On Growing Up and Letting Go

Wednesday our resource coordinator with Sooner Start came out for a visit.  We discussed preschool options when Maddie turns 3 (just 9 months away! : { yikes!)  If she goes to a special needs preschool, she will attend Mon. -Thurs. for 2.5 hours a day.  I had visions of dropping her off at school and she turns around and waves bye then marches right in greeting all of her special buddies and having the time of her life.  Then there's me in the car wondering, "what do I do without my baby girl?" And I feel so lonely and so proud at the same time.  So proud because I know she's doing what all kids are meant to do, and I join the ranks of all of the other mommies who cry their eyes out the first day of preschool...yep, it's just normal and natural, and I'll be grateful she'll be healthy and able to attend school.  but why does it have to come so soon!!
And to get ready for preschool, I've been trying to take full advantage of this amazing developmental growth spurt she's in right now.  Somebody must have snuck in and gave my little sprout some fertilizer when I wasn't looking!
She's coloring now...

And did you know she can kick a ball?  Yep, not just fine motor development but gross motor too!

It's hard to remember sometimes my job is to teach her independence, and I suppose preschool is the first step.  I do hope she will be fully capable of  taking all of the steps toward independence, but I also won't complain if she decides she will stay with Mommy and Daddy forever and ever and ever and ever! : )