Preschool!

When our boys had been with us for ten weeks, it was already clear that A was ready to go to school. It was also clear that D was not.

D and I spent almost every waking moment together for eight months. And then he was ready for school. Not full time, but a gradual easing in.

This month I began to investigate nearby preschools and I found one that we both really liked. Me because the teachers seemed happy to be there and engaged with the kids, the kids were a diverse mix of ethnicities, and the space was big and bright, and D because there is a bus-shaped play structure out back with REAL TIRES.

He started preschool this week. Just two mornings a week, from 9:00 to 12:30. He LOVES it. He is SO excited to be going to school. The first day there were two special guests - a science teacher and a nurse talking about toothbrushing - and he learned about volcanoes and proper brushing technique as well as the letter Q and pandas. On Thursday he learned about dinosaurs and made fossils out of clay and drew lots of vehicles. I am so proud of him. That first day he was so brave when I dropped him off and so happy about his day when I picked him up. Best of all, he is proud of himself, that he has entered the realm of school-goers. He is officially a BIG BOY.

The first day of preschool for me, on the other hand, was pretty hard. It was way too quiet at home. I have gotten so used to hearing about imaginary vehicles all day long that it has become part of my normal background noise. I made the mistake of using those first few hours to myself to begin investigating job options and completely stressed myself out. The second day of preschool I did much better because I got out of the house and ran needed errands to stores I know D doesn't like.

Now on the weekend D is sort of flipping out, with lots of yelling and continuous jumping up and down. And I'm thinking about how to best make use of my time to myself. I'm sure in the next few weeks we will both settle into our new routines.