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Monday, January 12, 2009

Jumpin' In With Both Feet

I figured if Kayla had to start over in a new environment at a new school, and meet new friends, that it was only fair that I have to just jump right in at a new environment and meet new friends too.

I'm actually a pretty shy person, not so outgoing, and don't just put myself out there to meet people so easily. But a few months ago I started corresponding with another mom from this area via Cafe Mom. Turns out she lives right up the street in the next development. She has 2 kids - one who is almost exactly 1 year younger than Kayla, and one who will turn a year old exactly one week before Lucas!

She let me know she was a member of a Moms Club chapter here. I figured I would get involved in this group once I was a little more settled here and eventually get around to going.

Last Thursday they had a meeting and initially I thought, that's too soon! I can't just attend yet, I'm not ready! But Kayla didn't have the luxury of saying she wasn't ready to attend a new school either, so I thought, what do I have to lose? It was only for an hour and I got to meet this lady who I had been corresponding with, plus some of the other moms. I joined this chapter on the spot. They have so many activities and groups to get involved with all during the month.

Tomorrow I'll attend the New Member Social; Wed night I'm planning on going to the H.O.O.T (Husbands Out Of Town) and H.O.W.L (Husbands Out Working Late) monthly dinner; there are playgroups, play dates around town, exercise groups, story time etc. So I'm looking forward to getting involved and I'm glad I went.

Kayla's first day of school went great! She was a little hesitant when we first walked in to the classroom. The lights were off as they were watching their morning announcements on the TV, some of the kids jumped up to greet her, and with 4 adults in the room too I think it was a little overwhelming. She didn't cry though, just stayed by my side with her head down and didn't want to say anything to anyone! It only took a few minutes to coax her to take her coat and backpack off and put them in her little locker. She willingly went off with the teacher, told me "love you, bye mom!" and that was that. So relieved that she wasn't upset after I left! She did ask for "mommy" a few times, but they said they were able to distract her and she was fine.

There is a little boy in her class who also has Down syndrome, and he came up to her and gave her a hug. He's so cute! I'm hoping to be able to get together with his mom. There wasn't one other kid w/Ds Kayla's age (or even close to it) that we knew in our last town and I'm really hoping to forge a friendship with this family.

In other news - I think God is trying to show me that yes, I made the right decision to move. First the incident with Kayla being sick and needing 4 arms when both her and Lucas were wanting/needing me at the same time. Sunday was my turn to get sick. I woke up at 330 and lost my dinner; it was just awful. I was pretty much out-of-commission all day. So thank goodness I was here so my mom could take over with the kids! I really admire you single moms out there; I just don't know how you do it when you get sick like that and can't function!

Then when Lucas got up this morning I discovered he had been sick last night. What a mess in his crib and all over his pjs...it looked like he threw up the entire contents of his stomach. Poor kid slept like that all night; and he slept 11 hours, I think that's the longest he's ever slept! I heard him coughing a few times, but didn't go check on him. Yeah, Mother of the Year. But he wasn't crying at all, not even fussing, just a few coughs and that was it. So I didn't want to go disturb him if he was sleeping. So far he's been fine throughout the day - I just hope we're all finally over this sickness!

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39 comments:

Melanie D. said...

I hope that you all are over this stomach bug too, it's just the worst!
I'm so glad that you are feeling at home there. That group sounds just awesome and will help you meet some new friends. I'll bet your mom is just so happy to have you there!

Michelle said...

Good for you!!!!! Sounds like a great group!!!! :)

AZ Chapman said...

glad things are going well. Is Kayla in a inclusive class like she was in New Mexico

Unknown said...

Glad you found a nice group to get involved with and I hope all the sick stuff has cleared through your home.

Nancy M. said...

That is so awesome! I knew you would find friends. It does sound as though it was meant to be.

Barb said...

It's great to hear that all of you are adjusting so quickly and making new friends.

HOOT and HOWL just made me smile. I'll bet that's a fun group of ladies. :-)

Bailey's Leaf said...

Don't feel bad about Lucas. K- did that two nights in a row when she was his age and I found her in the morning caked in stomach yuck! ICK!

I'm so glad that the transition to friends on the East Coast is going okay for you. I'm glad that Kayla has a great class!

Here's to hoping that the stomach funk is over with y'all!

Karly said...

I am so very happy to hear you guys are getting settled in and meeting new friends. Also, glad to hear you had some much needed extra hands!

Mommy to those Special Ks said...

YAY! I'm glad you're settling in and Kayla did well at school! Sorry to hear about the sickness! praying you're all better soon!

Laura said...

WOW! What a few days you have had. I'm trying to catch up I've been out of the blog loop...sick kids too. Sorry you all have been sick, and it breaks my heart kayla was so sad.

Neat that Kayla has a sweet Ds boy in her class, and that she made it through her 1st day.

Way to go on getting out and meeting some new friends. I'm shy and that would be hard for me. I tend to like being the blend in to the wall person. Funny how i can be this way but when needed can STAND UP for my kids needs...I believe that's a GOD thing!

Praying for your days ahead to go smooth.

Mary said...

Way to go! I've been a part of two Moms Clubs and have found them to be very beneficial. Good luck!

Anonymous said...

Good for you for getting yourself out there!

I'm glad to hear Kayla's settling well, and glad you had your mom to help - again!

Finding Normal said...

Good for you! Sounds like a really fun group!
I hate waking up to a kid covered in puke. There are a few things worse, but not many. The smell as soon as you open the door...well, you know. Noah so rarely coughs in his sleep that I will go RUNNING in there, expecting puke.
Hope you're all well soon. YAY for Kayla adjusting well! :)

Renee said...

Sounds like you're settling in well. Hope everyone is better soon.

Danyele Easterhaus said...

you are really doing a great job of pushing yourself, but finding a nice medium...better than me! and i want to find a HOOT group night! hubs is traveling a bit and i could use some girls around me too! and again, praise for all those fam hands!!!

Anonymous said...

I hope you're all better now too! I am glad you have your mom to help out; what a blessing!

That moms group sounds really nice and I'll bet you will feel right at home in no time. That's wonderful that there is a little boy with DS in Kayla's class---I really hope you can forge a friendship with his family. Maybe having him in class will help Kayla feel more settled and like she can belong there.

Bethany said...

Good for you jumping in! Remind me again where you are? A bunch of us DS moms in Northern VA are getting together at the end of the month if you want to come! :)

Anonymous said...

I'm so sorry ya'll have been dealing with crud! I do hope it is gone now! I'm glad you have your mom close by to help.

Good for you for getting out and meeting new people. That is a hard thing to do sometimes. Way to go! I hope you'll have a blast with all the new activities.

Thanks for stopping by my blog. I'd lost all my links and am trying to find them all again.

Blessings,
Leslie

ChupieandJ'smama (Janeen) said...

Poor baby! I remember once or twice hearing one of the boys cough but not hearing anything else. When I checked him in the morning he had gotten sick.
I hope everyone is feeling better now.
I'm glad Kayla had a good first day at school. It's nice that everyone was so welcoming, even if it was a bit scary:)

Anonymous said...

Good for you! You're so brave. My daughter has a special small cough that I've learned means "I'm about to barf Mom"! it took me a couple of times to learn it!

Karen said...

I'm glad you're getting to meet other moms and settling into your new community. It sounds like a wonderful group of ladies.

I keep forgetting that you're so close. We definitely need to plan a get-together sometimes. Email me!

Cheryl said...

That sounds like a great group! I'm a quiet person, too.I don't like to have to put myself in new situations when I'm by myself but am usually glad I did.
I hope Kayla continues to enjoy her new school.

tracey.becker1@gmail.com said...

First, hope ALL of the sick stuff is done for you! Yikes. What a way to start your new home!

Second, it sounds like a bunch of good stuff is there for you. Hope you continue to reach out to groups and organizations. I can't imagine you NOT having tons of friends around you.

RK said...

That sounds like fun! And you've got me beat by far...we've been here 8 months now and I'm still dragging my feet. Maybe I'll do some proactive looking today for groups...

So glad school went well, too!

Izzy, Emmy 'N Alexander said...

Good job! I am so proud of both you and Kayla for diving right in. Everything is going to be okay! *HUGS*

Michelle said...

I'm so glad you're jumping in to new groups! That's always so hard, but you're right - we fully expect the kids to do it, so we should be able to, too.

I'm glad you have your mom there to help, too!

Bonita said...

I hope everyone is on the mend. Sounds like all of you are off to a grand start.

Anonymous said...

Awesome, you guys are finding out everything your new town has to offer! Thats the best part of moving, finding out all of the things that are COOLER than where you used to live. Makes homesickness a little easier to bear.

Killlashandra said...

It sounds like everyone got a little sick but it passed quickly. That's good news. I would bet it's connected to stress and moving and new place and just everything right now.

That's great K's first day of school went so well. I'm glad for both of you.

Glad to hear your branching out and meeting people too. That's so important when you move to a new place. When I moved to NM I knew one and did not have any family here either. I started taking some classes and meeting people and ended up married. How about that? ;)

Be well.

Jennifer said...

I'm so glad that you decided to move home. I know from experience that it has it's ups and downs, but it definately makes life a little easier from time to time. Glad to hear that Kayla is doing well!!

Becca said...

I hope you all feel better soon! Wow, sounds like Kayla settled in quickly. That's great! We'll be putting Samantha in a new school soon, and I can only hope it goes as smoothly!

Kim said...

Glad Kayla had a smooth first day. I know that makes it so much easier on you. I admire the fact that you have jumped right in too! I keep telling myself I'm going to go to our ds support group and still haven't. I would love to do the playgroup thing, but I'm always working :-(

Noel said...

I am glad that you were able to jump in! I am shy too and still struggle with being able to join the group and not feel like a third wheel!
I hope that everyone is feeling better. I dot hink God is letting you know that you made the right decision. I know I would need all the help I could get!

Tracey said...

Sounds like you are settleing in! That is great news! I am glad you were able to meet some new friends so quickly! I hope school continues to go well for Kayla! And don't sweat the Lucas thing - I think most Mommies have done the same thing...

Overwhelmed! said...

I'm so glad that you took the leap and went to that meeting. It sounds like you've just gotten yourself connected to a fantastic and supportive group! I'm relieved to hear it.

And I'm glad your mom is there to help you during those times when you just don't have enough hands or don't feel good.

Glad to hear that Kayla is enjoying her new school thus far.

And about the "Mother of the Year" award that you missed out on, don't feel bad. I remember a time when Snuggle Bug was little that he threw up in his crib and then slept in it and I didn't realize it until the next morning (he was filthy)! I felt so horrible. After giving him a bath and getting him cleaned up, he was fine.

Sully said...

I am glad you decided to send her to K. I was asked by my son's spec. ed teacher to hold him back. He has a communication delay and OCD like tendencies. I am so glad I sent him on. He is doing so good. He is doing better than we had ever hoped for. I hope you and the other parents are able to become friends.

Anonymous said...

It is always so hard to start over make new friends. . . you rock for getting out there! I am glad you like the MOPS!
Take care of you and the kids!

Corey~living and loving said...

WOW! you sure did jump right in. I'm proud of you. I just know I wouldn't do it. I am such a homebody, and hate making new friends.

Sue said...

That happened to Kayla once. I felt awful when I realized she had thrown up during the night. :)

I'm glad Kayla's first day went so well and yours did too.