Sania in Pre-School

It's pretty amazing that I'm writing this post. I know we don't update that much, but life's funny that way. This is the 301st post on the Hardly Born/Rizkerson.com website. That's not counting the posts in the K's pregnant with Sania blog I did for a while. And this is the 6th year of blogging, since the first post in May, 2003.

So that's a long intro to tell you that Sania, our beautiful little girl, started pre-school today. You'll recall, of course, that Reid's pre-pre-school tenure was somewhat rocky. He was with a wonderfully kind-hearted lady for his first two years, but she had some health issues, and possible was taking on more than she could handle. But he was very attached to her, and transitioning him hastily was a mistake we regretted soon after. He was prone to fits of weeping and it felt like slowly removing a thousand band-aids.

Eventually, everything worked out. By the time he was three, Reid started in a Montessori school he loved, and we loved for the most part, too. He met friends who have become like part of our family and he began the path to his current incarnation as a Star Wars-obsessed kindergartener with a Spiderman lunchbox who refuses to wear long-sleeved shirts even on the coldest days.

We're pleased to say that Sania is now enrolled in that very same Montessori school. Leaving her daycare was one of the hardest things to do for K and I. While Reid left his daycare at 2, Sania at 2 yrs and 8 months is ready for broader horizons. Libby though was a completely different experience. Her daycare was like a small school, with lessons and learning from a wonderful, engaged care provider. But we felt Sania could really benefit from being in a classroom, with a larger mix of kids in her age group and older (there was only one kid older than her at daycare). We hope she will gain social skills, confidence (like she needs it) and friendships at this school, just as Reid did.

The first three days of drop-off have been difficult, which is to be expected. She is happy to come here and happy to show you her cubby, but right at the door to the classroom, she balks, and cries. It's heartbreaking, obviously, but I have a lot more confidence about this arrangement than in the past. Sania is a smart and strong little person, and I know she'll find her comfort zone at her school soon. I just can't believe she's this old already.

Click the pic above to see 30 awesome photos from the Holiday Season at our house.