some days remain "inconclusive" if she doesn't take a nap, but I think she's doing well.  I made her a chart and she gets a star sticker after every nap that she wakes up dry.  She still wears pull ups to bed but she gets a sticker for waking up with a dry diaper.  That has been less successful, so I think we may pull the diapers all together soon.  Like I suspected with the nap diapers, if she's got one on, she will be much more likely to go in it than if she didn't have it on.  And in case of accidents, as I suspect there will be many at first, that's why we have a washing machine, and why I make the bed with two layers of sheets and waterproof liners.

Her Nana was going to buy her one anyway since she's bought all of her granddaughter's one, but I told her when we can be done with diapers for good, she'll get to go pick out an American Girl doll.  I showed her the website and her face lit up.  I clicked on one that looked similar to her and she says, I want that one!  I said ok, well we're going to go to the store and you can look at them all and pick which one you like.  She said that one, I want that one!  I said well they have a lot to choose from, they have babies too, and when I brought a baby up she squealed and said that one, I want that one!  The girl knows what she wants.  A store just opened by us not long ago, but it's nothing like the Chicago one.  Maybe when she is a little older we'll take a girls' trip there and she and her doll can have tea and get her hair done and pick out new clothes.  Gosh I just love having a little girl.  I'd have loved a boy as well, or if Emmy had been more of a tomboy, but the little girl in me squeals with delight that she's so girly and we have so much fun together.