So last night, Kylie's school held a Christmas Program at a nearby church. Kylie was so excited to wear her pretty dress that Grandma Nancy got her. After getting her all dressed, she said "I look like Cinderella." Yes, a princess indeed!Here is our princess putting on her shoes just before we left.
She's ready to go!
This was just a little bit after we arrived. Grandma Nancy and Frandma were there to see Kylie on her special night. Oh, and you may have noticed the wand. Kylie asked us before we left if princesses used wands...of course they do! So we let her bring.
Wondering who she will grant a wish with her wand.
She absolutely loved twirling, and showing Grandma Nancy and Frandma how her dress moves when she spins...too cute!
A brighter version of the pic above...loved them both and couldn't decide which one to post :)
This was the program for the night. They had 17 songs, and Kylie's class was #14 on the list.
Kylie was sitting with us the whole time and was doing really well. I do think that after the first song she realized what was going on. Each class would go up on stage and do their song...meaning, they had to really do this,and that she wanted nothing to do with that. After each song, she would say "all done" and that she wanted to go home.
Of course I immediately started to worry about how this was all going to turn out. I was such an emotional wreck to begin with...this being her first school program, she's getting so big, wondering how to go about this (do we disappear and let her teacher come snag her, do we take her up there, do we make eye contact or not).
One of my most guilty feelings was just being there and seeing so many families with children with disabilities and how we were all a part of it. I almost started to cry a few different times just being there...before my concerns about Kylie started seeping/weeping out.
Kylie spotted one of her classmates sitting up front with some other kids in the aisle, watching the kids up on stage. She really wanted to go over there, and with some nudging...she did it! She went over to the aisle...no longer attached to us...hooray for Kylie! So below is a pic of her just moments after she crept into the aisle to see her friend. She looked over with a little smirk..as if to say "look, I did it!"
Kylie got a little closer and closer to her friend...she didn't want to talk to her just wanted her friend to see her. It was so cute watching her move around until her friend saw her there. They both got so excited when they saw one another. It was so cute! In the pic below they were going back between admiring one another's dresses, and looking at their own dress as if to say "look at my pretty dress."
All done eyeing one another's fashion, and watching the show.
A song or two before it was time for Kylie's class to go up, I snuck over to her teacher and asked her if she would want to get Kylie, because we knew there was no way we could do it and have any chance of it working out. She said she was concerned about Kylie, and said she would have no problem doing that at all. Once it got time, another little one in Kylie's class was going by, so her teacher grabbed her and before she had a chance to get Kylie...she figured out what was about to happen. I then had to pick her up and kicked and screamed and just melted down in an instant. I got over to her teacher and told her that I did not know what to do. I started to pass her to her teacher (who Kylie loves), and she just wrapped her arms and legs around me so tight and screamed. I knew then that it was absolutely not going to happen. Her teacher said not to force it, so I melted right along with Kylie and we were both crying. Oh, what a mess...mother and daughter crying together and just wanting to be somewhere else.
I wanted so much to see Kylie up there singing her song that she had been practicing at school for weeks now. It was so much more than wanting to see her up there...wanting to see her be a part of something and not so terrified to do it, seeing the growth she has made...that we have made together , and building my hope that everything will be okay. It's just tough sometimes to see that your child is not where you want them to be in their development, and even though you may know it...it comes to life more when you see it before you. I know being up there is scary for anyone...I wouldn't like it much either, but the night had much more meaning than the stage...it flooded my mind with where we have been, where we are now and how we got here, and what lies before us.
I will try to get her to sing the song and record it...until then, here are the words:
I'm a little snowman
Short and fat.
Here are my buttons (pointing to their buttons),
Here is my hat (point to had on head).
When the sun comes out
I can not play.
I just slowly, melt away.