catching up: preschool

It's been a pretty hectic fall, with getting Maren acquainted with preschool. As you may know, she is fairly introverted - or, at least she keeps pretty close to mom/dad until she feels very comfortable. So, she ends up spending a lot of time observing other kids experiencing the world... until she decides it will be ok.

We've learned that she cannot be pushed. She is very clear about what she is and isn't ready for, what she does and does not want to do... as you've read. :) Because once she decides, it's a 180 degree turn. Which is exactly what happened with preschool.

The first few weeks were tough. She was exhausted. She was so sad saying goodbye to us each day, and we were sad, too! But, after the first few minutes of tears (and having one of the fabulous teachers pry her off of me), I would hover outside the door, trying to see how she was doing. I wasn't going to leave while she was crying! But, she would always be fine soon after I left the room. And whenever we came to pick her up, they would say, "She did great!" So, it was all about the drop off...

Luckily, we connected with another family who wanted to carpool. And although we were nervous about how she would do with the carpooling, I think we happened to connect with a family who had the right kind of spirit for Maren...because from that moment on, Maren has been joyfully walking out the door to go to preschool, and talking about how much she loves it, etc. And, Bea and Maren are now best pals. A friend! Maren's first make-on-her-own-not-just-through-mom-and-dad friend!

So, yea! Transition time is critical for Miss Maren. She needs lots of it, and then she'll cruise right along.

(These pics are from the first day - when she brought in a homemade poster with all of her favorite things, and her showing Miss Margie her poster.)