Vincent, Preschool, and a New Crown

Yesterday was Vincent's first day of preschool. I know it is a bit of a cliche, but it is so hard to believe that he is old enough to be a preschooler! Of course, he didn't think it was any big deal - same daycare (different room), same teacher, same friends. But now, as he proudly told me, he is a Wallaby - no longer a Wombat.

(At our daycare, each of the rooms is named after an Australian animal that, in my opinion, shares qualities with the kids in that room. The babies are Koalas, the toddlers are Platypuses, the two/three-year-olds are Kangaroos, the three/four-year-olds are Wombats, and the preschoolers are Wallabies.)

To celebrate this preschool/Wallaby milestone, I decided to make Vincent a crown from a great pattern I found at Stitch11. (If you are a crocheter, be sure to check out this website - lots of fantastic patterns - I can't wait to make the snake puppet for Vincent's birthday and the monkey hats for both boys!) It was quick and easy - it only took took a couple of hours! The result is adorable, and I would definitely make it again (Vincent has already told me that I need to make one for Desmond in blue). I chose yellow not only because crowns are usually yellow, but because yellow is also Vincent's favourite colour.

He loves it! He wears it at home, in the car, and wanted to wear it to preschool, but we decided that wouldn't be a good idea. But he won't wear it when he plays cricket ("Cricket players don't wear crowns, Mama!") I did take it to daycare with me yesterday afternoon when I picked the boys up so that he could show his teachers. One of them commented that it looked just a bit like the crown that Max wears in Where the Wild Things Are. Maybe a future Halloween costume?

Photo credit: http://ourplana.blogspot.com.au

Knitting for Charity: a mama and baby koala

In mid-October, the boys' daycare centre - Kids Academy Hornsby - is participating the Australian Cancer Council's Relay for Life. The centre is holding various fundraising activities in hopes of reaching a $2000 goal. I'm not big into selling/buying chocolate bars, but when they notified us that they were looking for donations for the raffle, I decided that I would offer to provide a knitted contribution. I knew that Susan B. Anderson's book of knitted toy patterns, Itty Bitty Toys, would be the perfect place to look for a pattern. (By the way - I am totally in love with the giraffe on the front cover and am hoping to make it for Desmond for Christmas. And I think I am going to make the snake pattern from this book for Vincent's Christmas gift.)

In the end, I decided on her pattern for a mama and baby koala. I figured that it was very appropriate - not only because we now live in Australia but because Desmond's classroom at Kids Academy is the Koala Room! It took just over a week to complete the two stuffed animals. I learned one valuable lesson - it is really not a good idea to work on knitted toys on the train - too many small pieces, too many double-pointed needles...just not worth the hassle! It was a fairly easy and straight forward pattern. The only downside was all the bits and pieces that had to be assembled in the end. But that is what happens when you knit toys!

I dropped the mama and baby koala off at Kids Academy earlier today and the staff just love them. I hope that who ever wins them in the raffle loves them too!

PS: Thanks to my mom for scanning and e-mailing the pattern - my book is still in storage in my parents' garage in Decorah.

Vincent: "I like food. I eat it with my mouth."

"Mama, I painted my body today!"

That was the answer to my question: "Vincent, what did you do at Kids' Academy today?"

Immediately, my head was full of visions of 3- and 4-year-olds running around their classroom, bright colored paint dripping from their bodies.

"You painted your body? Like your tummy and your legs and your hands and your feet?"

"No, Mama!" Vincent grinned. "Our teacher drew our bodies on paper and then we painted them!"

Oh right. Now I get it.

The next time I dropped the boys off at daycare, we saw Vincent's cut out in the hallway. He proudly pointed it out to me.

Upon closer inspection, I saw a quote written above his name:

All of the children had quotes on their paper cut outs. The little girl's next to Vincent's said, "I like my dress. It makes me look pretty."

What a cute idea - instead of just doing the standard trace-around-the-child-and-cut-out-the-body activity, the children also had to say something about themselves. Then, I saw an explanation of the activity posted on the wall nearby (featuring none other than our very own Vincent):

I have to admit - I'm pretty proud of our little guy. He has greatly expanded his eating horizons, in spite of the numerous restrictions to his diet due to his food allergies (dairy, egg, wheat, sesame, nut). He is regularly trying new foods, even if he doesn't like them all.

When I picked him up on the Friday, he actually had paint on his body. He told me that he was a tiger. "Rrrrrooooaaaarrrr!!!"

Never thought we'd be a "daycare family"

Earlier this week, the boys and I had to say good-bye to a "family" I never expected to have - a daycare family. When Vincent was 18 months old, we decided that he would benefit from spending some time with other people his size. So we enrolled him in daycare. We chose a place rather randomly - it was close to home but on the way to work and seemed to be a nice enough place.

Since Vincent's first day at the Kindercare in Eagan, Minnesota in September 2010, we have been nothing short of completely impressed with the care he received. We found that the teachers truly loved their jobs and the children for whom they cared. During the last two years, Vincent blossomed from a shy boy to an outgoing, independent 3 year old. With the help of his teachers, he learned and mastered a wide variety of "book" skills, social skills, and gross motor skills. He developed friendships with boys and girls from different ethnic backgrounds. And the staff accommodated his food allergies - in fact, he never experienced an allergic reaction while in their care.

When Desmond was born in September 2011, I knew that I would need to go back to work after only 6 weeks. It was very difficult for me to leave him in the care of another person, but I knew that he would be cared for and loved by the teachers in the infant room. By the time he was 6 months, he would smile at and reach for his teachers when we walked into his room in the morning. Not only were the boys welcomed at Kindercare, Paul and I were welcomed into the Kindercare family as well. I was fortunate to have time in my schedule to breastfeed Desmond at Kindercare during my lunch break. And the teachers always made me feel at home in the infant room.

To the staff at Kindercare in Eagan (near Cliff and 35E) - thank you, thank you, thank you! We will miss you dearly.