Olivia Goes to School

Yay!  I stuck to the plan I gave myself last week, and actually saw the memo about today being Take-Your-Stuffed-Animal-to-School-Day!  Much to my chagrin, it was in a massive stack of papers that came home with her on Monday, including a report card (can't miss that one...), a list of her classmates' names for Valentines Day cards, and some random, assorted, pulverized and pounded small trees...

So yesterday, with Samantha in enthusiastic agreement, we decided Olivia would join her today.  Olivia-who-never-wears-clothes.  But today, because she was going out in public, Samantha agreed also to keep the little pig's clothes on.  For modesty, you know?  After some dumpster-diving digging through the large pink bin of random, assorted doll clothes, I found the missing garments, and voila, she was presentable once again.

Yesterday Sammi took Scat Cat, the new book Gramma and Grampa gave her, with her to school, along with some instructions by Mommy and Daddy for her to attempt to get up in front of the class to read it to everyone.  Little by little we've been working with her teachers on eliminating her fear of group-participation activities.  I'm still a bit baffled, though, as to how this gregarious, loquatious (I'll never forget, that was one of my 6th Grade new words of the day!  Thank you, Mrs. Horner!), outgoing little social butterfly can clam up when it's her turn to do something in front of her classmates.  Even in small groups.  *sigh*  So yesterday, at the teacher's prompting, Sammi got out of her seat, took the book, got into the rocking chair that's used for storytime, looked up...and saw the shining faces of her classmates.  And stopped dead in her tracks.  Okay, so it's a first step, right?  Someone on Facebook (thanks, Beth!) suggested that perhaps she could try reading to one of her stuffed animals in the classroom, thus shifting her focus to the doll.  Well, with today being Bring-Your-Stuffed-Animal-to-School-Day, that was a perfect and timely suggestion!  I mentioned it to the teacher this morning, and she thought it was a good one, too. 

Let's see how this goes...I'll fill you all in next week...