Hazy Rain Tricks

To celebrate birthdays at Colette’s school, they read the story of a child’s birth and a bit about the child from each year of life. It is a lovely tradition and all the children look forward to their turn to be in the spotlight. Today it is Colette’s turn. Here is her story.

Child’s full name:
Colette Rocket Kuzda

Day and date of birth:
Friday, June 28th, 2013 at 7:45pm

Place of birth:
OHSU Hospital, Portland, OR

Weather/details about the day:
The day started off with beautiful blue skies and sunshine. You could still see the moon in the western sky. It was warm and comfortable, a perfect summer morning. But it was day one of a six-day heatwave here in Portland and we reached a high of 92 degrees throughout the day. It was Portland’s first 90-degree day of the year and the hottest temperature in almost 300 days (since September 7, 2012).

Who was present to greet your child?
Mama and Daddy, of course. Plus surgeons, anesthesiologists, and nurses!

Any special notes about your child’s arrival:
The day before Colette was born, we found out that she was not in a good position to be born. Instead, she was breech, which means her head was up and her bottom was down, just like you are all sitting right now. This was not great news and meant Colette’s mama and daddy had to talk to several doctors and midwives to come up with a safe plan to bring Colette into the world. The anesthesiologists gave Colette’s mama some medicine so she wouldn’t feel pain and then the doctors tried to help Colette flip around inside her mama so she could safely be born when she was ready. But Colette wouldn’t budge and so the doctors had to help her get out of her mama quickly. She arrived by caesarean section, which is a kind of surgery where a special doctor, called a surgeon, makes a little cut in the mama’s abdomen, takes the baby out, and then sews up the cut so the mama’s body can heal. Colette’s daddy got to hold her first and then Colette’s mama got to see her and she wrapped her tiny little fingers around her mama’s big finger. It was very special for everyone and her mama was so happy she cried.

This story comprises the introduction to the birthday walk. We sing a song while the birthday child walks one complete orbit around the candle (the sun) while holding the painted globe (the earth) representing the passage of the child’s first year. The narrative continues:

Please describe your child after her/his first birthday: what s/he liked to do, liked to eat, whom s/he spent time with, important family events, trips, etc.
Colette was always a good eater and she especially loved yams and asparagus. She had a really hard time sleeping on her own and always wanted Mama or Daddy to be with her. Colette loved to swing at the park and so we went several times a week. She has always loved music, dancing, and singing. She started taking Music Together when she was just 8 months old and was thrilled to be with her mama at music classes or with her Daddy while he played his guitar at home. Between when she was 3 months old and nearly two years old, Colette traveled to New York once, Florida twice, Colorado twice, and Ohio once to visit family and friends. She always seemed to like being on airplanes.

The child walks another orbit.
Please share another brief story about your child after her/his second birthday.
Colette’s Auntie Em, Didus (Grandpa), and Nana (Grandma) moved to Portland when she was almost two and so she was able to spend lots of time playing with them. Nana and Didus took Colette to storytime at the library every single week! It was their special adventure and Colette loved it. Colette was pretty much bald until she was almost 2 years old! Her love of music and dance continued. She and her mama went just about every week to see Red Yarn perform his music and bring out his animal puppet friends. Colette discovered her love of Irish dancing when we visited the Irish Festival in the spring and she still likes to mix in a smiling, bouncy jig every couple of weeks with our regular dance parties. Colette traveled to New York again in the fall and to Florida again in the spring to visit family.

After his/her third birthday…
Colette got really good at riding her strider and was the fastest kid her age in the neighborhood. She wanted to go for walks or bike rides to the park nearly every day. Colette got really into helping Mama and Daddy around the house. Her favorite ways to help were by preparing food in the kitchen and vacuuming the floors throughout the house. Colette started school at New Farm Montessori in September. She loved it right from the start! She still loved music and dancing and went to Music Together classes with Mama every week. Colette went to her first music concert, March Fourth Marching Band, in October and was dancing in the aisles by the end of the concert. Her fascination with all things medical, including doctors, nurses, flu shots, and dentists, began around age 3 and continues to this day. She traveled to Colorado and Florida again this year!

After his/her fourth birthday…
Colette loved to do things for herself. Her favorite foods were chicken noodle soup, mac & cheese, and pancakes (and they still are!). She also loved any kind of fruit and she loved sardine sandwiches. And snacks. And treats. She loved snacks and treats. Especially chocolate. Colette loved to be read to and also liked to tell herself stories based on the pictures she saw in her books. She wanted to make art every day and was especially into watercolor painting and colored pencil drawing. She and her Daddy and Mama had nightly dance parties before bed. Colette began trying to learn how to ride a bike with pedals. She enjoyed hiking and completed the 4T trail with her Daddy at least 5 times!

And now Colette is 5 years old!
Share a story about your child’s new interests or skills:
Colette had her very last Music Together class a couple weeks ago when she graduated from the big kid music class! This past year, she learned to read and write basic music notes and rhythms and she absolutely loved singing and making music with her class. Colette loves books, is beginning to recognize small words, and she is getting really good at identifying the letters that make up words by sounding them out. She enjoys making cards for family and friends and writing special messages inside. Art is still a definite favorite for Colette. The other day, she had an art project idea and then made it happen all on her own. She cut bits of paper to make a rainbow collage and then added watercolor paint to the spaces between the rainbow pieces. She is very proud of this artwork and asked to display it on the wall in our home for her birthday. The most exciting change to happen recently is that Colette learned to ride her bike! The day she figured it out, she probably went on at least 10 bike rides because she was so excited and enjoyed it so much! Colette also loves being in water and is learning to be a good swimmer. She is funny, clever, loving, kind, and quite independent. We love Colette so, so, so much and are very glad she is part of our family.

A couple weeks ago, we made a paper chain to count down the days until Colette started preschool. As the chain became shorter and shorter, Colette became more and more excited. This morning, she woke up and said, “Today is the day I go to my new school!” She got herself dressed, we ate breakfast, and then Mama and Daddy both walked her to New Farm Montessori for her first day. It was a bit misty on our walk there, but we were full of anticipation and smiles.

When we arrived, there were several other children and parents getting settled in too. Colette took off her shoes, hung up her sweater and hat, and then Mama helped her unload her backpack. She found the bin labeled with her name and put her extra clothes and slippers inside. She took her placemat and napkins to Mandy (one of the guides, which is what a teacher is called in Montessori schools), who helped her put them away with the other children’s placemats and napkins and then she waited her turn to wash her hands in the bathroom.

There was a lot of activity in the little schoolhouse as children were beginning to explore and say goodbyes to parents. Several little ones burst into tears at the thought of mom or dad leaving them there. Colette was quiet and observant, staying close to us. We wandered through the house, she contemplated going out to the backyard where Jeff (another guide) was exploring with some children, decided to stay in instead, and then met Jessica (the third guide). She watched as some of the children decided what to work on and Jessica helped them get started. Then Jessica suggested she say goodbye to Mama and Daddy so she could pick an activity.

Colette gave big monkey hugs, clinging tightly to our necks, hesitant to let go. She planted sweet little kisses on our cheeks. And then we walked toward the door to get our shoes and head home. As we turned to go, Colette wavered just a bit, tears welling up in her eyes. I heard her tell Jessica that she wanted Mama and Daddy to stay with her. Jessica acknowledged her feelings and offered her a hug, which Colette accepted. We waved and blew kisses and hugs from outside the window and Colette flashed a big smile, sending waves, hugs, and kisses back to us. “She will be just fine,” I assured myself.

Zakk and I headed home. It was slightly mistier now and we were quieter. I was thinking of some of the many, many moments that had led up to this point. Wondering how time can move so quickly and yet so slowly. Feeling anxious about how her first experience being away from a known and trusted adult would go for her. Feeling proud of my brave girl and knowing she will flourish in this new adventure. Feeling proud of us as parents for helping her get here. Feeling a little sad that she is growing up so quickly.

When I returned to pick her up, there were already several other parents leading their children down the steps and heading home, gathered inside the doorway collecting shoes and jackets, saying goodbyes and thank yous to the guides. I stood outside the window and watched Colette inside by herself for a few seconds. She didn’t seem concerned that she hadn’t seen her parents arrive yet. She was still exploring a bit, looking over the various shelves and tables at all their contents. She glanced up at the activity by the doorway and then over to the window and her face spread into a smile when she saw me. We waved to each other and she gently pushed her way through the grownups and out onto the porch to give me a bug hug. I asked her how it went. “Good,” she said smiling and then buried her face in my neck, squeezing me tightly.

On our walk home, she told me all kinds of tales about her morning. Most of them were pretend (“I went to a big blue mountain, all the way to the top, by myself!”), some were real (“I played with beads and put them on a string.”). She was exuberant and alternated between running and playfully dawdling. It was clear she had enjoyed her first day at school. I felt grateful and happy. And proud. So very proud.