T MINUS AND COUNTING

It's coming, faster than I had anticipated. Less than 48 hours left until the beginning of a new and hopefully wonderful adventure. The adventure?????
My new job! I will start work Monday morning at the leisurely hour of 9AM. What a difference from the ungodly hour of 7AM. I will still need to wake myself bright and early, probably around the same time as I would have awakened for my job as a floor nurse. The reason being is the amount of travel travel required to get there. I will probably need at least 45 minutes in the morning depending on the time I leave to drive along the PA turnpike....YIKES! Perhaps longer in inclement weather.
I am looking forward to this new opportunity with an open mind. It is an office position in a business environment, a welcome change. Big B and I have been working out details of the morning rush with the kids...he will be flying solo beginning Monday. We plan on having backpacks, packed and ready to go along with
clothes laid out the night before. Lunches Will still need to be packed in the mornings...I tend to think that if they were packed the night before they get soggy.
I may take one last practice drive out there tomorrow to make sure I won't get lost and end up in Harrisburg. Wish me luck.

On another note, S began her new pre-k class on Thursday. We dropped her off and 9 and picked her up at 11:30. The teacher said she did great and S told me she had fun. The next day, the same routine. As the the teacher was walking her outside I made sure to ask how she did. The teacher responded very well, except....there seems to be a problem that if there is an open door..S will walk out of it. The door between two classrooms was open and S took it upon herself to venture into the other room. As long as she doesn't venture outside we should be okay.
Monday morning Big B will drop her off at school where she will remain until he picks her back up at 3:00. I pray that she continues to do well, that she doesn't disrupt the class and that she is able to make friends. She tends to be a bit on the aggressive side which frightens other little ones away. We're working on her social skills at home and I have been reassured that the school will help in that area as well.
S also had her developmental evaluation from the Montgomery County IU. I wanted to make sure that she was on par with her age group developmentally and also to see if occupational therapy could see her for her arm. NADA! She doesn't qualify for any services....including speech. This is a child that spoke only Mandarin for 3 1/2 years and now English for just 14 months!

Although developmentally she is on target, she does lack in another area which concerns me. This is her attachment to me. From an outsider's perspective one may see a beautiful, happy preschooler who tends to be a bit bossy. As a mom, I see a little girl who has not fully bonded to her mommy. She cringes at the first sign of a hug from me and desperately tries to push herself off my body if I pull her close. I've tried to rock her to help with attaching but for the most part wants nothing to do with it unless I bribe her with a chocolate milk.
I've noticed this for sometime now and it seems to have gotten worse.
I've been in touch with an attachment therapist and I'm hoping to be able bring S to see her.
I can understand where S is coming from and I do try to put myself in her place. Granted she is happy, playful and growing beautfully but with all due respect, I was the mean person who carried her away from her caregivers in China as she kicked, screamed and punched. That had to have had some effect on her whether in her subconscious mind or not. Those first few days were extremely traumatic for her and if your early life experiences provide a baseline for one's personality, growth and behaviour than this one could be a doozy.
I just hope one day that she will give a genuine hug freely to me without having to be begged or bribed. I love her and I know one day she will love me too.

Thank you for reading,
J