Camp: week 1

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO PAUL TODAY! We are glad you were born J

 

Anna’s first week at camp (mornings, M-Th) was really great. She loved it! It was “critter camp” where they learned about animals and reptiles and things at the University of Houston Clear Lake campus. On her first day, though, she was NOT excited about having to go back to “school” for the afternoon session. In fact when I picked her up from camp and told her where we were headed, she stopped in her tracks in the UHCL building and internally threatened a 4-yr-old-type tantrum if I dared take this any further. I sat wondering: bribe? Threats? Pick her up and carry her out kicking and screaming? (yes, that’s MY kid. She’s not USUALLY one of those. Honest!)…Ultimately I got her to move with threats. Later, explanations about the schedule and why she should obey it. And more threats.

 

When she’s at school in the afteroon, it’s with her same teacher with her same friends (a few new ones), and as it turns out the classroom has moved to one that has a pet chinchilla. Of course, that was a big hit! On Tuesday afternoon she was home between me and Paul, then to the Valeo PT Astros game that night, and on Wednesday afternoon she went to play at one of her little friend’s house for the entire afternoon I was at work! She was so tired she and her friend actually passed out for a nap on her friend’s bed! MY CHILD? Unheard of! She spent Thursday afternoon at the clinic, then gymnastics, and on Friday morning she was at school (water play day!) in the morning, and with TJ and the kids swimming at a client’s/friend’s house in their beautiful pool on Clear Lake! They even own a pet duck that wears a diaper around the house so yeah, Anna had a blast. Topped that evening with dinner with TJ and family, and whew, what a week! On Saturday, a friend from her school came to swim for a little while in our backyard, and on Sunday we went to M’s dance recital (who did a GREAT JOB!!).

 

Hello? I’d say this kid had a pretty great week of summer!!! Except for the Astros game, we did our best to keep to her sleep schedule by 8:30 max nightly. This kid needs 12 hours of sleep, for real. The night of the Astros game, she had a major nightmare that we heard all about the next day, that consisted of Cat Monsters. The next night she and I had lengthy discussions at bedtime about the existence monsters and how she is safe in our house and that everyone has bad dreams, and different things can cause bad dreams. When I told her that she’d stayed up too late for the baseball game, and that may have been a cause of her bad dream, she declared: “No more baseball games for me, then!”

 

I knew the bad dream and scared at night thing would come eventually. This little girl was obviously so scared in her bed even as I lay next to her! She was stiff as a board, looking off in every direction, asking about every sound. We’re working on bravery and what’s pretend vs real and it’s a fine, delicate line. Hey, we all get scared as kids. Some more than others. This is one area I feel that you have to kinda be careful about how you approach it because I feel like it could impact her reaction to all things in the future that may be potentially fearful. Not like I have the answers or anything. In the end, with respect to things that go bump in the night, I do believe that we fear that which we don’t understand (oh, also fortunately we do fear things we do understand, like serial killers, but that’s basic instinct and survival ;) HA!).

 

Anyway, we’re on week 2 of camp: Kids’ Chemistry. This morning when I picked her up, she could tell me the difference between a solid and a liquid and she came back with a jar full of good-smelling bath salts they made. She LOVED this class! She said they even made the classic volcano with paking powder and vinegar. Sounds like a great first day to me J She didn’t cry there at pick up but gave me some grief at school during drop off. Her teacher is out of town this week, and the sub, Ms. D, is AWESOME. She lets no child in that class get away with any crap; her discipline is right on. I SO wish Ms. A could learn from that! No matter, this makes me feel more at ease this week with Anna being there. Then just two more weeks of part time there until school starts again in the fall.

 

One last thing, Anna has become a rude little booger. We are working hard on her manners. It seems she can’t find them lately.