Where'd the baby go?

Do you see the baby in the picture above? See him? He's wearing a striped shirt and khaki shorts? No, not the boy who is old enough to go to "school", my little baby who still snuggles in my lap and needs his momma?

I see him! That boy is my baby and I can not believe he is a pre-schooler. I somehow thought preschoolers were mostly toddlers... that it was just like daycare, only they learned more. These little boys and girls in his class are no toddlers. They're boys and girls, with back packs and crew cuts and they have grown-up little preschool conversations.

See that boy all excited for preschool? All ready to sieze the day? The boy who after his first day which was only an hour "orientation" said "Every day we get to stay wonger!"  because Mrs. L told them that that day was only one hour, but they get to stay longer every other day. He was so excited. As I buckled him in the car after day one, he said to me, "Mom, I WUV preschool!"

 

His teacher seems great so far, despite Gavin's stoic expression in this picture. We really like what we've seen so far and Gavin does too. She seems gentle and kind and really interested in each and every child. She also seems to be really good at what she does and has been there for 14 years! We hope each day goes as well as day one.

Was I nervous about this? You bet! Was I terrified that he wasn't ready? A bit. Was I afraid he would cry and not want us to leave him there? I sure was! I really didn't think it was going to go well! Deep down I knew he needed preschool. I knew he needed some more structured learning, more practice following directions, and more time with kids his own age, since our daycare has a wide span of ages. I just wasn't sure how it would go, given that we've been dealing with some separation anxiety the last few weeks.

I realize that we may still have some rough days ahead of us and every day won't go perfectly, but this smiling face sure made me feel better! It really, really went well!