School, Tantrums, and Sanctinotaparents

Preschool is now just a couple of weeks away, so I've been going more than a little crazy trying to find cute school outfits and get things ready.  I'm hoping it also means blog activity will pick up with her making improvements and becoming more independent.

In terms of improvements over the summer, Lyric will now count fairly well from 1 - 10 on her own, and 1 - 20 with help.  She (sort of) sings her ABCs, and can point out or find all the letters if you ask her to correctly.  She will impersonate a dog, cat, or a chicken on command (no idea on that one, but I say it counts!).  She can point out different animals, too.  She's also fairly adept at naming and pointing out colors when asked.  This is a far cry from the toddler that we had at the beginning of the summer.  We can still only understand about 50% of what she says, but everything she says is always with deliberation, so it is more a matter of teaching her pronunciation as opposed to language.  Potty training is still hit or miss.  Sometimes she will tell us she needs to potty after she's already gone potty, sometimes she tells us she needs to and then doesn't go, and sometimes she tells us she needs to and goes.  We have yet to have a #2 on the potty, and have basically given up trying on that one.   She is doing a small amount better at listening to us in public situations as well - which brings me to another topic to address.

It's something I'm fairly certain everyone has seen at least once.  A child having a meltdown or tantrum in a public place.  Whether it's a baby being fussy in a restaurant, or a toddler crying over having to ride in the cart in a store, tantrums happen.  It's a fact.  What is not a fact, however, is that it's an incident that resulted from bad parenting.  It's also not a free pass for people to judge a parent just because their child happens to be melting down.  In the case of Autistic children, and children like Lyric who have issues with sensory processing, anything can cause a meltdown.  It can be something seemingly as small as a wrinkle in a sock.  It can happen at any moment, anywhere.  There are people of the opinion that it's as simple as "controlling your kid" or just "being consistent" with teaching them how to handle themselves in public.  Some of these people have kids, but the majority don't - and those who do have kids tend to be more sympathetic, purely out of the "been there, done that" perspective.

That perspective gets a whole new meaning when you have a child with special needs.  They don't always have the mental and emotional capacity to figure out the difference between acceptable and not acceptable in the heat of the moment.  Just because you have told them 100 times to not do something in public, doesn't mean they will retain that information when an aspect of their lives that seems minor to an outsider has been changed.  And I can guarantee you that out of everyone in the room at the time the meltdown occurs, the one who feels it the most is the parent.  It's embarrassing.  You feel exposed.  There's no question that people are judging you.  They make it abundantly clear, though generally never to your face.  You know that some will walk out of that place and say "Well if that were MY child..." or "They shouldn't even be in a place like this with a baby!"  In the mothering world, if they are a parent, some refer to them as "Sanctimommies/sanctidaddies."  I tend to call the childless ones "Sanctinotamommies/sanctinotadaddies."  They're the ones who are awesome parents without actually having any kids.  You might know a few.  Maybe it makes me judgmental myself, but just because you have a lot of experience around kids in the "baby sitting but I go home to my own personal space and can shower by myself with no worries" capacity, doesn't mean you know a damn thing about parenting. 

It's not always a choice for a parent to bring their child along to functions, especially if the child is special needs.  Baby sitters are expensive.  Explaining the special care necessary is time consuming.  Finding the appropriate care giver to handle that special care - someone you can trust - can prove to be near impossible.  Some children don't tolerate change.  In our case, we only have one car, so every errand and trip needs to be coordinated.  The needs of a household don't stop - you need groceries, cleaning products, car maintenance, etc. whether your child agrees or not.   And some of those judging are correct - child does need to learn.  But how is the child supposed to build the capacity to handle or function in a situation if they are not presented with that situational experience?  Should the parents of children in these situations just stay home, never go out when the kids are awake, and cram everything they need to do into the evening hours (if that is even an option)?  I'm not saying that every place, everywhere needs to be kid tolerant.  There are definitely places where it's not appropriate to take a child of any age.  I'm also not saying that there aren't parents out there who don't pay any attention to their kids and just let them run wild in stores and other places.

I am, however, saying that next time you see a child having a meltdown of some kind in public and you're judging the parent for not handling it how YOU think it should be handled - stuff it.  Try sympathy instead of animosity or contempt.  You don't know if there is more to it than meets the eye, and the last thing a parent needs is one more judgmental stare to let them feel like a failure.

Kids These Days Have It So Easy

This only tangentially has to do with Lyric, because she is both suffering for it and will likely be dealing with it when she is older, so I feel comfortable including it in this blog.  This is going to be a long entry, so buckle in for a ride.

It's an all too common phrase that a lot of the older generation say - "Kids these days have it so easy."  Apparently because we didn't have to walk uphill both ways to a one room school house in a blizzard with no shoes, we're all just lazy.  Since we have laptops, cell phones, TV at home, internet, etc. but we rent, instead of own - we must just not know how to budget, or prioritize our finances.  If we say something about not being able to find a job after graduating, we get told to just go door to door with our resume.  If we complain about being a broke student, we get told "Well I worked a 9 - 5 in the summer, and that paid for my schooling!"  Maybe they think that kind of "tough love" is necessary, or even encouraging - I don't know.  Maybe their hearts are in the right place, and the statements are motivated by the right idea, but the words just come out wrong.  Whatever the reason, it’s pretty simple to say that – just like the older generation – kids these days don’t have it that easy.  We just have a completely different set of problems to deal with that are foreign to ye olde whipper snappers.  I’m going to use my own family as an example as I attempt to explain it in lay man’s terms.

It’s no secret that “kids these days” are going to college.  It also shouldn’t be a secret that the budget for a moderate college education hovers around $22,500 per year.  (When Lyric attends, that price tag will be around $59,600 per year – give or take a few thousand.)  Working a minimum wage job – full time – only earns about $15,080 per year before taxes.  This means AT MINIMUM (ie – if no taxes, insurances, etc are taken from the check) there is a $7,420 shortage between costs of college and earned wages if a person is working 40 hours a week.  Making up for this with loans means that the least amount of loans would be almost $30,000.  This, however, is just assuming averages.  

In our case, average didn’t happen.  I managed to get my first associates with no debt, thanks to a combination of scholarships, generous parents, and grants.  I chose to transfer to a 4 year institution and major in International Relations at a “prestigious” level.  I hated it.  A lot.  I never fit in because I was a transfer.  The way the courses were laid out was much different than what I was used to.  I realized it wasn’t what I wanted to do with my life.  So I changed majors, hoping that getting out of the “exclusive” school would make things better.  It didn’t.  Then the college decided to raise tuition to a point where it just wasn’t feasible to attend anymore.  Not to mention the fact that this particular school was NOT working student friendly.  Very few of the courses were available at hours that worked with a schedule that most jobs could offer.  There were also no courses available online.  I had to work to make ends meet.  So I left that school, and started working on another associates degree at the local community college.  It was a lot easier there to make the schedule work with MY needs, and the tuition was much cheaper, but I still needed loans to get by because the jobs my husband and I were working didn’t pay enough to make ends meet.  

One finished associates and a child later, I decided to do an additional year of courses at yet another university so that I could have that all important, much harped upon Bachelor’s Degree.  Partway through that year, I got laid off from the job I had at the time.  Bring on more loans, because unemployment wasn’t enough to pay the bills.  At this point, my husband was no longer working, because daycare for our child would cost more than any job he got could pay.  We had also sold our 2^nd car when we really needed extra money, and 2 employed people sharing a car just doesn’t really work in America.  I ended up not finishing that Bachelor’s Degree because after 7 years of school and loans, I got burned out.  I just could not balance classes, work, a child, and home life anymore.  Am I proud of it?  Nope.  But it happens, and I am a better person for realizing that I just could not deal with it anymore.  So I am left 2 classes short of a degree at one school, and 15 credits short of one at another, with 2 degrees completed, and some $95,000 in student loan debt just for me.  And I know that my story isn’t all that uncommon, either.

So what does this mean in terms of the “kids these days” for me?  Well it means that despite having 2 jobs that pay well, we barely clear expenses each month.  We’re actually still catching up from the time when we didn’t have this second income.  Some months we DON’T clear expenses, so we have to sell possessions (2^nd car, books, DVDs, baby items, etc).  The wardrobe I carefully built for Lyric over the years has been reduced to a few favorite items, because all of the other clothes became quick money makers when we needed groceries.  We’ve borrowed or asked for money more than once when we didn’t have anything that would sell quickly.  We’re familiar with all of the local store policies pertaining to used items.  When I browse the local thrift store on half off day for clothes for Lyric, who grows like a weed, I’m not just looking for things that are cute – I’m looking for things that I know will sell well later.  

Family vacations, or fun activities like soccer or dance aren’t something she will be able to do, because we can’t afford it.  If we run out of money before all the bills are paid, we have to decide what is more important – paying this credit card, or eating/paying the water/lights/gas bill.  My student loan payments – JUST mine – total around $500 a month.  This is after consolidating my federal loans, and attempting to consolidate private.  Hilariously, I couldn’t consolidate my private into a more manageable payment because my credit is a mess.  Wonder why that is?  I actually find myself hoping that she doesn’t improve too much in terms of speech or sensory issues, because if she does – she will no longer qualify for free preschool, and we can’t afford to pay for school for her.  Buying a house?  Forget it, not happening anytime soon.  Savings account?  What are those?  I’ve never had one.  The laptop I have is for school and work, as well as the internet.  Our cellphones are something we're blessed to not have to pay for at this point, but likely will have to in the near future, and they're our only phones.  We have no land line.  Unless we want to file for bankruptcy (which we don't have the $1500 to do anyway), there are no other bills that we can cut out or cut back on.

The fact is that when you’re one of the “kids these days” odds are high you’re working a job that barely pays the bills, if you can even FIND a job.  You’re likely working without health insurance, hoping that none of the horrible, infectious illnesses that people bring to work make their way into your lungs.  You’re likely constantly robbing one bill to pay another, so you can keep the heat on, or food (which is sometimes a luxury) in your stomach.  You are usually absolutely, unequivocally one accident away from being one of those horrible “moochers” that the older generation talks about – y’know, those lazy people who need food stamps or housing assistance to get by.  Because lord knows I always loved getting the side eye from people if I happened to not successfully hide the fact that at one point I was paying for my groceries with a Bridge Card.  

Are there lazy people out there who mooch off the system?  Sure there are.  There always will be.  But for every lazy schmuck, I guarantee there are at least 3 people who busted their asses to get where they are, and either fell on hard times, or were unable to claw their way from the bottom because they’re stuck working for minimum wage since every job in their field “requires experience.”  Never mind the fact that you need a job in the field to GET that experience.  The fact is that kids these days really DON’T have it easy.  That whole “buy a house and make a living” American dream really is just a dream for most of us.  A completely unattainable one.  I could continue to go on, and on, and on…but I’ve taken up enough of your time (if you’re even still reading) already.  The short summary of this is that kids these days really don’t want to hear about how they’re “kids these days.”  If you're not going to consider the fact that we struggle with just as much as you feel you did at our age, then shut up and stuff those opinions where the sun don't shine.

UPDATE TO ADD: There are some members of the older generation of which I speak that do understand how crappy it is to be in this situation.  The vast majority of them are people who were in my classes at school.  They had to do the loan dance, and go through all the motions of financial aid to take classes that were essentially useless for a piece of paper that likely got them about as far as everyone else.  Now they're also stuck making payments, or hardly clearing expenses, for a degree that opened a door about the size of the one on Barbie's Dream House.  They definitely feel our pain, and I neglected to remember that. 

Adventures in Potty Training

Potty training is a bit of a four letter word to the parents of toddlers.  It can be an elephant in the room, depending on the age of the child.  It's one of the many, many things that people get judgmental about.  It can also be the source of a lot of frustration, and a lot of headaches.  Well meaning relatives and friends will offer "tips" and "advice," thinking that it will be encouraging - when in truth it's just another slap in the face that your child isn't "up to par" when it comes to their standards.  Even our pediatrician was less than kind about the fact that we showed up to a 3 year well check in a diaper. 

Like every other development, potty training is something that kids will do at their own pace.  Some can be fully trained at 18 months old.  Others don't train until 4 years old.  It seems to be a universal sign of failure, though, if a child isn't at least starting to potty train right around when they turn 3.  You can explain that it's difficult because of a speech delay, but a lot of people just don't seem to get that if a kid doesn't even say the word "Yes" yet, that odds are high potty training is not going to be something they will be doing anytime soon.  While they might comprehend what you're asking them, not being able to answer means that the communication just isn't there - and communication is a key element when it comes to getting a child to pee on the pot.  This makes the fact that children who are speech delayed potty train later than their "normal" peers make sense.

The sad fact is, those two long winded paragraphs will still read as excuses to the sanctimommies out there whose perfect kids had potty training down in a few days before they turned 3.  There are also the people who say they understand to your face, but behind your back they talk to others about how "I will never let my kid not train before 3."  It is, however, the reason why we are just now starting with potty training Lyric.  We're not starting because the pediatrician told us to, or because someone younger than her is trained, or because I just decided it was time and she would just have to suck it up.  We're starting because she decided it was time, which is an impressive testament to the progress that she has made over the past month or so.

The first time we tried potty training with Lyric, it was Thanksgiving of 2012.  She was 2.5 years old.  We put her in underwear, brought out the potty, explained what she needed to do, and waited.  She peed on the living room carpet.  And the couch.  And the chair.  And that is when I decided she really wasn't ready to get started.  We tried again for a short time around Christmas, and got much the same in terms of results, so the idea of potty training her was put out of our minds for a long time.  Memorial Day weekend I decided to try again, because I had the extra day off to work with her.  I took out the potty, she took one look at it, and promptly said "No potty." and kicked it across the room.  I didn't even try underwear that weekend.  I just put the potty away and continued to wait.  A lot of parents would probably judge the "caving" to her doing that, but it needs to be understood that sensory processing issues (even ones that are minor, like Lyric's) generally always come with a child who has an absolute iron will.  Laying down the law, in this case, would have gotten us nowhere.  I had vague thoughts of trying again over the Independence Day weekend, because I took a day off so that I would have 4 days to my weekend.

July 4th rolled around, and I did nothing.  July 5th was the same story - mostly because I had totally forgotten that I was going to try to potty train over the long weekend, and had instead become absorbed in cleaning the house up.  So you can imagine my surprise when, on July 6th, Lyric joined me in the bathroom.  Now, a toddler barging in to the bathroom while a parent is using it is no cause for alarm or surprise, really.  It's just a normal, daily occurrence.  On this day, however, I decided "Why not?" and asked Lyric if she wanted to potty, too.  I about fell off the pot when she said she did.  So I got out her potty, cleaned it off, and had her sit down.  If I thought I was surprised before, nothing prepared me for the fact that when she stood up there was actually something there.  And not just a few drops, either.  She asked for paper to wipe, which I had to teach her how to do.  Then she tossed it in the toilet, flushed it, washed her hands, and went on her way.  After I came to from the shock, I got out some "big girl" underwear and gave it a shot.   

I would be lying if I said there were no accidents and she just got it.  We kept our spray mop armed at the ready with bleach water to mop up the puddles.  There weren't many puddles though, because it didn't take her long to realize that if she started to pee, she needed to run to the potty or ask us to use it.  I would also be lying if I said there weren't any times where she said she needed to potty, sat down, and nothing came out.  I'm pretty sure it's because she gets Sour Patch Kids when she actually does go, so she's hoping that she'll get a few for trying, too (she doesn't). 

In just a few short days we have gone from 100% diapers, to diapers only overnight and when she takes a nap.  It's both quick and slow progress.  I know it's something we're going to have to work on for a few weeks, because while she gets concepts down very quickly - introducing new ones, like recognizing the need to get up in the middle of the night to go potty take longer for her.  If she's still in diapers overnight a month from now, oh well.  That doesn't negate the fact that we're still moving forward, and that slowly but surely she is catching up to her peers.

Other Awesome Things

In addition to being lively and more talkative, Lyric has recently been drawing more 'recognizable' things.  Yesterday we were doodling on her dry erase easel, and she drew a head with eyes, a nose, a neck, and she (sort of) added hair.  I was a little surprised, because usually the name of her game is to just excitedly scribble.  She asked me to erase it, so I did - after I took a picture with my phone.  She then drew what looked exactly like a balloon, and called it a balloon - but when I went to take a picture, she started scribbling next to it.  It was actually somewhat exciting because she's never really taken much of an interest in drawing actual objects before.  I think she just likes to see the scribbles come out onto the board. 

 The Balloon (plus scribbles)

 Trying to scribble while I take a picture

The face.  I think she was trying to do hair and add a mouth in one fell swoop.  Didn't quite work out.  

After she finished doodling, she was saying random letters, so I started drawing the ones she was saying on the white board.  She was able to identify A, E, I, O, and U.  She also was able to identify the numbers 1 - 10.  She can identify and draw the letter L, which is important given her name.  I know it doesn't seem like much, especially to those who have kids her age that are on a normal level - but the amount she has advanced in the past month never ceases to amaze me.  I'm so excited for her to start preschool, because I really think she is going to be like a little sponge and soak everything in really quickly.  It doesn't take her long to learn things when you show them to her.  I think her progress will be quick.

And as I was typing this, Travis called and let her have the phone on her ear and she said "Hi mommy, I love you."  Day. made.

Birthdays and Parameters

Lyric's 3rd birthday party was on June 8th.  I would like to say it was a huge success - but I'm biased.  The theme was Pocoyo, and this year we had it in our back yard instead of going to a local park.  She got so many awesome gifts, including a new pool, an 8 in 1 play structure for the yard, a personalized outfit, and a Doc McStuffins doctor kit (which she carries everywhere like I carry my purse).  There were other kids there to play with, and I think overall everyone enjoyed themselves.

On to the more exciting news.  Lyric has had a bit of a language explosion.  In the past few weeks we have noticed a huge change in her expressing herself.  If we ask her a yes or no question, she answers appropriately.  If she wants something else on TV, she tells us what she wants.  If she wants a certain food to eat, she will say it by name, or at least say "That one!" when we hold it up.  She says "Yay! I did it!" or "Yay! We did it!" when certain tasks are accomplished.  She asked me once if I was going potty when she came into the bathroom with me.  If she wants Travis to come lay in bed with her, she will ask Dada to go night-night.  The best part of it is now she also randomly runs up to us, hugs us, and says "I love you."  We're able to have more and more conversations with her, and more and more things are going from being in "Lyricese" to being understandable.  She still has a long way to go, but it looks like she may have already met one of her IEP goals already.

I e-mailed her coordinators to find out what the parameters are for considering the goal met.  They will be evaluating her once the school year starts so they have an idea of where she is at, because the vocabulary and setting are different in school than they are at home.  I'm a little worried that because the people and the school will be new that she will be shy, and not as vocal as she is at home where she is comfortable - but I know they will be watching her on a daily basis, so if that happens she should get more vocal as she gets more comfortable.  It's a small light at the end of the tunnel, and I am encouraged that maybe - just maybe - we might even be able to address potty training soon.  I have a 4 day weekend coming up in July.  I might try again then.  We will see.

 

The party set up before people started arriving

 Checking Uncle Chris' blood pressure

 Pocoyo cake!

 

 The Odd Couple out for a drive

  

 Presents!

 

  Making use of the new toys

On Gender Roles

Once in a while at my work, we have what we call "Mommy Lunch."  Ladies who had babies around the same time all get together to talk about their kids and how things are going, because it's nice to have that kind of support.  Today's lunch gave me a chance to finally feel like we're doing something right in terms of raising Lyric.  I know that most people tell us we're doing great, and they're proud, and all that - but that doesn't stop the rising guilt you can sometimes feel as a parent.  That guilt where you read about the kid who eats all organic food with fruits and veggies, while your kid snarfs down nuggets from a certain red and yellow themed drive thru.  The reality is that as a parent you're doing fine - but it doesn't always feel that way.

Today, however, was different.  Three of the women at the lunch, including myself, have little girls.  One has a little boy.  The subject of dolls and playing "mommy" came up at some point, and the other women who had girls were talking about how their daughters are so in to princesses, pink, playing with dolls, and other things that tend to be labeled as "girly."  On the other end of the spectrum, the mother with the boy talked about how everything was basketball, baseball, and golf for her.  Then there was me.

Since we found out I was pregnant, and especially since finding out we were having a girl, we made the conscious decision to not force our children into the prescribed gender role that society puts on children.  Both of us felt that it was extremely important to give our child a balanced amount of "girly" and "boyish" toys to foster a well rounded development.  This way they would feel less pressure to be a "princess" or a "man's man."  Due to this fact, Lyric has a wide variety of toys.  She has a play kitchen, she has a doll house, she has Batman toys, she has Ironman toys.  She has a basketball hoop, a t-ball set, and a little dollar store golf club and golf ball.  She has stuffed animals and baby dolls - she even has a few Chelsea (young Barbie) dolls, and a tea set.  She also has Buzz Lightyear, and Woody toys - as well as a Woody costume.  Her clothes are a variety of colors - nothing overly pink and girly.  We actually recently purchased her a Punisher (the superhero, not the wrestler or monster truck) t-shirt from the thrift store.  She's always had Spiderman, Superman, and Toy Story in her wardrobe.  We have plans to get her a toy tool bench with toy tools, as well as Brio building sets when she gets older.  She plays with Duplo, and when she gets older she will have Lego - and not necessarily the pink Lego that people think need to exist for some asinine reason.  We don't really do Disney Princess, unless it is Rapunzel or Merida - because they are stronger role models than the traditional ones.  However, we've never discouraged her from playing with or picking out any toy or clothing item either, regardless of what aisle in the store it comes from.

I think that we're different than a lot of parents in that respect.  Travis wouldn't get in a panic if we'd had a boy and he was in pink, or playing with a doll.  Similarly, I love it when Lyric plays with her superhero toys, or wants  to build instead of nurturing a doll, or playing with her doll house.  So when the topic came up, I felt a really great sense of pride when I was able to say that Lyric does both.  She mothers dolls.  She plays basketball.  She paints and colors.  She cooks in her play kitchen.  She dresses up as Woody, takes Batman for a ride in her pink doll car, and she loves anything to do with Toy Story or Phineas and Ferb (which, by the way, Travis and I both firmly believe neither of these things are just for boys - so it is incredibly frustrating that all of the clothing and toys associated with it are blatantly labeled for boys.  They're for everyone, damnit).  She likes to run around in a Superman cape, but her favorite clothing item is a dress.

To be clear, I don't judge people who don't do it like us.  Every parenting style is different, and every child is different.  I'm just proud that I can say that my daughter enjoys just being her and doing her own thing, and I really hope that it continues to be this way.  It's always been something that was important to us as parents.  If she wants to be rough and tumble and play with dirt, frogs, and boogers - that's great.  If she wants to have tea parties, and play with dolls - that's fine, too.  As long as she doesn't feel the pressure to only be the Barbie loving, tea party giving girlie girl that people expect girls to be, then I know I have done something right.

Excited to have a Tumbler for her birthday

Batman with attitude

 Want some soup?

This is where my dolls live.

Batman is FABULOUS!

Every time she puts these on, without fail, she starts growling(Green Lantern for the superhero impaired)

Mothering her Monkey-Monk-Monk in her favorite item of clothing

She LOVED this princess car that was a first birthday gift

"Buzz" and "Woody" were 2 of her first words

Spiderkid, Spiderkid...

Even when she was a baby, we had these around

Hitting the ball like a boss

IEP Again

Tuesday morning was Lyric's IEP meeting for preschool.  It was a little on the bittersweet side, because it's really not something I wanted to happen - but I left feeling excited regardless.  There were 6 other people in the room apart from me.  Her current speech therapist, her current coordinator, her current occupational therapist, her future speech therapist, her future coordinator/teacher, and her future occupational therapist.  I didn't know it was going to be so many people - it felt a bit like a council of elders.  It was nice to see so many come together for the specific purpose of talking about Lyric though. 

It went pretty much as expected.  They went over her strengths and what she enjoys doing, like putting together puzzles and playing matching games.  Then they went over what needs to be worked on, and we came up with two goals for Lyric to meet by the end of the school year next year.  The first is that she will verbally express wants, needs, and requests both spontaneously and in a structured setting 3 out of 5 times.  The second is that she will follow two step directions both spontaneously and in a structured setting 3 out of 5 times.  She will be getting individual speech therapy while at school for (I think) 30 minutes per session, a few times a week.  If it seems to us that she has met these goals before the end of the year, we will meet to create another IEP, if necessary.

Her sensory needs are going to be addressed in the classroom as part of her education, rather than pulling her out to work on that on an individual basis because she has come so far on those in the past year.  The occupational therapist will basically see her once a month for 15 minutes just to make sure that nothing has gotten worse, and that she isn't regressing.  Since she has gone from not wanting to touch dirt at all, to being able to play in it, it seems like MAYBE they will become less of a concern.  There are still a few things that could potentially be worked on, so I am glad that it's not something that will just be written off, either.

Her preschool start date is September 3rd.  There was no point in getting her started now, as they only had 12 days of school left.  We just had to put something down on paper before she turned 3, essentially.  So we're officially done with home visits, and moved on into the next portion of the program.  She turns 3 on Sunday.  I'm sure I'll spend most of the weekend wondering where my baby went.