I wrote a whole long blog post yesterday, but then the internet ate it and it disappeared so maybe it was a sign that it needed more work. UGH. I hate starting over. Instead, today I will answer the question that several people have asked me this week: “How is Camille doing?”
Contrary to my fears, Camille is back to her happy, carefree self. Last weekend she was a mess at church, at bedtime and again at a kid fun day on base (where she hung on to my arm and wouldn’t leave my side for 90 minutes). Not even the carnival games and prizes they were giving away could tempt her to participate. But by the following morning she seemed to have shaken off her nervousness and has been dancing around, singing, and playing dress up.
Playing with mom’s scarf collection
This week we spent a lot of time at school and maybe that has helped. We were there for Middle School orientation (for Caleb!) and a Middle Schooler parent meeting. While the adults were getting info from the principal, the new students were meeting with returning students who were there to answer questions, share personal experiences, and give tours of the school. I love that my two older boys are willing to volunteer to help the new students feel comfortable (They are part of the Student2Student organization at school). As a bonus, when I saw that Calvin was assigned to lead Caleb’s group of students and parents for the school tour, I ran off to pick up all the kids’ bus passes while the line was short.
We also were at school for a second day this week to find out which class Camille will be in for Kindergarten and to meet her teacher. I knew God had provided the perfect fit when we walked into the classroom and saw the walls decorated with oversized candy, cookies and cupcakes and the motto “learning is sweet!” My little sugar junkie will be right at home there, surrounded by her favorite things. Her teacher is a kindred spirit: it was her birthday and she admitted she had eaten chocolate cake for breakfast.
Camille is still a little nervous and counting off days on her fingers. “This is the day we go to church, this is the day mommy is doing her competition (oh Lord, that will be a future post if I survive — CrossFit related), this is the day the boys start school, this is the day that I go meet my teacher . . . 5 days until she starts school.
I think this will be the hardest adjustment — for both of us. The early mornings. The bus comes at 7:10 and this is her, fast asleep at 8:30am. She might not fall asleep at night, but she makes up for it in the mornings.
I can’t imagine that she can be comfortable without blankets and wedged into the spaces that she gets herself into, but that’s who she is. She fights sleep until she crashes. I joke that someday I’m going to put together a book of all the photos I’ve taken of her asleep in impossible positions.
Staying awake until 11 isn’t going to work when she has to get up at 6:30.
The end of summer is going to hurt for all of us.
Whenever I wake up in the morning, I never know where I’m going to find her sleeping. One night last week Josh panicked because he couldn’t find her in any of the beds. After a few minutes of searching we found her fast asleep under the bed pictured above, right next to the cat. She had low crawled under the bed to get as close to the cat as possible, and then drifted off to dreamland. They only found her because they could hear her snoring from somewhere in the room.
I expect the first week of school to feature a lot of this. Stay tuned.