Ryan's First Day of Preschool

Ryan started his second and final year of preschool on Sept 5. He has a longer day at school this year than last. He starts at 9:30 and gets picked up at 2:30, three days a week. I thought he would love school this year, just like last year. He did summer camp this past summer with this teacher and he has lots of friends in his class. Boy, was I wrong! I dropped him off on the first day, took lots of pictures, went inside with him, took more pictures, gave him a hug and kiss and left. When I picked him up that day he said he cried at school. He told me he missed me and that the day was too long. I thought it would be a one time thing and the more he went to school, the better he would be. It is actually quite the opposite. From the moment he wakes up on a school day he asks if he is going to school. If the answer is yes, he will whine and cry until we get to school. Once we get to school he has a full-fledged breakdown sobbing saying he doesn't want to go. Each day I hand him to the teacher as he grasps onto me for dear life. I hug and kiss him and leave. It is a horrible way to start the day, and I feel terrible leaving him. I know he is better after I leave but hearing your child cry and prying him off of you is never a great feeling. When I pick him up from school he is excited to see me, and will always say that he had a great time. I'm hoping it will get better soon, but we are about a month into school and it is still the same. Ugh!

Regan is 22 months old!

The past month has been filled with many new sentences and many new emotions. Regan loves to talk about herself in the third person. She says things like," Regan hair, Regan pretty dress, Regan blanket." She also loves saying,"Mommy, Daddy Ryan, Regan, Lucy." When she walks into a room she always says,"Hello," and waves with a straight arm and only her little fingers moving. She loves to run, prefers Mommy right now and will never let Mommy and Ryan go anywhere together without her. She has become a very picky eater and likes to eat pasta, pizza, blueberries, freeze dried bananas, pumpkin pancakes, cheese, chicken (sometimes), salmon, and crackers. It is pretty frustrating that she won't eat what we eat, but I keep trying to feed her everything. If I give her a fork and spoon to use, she will give anything a try. Usually after a bite she hands me her bowl and says, "Don't want it." Regan has also been adjusting to having her brother back in school. It has been difficult for her, and on the first day of school she cried because we left him at school. She is also becoming increasingly difficult, or shall I say, strong willed. She wants what she wants, when she wants it. If she doesn't get it, there is a huge meltdown to follow. I am talking about banging her head on the floor until she has a red mark, putting her fingers down her throat to make herself throw up, throwing anything that is in her reach, and screaming at the top of her lungs. This started a few months ago, but is getting worse the closer she gets to 2. I usually make sure she is in a safe place and give her space to tantrum. And, yes, sometimes this happens when we are out in public. I am THAT mom with THAT child! Regan has a big personality with two very strong moods, very happy or very grumpy. She reminds me of myself more and more each day. It is frightening. She is a smart girl and can say all the letters of the alphabet, can count to 20 and knows most animals and the sounds that they make. She likes to look at books alone, but has a hard time sitting still so I can read a story to her. I see some similarities between her and Ryan, but for the most part they are very different.