We're making headway!!!!

I wrote about how wonderfully Arabella did without me the first week at my BSF Bible Study.
Well, it slowly wend downhill from there.
She is so attached to me.
She won't play without holding on to me when we aren't home.
She won't let anyone else hold her.
She really thinks I'm going to leave and never come back.


I thought after a few consecutive weeks,
Arabella would get used to the routine.
She would happily play and eat her snack.
In two hours I'd come to get her.
Well, she just cried.  and cried.  and cried.

It was breaking my heart.
The first week of October, Jimmy and I agreed on a timeline.
If she wasn't ok with it by the end of the month,
I'd put off the study for a year and try again.

I didn't want to see her so miserable week after week.
I didn't want her to make the other kids nervous.
I didn't want to add stress to the wonderful teachers.

The first week of October, I pulled out all the stops.
Every week, we'd been singing the songs they sing.
Talking about the toys.
Talking about the friends.
Making it an exciting place to go.
This time, I tried something new.
My Essential Oils.
I chose Valor and Lavender.

Valor is an oil that gives you a sense of confidence and well-being.
Lavender is so calming.
Guess WHAT???

She had a wonderful day!
I checked on her two times and she was sitting playing contently.
Last week, I did the same again.
She fussed as I handed her to the teacher, but immediately calmed and played.

I'm not saying it was solely the oils.
It was a combination of everything the teachers and I were doing.
Since then, Arabella is growing and changing.
She has gone to the church nursery twice (for about 1/2 hour each) and enjoyed it.
She has let go of me and played with other toddlers at a church event.
She has become more friendly to adults that try to talk to her at our weekly bible study.
Those times were with no oils.

I want to clear something up.
In no way am I trying to push my baby to be without me.
Or grow up.
Or want other people more than me.
Or scare her.
I do, though, want her to be less anxious around others.
For some reason, she clings to me as though somone will take her an never give her back!
I want her to feel confident that I am there;, I will return if I am not.
I don't want her scared all the time.
I love her and I want her to feel calm and at ease.
I want her to love to lay with others.
I want her to feel the joys of letting go of me for a minute and watch what another toddler is doing.


I see her growing confidence in herself and slowly learning to trust other people.
I'm so grateful for the tools to help her.