...dun-dun-DUNNNNNNNN!...
...her kindergarten physical. For those who are unfamiliar with, or don't recall, this milestone, it's basically where future kindergarteners are tormented by needles in hopes of preparing them for the next dozen years of enduring homework, bullies, tests, and Charles Dickens' Great Expectations. (Sorry, scholarly friends, but I think we spent about six months reading that novel in 10th grade Honors English. TORTURE.)
"You know, if we ever go to war and you're captured, you're in for a big surprise." -Ross to Chandler after he claims having to see Joey's girlfriend naked was "torture"
Kiwi's regimen of torture consisted of the following:
1) 5 shots (including the flu shot)
2) a blood draw
3) one entire upper arm that turned as hard as a rock from the flu shot (this lasted about a day and got much better with some warm packs and massaging)
4) about 5 lollipops and 4 Disney princess stickers, which totally erased all of the above...because YAY SUGAR AND STICKERS!!!
She was a total trooper for the whole thing, shedding a few tears but not going all Exorcist like some kids do. (When I taught kindergarten, kids would skin their knees on the playground and then flip out when we said we'd take them up to the nurse's office for a Band-Aid. It was just too soon after all those kindy shots--like they had PTSD or something, and all adults were suspects in a global conspiracy to ambush them with injections when they least expected it. Poor things!)
This is the only pic I got of Kiwi the whole time, because a) I had to stay back with Ellie while she was weighed and measured before her own flu shot, so I wasn't there for Kiwi's hearing and vision tests, and b) I wasn't mean enough to neglect comforting my poor pincushion of a child in favor of a photo op during the latter part of the visit!
Ells was uber-excited to get weighed, measured, and blood pressure-d like Sissy had just done:
Here is how I like to pretend this part went:
Nurse: "My professional medical opinion is that you are a small human."
Ellie: "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!! *crosses arms* I'm BIG!!"
So, my firstborn child is officially ready for kindergarten...except for the part where we wait nine months for the school year to start! After all that agonizing we did over whether to keep her in preschool for another year or start her in kindergarten this past fall, I have to admit there's a part of me that wonders if we made the wrong decision--for now, anyway. I still think that, in the long run, starting later will turn out to have been the better choice, but despite all of the preschool director's promises that Kiwi would be in a pre-K like class this year, it's basically been an instant replay of last year. The specific art projects are a little different, but everything else (the daily schedule, the playground, the toys and puzzles, the homework packets, the craft materials, the Christmas program...) is identical, and Kiwi has done quite a bit of complaining about why she "has to go there" on preschool days. She keeps telling me she wants to go to kindergarten and "learn new stuff," and I swear that I haven't programmed her in any way to say such things!
She wants to stick it out through the next month or so to be in the Christmas prgram again (she chose the exact same parts as last year--doh!! Doesn't she know I already have photos of her as a dove and an angel? How about throwing me a different photo op bone, kid??)
Oh, wait. Those were some seriously cute photos:
I guess I'm okay with it, then!
After that, we may see about pulling her out (preschool dropout?!), because if she's not learning anything AND not having (enough?) fun, what are we paying $230 a month for, exactly? We could just as easily use that money to put her in tee-ball, or a pre-K class through Parks & Rec, or something else she's look forward to every time.
In conclusion, look at how stinking cute and grown-up our little girl has gotten!
Now I'm scared for the Kinder physical! Actually, Silas got a bunch of boosters, eye test, and hearing test at his four year check up (and they even gave us something to give to the school when we sign him up for kinder) so maybe he's already been through that ordeal. And I don't think you made a mistake when keeping Keira home another year, I'd do it with Silas if I could. But I do agree that maybe you should take her out of preschool and search out other things that might be more interesting for her. Why spend money on something if she's not enjoying it as much anymore? Love the pics and the commentary!
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