How could the end be a sad one?

I never wanted the end of this blog to be a sad one so I refuse to let it be...the end that is. Wow I never did realize that this many people ever read about us. Thank you all for you support and prayers. I wish that everyone had the chance to meet Gerard in person.

Yesterday I went to the mall with my Mother to get some pictures of Anna. I started to load up the stroller with my stuff. That is when I figured out I forgot the diaper bag and had to bring in my emergency diaper kit. My Mother who has not seen the blog this week or she would have told me so said "Gerard is much better at being prepared then you are. His diaper bag is very well stocked. He has 4 diapers, wipes, snacks, juice, toys and a set of clothes all in little zip lock bags. He also knows where his diaper bag is! I thought you would be better at this." I laughed and thanked her because see that is reality. -=

How about an Anna update now.

This week was parent teacher conferences. We were booked to visit with the teacher on Thursday. I had so many reservations about sending Anna to pre-school. I had spoken with the teacher about my concerns before she started and I could tell that she was just not understanding what I was saying. I do like the teacher very much, she is young, full of energy and organized. Adoption and attachment is tricky, I do not think that I am an expert either but I am working on it.

The first 2 weeks were very hard. Anna would hit me for about 2 hours after I picked her up from school. She has regressed back to a diaper. During the day when we were home she was completely trained. Now she wants no part of the potty at all. I have decided not to push her. I know that when she feels comfortable again she will tell me.

Her eating has improved. When I spoke to the teacher she laughed and said that she was very funny at lunch time. I also send breakfast but she almost never eats it. In there lunch boxes the meals are labeled with a B or an L. Just the other morning when she woke up she asked me for "B". I think it is cute when she does that kind of stuff.

Apparently, Anna enjoys rice cakes or at least the teacher's rice cakes. The teacher had to get up from the table to get something and Anna had taken a bit of her rice cake. From what the teacher has said Anna will completely set up her lunch spot before she starts to eat. I laughed because Gerard does much of the same thing. Most people are about half way through the meal before he gets started.

The teacher was surprised by how little speech Anna has. If you give Anna the choice of three things she always picks the last thing that you said and mimics it back to you. I was thinking in my head yes I know that is why I was concerned about her walking herself to class because she has only just now started to refer to herself as Anna.

The teacher did say that Anna has not hit any of the other children. That of course was a fear of mine. The teacher says that her favorite things are the puzzle and block stations. The teacher says that she is very good at cleaning up the blocks. The teacher said that she has very good hand control over a crayon. She even drew us a picture for the meeting.

The teacher also commented that she understands now that her initial impression of what she thought Anna might act like was completely wrong. Anna is a bit of a dare devil on the play ground. There is a boy who is a bit older who she insists on holding his hand on the play ground (Dominick). I laughed because that is one of Gerard's nicknames.

Gerard saw Dominick's Mother one day when he was picking her up. She told Gerard that Dominick told her that he thinks Anna feels safe when she holds his hand so he does not mind. Oh what a sweet boy.