First Day of Pre-School

I was actually nervous for Adam's first day.  Like it was my first day.  Being a parent is so nuts, how you feel for them.  I even hemmed and hawed on what he should wear!

Uncle Bobby came over at 8:30am to watch Abbey, who was not happy with the situation.  She knew what was up.  But I finally got Adam out the door, posed him outside...to realize my camera battery was dead.  Well, I decided, it's probably good I won't have it distracting him in his face....he doesn't really care for it!

We pulled up and Adam said "YEAH! Thanks Mom! School!" :)

He was excited to run up to the door.  But trying to get him to LOOK at my phone while I tried to snap a photo with my camera was VERY hard with balloons there.  He looks like such a big boy!

 OK Mom, let's go.  This is such a goofy look.  He wanted to go in!  He was so excited to walk down the hall, down the stairs and to his classroom.  I had begun telling him about how Mom would stay for a little while, but would have to leave.  Adam handles news better when you prepare him.

 Someone had already gotten this toy out and after we went over and took his coat and bag off, he headed right for those letters for a few minutes.  He was feeling shy, but not nervous.  He walked around a bit, making sure I stayed close.

 Then he spotted a Mr. Potato Head.  He was in love.  He stood there for some time, playing.  I saw a lot of the other boys were in a group playing with big cardboard blocks.  Adam looked at them and laughed when they did something silly.  So I asked him if he wanted to go join them. No, Mom, Mr. Potato Head.  Mom, he's going for a walk!  He has a house!  Message was clear.  Adam was more interested in his imagination play then joining that group of boys.  I thought that's what would happen.  He loves to pretend play a lot.  When the teacher came over, Adam didn't want to talk to her, though I really tried to make him.  I told her I knew it was best for Adam I leave and she should tell me when she thought the best time was.

 Here's a quick shot the classroom as most of the parents filter out.  The woman in pink has been fairly friendly.  Her son Parker will be 5 in December and it's amazing how those eleven months make him seem SO much older.  She has been nice, encouraging Parker to include Adam.

Miss Elizabeth came over about 9:30am and told Adam Mommy was leaving and he'd stay with her.  He looked down and was a but sullen, but said bye Mom.  I was pretty proud of him.  No tears or whining.  I left and got a bit teary, but stopped at the sign-in desk to warn the lady when I came back with my temperamental toddler, I may night ot be able to sign my own name.

 I went outside and sat in the car for ten minutes, in case I got some frantic phone call that I knew deep down wasn't going to come.  It was weird leaving him there (But I do love the old school feel here...don't you love the entrance?).  I went home and sent Bobby to work.  I felt strange and the house felt empty.

When I went to pick him up, I kept telling Abbey we were going to go to Adam's school to get him, to try and head off the freaking out she did the last time I walked her into that building.  I was proud of her.  She didn't like the dark and crowded vestibule, but she worked through saying "school, school" (so cute!) when I kept reminding her we were going to get Adam.

We got downstairs and waited outside the room for Adam to come.  "MOM!" he said and ran out when they sent him (they do it one at a time for security).  Abbey was SO happy to see him.  I asked the TA how he did.  "OK" she said.  Believe it or not, I spent hours analyzing that.  As the day wore on, I realized that OK probably meant nothing...she was so busy with kids, there wasn't time for a conversation.  I was over analyzing it because my real problem was that for two hours of Adam's life I had no idea what happened.  That's a hard thing for me.

I emailed the teacher later a photo I took.  She replied, telling me Adam had done fairly well for the first day but he was uncomfortable with her taking his photo.  I had to chuckle...that's from me, I told her, he hates his Mom with her camera.  She said it would take time to get used to the group setting.  He seemed like the only one who hadn't been in pre-school or daycare before.  He's also one of the youngest.

But when Adam started asking to go to school Tuesday morning, I knew it was going to work out.  He even put his shoes on at dinner time and got upset when I told him he'd have to wait.  We will probably put him five days a week a bit, to help prepare him for next year.

For the first time ever, when I asked Adam what he did, he told me.  Getting him to answer questions is tough and something I knew would be hard for the teacher, too.  But after one day, he did it for me.  I was surprised and excited to hear him tell me that he ate a juice box and played with cars.  Big milestone for him!  And me.

I could feel myself being more OK with not knowing everything that he did.  Because I felt like he'd tell me.