Smarty Pants

I have to say that the Matt Nathanson song you may be listening to right now as you read my blog just makes me smile. And tap my foot. And get up and dance around my kitchen.

Jilly got her report card last week. Straight A's. Even a few A+ grades.

I remember a time not too long ago that in 2nd grade you just got an S or something like that. Cookies at snack. Tetherball at recess. Are you reading at grade level? Great. Being a good neighbor? Fantastic.

Now? Higher stakes. These little 2nd graders get real grades.

And Jilly is a smarty pants. Reading at a 4th grade level. One of the top students in math. Highest fluency rate (means she can read pretty darn fast).

This is such a huge thing for me. Well, I mean obviously I am happy that she is smart and doing well in school. But it's huge because of what I thought we were facing when it came to learning for Jilly.

Those first few years we heard many, many, many times to be prepared for learning difficulties. Because she had been on bypass three times, which means a lack of blood flow to the brain, the statistics told us she would have learning issues. Because she lived the first three months of her life on oxygen and very low oxygen levels in her blood because of her failing heart statistics told us she would have learning issues and possibly cerebral palsy. Because she lived the first three years of her life with low oxygen levels statistics told us to be prepared for learning disabilities.

Those first three years I had plenty of doctors and nurses try to prepare me for a lifetime of difficulties.

Can I just thumb my nose at all of those statistics? Yes, I think I can. Because this here girl is one smart cookie.

The medical community and statistics also tried to prepare me that we would also face a child with ADD or ADHD - some correlation to do with bypass surgery and low oxygen levels. Happy to say that is not an issue. And from experience I know what a 7 year old with ADHD looks like and it isn't Jilly.

It is just one less worry to check off of my worry list.

I just love that this girl loves to learn. She is like a sponge and just soaks everything up.

And of course it warms my heart that she shares a love of reading with me. Gets the same goofy grin when we walk into a library. Gets so excited when she finds a new book that she didn't see the last time we were there. Checks out like way too many books and then lays on the couch for a solid three hours just lost in her book.

Love me some smarty pants.