We are done with diapers!!!!!!
Even as I write those words, I still can't believe its true.
Done
with
d i a p e r s.
We disassembled the changing tables that crowded our family room and bedroom.
And we toasted.
I never thought this day would come.
Now, just because we are done with diapers, doesn't mean we are done with dealing with poop. In fact, I'm convinced that it might even be easier to change three diapers than supervise three potty training boys in a public restroom.
And it's definitely better than changing totally soiled underwear.
Accidents do happen---a lot; but, I fully expect that.
However, we are not going back.
After a particularly hard potty training day, John told me that he thought James wasn't ready yet.
"Nope," I declared, "we are done with diapers. We are never going back. He's going to have to figure it out."
Each day gets better. I'm just so glad we decided not to get the new carpet right after we moved into the house.
And, every person has an audience, whether they want one or not. Each attempt on the potty includes at least two or three curious spectators, eagerly awaiting to see what was deposited in the pot.
The nightly potty ritual is brutal. Just when you think you are at the end of bedtime routine, someone has to use the potty, which suddenly reminds everyone that they too need to go. 😫😫😫
This is another exhausting stage of growing up; but, we are trending in the right direction.
Sometimes I get lost in the routine of everyday life. The drive to and from preschool is so programmed in me, I don't even know how I arrive sometimes.
One day passes into the next, and as I pull up to preschool to pick up Evie, I can hear the sounds of laughter from the children playing on the playground. There is always a cluster of giggling, pink clad girls nestled into the single tire swing.
One little girl is pushing with all her might, trying with every ounce of her little body to give everyone else a thrill ride. Heads tilted back, looking at the spinning sky without a care in the world, there is so much laughter I think sometimes they have trouble catching a breath.
There have been so many carefree days under the oak trees that line the preschool playground.
If those trees could talk, they would tell of the drama and joy surrounding the tire swing each day.
Sometimes in the car ride home after school I hear of the tire swing drama. "Kailyn is the best pusher, but she spun it too fast."
" Molly got sick"
"Sydney fell off"
"Lucy and Mila bumped heads but they got an ice pack."
"The teacher said we were swinging too high"
"I wanted to go faster..."
" We were spinning so fast we couldn't stop laughing..."
As I pulled up to school the other day and spied the girls under the blossoming oak tree, I suddenly felt a type of sadness in my heart. This innocence, this childhood world of playing together as a preschooler is coming quickly to an end.
Her friends, all the kids in her class, will scatter to different places next year for kindergarten.
Evie is so happy, laughing with her friends. The playground, the world, is still a simple, happy place.
The cliques, bad words, the things they shouldn't know, they are still protected from all that. Elementary school is an introduction to that all. Little by little the real world will seep in.
My heart sinks when I think about it.
I know it's a part of life, but I want to hang on to her innocence and simplicity forever.
I want her to love the tire swing.
We attended a kindergarten open house for her school next year. It was filled with small samplings from every classroom: science, music, gym, the library...
Evie looked so big there. She looked like she belonged.
A kindergartner, an elementary school student!!!!
The teacher leading the activity asked each child what his/her favorite color was: "pink....purple, blue..pink...pink...pink...."
When it was Evie's turn, she proclaimed without hesitation, "Gold and silver."
That pretty such sums up our Evie.
As we drove away from the kindergarten experience, I told Evie that she doesn't have to think about kindergarten anymore. I am going to tuck the cute school shirt she was given into a deep drawer until next year.
She's still a preschooler. I want her to bask in this season of being a preschooler because she will never, ever get to be a preschooler again.
Giggle with your preschool friends.
Nestle in that little tire swing as snug as you can be.
Spin fast.
Swing high.
Swing oh so high, Evie.
*********************************************************************************
Here are some photos of some April highlights.
April was filled with Easter events and a visit to the tulip festival.
 |
| Making bunny cupcakes with grammie and grandpa |
 |
| Easter Sunday! |
 |
| Dressed in Easter best |
 |
| Egg hunt! |
 |
| Trying to capture a family moment at the tulip fields |
No comments:
Post a Comment