We are already 3 weeks into Ella’s first term at pre-school. Time is flying by!
And I’m happy to report that she seems to be loving it and has settled in really well. I was able to drop her off on her first day and she happily left my side, making an immediate bee-line for the sand pit. She already knows the nursery and the staff as she’s been attending one of their opportunity groups since we moved to the area 2 years ago. This has definitely helped with her transition into the nursery and feedback from the staff is that she is doing really well. I had a lot of anxiety over this change for her. It’s a new era, a new setting and it also coincided with Ian working away. Other than her waking once or twice during the night (very unusual for Ella) she seems her normal, happy self and has taken all the change in her stride. Not that I’m worrying any less mind!
I’ve been off this week so have been able to drop her off – she’s correctly picked out her name off the board when she arrives and can almost find her peg to hang her coat on (although she’s so keen to get into nursery that she just throws it at any peg as she charges in!). And she knows where the nursery is too – every time we drive past the end of the road where it is, a little excited voice in the back seat pipes up ‘Charnwood!’.
I’ve shelved the attempt we tried over the summer at starting potty training. She’s definitely lost interest for now so we will try again when everything has settled down a bit for her. I don’t want to overload her and put her off. Having said that, she did manage to use the toilet once at nursery a couple of weeks ago and I was awoken at 5am yesterday morning to her crashing about in the bathroom putting her toilet seat onto the toilet saying ‘wee wee, toilet’. She didn’t do anything but we will keep trying when she asks and then go for it properly in a few weeks time. I’m very keen to get her out of nappies, at her own pace obviously but it would be nice to have her dry (at least during the day) before she starts school next year. The other issue I have is changing her nappy out and about is now nigh on impossible as she is too big for the baby changing tables in public places. I don’t think it’s right or dignified for her to be changed on the floor or not in a toilet environment. She will get there and I have lots of advice and experience from others to draw on, I just feel now is not the right time to be pushing it.
For now, she’s concentrating on putting more words together and practicing pronunciations. She’s started storytelling during her imaginative play and is also confidently walking up and down the stairs instead of on her hands and knees. Quite enough to be going on with!
Happy Monday everyone xx
Amy Dunn
Our first baby, Ella Mary, was born at the end of November 2010. We were shocked to find out soon after her birth that she has Down's Syndrome. I was determined from the start that Down's Syndrome will never define Ella or what she is able to do. We will provide for her everything she needs to become the child and the person she deserves to be. There will be hard times ahead.... there are already many hard times behind us. But I already know that the good times will always outweigh the hard times. She has taught me so much in such a short time and seeing life from a new perspective is a privilege that not many of us get the chance to experience.
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