Meant to be

Today was supposed to be a big day. We’ve been eagerly awaiting this day for months, knowing it had tremendous meaning for Isabelle’s development. But the universe had different plans.

A few months ago we decided Isabelle needed more stimulation than we could offer her at home. She is hungry for more interaction with other children, instruction, to be challenged and taught. Between the boys and work, I don’t have enough time to teach her. So we started looking for preschools and found a wonderful program, but she had to be 18 months to start.

Late last week I went to the school to turn in the paperwork, only to discover they had given away her spot and the soonest she could start was February. As much as I would love to wait to have her start at that school, I decided that as a family we just couldn’t afford it as Isabelle is starting to become very difficult to control due to lack of stimulation. So today, the day she turns 18 months and should’ve started at PineCrest, I went on the search for a new preschool.

And I hit the JACKPOT. I found a local Montessori preschool that is AMAZING. We walked in during this:

They are teaching phonics through song and dance! I was AMAZED! I watched the children draw, play, and engage in tap dancing class. The teacher, who is also the owner, was so energetic and full of life and enthusiasm, and it showed in the energy of the school and the kids.

Izzy walked in and pulled up a chair where the kids were seating coloring, and asked for crayons and paper so she could color with them. I was amazed to watch how easily she integrated with the other children. After a while she played with blocks and a couple of other toys, while watching everything the other kids were doing. Finally, the kids got ready for Tap dancing class, and starting warming up. Izzy decided to join – as the center of the circle:

The teacher was so impressed with Isabelle. She told me that in 10 years she has never accepted a child before the age of 2 years old. But watching Isabelle, she was so smart and so advanced that she would allow her to start right away. She was so impressed by how coordinated she is, the words she said, how she was able to work on a puzzle, her grasp of a crayon, by her ability to join in right away with the other kids, by her vocabulary and ability to understand and follow instructions. I was glowing with pride 🙂 Also, she explained that through her phonics program, Isabelle will learn to read within months, so Izzy wil be reading by the time she is 2 years old. Oh, and as if all of this isn’t enough, they have Tap dancing and ballet class every week, and they teach them conversational French. Amazing!

It’s interesting to have a child on each end of the spectrum. On the one hand Izzy is way ahead of the curve and, on the other hand there’s Nathan who is severely disabled. I feel so fortunate, Nathan’s disability has allowed me to rejoice, appreciate, and feel gratitude for all of Izzy’s accomplishments. Izzy’s intense and brilliant personality has taught me to appreciate Nathan’s happy and mellow way of being. It’s like having the best of both worlds 🙂 They each teach me unconditional acceptance and endless patience. I am so fortunate.

I am learning that when we let go of control, things happen as they are meant to be. And usually the way they are meant to be is far better than what we could’ve created through control. Plus life is so much more joyful when you’re not trying to control things. Finding this preschool was meant to be, and I am sure we will enjoy watching Izzy fluorish.