Noah's First Day of Kindergarten and us

Hello everyone!

Noah got his school supply lists at his last final registration on August 3. His first partial day was yesterday and his first full HALF day was today! It was hard on the parents mostly including us...to let their little ones go...but he did really really well and really enjoyed it a lot he said. He brought some things home in his backpack he did during the day at school. I have a couple things to sign that he takes back tomorrow. It is a big step this year for him. I mean here he goes to the bathroom by himself and all..no one at the school goes down there with him to make sure he gets there and back okay. The bathroom is not too far from his classroom but not in the room or right beside it. he has to ask the teacher if he can go...wear a hall pass around his neck...go on his own and get back on his own...and let her know when he gets back and return the pass. I asked if he went to the bathroom today. He said 3 times...and that he wanted to go FOUR times. The teacher asked yesterday if he goes a lot. I told her right now he is almost obssessed with TOILETS!! I mean he LOVES them. SO...anytime we go anywhere he has to CHECK the toilets out and pee ....even if he has to force a dribble. SO I told her he has been going a lot lately..but is able to go 5 hours or longer at home or when we travel....or things like that. He also tends to want to get up and go pee during church too. I mean he goes BEFORE we leave home...once we get there and then in like 15 minutes he thinks he has to go again and then he goes again after leaving church. Now we get in the bathroom and he will only have like ONE little squirt....so we are now telling him to GET IT ALL out....not hold any back to wait for another time in a few minutes to go again. I think his little body is getting used to feeling the urge to pee and I try to tell him that does not always mean he has to pee right then. He otherwise has been doing very very well.

He is funny...he is obssessed also with looking at new homes and all the rooms and architecture of them. I got him a CD with new homes on it to look at....but then took it a step further and got a CD-ROM software program for adults that you can use to design landscapes and HOMES. Noah has already figured out how to use that even better than I can....and has been DESIGNING houses and different rooms in the houses down to their furnishings! AGAIN he LOVES the toilets and bathrooms. Last night when he came home from school we took him to this mall that had AUTOMATIC flushing toilets. Those used to scare him and he did not want anything to do with them in the past. NOW he loves them he says. He spent a couple of hours drawing TOILETS on an art pad I had laying around here...automatic ones...port-a-potties...etc. He said he was going to BUILD an automatic flushing toilet in his bathroom at school. I asked HOW OLD he thought he would be when he did that. He said EIGHT! He has different ages he will be to do everything. I asked him the other day if he wanted to taste my hamburger . He said NO....but maybe when I am TWENTY ONE. He will be 45 he said before he tries ketchup or mustard . THIRTY SIX before he tries mowing. Things like that. He will say NO...and then give a specific age as to how old he will be before he tries something new. SO maybe he is going to be some kind of an engineer or something. Time will tell. He loves numbers and is already doing math problems here at home with a calculator. Up to 3 digit numbers adding and subtracting. He can also cound to over 1000 on his own....and can do simple math on his own like 1+1=2....etc...I got him through all the +1s and am now working on his +2s. So who knows. He is quite the little character though. We are also thinking about starting him on piano lessons..he loves his pianos and can play back a song I teach him in a few minutes usually. So I think it might come naturally to him.

I got him a Dick and Jane hardback book of all their stories....he can READ already....and can read ALL the stories from page ONE to SEVENTY FIVE on HIS OWN!! I am really impressed with how quickly he has picked up reading. SUPPOSEDLY when the kids get done with kindergarten they will ALL be reading and at a higher level than kindergarten. I kind of doubt that but that is what the principal said. SO he loves to read right now and we really worked hard with him over the summer on spelling and reading and writing.....so he learns a lot more here at home I think than at school...but school helps too. He is to receive some speech therapy this year still. He is talking a lot better now though and uses BIG words all of a sudden like "that is very interesting to me" or "otherwise" and uses them in the correct context.

We tossed around the idea still of homeschooling perhaps in the future combined with going to a school a couple of hours as well per day or every so many days of the week as Keith and I both cannot imagine Noah being gone at school for a FULL DAY! BUT I asked him where HE would prefer having school at home or at the school and he said the HIGH SCHOOL! SO if it were up to him I am sure he would always prefer going to a school....which is probably what we will end up doing. You just tend to worry some these days with things that could happen.

Keith and I as well as Noah really like his kindergarten teacher. She gave them all a hug today when they left school for the day. He also got a Hershey Kiss for being so good. He was very excited about that! He is looking forward to going back again tomorrow. So that is a GOOD THING!

Guess that is about all the new news here. Keith took off yesterday and today for vacation days....he gets totally stressed out when Noah goes back to school. I have to say I was a bit tense this year myself...but felt much better after he was actually walking down the hall this morning with his class. See we drop them off in another room in the mornings and they sit there for a few minutes and then his teacher comes down and the entire class walks to the classroom for the day. A bit different but they say it works.

Anyway...just figured I would pass our routine on to everyone to say hello and let you know how Noah's first big day at school went. I did not take any digital pics..and in fact did not take my camera at all today. I will take some pictures tomorrow and email. Been cooler but so muggy it seems HOT HOT HOT!!!


(LOVE YOU ALL) Melinda

Dear Noah:

Well Noah you are amazing. We looked at homes last week and you got cramps and had to poop in the potty at Arbys like 3 times in a row. THEN you got more cramps at a model home and had to BOMB their bathroom many times...finally having an accident and then vomiting. Needless to say that ended our adventures with house hunting that day.

This past Saturday we went to Loveland's annual sculpture show. We were all a bit disappointed this year as they just did not seem to have many pieces that WOWed us. However..you were enthralled with the Port-a-Potties all over the place. I think you had to mark each one...as it seemed you had to go endlessly that day. ALL we heard about the entire time there and on the way home and at home and that night before you fell asleep and even SINCE has been how much you LOVE port-a-potties! I am so thankful you PEED in them as that was the only way to pee anywhere.

You love looking for homes so much I got you a CD-rom with model homes on it. Then I went a step further and bought you a software package where you can design your own homes and even landscapes and you have had a FIELD day with that! I wonder what this might mean about your future? I mean you can navigate around that program probably even better than me and definitely better than your daddy! You were building houses and designing rooms within minutes! You call it the "house game".

Today you said when you were 8 you would like to get a dog. I asked you where you thought we would be living in order for you to have a dog. You said OHIO..in the house right beside grandma Lincoln. AND SMILED that gorgeous smile of yours.

You called grandma today to tell her about the port-a-potties...and the first thing you said was "Grandma...I really miss you a lot". I thought that was so sweet. NO ONE here prompted you to say that. You are such a loving little boy so full of compassion and caring for others. I pray you will keep that forever!

I LOVE YOU MORE than you will ever know!!

Mommy :)

Dear Noah

Yesterday was your school registration! You really enjoyed checking out your school and we were even able to meet your teacher and see your new classroom. I think you got overwhelmed because you started twirling your hair again JUST while in the school....which is something you have not done now for MONTHS! You came home....fell up the stone steps and skinned up your wrist and shin. You were so exahusted from the stress I think that you fell asleep on the sofa.

You are such a sweetie. Sunday in church when I was crying you kept looking at me and asking why I was crying...then you would try to wipe my tears and give me hugs. You are my angel boy!

I love you

Mommy