Preschool Year

Last year at this time I was worried sick about Ella starting preschool. Who would her aide be? Would she be nice? Be able to understand Ella's speech and sign language? How would Ella handle being away from me so long? Would she be exhausted? Would she nap? Would she fit in? Have friends? Learn anything? I was excited for her to start, but terrified of letting her go.

I had no idea how amazing the year would be for all of us. Ella started off attending school just 2 mornings a week and by the end of the year she had built her way up to 4 full days of school a week. She can recognize and say most all her letters (and points them out EVERYWHERE we go). She knows most of her colors, some numbers, and can write her name. (!!!) Her speech has accelerated so much, and she has become SO social. Her aide was amazing and I feel so confident that she is spending her days surrounded by people who truly care for her and want the best for her.

She had such a wonderful preschool experience and we are so excited that next year she will be moving on to... Kindergarten!! There are a lot of factors that went into our decision to move her on instead of spending another year in preschool and a lot of pros and cons both ways, so we're praying this is the best decision for her.

Ella's teacher sent me this video shortly after school got out and I wanted to share it with you all. Sorry for the terrible quality--I couldn't get it to upload directly from the disc, so I had to record it with my video camera from it playing on the tv. But you get the idea! She has grown so much and we are so proud of her.