Well, technically, more than halfway because we'll have a scheduled c-section 5-10 days before her due date.
In other family news, Ryan is very excited to be having a little sister.
On Monday he said the following things to me:
1. I want to buy my sister shoes
2. I want to teach my sister how to play Angry Birds
3. I'm going to tell all my friends my sisters name is... (still keeping that private for now)
4. I want to take my sister to Kings Dominion (amusement park) and show her the dinosaurs
I'm happy he's so happy. Although, I'm pretty sure he pictures his sister as a toddler and not a newborn baby who will be a playmate. I've showed him pictures of tiny babies and tried to explain that's how she'll look when she comes home. I don't think it's sinking in, though.
Yesterday Ryan had his very first t-ball practice. He is the smallest kid on the team and the youngest. He could easily have been voted, after one practice, least likely to pay attention.
(We were told in an email before the first practice that the kids will be assigned their uniform number based on size. So the smallest kid will wear the number "1". I told James before we even met any of the other boys that I bet he'll be assigned 1.)
At one point the coach had Ryan come stand next to him in hopes of getting him to pay attention. Ryan's pre-school teacher had told me in the past she's having trouble getting him to sit still and pay attention, too. Today, when we dropped him off, I asked about progress and she said she makes Ryan sit next to her so as to keep his attention better. I thought that was a little comical and told her the t-ball coach is doing the same thing.
I'm not (yet) worried about his attention span since he's only 4. But, we're following closely to make sure this isn't a problem that gets out of hand. He starts Kindergarten in August and I think that will be an indication of how well he copes.
As far as Kindergarten goes... man has that changed! When I was in Kindergarten, it was mostly play learning. Not these days! They sit at desks and do work and, in many cases, are expected to know how to read when they start.
I thought it was rough that his pre-k teacher had the kids doing Grade 1 workbooks but, now I see why. Pre-k is the new K and K is the new 1st grade.
The good news is, this summer the pre-k kids take a break from all that work and spend the summer doing camp type activities like going swimming once a week and going to the movies.
I want Ryan to be smart and excel in school but, can't they also just be kids for a while?
wow preschool and kindergarten have definitely changed! We did a lot of crafts I think. All I remember is some kid stapling his thumb cos he wanted to see what happens (and having done that by accident as an adult... ouch) but I thought we learned how to read at school? I can't really remember tho.
ReplyDeleteI think it's adorable how excited Ryan is! In my experience with my friends and their subsequent children, as much as you try to prepare older siblings they don't see to grasp the idea of a baby until the baby is here, but they also tend to really love the baby too so I wouldn't stress too much over it!
Yea for over 1/2 way there!!!!! We're kind of on the other end of the pre-school spectrum. I wish Gus' was a little more academic than it is, as he's not learning anything new this year. I know what you mean about letting them be kids, but Gus is already reading, so is way ahead of the other students in that area.
ReplyDeleteRyan is going to be such a good big brother! It's very exciting that you're already halfway through. Before you know it, she'll be here!
ReplyDeleteSo happy to read your post, I always think it's amazing how quickly some pregnancies seem to fly by (probably less quickly for the gal who is actually preggers, ha)
ReplyDeleteEeek that sounds like a serious regime for a 4-year-old! I was reading early, so I was ready for desks and chairs (within reason) at 4, but I can't imagine most boys are. Another American mom I was working with recently was complaining about the same thing, wishing the approach could be a little more relaxed. I kind of agree with her and you.
:)