A Week of Firsts!

So, this week has been one of firsts for the family.  On Monday, we had our first visit to the doctor and got registered for school.  Tuesday was the girls first day of class at their new school, and today Maria had her first hair-cut.

The trip to the doctor went pretty much like any other pediatric visit.  Lots of questions for people who've never been seen at this office and no major concerns were reported.  The girls doctor speaks spanish, and Maria was able to follow instructions very well.  I'm not sure if Fatima didn't understand the spanish being spoken, or maybe she was just too caught up in the "excitement" of everything to show it.  We've gotten on our "well check" schedule, and we don't anticipate any major bumps right now.  Maria has been referred to an eye doctor to make sure her prescription is (and stays) current, and both girls had their hearing checked as well.

Monday we also got the girls registered at school and Fatima got to see her classroom and meet her teacher.  Because we were there during the school day, Maria wasn't able to meet her teacher or see her classroom until the next morning.

Maria and Fatima on their first day of school.

Maria starts school at 8:45 and finishes at 3:15.  Fatima is transitioning from full-day kindergarten to half-day (12:15 - 3:15), which has been a let down for her and somewhat of a frustration.  Fatima really likes school and doesn't want to stay home with mommy or daddy until its time for class.  I guess it's better to have a child like school so much they can't wait to go, rather than fight them to even get in the car or get dressed.  Hopefully her excitement about school won't change and she'll be begging to go until after she graduates college.

Every morning Maria ends up in tears because of the knots in her hair.  Valerie and I can't figure out where all the knots come from, since she's not as active (sometimes boisterous) as her younger sister is.  Even when she brushes her hair multiple times a day there is knots.  In order to alleviate the issue, Valerie thought it might be a good idea to cut Maria's hair.  When we walked into the shop Valerie has envisioned a short bob-style cut on Maria, which I thought might be a little too traumatic for a young girl, so instead Valerie asked the hair-dresser to cut a few inches off the bottom.  The result is very nice, and reminds me of hairstlyes on the Patty Duke or Donna Reed shows of the 50s.  I'm not saying it's an "old" cut.  I suppose classic would be more accurate.

Before the haircut Maria's hair was very long, and was succeptible to many knots, which resulted in tears every day during our before school ritual, and at night before bed.

Sitting in the chair, Maria was pretty stoic through most of the process.  I don't remember seeing her smile once, but I may have missed it because her hair was in front of her face most of the time.

This is what I'm talking about.  Emotionless.  Almost sad, but she said she wasn't.

After the cut Maria said she liked it, and smiled for the camera.  Fatima was excited and didn't want to be left out of the picture.

After a short "styling" by Mommy, the flip at the bottom reminds me of those "classic" TV show hair styles.

Things are well.  A week of school has gone by without a major incident and we couldn't be more pleased.  We're looking forward to the challenges of Elementary school spelling, math, and comprehension.  We couldn't be happier with the teachers our girls have been assigned, although there are minor protests at the "studying" they need to do at home, and we see improvement every day.  As behind as our girls may be, I'm sure they're capable of catching up to where they should be.

With nearly half a year of school left, I'm confident they can do it.