School days

My baby is in school! How did that happen? Oh yeah, I signed him up in the spring. It wasn't really a hard decision. With baby brother gracing our lives in just a couple of months, I wanted William to have something that would be all his and would stay the same. Even when there's a squirmy little man in mama's arms at home, he will be able to go to school and play with his friends and teachers, business as usual. And I will get some time to really bond with the baby without worrying about what William has snuck in the trash can or knocked over.

I can't lie. The adjustment was tough. The first four or five times he went, he cried at drop-off. It made me sad, but I knew it would eventually improve. Rock bottom of all that for me was when I was up at the church where he goes to school, and I happened to walk by the playground while his class was out there. He never saw me (his teachers confirmed that later), but he was standing at the gate, trying to escape, and crying out "Mama! Mama!" in this pitiful voice. It broke my heart. Even though he had been crying at drop-off, until that point I figured he was fine once I left, and the day really got started. It was hard to think of him crying throughout the day. It turns out that he was really just having a hard time on the playground for the first few weeks. Go figure. Every day since then, he has done so well. He doesn't cry at drop-off anymore. His teachers keep telling me he is having wonderful days and is enjoying himself. It's music to my mommy ears!



The little booger totally manipulated me on what would have been his third day of school. He had a little cough and runny nose, but no fever and nothing alarming really. I brought him downstairs, and he was in a TERRIBLE mood. He wouldn't sit down for breakfast and just could not be snapped out of his funk. He is never like that! I had a doctor's appointment that morning and didn't know what to do. I thought he was acting sad because he felt sick. I had always heard to pay attention to your kid's mood. If they have a couple of symptoms but are running around just fine, they probably feel fine. But if they act out of sorts, they probably feel sick. Since I had to go to my appointment, I had Mikey turn right around and come home from work and stay with William. And of course William was in a spectacular mood once he realized he won the little game and didn't have to go to school that day. He won this time.

I think part of what stressed him out on that day and others is that our mornings are now rushed on school days. We usually move very slowly in the mornings, but I have to keep things moving pretty rapidly in order to get us out the door for school. Breakfast is about an hour earlier than normal. He is fine with it now, but it really threw him off at first. I can't blame him. We are all creatures of habit!

One thing that brings me great comfort is that William's teachers are incredible. Not once have I worried that he's not being nurtured or loved on. They also seem so fun and cheerful (how do they do it?!). Last week, they made sure to show me some cell phone pictures they took of W having fun on the playground. They knew it would make me feel good to see him enjoying what was previously a tough time of the day for him. I am so grateful that he is in their capable hands!

As for me, I have loved the structure of school. It's nice to know I can schedule all my appointments for Tuesdays and Thursdays without having to worry about what to do with him. I also clean a lot, run errands, and try to leave a little time for relaxation since I know that'll be at a premium when the baby arrives!

It's somewhere in the back-to-school handbook that boys must get their hair cut short before a new school year begins. Here's his before picture...


And after...


I swear it doesn't look that crooked in person.

The kids in his class have to bring a nap mat to school. I can't begin to imagine how his teachers get 12 kids to sleep on the floor of their small classroom, but the note he brings home tells me how long his nap is every day. I don't doubt he gets some sleep because he is in a perfectly good mood after school. Until the nap mat, William had never slept with a pillow or a blanket. Here are some pictures to show you how clueless he was about sleeping on a nap mat.







He's figuring it out now!