Last Day of School

I love Maggie's school. I love her classmates, the art easl, the playhouse and dress-ups.  I love the trampoline, the play dough table, and how there are like 8 different types of tiny chairs. I love the huge sensory bins of rice and beans and that they play with bubbles and shaving cream and finger paints.  I love that Maggie comes home singing new songs and telling stories of where she and Lori have gone on a walk. I love the books she comes home with every week that have been lovingly brailled and texturized so that she can experience the pictures. 

I love love LOVE her teachers. I cannot say enough good things about these wonderful women. They've provided Maggie with such a loving, supportive, structured, fun experience.  She loves school.   Maggie made leaps and bounds this year in so many areas!  She willingly touches almost anything for at least a little bit. She likes play dough, and dressing up, and painting, and playing in shaving cream.  She allows other kids in her class take her hand and lead her to the next activity.  She wants to be near them.  Not necessarily play with them, but she enjoys having other kids next to her.  That's monumental!! She's still not great at sharing, but most preschoolers aren't so that doesn't worry me. 

Her last days of school were full of lots of bitter and not so much sweet. We tell her when changes are coming to our normal routine so that she can prepare herself and hopefully transition better.  So she had known for about a while that school was coming to an end. I don't know how well she understood until it happened, but she knew the idea.  I was dreading having to spend all day every day with her again. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my daughter, but sometimes I don't want to take her to the store, or have her "help" me do the dishes or listen to her talk about Easter eggs all day. 

She was pretty frustrated when she realized that the last day of school meant she wasn't coming back for a couple months. I was frustrated. But that didn't stop her from having a great last few weeks.  She went the last month or so without any tantrums. Again, unheard of awesomeness! Maggie transitioned willingly and was much better at following directions. Our last day of Braille class we were able to stay after for a bit and just chat with Laura.

As per usual, Maggie spent most of the time spinning in circles on the dirt surrounding this tree.

Which she would sometimes stop to bonk her head on. Apparently that's a fun thing to do.  Weirdo.

 But she is just so happy when she gets her way. How can I say no to her desire to sprinkle dirt, rocks, and sand everywhere? I can't. It leads to lots of scrubbing it all off in the bath.

 We had to say "Have a great summer!" to Laura first.  Maggie really loves learning Braille.  She can tell you the dots of all the letters in the alphabet.  Now we're working on her knowing them by feel.   Laura is a very attentive TVI and a great friend.  Lucky for her boyfriend she was also able to get her baby fix every so often via Brooks.  He flirts with Laura to no end, always smiling at her.

Then the last day with the whole class they enjoyed an ice cream social!  Maggie is such a beautiful girl. I love her. Side note: If you're wondering why she usually has braids in her hair its because she insists on them.  She loves the feel, and we get some good one on one time together talking and singing as I braid her gorgeous hair. It's fun for both of us.

This is Patty. She's also visually impaired and she is SO sweet. She's a year older than Maggie and they had Braille class together. They get along very well. We'll miss her when she goes off to Kindergarten.

And Ella and her sister Jenna. Ella and Maggie were in a little play group together last summer trying to help adjust them both to a classroom.

Maggie loved the ice cream.  So I'm sitting sideways on this bench holding Brooks in my left arm against the table trying to convince Maggie to let me help her eat the ice cream so she only makes a smallish mess. Brooks proceeds to grab someone else's ice cream off the table and fling it over all of us. 

It's a very different experience having a sighted child after having Maggie. I never had to worry about keeping things out of her reach because she didn't know it was there.  Well, we'll figure it out eventually.  Until then, life is a happy mess. 

And it turns out I can handle two kids around all the time. Even if it means I only find time to shower every few days. Don't judge.