My 'baby' is a kindy kid!

*wipes away tears* yesterday Gaby had her first day at Kindergarten!!!!  For those of you who aren't from NZ, our kindergarten is between ages 3-5, and (generally) on a child's 5th birthday, they start primary/elementary school.  Regardless of that, it is still Gaby's final stop before being a school kid - and that is such a scary thought!!!  She was so excited all day about going to kindergarten, and when we arrived, she wanted to go straight to the playground - of course!  We spoke to the head teacher & she showed us around again, and explained more about the daily routine, after that Gaby was off outside, I followed her around for awhile, but it was pretty clear she didn't care if I was there or not!  I took the obligatory 'first day at.......' photographs, then told her I was leaving - she gave me a kiss and then yelled out "hey guys, my Mummy is going now".  Very cute!

I picked her up at 3pm and the teacher I spoke to was thoroughly impressed, at how Gaby had reacted to her first day!  She was very 'confident', played with the other kids freely, helped to tidy up at the end of the session - and was in general a 'treasure'.  I had a feeling that she would have reacted that way, but you never do quite know!  It made me feel so wonderful, that MY kid had been such a 'treasure', and that the teachers were impressed with her - I figure that surely it must mean that over my 3 years as a Mama, I have done something right!  She is still going to be attending Ready Steady Play (her preschool) 1 day a week - because she loves that place, and the teachers - and the kids, but if she seems okay with kindergarten this time next year (when she will start going 5 mornings a week), I might cancel her enrolment at R.S.P... which is a bit of a sad thought really!

It really is a crazy feeling - knowing that she is going to be THREE in 13 days time.  It's making me reminisce and remember 'the way things were' - we have BOTH come a long way in that time!  I have been so blessed to have such an amazing little princess, in my life - and it really has been an honour to watch her grow & develop into the wonderful almost-3-year-old, that she is today!  This time three years ago, it was a day past my due date, and I was wondering if Gaby would EVER decide to arrive - somehow I KNEW that she wouldn't be coming of her own accord, and of course my Mummy instinct was right!  That said - I don't care that I had a caesarean - I don't feel like less of a woman for not having a vaginal delivery... my baby was born healthy - and to me, that was/is the most important thing...

20 days to go!

Only 20 days now until my 'baby' turns 3!!!! We have decided to not really have a party for her - we'll just have a special afternoon tea with immediate family & perhaps Sarah & Rikki, and Gaby's boyfriend Josh & his Mummy - Serena. It's going to be so exciting to see how she reacts this year, now that she seems to understand the importance of birthdays (well, that birthdays=presents & cake!)... I just hope she likes what we got her!!!

Terri was up on Saturday for around 24 hours - before flying out to Thailand! Was good that Gaby got to spend some time with her - they made a tent (though not as extravagent as last time!), went out early in the morning & played at the playground, then got Macca's for breakfast... Gaby was at Stu's for the afternoon, so Gab didn't get to go to the airport with us to see Terri off - but that kind of made it easier! Well, less stressful!

Under a week now until Gaby starts kindergarten! Exciting!!! I can't wait to see how she is after her first couple of days there, whether she has found some new friends, whether she likes the teachers, whether she adjusts easily - I believe that answer will be a YES to all of the above, but I guess there is always a chance for things to go a little pear shaped huh...

It's so cool to see her growing, and having all these new experiences - though I'm sure the time will come where I will wish I could stop time & go back to when she was still little & depended fully on me. Bittersweet to think that in two years time, I will be saying "only 20 days until Gaby is 5 & at school".. gosh, it seems so far off - yet so close at the same time.

One month left as a 2yo!

Today is September 26th - this time in one month, Gaby will be THREE!!!!!!!!!!! How the heck did that happen? Seriously?!

Being completely honest, I'm having a hard time dealing with Gaby's behaviour lately - she's so... stubborn & ignorant, and at times she is just plain obnoxious. I know it comes with the age, and Gaby isn't the first child in the history of the world to drive her Mama a bit loco - but once again THIS WASN'T IN THE MANUAL! Heh... Luckily she seems to be fine when she is out with OTHER people. Jason took her out y/day morning & said she was perfect - but when she got home.. wham bam psycho girl... Obviously I just need to figure out the best way to deal with her behaviour, and then be consistent with it.

On the flipside, when she is being good, she is very very good. Her manners are coming along perfectly, sometimes she asks for something so sweetly, I have to battle the urge to give her 10 of whatever it was she was asking for! Guess this is what being a parent is about though, the good, the bad & the ugly... Mum assures me that in 15 years time, she'll start being nice again! Oh-so-reassuring!!!

Not too sure about what we'll do for her birthday yet, might just have afternoon tea with Mum, Dad & Jason, it's labour weekend so everyone will have plans to go away for the weekend, and Aunty Terri will be in THAILAND (! how exciting!). I'm going to make her a Nemo cake - I think, but she is also quite a fan of Mickey Mouse now as well, so am thinking of a Mickey Mouse cake - guess it'll depend now creative I feel like being. Jason suggested we take her to Lollipop's or Chipmunks (massive indoor play area's for kids) - which I think is a good idea, and probably something we could do in the morning - if they're open over the long weekend. I ended up getting her the LeapFrog Scribble & Write, so her birthday present is out of the way, but we might get her a couple of small things over the next couple of weeks....

"want Dora stuff" & another milestone reached

& suddenly Gaby appears to understand what Santa is all about!

Gaby: Mummy want to sit on Santa's knee
Mummy: Santa isn't here for a couple of months Gab
Gaby: Oh - tomorrow?
Mummy: No Gab, not tomorrow
Gaby: Oh. I want to sit on Santas knee
Mummy: Yes Gab. What are you going to ask him for [usually this results in 'a lollipop']
Gaby: I going to ask Santa for Dora stuff!!!!! Santa is going to bring me Dora toys!!!!

... so apparently Gaby now understands that Santa brings toys... this is most likely the beginning of a very long couple of months before Christmas!!!!!!! It is pretty cute that she now understands the big deal about presents, but it's probably a bad thing for me - especially on our trips to the mall! Usually she asks if she can have a lollipop, or an ice-cream - but I am thinking that pretty soon she's going to be seeing toys & asking for new toys! My babe is growing up!

Yesterday I enrolled Gaby at Kindergarten - another milestone! I have always wanted her to go to Kindergarten - because I went, because Terri went - because everyone I know went... but I always had the preschool dilemma - she LOVES her current preschool, all the teachers & the kids - and I was worried it might be hard on her, leaving preschool & starting at kindy, but it seems that I'm able to have her enrolled in BOTH preschool & kindy! She will be going to Kindy Monday, Tuesday & Thursday, 12.30-3.00, and will be going to preschool Wednesday, 11-5. Once she turns 3 we get our 20 hours free ECE, so it won't cost me a cent! She starts Kindy on October 12th - which coincidentally, was my due date with her! While we were there yesterday, enrolling, the head teacher invited Gaby to play with the playdough, and she seemed to fit in very easily with the kids who were also playing with playdough - and at one point they took her outside to play on the playground, so I don't think adjustment is going to be a big deal! If it turns out that Gaby really enjoys Kindy, I will probably take her out of preschool - once she is 4 she will be at Kindy for 3-4 hours a day, so there isn't really much point keeping her in preschool. This is the link to the Kindy website:
http://www.kidsfirst.org.nz/

Can't believe my babe is going to be a KINDY KID soon! Makes me feel old - because *I* remember when *I* was a Kindy Kid!

Searching for birthday presents...

What do you get a 3 year old for their birthday, when you don't want to spend hundreds of dollars, want to get something that will keep their attention - but that isn't *just* a toy, and is actually somewhat educational??? I can't find the *perfect* 3rd birthday present for Gaby, and it's driving me a tad nuts! I wanted to get her her own toy digital camera, but the cheapest I've found is $180.00, which seems a bit exorbitant to me - especially for a 3 year old.

Jason & I searched around KMart & Farmers, on Thursday, but nothing really jumped out at me as being the PERFECT gift, howeve I THINK we might get her a new LeapFrog [educational] toy - the LeapFrog Scribble & Write http://www.leapfrog.com/en/preschool_toys/scribble.html - it looks like it'd be a really good tool for helping her learn her alphabet, which is something I'd like to start teaching her. My other idea was the LeapFrog Tag Reading System, but it may still be a *little* bit too old for her.. it says on the box it's for ages 4+, so perhaps that will be an idea for next birthday, or even for this Christmas.

I am thinking of asking people to buy Gaby clothes for her birthday, rather than everyone getting her toys - because she already has toooooo many toys, and she has grown out of ALL her size 2 clothing, so we really need to get onto the size 3 clothing. Pity that size 3+ clothing is about twice the price of 0000-2 clothing, it was actually quite a surprise to me, you don't seem to be able to buy just PLAIN tshirts, or PLAIN shorts, or PLAIN dresses, everything has print & frills - and adds an extra 50% to the price of the clothes, if they were just PLAINNNNN. Beggars can't be choosers though huh - and I'd be lying if I said I didn't think all the pretty, bright, frilly stuff is cute!

Gaby had some time with her big cousins today, well, her 2nd cousins - and it was so cute seeing her running around, keeping up with them . Geordie is closest in age to her - he is just under a year older than her, but there was still quite a big difference. She had fun following Livi (12) around, and playing with Will (the birthday boy - 10), they played with a soccer ball, with bubbles, wrote on the concrete in chalk, and explored Aunty Sally's garden (hopefully not too much trampling was done!). A huge difference from when we were there for Will's birthday last year!

Cutest thing ever!

Today when I dropped Gaby off at preschool, she opened the gate to go in to her area - and out of nowhere this little boy raced over, gave her a hug & started holding her hand! Gaby started giggling & then they ran off outside together!!!! It was so-o cute! I spoke to her teacher & she said that Gab & the little boy - Kayne, are inseperable, and play together all the time. It's so sweet that my little girly has a friend - who is a boy!!! I'm wondering if maybe I should invite him to Gaby's b/day party, but I think she's a bit young for that, especially since I don't know his Mum or Dad - it'd probably be pretty awkward..

Nothing else to really update.... Gaby is just as cute & happy as ever!

Has anyone lost an attitude? Because Gaby has picked one up...

Gaby has had the worst attitude this week!!!!!!! It's shocking!!! Admittedly sometimes it makes me laugh, but it is also a bit scary - she has become so argumentative - and not just with me, but with Nan & Poppa as well. First comment that made me think "what the?" was this:
Mummy: Gab, go and put your sweatshirt on please (talking about a hooded, zip up sweater)
Gaby: No! It isn't a SWEATSHIRT it's a JACKET!
Mummy: Fine - go and put it on then
Gaby: No, I don't want to!
then yesterday when we were leaving my parents house (aka Nan & Poppa), she pretty much disagreed with everything I asked her to do... Me & Mum were trying to laugh without her seeing us, and I think it worked, but mixed in with the laughter was also a little bit of fear.. lol. At the Palms I asked her to get in her stroller so that I could do her up, and her reply was "NO, I DON'T NEED TO BE DONE UP!", I told her if she sat in the stroller, that I wouldn't do her up, and that seemed to diffuse the situation - of course when she got out & Nan did her up, she acted as if we'd just told her that Santa wasn't real, or that we'd thrown away all her toys... Out at the Greyhound racing with Jason, he was sitting on a seat, and Gaby kept pushing him, saying "NO THAT IS MUMMY'S SEAT - YOU SIT HERE" (pointing to another seat). It seemed as if every second word was NO, or a bossy command. Not good!!!! I am trying to tell myself that it is just a phase, but I have a feeling it can only get worse..... and if this is any glimpse of what she'll be like as a teen, all I can say is.................... ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh save meeeeeeeeeeeee!

The joys of a child growing up & becoming their own person!!!