Testing

The last day of the month has tested the family's physical and mental strength. Tuesday we can rest a little bit after our busy Monday. However, this week, we kept going right through Tuesday. 

Before school, Adeline and Emmie had their dentist appointments. The hygienist did not perform as many steps on the girls as us, but she did show them techniques for improving their brushing. The flouride was not flavored, so when we were out of the office, Adeline stated she is never getting her teeth cleaned here again as it was awful.  She was only 10 minutes late getting to school as I had raced through the back streets to get her there and there was no issues when she informed the teacher where she had come from. 

Emmie went directly after Adeline and was a good patient for the hygienist. She enjoyed picking a treasure from the toy chest. She was disappointed like her sister that she did not get a new toothbrush.

We then took Emmie to the city building as she was scheduled to be seen by the city doctor. All of the children who are planning to enter school are required to be examined by the government doctor. It is with their recommendation along with school's approval they can attend school. Eric and I were nervous because Emmie is one year younger than the upcoming class, so we are unsure what the outcome will be. In addition, they do not want you to teach children at home, so everything I do with Emmie is in English. 

The first exam was an eye exam. She did good until the numbers got larger and she stumbled in German what they were on the last two. For the hearing exam, the lady put the earphones on Emmie, but did not remove her thick hair between her ear and the equipment on one side. Then she quickly told Emmie what to do with a local accent. I felt she did not provide a very focused environment until she had Emmie sit directly in front of her. It was obvious to us Emmie did not do well on this portion as we watched, so we would have to visit our pediatrician for further testing to see if there is a complication. 

Finally, we visited the doctor. The doctor first had Emmie write her name and copy basic drawings. She then had her look at matching and what is missing pictures. The degree to which the images were drawn I think were on a higher level than for a six year old, but we were thrilled when Emmie was able to answer the questions correctly. Finally came the physical exam where Emmie showed her she could hop on one foot and do the other things she asked her to perform. After reviewing everything, the doctor informed us she agrees Emmie is ready for school next year and will send her recommendation to the school. She did warn us we need to understand Emmie may not be the best at everything because she is younger and a little smaller than the average child entering school in the fall.  We are very thankful the doctor has passed Emmie and we can continue moving forward in her learning. The school has the final say if Emmie can attend, so we will now wait for the meeting with them.

In the early afternoon, I immediately called for an appointment to see our pediatrician. He managed to fit Emmie in. Emmie's hearing was just fine, so he was able to fill out the paperwork for us. This appointment also allowed him to check out Emmie's eyelid. He prescribed some medication for the bump to go away and we were on our way home.

Today is Eric's official last day. Last Friday, he went into the office to formally say good-bye to his colleagues since majority of them would not be in today. It was an emotional day as the relationships made will not be forgotten. 

He has been on vacation for the past week, so we have not been on a rigorous schedule. His list of to do items around the place has been accomplished the place and he even found time to relax. We have had lots of family time amongst the girl's schedule which has been great before he starts his new job.