Big Day for My Little Girl

Today was a big day for my firstborn. It marks the beginning of two new chapters in her life, and the very sad, sad, sad end to one chapter in my life. Today was the first day we tried quiet time instead of a nap. That's right, Mommy, say goodbye to that blissful island oasis in the center of your day known as all-babies-sleeping-and-mommy-probably-is-too.

She's been having a really rough time staying in bed at bedtime and it just didn't feel right to keep punishing her for getting out of bed so many times. J and I talked it over and thought we'd give it a try to eliminate the nap and see if that helps. She did great during quiet time. I put her in my room with quiet toys, coloring books, and Beatrix Potter on cd. She only came out twice, both times to tell me the cd story had stopped unexpectedly. I set a timer for 90 minutes and she played really well the whole time. I was pretty impressed with how well it went. We'll see if we can keep it up and if it makes a difference at bedtime. Added bonus if she stays in bed later in the mornings; can I get an amen?!

After quiet time, we were blessed with another hour together while C snoozed on and on (yet another bonus of having loud sister across the house during nap). I had received my order of homeschool books yesterday and was ready to start doing reading lessons, so we jumped right in. She's been spelling words and sounding them out with letters on the fridge for about two weeks now, so I knew the climate was ripe for cultivating her interest in reading. Sure enough, she breezed through two reading lessons in about 15 minutes and then read her first book to me!! My baby can read! "Mat sat. Sam sat. Mat sat on Sam. Sam sat on Mat. Mat sat. Sam sat. The End." It really pulls on the ol' heart strings, doesn't it?

I know we've got a long road ahead of us before she is a fluent reader, but knowing how she loves words and their meanings, I'm really excited for her. I can't wait to see how her world is going to grow exponentially as she starts absorbing the written word. Learning to read is one of my primary goals for her over the next school year. I was planning to wait until fall to start, but I think we'll do well to dive in over the summer. I'm so excited! I don't think I've felt this way about reaching a milestone before. First foods, first tooth, even first words and steps...totally pale in comparison. Something about being able to open the door of reading and watch the implications, the possibilities dawn on her little brain.

Mind you, I will likely regret having taught her to read by this time next year when she can read every magazine headline in the checkout line. But I will bask in the wonder of this remarkable new discovery as long as I can, with each new word learned, each new book read. After all, mommy-no-more-naps needs something to look forward to.