Kindergarten
Mood:  happy
Topic: Lauren

Now that one full month has passed since the beginning of kindergarten, I am pleased to say Lauren is absolutely loving it!

Sure, she had her moments the first week when she said she didn't want to go, but then I heard all the new kindergarteners were saying the same thing, so I wasn't too worried. And sure, there were a few bumps in the road like the day when the kids at her table told her she didn't belong in the class and the day one of the kids on the bus said she didn't like Lauren because of the red mark on her face (a birthmark - strawberry hemangioma - which has actually faded quite a bit), but we dealt with those. Other than that it has gone well. 

I get the typical "I don't know" when I ask what she did in school or what her favorite thing that happened was, but every once in a while she'll relate a cute story. They've had gym class and music class. They've gone to the library and checked out books. They've even had their first birthday party already! Lauren has enjoyed it all.

I have to say though that the first day is still the best when even before she got off the bus she was smiling and excitedly said "Mom, I made a new friend today!"

Tuesdays With Lauren
Mood:  crushed out
Topic: Lauren

Lauren: You know what Mom?

Me: What?

Lauren: Tuesdays are my favorite day because you get to walk me to the bus stop instead of Dad.

Me: Me too!

Finally!
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: Yours Truly

I finally have a diagnosis. It started with a gyro, then I had to endure this and this and this, which was followed by wondering what was next. It has finally ended with...the gallbladder. It seems my gallbladder is having a tough time emptying. Thanks to a nifty little test called the HIDA scan which measures the rate at which a gallbladder empties, I now know that my gallbladder is rating a low 7.8% instead of the normal 35% or above. That little baby is coming out!

El Primer Dia De La Clase De Espa?ol
Mood:  on fire
Topic: Lauren
Lauren had her first day of Spanish class today. Lauren's elementary school has Spanish class for anyone interested. It meets an hour before school starts and they even subsidize it. Tony was not happy with having to get up an hour earlier and neither was Lauren for that matter (Tony said she just couldn't understand why she had to get up so early), but they made it over there. I was expecting Lauren to say she couldn't understand anything the teacher said, but this kid never ceases to prove me wrong. When I asked her how it went, Lauren said "I already knew everything."

The First Day Of School
Mood:  celebratory
Topic: Lauren

Well, today was the day. The first day of Kindergarten. The bus stop was full of energy - excitement among the "old hats" and nervousness among the newbies.  Myself, I managed to keep the emotions in check, even when I hugged her and choked out "Have a great first day!".

Earlier in the week, I had joked with Tony about following the bus to school to watch Lauren get off, but completely forgot the idea this morning. However, the last of my errands during school hours brought me past the school right when it was getting out, so I just couldn't help but swing in to watch the little kids walking to the bus ;-) It was so cute...those little kids with their too big backpacks on their backs, banging the backs of their knees as they walked. Awwww! What was NOT cute though, was the fact that Lauren was not in the line. I watched until the bus left and I never saw Lauren get on. I figured maybe I had missed her somehow when I had turned the car around so I headed home to meet the bus. When I arrived home, I confessed to Tony what I had done and how I hadn't seen Lauren get on the bus. He laughed at me a bit - until the call came. It was Lauren's teacher calling to say the bus was going to be a bit late because the driver had left before all the kids could get on. I immediately imagined a forever scarred little girl who would never want to go to school on the bus again.

No Muss No Fuss
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: Lauren

Since Lauren's birthday last year wasn't all that exciting for her, this year we decided to have the family celebration on her birthday and a party for the kids on Saturday. Truth be told, we didn't decide anything - Lauren decided for us. She had been talking about a birthday party since before preschool ended and assumed that that is what happens on one's big day. We couldn't really tell her no once we found out that all along she had been inviting her friends to a birthday party.

 So we plopped down the money and had a party at the local health club. Let me tell you, from now on I think we'll be having birthday parties like this one! They did everything. They provided the room, the paper products, and the goodie bags. They entertained the kids, set up and served the cake. And they did all the clean up! All we had to do was show up and enjoy. It received Lauren's seal of approval as well.

 Now that's my kind of party.

Happy Birthday Baby!
Mood:  crushed out
Topic: Lauren

At 6:32pm this evening, my one and only will turn 5. FIVE!!! She starts kindergarten this year! I look at her and cannot believe what a beautiful, happy, warm, and caring little person I have. She is everything to me and I love her with all my heart!

Love and Happy Birthday Lauren!!!! You'll always be my baby :-)

Versatility
Mood:  silly
Topic: Lauren
From the get-go I wanted Lauren to be bi-lingual and we've made a good start on it through taking her to bi-lingual storytime at the library, reading Spanish books, and me speaking Spanish to her (as much as I can remember - it's been a long time!). She has always been interested to hear others speaking a foreign language and would always pipe up with "their speaking Spanish" no matter the language they were actually speaking.

Tony wanted Lauren to be ambidextrous and we've made good progress with this as well. She can write and draw with either hand. She can handle utensils with either hand. She can throw a ball and generally do anything with either hand. While she usually favors using the left, she does much better with the right. So, we keep having her change it up every so often.

You know, I never would have thought these two things would come together in any fashion, but they have. While eating dinner last night, Lauren proceeded to ask her right-handed grandmother if she could "eat in a foreign language".

Eyes On The Road
Mood:  silly
Topic: Lauren
First there was this little gem, then this one, and now there's this latest edition.

As we were driving down the highway, Lauren said, "You should be careful driving or you might get in an accident with me in the car. Then I could get bumps, bruises, or lacerations." Where in the world? Well, I know where the accident with her in the car part came from...Tony and Lauren came down to meet me at work yesterday so we could go visit the new library. As we were walking back to my office, Lauren asked if she could ride home with me. Since I was feeling a little lightheaded, I said she should ride with Tony and when she asked why, I told her if I got in an accident, I didn't want her in the car with me because she might get hurt. But lacerations? I have no idea where she hears some of this stuff.

The Medical Procedure Checklist
Mood:  not sure
Topic: Yours Truly
Blood tests - check.
Stress test - check.
CT scan - check.
Thyroid ultrasound - check.
Thyroid biopsy - check.

and last (well, maybe not last) but not least, endoscopy - check.

It really wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be. The drug they give you to relax you is actually very nice and I received an extra little bump of that because I gagged upon scope entry. I have to say I'm a bit diappointed in the outcome though. I was hoping they would discover an ulcer or a hiatal hernia just so they could fix whatever this is. No such luck. They found polyps instead - many of them. The dr said they look like fundic gland polyps which, thankfully, are benign 99% of the time. We'll know in 10 - 14 days.

I wonder what's next.