One week down, many more to go

Today marks the end of the first week of school here in our part of the country. Amelia started second grade Monday and has fared pretty well these last five days.

She's been rather reluctant to get up in the mornings, but so have I - especially since Lola has decided she needs me to get up with her about four times a night. There are times I am convinced she's testing me to see just how long I can go without adequate sleep. 

I'd been worried we'd have trouble getting Amelia back into the routine of going to bed at 8 p.m. since she's a born night owl like her momma. During the summer we forgot all about scheduled bedtimes for both girls. Most nights Lola was zonked out by 9 p.m., but Amelia usually held on until 10:30 or 11 and even later some nights. Going to bed later meant Amelia got accustomed to sleeping later. There were some days my little angel would still be in bed at 10 a.m.

Jeff and I tried following the expert advice of returning to a regular bedtime starting two weeks before the first day of school. That lasted about three nights before we threw in the towel and announced both girls would just have to go cold turkey in cutting out their late nights. Surprisingly, it worked well for them.

Lola is still having some trouble adjusting, which is why we're continuing to allow her to go to sleep in our bed then moving her to her crib when Jeff comes to bed. Additionally, this child, who woke up everyday during the summer between 5:30 and 6 a.m., now, when she has to get up early to go with me to drop Amelia at school, wants to sleep until after 7 everyday. Argh! 

Nevertheless, we've managed to get out the door every day this week on time with everything Amelia needs for the day at school. 

Here Amelia is packed and ready for her first day of school. She's decked out in new Hello Kitty clothes and shoes that she chose especially for the first day. Lola is wearing a brand-new outfit Amelia chose just for her. Amelia didn't want her sister to feel left out of the first-day-of-school shopping experience. Awwww!

Amelia is fired up about her new backpack and matching lunchbox, which is inside the backpack. I ordered this lovely tote sack, as my grandmother called any bag, backpack, or satchel whether it was made from fabric, paper or plastic, from L.L. Bean. It was a bit pricey, but I figured was worth the cost since it comes with a lifetime guarantee. I am thrilled Amelia likes it, especially since she may be carrying for years to come. 

I'd like to be able to say this first week of school has been drama-free, but that would be a lie. The drama, though, has, thankfully, been mild. I had to talk with Amelia's teacher about the amount of time the kids get for lunch and snack time because Amelia claimed she only got 14 minutes for lunch and that wasn't enough time for her to eat. Additionally, she said she didn't have enough time to eat snack, which was why she was absolutely ravenous when she came home.

Turns out, my little social butterfly gets 25 minutes for lunch and 15 minutes for snack, but she has been spending too much time talking and, therefore, has been unable to finish her food. What can I say - she's a chatterbox like her momma. Her teacher made sure to keep an eye on Amelia yesterday, which worked beautifully because she ate everything I sent with her.

A splinter in her heel has been another source of drama for my little darling, who claims it precludes her from participating in P.E. I sent a note yesterday letting her P.E. instructor know about this little problem, but refused to do so today after Amelia reported taking part in races yesterday even though the teacher had given her permission to sit out of class.

Again, like her momma, Amelia is not too keen on participating in group sports, which is why I think she wanted permission to skip P.E. However, I think she saw how much fun the other kids were having and decided her foot didn't hurt nearly as much as she thought. She's a slick one ain't she?

This morning she threatened to break down in tears when we pulled up to the school and she remembered students were supposed to wear their spirit shirts. I promised her she wouldn't be the only kid not wearing their shirt, which was proven to be true when we pulled to the door and she saw a couple of other kids not wearing theirs. Her face relaxed and her demeanor lifted as soon as she laid eyes of those kids, thank the Lord!

Overall, I have to say this week has been pretty good. It's my sincere hope the rest of this year proves to be relatively low on drama, high on fun and filled with more sleep than I've gotten this week.