I try not to gush too much, but we are so very proud of Erin. When we think back on the progress that she has made in her short lifetime, we are blown away. She has gone from being a 3-year-old who could not talk, wasn't potty-trained when other kids were, and was almost totally anti-social to being a 6-year-old who chatters constantly, doesn't give the bathroom situation a second thought, and has many friends who love her. She is one of the sweetest kids I know, and has never intentionally been mean to anyone. She is very independent, driven, and caring. I could go on and on, but Erin exceeds my expectations on a daily basis - we could not be more proud of her, and we are so hopeful for her future. Oh! She's smart too - she can read Level 2 books (when she wants to) and has an incredible memory. Her conduct and reading/spelling skills knock her teachers' socks off. Math is more challenging for her, but she is doing great there too. For a kid who could barely hold a crayon 2 years ago, her handwriting is right in line with her classmates', and she is able to complete all the worksheets, cutting/pasting, and other assignments that this crazy kindergarten curriculum throws at her. I know that daily life is not always easy or comfortable for Erin, but her meltdowns and complaints are so rare now compared to years past, which makes me even more amazed and proud of her.
She won't get to the doctor until early December, so we don't have that update yet. We can, however, give an update on her multifaceted birthday celebration! Erin was so excited about her birthday this year, so we were more than happy to oblige. That turned out to mean four celebrations - first, a weekend in Concord from October 10th-12th, where we had a fun visit to a pumpkin patch, playtime at "Ansley's house" (also, Logan and Ben live there with their parents), birthday pizza lunch with Frozen cake, visit to Cole's new house, and the Hound Dog Hustle. Busy weekend!
Her second celebration was taking mini cupcakes to her kindergarten class on her birthday, the 23rd. We also celebrated at home that day, with a special donut and bacon breakfast and her dinner/treat request of spaghetti and Halloween cookies. Mommy tried really hard to talk her into a nice dinner out, but this tired girl just likes to stay home after her busy day at school.
Her birthday finale was a "small" tea party with her neighbor friends, which I think she really enjoyed. It was just a snack, pink lemonade, and (Pretty in Pink) cupcakes, then playtime, but that's all that Erin wants. Give this girl some food and turn her loose, and she's happy. I was happy to not have to come up with any elaborate games or entertainment!
So, that's our Erin. What else - she has been off of the melatonin for several months now and is sleeping like a champ - from 8pm-6am even on weekends, but I'll take that any day of the week. We do keep some on hand for the occasional rough night. Now that she can tell time, I think when she does wake up, she just goes right back to sleep instead of having a party in her bedroom like before. She is not taking any iron/fish oil/B6/magnesium now. We just weren't seeing any difference and felt bad subjecting her to the bad tastes. She continues to go to occupational therapy one hour a week after school, and that seems to be helping her a lot with working on sensory needs, as well as fine motor skills. We are waiting patiently for our Daisy Girl Scout troop to get started, so we can hang out with some friends outside of school. She also wants to try a regular dance class, but I'm not sure that she or I are ready for 3 activities! We may give it a try after the holidays. Otherwise, we spend a lot of time playing with neighbor friends, pretending school, reading, listening to music, walking, and jumping on the trampoline. Erin is our down-to-earth child, and is so sweet and happy. We love her so much!
