JTOK Chatter > Kids > School > Page 16

Category Archives: School

Fire truck field trip!

Posted on by — No Comments ↓

It was only outside to the school parking lot but it’s still considered a field trip. 🙂

The class got to see a real fire engine, walk through it, and talk to the firemen. He also got his own fireman’s hat (though I didn’t get a good pic of him in it).

2013-10-07pre-k01

2013-10-07pre-k02

2013-10-07pre-k03

2013-10-07pre-k04

We were all asking him about it on the way home from the airport…

Grannie: Did they sound the siren?
Owen: No, you only do that in an emergency.
Papa: Did they shoot water from the hose?
Owen: No, you only do that when there’s a fire.

Well, he IS right. 🙂

Owenisms 28

Posted on by — No Comments ↓

After getting in the car after school:
Owen: Hiiiiiii Miss Katie! I’ve been waiting for you to come back all day!!
Me: My heart melts.

We were playing Candyland and I got a really good card.
Owen: But I don’t want you to win.
Me: Why not?
Owen: Because you’re not nice.
Me: I’M NOT NICE?
Owen: Okay, you’re a little bit nice.

Pre-K Open House

Posted on by — 2 Comments ↓

Amazingly, Owen was Mr. Shy when we got there…hiding behind me and literally holding onto my shirt. He had already met the teacher, he was back in his old classroom, AND his buddy Braxton was there…so I have NO idea what was going on. It took me a good five minutes to get him to look for his cubby (and I only got him to do it by proclaiming I’d found it and pointing to a picture that was obviously NOT him which got him giggling). Then he wouldn’t give me a good smile.

2013-09-27 14.57.03

Then he finally came back to his normal self…he told me the reading area had moved (the classroom had been completely rearranged).

20130927-222020.jpg

Their daily schedule:

20130927-222155.jpg

20130927-222303.jpg

Watching the kids play outside:

20130927-222407.jpg

Katie stacking Play-Doh:

20130927-222510.jpg

20130927-222817.jpg

They had the menu sitting out for next week so I took a look. As I expected, breakfasts and snacks were okay, but there was NOT ONE SINGLE THING he would eat on any of the lunches except cheese pizza (and milk).

  • Monday: Chicken parmesan over whole grain pasta, green beans, peaches, milk
  • Tuesday: Beef soft tacos on tortilla, red beans, pineapple, milk
  • Wednesday: Turkey & cheese on whole grain wrap, squash, peaches, milk
  • Thursday: Grilled chicken breast, brown rice with gravy, cranberry sauce, green peas, milk
  • Friday: Cheese pizza, corn, mandarin oranges, milk

I asked the teacher if there was ANYTHING we could do because he wouldn’t eat any of it. She said “Well, if he just eats some of it, it should be okay.” I said “No, you don’t understand, he won’t eat the chicken parmesan, the pasta, the green beans, the peaches, the soft tacos, the red beans, the pineapple, the turkey and cheese, the squash, the grilled chicken, the rice and gravy, the cranberry sauce, the peas, the corn, or the mandarin oranges.” Her response: “Oh, you really mean he won’t eat ANYTHING.” Yep. She sent me to talk to the main admin person. I went through almost the same thing with her verbatim.

Me: My son won’t eat anything on the lunch menu except the cheese pizza. Is there anything we can do?

Her: Well, as long as he eats something like the beans or the rice or the peaches…

Me: No, he won’t eat the chicken parmesan, the pasta, the green beans, the peaches, the soft tacos, the red beans, the pineapple, the turkey and cheese, the squash, the grilled chicken, the rice and gravy, the cranberry sauce, the peas, the corn, or the mandarin oranges.

Her: Oh. Wow. You really mean he won’t eat anything.

And of course I’m thinking WHY DOESN’T ANYONE EVER BELIEVE ME?!?!

And long story short, it’s tough luck. I can’t bring anything and they can’t even give him, say, that day’s breakfast or snack foods at lunch time. Each menu square is for that exact day/time only with NO exceptions. He can have a second helping at breakfast or a second helping at snack…but for lunch he’s just out of luck. They will, of course, promote trying the new foods (which I am totally a fan of) but if he doesn’t eat, he doesn’t eat. Too bad. I said “So after he hasn’t eaten anything for lunch for two weeks can we revisit this?” And she said yes, but she was sure everything would be fine. And I guess it might (hopefully peer pressure will work its magic), but it’s just VERY disconcerting to know your super picky eater who you KNOW won’t like anything and HATES to try new food won’t be eating lunch and there’s nothing you can do about it. On one hand I’m glad I don’t have to pack a lunch every day…but if it means he’s not eating lunch, then it’s kinda stupid. Damn government rules. Oh, and they never get PB&J due to allergy precautions, even though no one in his class has peanut allergies. (Okay, I’m really just guessing at that, but inwas told they do not get peanut butter, so I just extrapolated the rest from that.)

But on the positive side, I really hit it off with the teacher. She’s super nice and personable and we ended up chatting quite a bit since we were the last ones there. She’s a mom of three (5, 2, and 4mo), a military wife, and they’ve only been here a year. So I invited her to join our mom group since we’re always looking for new people!! Of course we don’t have a designated weekly group meet yet this school year (we’re still getting schedules worked out) but I told her she could come over to my house for a play date and then we’d go from there. She seems excited so that’s cool. And I figure it can’t hurt to get on the teacher’s good side… 🙂

Any bets on when Owen gets kicked out?

Posted on by — No Comments ↓

So as we were eating dinner, I was reminding him about bathroom routines and how he could always ask to use the bathroom—even if he was outside playing, etc., and that if his teacher asked him to try to poop he needed to listen to her and not get grouchy with her. Basically trying to lead up to “You have to wipe yourself—they can’t help you like mommy does.”

Then, appropriately, I smelled poop.

I asked Owen if he had poop in his pants and of course his answer was no. We go to the toilet and oh my was it a hot mess. Poop just caked thick in his underwear, covering about the size of your fist. And some was dried on so you knew it had been there A LONG TIME. 😥 So I explained to him that he had to try to wipe himself because if this happened at school his teacher wouldn’t be able to help him. And to his credit, he tried. But it was a miserable failure. We tried a few times from the back and then the front and then with wet wipes…and he still barely touched the mess. After he was done I still needed about three wipes with paper and three with wet wipes.

I know the teacher said it wasn’t really a big deal…but it kinda is. I bet I’m either making 1-2 trips a week or we get kicked out by Thanksgiving.

Just so you have some idea what I’m dealing with, here’s how I keep track of his pooping (it’s an app on my phone). This is only a small section (I also track Miralax/Ex-lax/Mineral Oil and consistency) but you can see that he NEVER initiates pooping and he has multiple dirty underwear incidents each day. Each week looks about the same.

2013-09-26 19.18.21

Pre-K Home Visit

Posted on by — No Comments ↓

The home visit was basically just to get to know the teacher and for them (the teacher and an admin) to hand out the laundry list of materials (handbook, calendar, supply list, etc.) and let you discuss anything about your child you felt needed discussion. She also took a picture of him to put on his bin. 🙂 But it wasn’t bad at all—and I really REALLY like the teacher, Mrs. Ashley.

We went over his general home life (baby sister, three pets, daddy deployed), his potential behavior issues (how he’s generally a very well-behaved and polite kid, but with a recent streak of attitude), his food issues, and of course his poop issues. As I’m sure you can guess, the last two are the biggest worries for me.

As with preschool, all food (in this case, breakfast, lunch, and a snack) are all provided—and you CANNOT bring anything from home. If you don’t like what’s served, too bad. And while on one hand I can understand that…on the other hand, Owen doesn’t like much so I anticipate him being hungry quite a bit. I did tell the teacher about Owen earning “bonus badges” for trying new foods, so she said she’d let me know what he ate or if he tried a new food (I told her it would likely be very obvious if he tried a new food because he would initially refuse to eat it). She says their policy is that the kids have to try something…so that might help Owen—especially if other kids are having to do it, too. They will also call if (for whatever reason) he doesn’t eat anything all day. I guess I’ll just have a stash of granola bars or crackers in the car for when I pick him up.

As far as poop…I reiterated the entire saga to them (a condensed version starting from Day 1 of potty training through being hospitalized last month and the likelihood that he’s already constipated again) because I wanted them to know that I wasn’t hiding anything. I even told them I was honestly TERRIFIED of him getting kicked out due to this issue and that I almost didn’t accept the Pre-K admission because of it. They tried to assure me that it wasn’t that big of a deal and that they “have seen it all” and they “have worked with other kids on this issue”…but at the end of the day, they can ask if he needs to go and suggest he try…but they can’t really can’t assist in any way (and to me, that’s where the biggest problem will be). As she said, “We can stand outside the door and say ‘I think you might need to wipe again’ but that’s about the extent of it.” If it’s something really bad, they have to call me. Yes, call me, so I can drive 15 minutes in to clean him up. 🙁

After they left I tried to tell Owen a little about his new class and expectations so he wouldn’t be surprised. I told him he’d be eating lunch there and he might not like everything but has to try it…and it was like talking to a wall. He doesn’t pay attention and it drives me nuts. So I guess he’ll learn the hard way…

Owen was accepted into Pre-K!

Posted on by — No Comments ↓

Today was the day we were supposed to get word about Pre-K acceptance…and when we didn’t get any call, I just assumed we didn’t get it (which, honestly, was what we expected—and honestly, kinda hoped for so we could have more time to work on the poop thing).

Then the phone rang at 6:15 with the news that he got accepted!! Which means he now has to move back to his old classroom after just three days in the new classroom. But I’m not worried about that… What I am worried about, of course, is the whole pooping issue. It was one thing for him to be gone for just 3.5 hours—pooping could generally be done before or after. But being gone for 6.5 hours…?? There’s way more of a chance for…DISASTER. And I’m TERRIFIED that he’ll get kicked out and then he’ll be on a wait list to get back into preschool. 🙁

Interestingly, NC Pre-K requirements include a home visit…so that’s Thursday afternoon. Tomorrow will, of course, be spent cleaning up a bit. 😯

So, while I’m excited that Owen got accepted…there are two annoying things.

One? I GET TO MOVE KATIE’S NAP AGAIN!!! 👿 We had JUST gotten into the schedule of naps at 12:30 (to usually around 3)…and now I have to move them earlier because I have to pick Owen up at 2:30. So it’s possible we might have to go back to two shorter naps (one before pickup and one after). UGH. I’m hoping that she adjusts as easily as she did to the other schedule…

Two? I now have to drive an hour a day every day for drop-offs and pick-ups. (Accepting this placement means we’re off the wait list and cannot get placed if there’s an opening at the school five minutes from the house.)

That said, there are two minor bonuses: I no longer have to pay for school and Owen’s buddy was accepted into Pre-K as well.

It shall all be…interesting.

From the county website:

North Carolina Pre-Kindergarten (NC Pre-K) is a state-funded, community-based pre-kindergarten program designed to provide 4-year-old children, who may not otherwise be served, with a valuable educational experience for 6.5 hours per day. Children must be 4 years old on or before August 31, 2013 in order to be eligible, and must meet income qualifications.

Children with identified disabilities and children with other documented risk factors may also be eligible. All families, including military families, are encouraged to apply.

The NC Pre-K Program standards are built on the premise that in order to be academically successful in school, children need to be prepared in all five of the major domains of development outlined by the National Education Goals Panel. Each of these domains is critical to children’s well being, in particular for their success in reading and math as they come to school. The five domains are:

  • Health and physical development
  • Social and emotional development
  • Language development and communication
  • Cognition and general knowledge
  • Approaches to learning

NC Pre-K operates on the public school calendar. Children are required to have a health assessment, including dental and vision, upon enrollment. A developmental assessment is also provided to identify special needs and monitor growth in the program. Children also receive family support, and other community resources as needed.

What Does NC Pre-K Offer?

Some of the features of the program include:

  • A high quality early childhood learning environment for children with developmental, social, and familial risk factors that may affect their success in school.
  • High-quality childcare centers, with degreed teachers and state-approved curricula.
  • Small class sizes, with no more than 18 children, and two teachers in each classroom.
  • Family support regarding health, nutrition, developmental screening and placement for children with special needs.
  • Kindergarten Transition Coordination to support families and children as a child moves from pre-kindergarten to ensure a successful start in school.

The NC Pre-kindergarten program in Onslow County serves 859 children in community-based child care and public school settings in 53 classrooms.

I’m feeling disenchanted this morning.

Posted on by — No Comments ↓

I am a bit disenchanted with Owen’s school this morning. I know it’s all a little last-minute and that’s fine, but it’s stupid little things like no coat hooks and bins, but just bins (which backpacks don’t really even fit in) and a boring outdoor play area (no playset area like he had before—just an open space and a volleyball net—really?). Not that that’s why they’re there or they need an awesome play area…it was just a bit disappointing.

But the biggest thing is that they have no room for Katie in the drop-in care. Why? Because oh, they don’t have drop-in care for 1-year-olds (which no one ever told me) but technically they could take her but because of all this room- and building-switching, they had to move kids and now the 1 year room is at capacity. I asked “So you really never offered actual drop-in care, it’s mostly for scheduled care?” Yep. Well, thanks for wasting my time and having me fill out all the paperwork for no reason. She said I could still call in the mornings and ask if there was a space, but the chances wouldn’t be good unless someone called in sick. Great. There are other locations around town but the point was to DROP THEM BOTH OFF AT THE SAME TIME AT THE SAME PLACE—not drop Owen off then drive 10 minutes across town to drop her off, only to reverse the process at 11:30.

I still have the other drop-in care, but they don’t open until 9am which means I’d have to waste an hour in town if I want to drop her off after Owen (or drive home 15 minutes, waste 30 minutes, then drive 15 minutes back to town). Annoying, first world problems…but stuff that makes my life more difficult.

Edited after pickup to add: Okay, I jumped to conclusions. The area outside their classroom is for the bigger kids. They do take them out front to the nice, cool, new play area. 🙂

Owen’s school will be changing…

Posted on by — No Comments ↓

But I’m not sure to exactly what quite yet. :~

First, I forgot to mention that we got Owen’s Pre-K waitlist letter earlier this week—so that was good news (definitely better than a flat out no).

So, today at pickup, all the parents were getting pulled into the office…to be told that the school JUST got assigned a Pre-K class so current class locations will be changing. The Pre-K class is going to be held in the current Tiger classroom (Owen’s room) so all the preschool kids will be moving to the building next door. HOWEVER, if your child is on the Pre-K waitlist and is approved, they will be staying in their current classroom—it will just be full-time Pre-K instead of part-time preschool. But we won’t know if we’re approved until Tuesday. But the preschool class moves Monday. Which means if he’s approved, Owen will be moving classrooms TWICE in the span of a week—once to the new preschool classroom for his M-W-F days, then back to his old classroom for Pre-K starting the following Monday.

There is also the option of moving to a different preschool where they will now have openings—but it’s farther away so we’re not interested in that (though there might be some that are, so his classmates would be changing anyway). There are still no openings at the Pre-K five minutes from our house. Of course. And we have no idea how far down we are on the waitlist to know if we even have a chance of being approved.

If Owen is accepted into Pre-K, he will lose one of his friends for sure—“his girl” Joselyne, as she’s only three and too young for Pre-K. And I know his other friend, Braxton, is also on the waitlist so maybe he will get moved to Pre-K without Owen.

Sigh.

The admin admitted that they hadn’t really wanted to add this class because of all the necessary changes (after all, they just got the kids all settled in their schedules with their teacher and the teacher knows them all) but they had already signed the contracts saying they’d take the class if it opened.

So, it shall be interesting.

Oh, the other sucky thing? I have to fill out ALL THE EXACT PAPERWORK again. All 10 pages of information, medical history, likes/dislikes, emergency information, etc. No, they can’t make copies—we asked. The only things they can copy are the shot records and school physicals, which I guess is at least something…

I’m failing at preschool.

Posted on by — No Comments ↓

Wednesday I brought granola bars for Owen to keep in his cubby in case he doesn’t like their provided breakfast (since he’s SO picky)…and was told that’s against the rules since they provide breakfast. Government-paid-for yada yada.

This morning I absentmindedly sent Owen in a pull-up since he still had it on from yesterday (ex-lax fallout day) and it was still clean. I got pulled aside and told that’s a big no-no since this is a potty-trained class and they could get in BIG trouble if the health inspector happened to come in. I did explain why and said it wouldn’t happen again. :/

I logically understand both of these, but both were a big shock to me nonetheless.

Pre-K phone call and thoughts…

Posted on by — No Comments ↓

First, some background.

Preschool is what Owen is enrolled in now—generic preschool (that we pay for).

NC Pre-K is the North Carolina government-sponsored (free) pre-kindergarten—and is what he’s being considered for depending on what they decide about his poop issues. (This is the place I turned in the application late so at best we’re on a wait list.)

Preschool can be any ages up to and including 4—but generally at age 4 they go to Pre-K. I think Pre-K is more regimented—as they’re getting them ready for full-time school. Preschool is (as far as I can tell) glorified day care. (That’s not as bad as it sounds—they do have a curriculum so it’s not like the kids are running wild. But I think it’s closer to day care than kindergarten, if that makes sense.)

He doesn’t have to change any schools if I don’t want him to…but if I change him to Pre-K and he has issues, his original preschool spot might not be open (unless I continue paying for it—which seems crazy)…though I could get on their waitlist if there are no openings.

The plan is for Kindergarten next fall if all goes well as he’ll be almost 6. I just can’t see starting him and having him turn 7 in Kindergarten…especially since he’s already big for his age.

So, I just got a call from NC Pre-K to “ask me more about” Owen’s condition.

Yeah…I’m guessing they’re not going to even put him on a waiting list. Basically they have NO provisions (legally, etc.) to help clean up any accidents he may have or even to help with basic bathroom protocol. She said if he had any type of accident, he’d have to clean himself up, change his clothes, etc.

Which…wow. I can’t believe they expect a 4yo to do all that BY HIMSELF? I mean, I don’t think most 4yos could clean up a poop accident…but they get to go to preschool anyway. (Though I guess if there were too many accidents they’d get kicked out.)

I explained that he hasn’t had any major accidents since the hospitalization but if he did, he’s four and wouldn’t have the first clue how to clean himself up (well, he’d have a clue but it wouldn’t go well). I said he would be able to change his clothes but there’s no way he’d remotely be able to wipe himself but he does know how to wash his hands well.

It just felt like no matter what I said there was just no way to come back from “he doesn’t want to poop” and “he might have an accident” and “he has had issues pooping.”

So she’s talking to her supervisor and getting back with me to let me know if we’re placed, on a waitlist, or if it’s a complete no-go.

I asked where we’d likely be placed IF we were placed and she said Missy’s Private School or Shine 12 (next door to where he is now at Shine 14). She said they sometimes have a pre-k program at Shine 14 (where he is now) when they have funding…which they don’t right now. But Shine 12 and Shine 14 are right next door to each other (I actually just noticed today that what I thought was one big building is actually two buildings—so I googled and yes, it’s two Shine buildings.)

On the one hand, I like where he is (with two friends and moms I know and people that can pick him up if necessary) and the 3x a week is a hard adjustment as it is so I still can’t imagine going full-time 5x a week. (Both him handling it and me with the dropping off and picking up—though if it was full-time, it wouldn’t coincide with Katie’s naps at all.)

But on the other hand, he loves going to school and I imagine he would do okay in FT…plus Pre-K would be free and hopefully right down the street at Missy’s Private School (though of course I could get assigned the other one which would suck, but it’s at least the same drive I have now….just 5x a week vs. 3x a week).

So now I’m trying to think what I would do if offered which location… If I’m offered the close location, I think I’d be much more tempted to do it. If I’m offered the further location, I don’t think I would. Would it be better to stay on the waitlist for the location I want? If it’s available now, is it better to rip him away from his friends NOW or stay on the waitlist and rip him away at the half-way mark?

I didn’t consider any of this before because I didn’t know he’d have two friends in his class. I know kids are resilient, but I know he LOVES having his two friends in the same class…and it kills me to think I’d be taking him away from that. I’m leaning towards putting him in the Pre-K if he’s accepted…but the best case scenario would actually be to be put on the waitlist and magically have it come due about 2-4 months in so he’s used to the 3x a week schedule and can move up to the FT schedule.

But still. Ugh.

Owen’s Preschool Q&A

Posted on by — 1 Comment ↓

I’ve seen friends do this with their kids (from five questions to 20) so I thought I’d give it a whirl. I asked each question and wrote down exactly what he said.

  1. Favorite color: blue
  2. Favorite pet: Charlie—He licks me every time.
  3. Favorite food: Sandwiches (What kind? Peanut butter and jelly.)
  4. Favorite ice cream: chocolate
  5. Favorite fruit: apple
  6. Best friend: Joselyne—she’s my girl!
  7. Favorite toy: cars
  8. Favorite Cars car: Doc Hudson
  9. Favorite Super Hero: Superman and Batman
  10. Favorite TV show: Octonauts—no, Doc McStuffins.
  11. Favorite book: Olivia
  12. Favorite movie: Planes
  13. What I want to be when I grow up: race car man…race car guy…racing guy

What’s funny is that if I asked him the same questions on another day I’d get mostly different answers. For example, he has three friends that he regularly talks about, but whatever he saw (or played with) most recently is going to be the one he mentions (I was SURE he was going to answer that Braxton was his best friend so was surprised when he said Joselyn—until I remembered she was here at the house yesterday for swimming). And when I asked his favorite food the other day for his actual preschool questionnaire, he said pizza. And I know he says he loves strawberries, but today he answered apple. The mind of a four-year-old!

 

2013-09-04kids025a

School, Day 2

Posted on by — No Comments ↓

They were still lining up from outside play when I got there, and they call in individual kids if their parents arrive (some kids are all-day-ers) so Owen got called in. Then they have to wash their hands.

Waiting his turn:

20130906-165036.jpg

His turn (I told him he doesn’t really need the stool but he wanted to use it):

20130906-165142.jpg

Post-school report:

(When he’s talking about the sandcastle, he’s talking about a Bubble Guppies episode.)

By the time we got home he forgot all about it.

Owen’s Official Report

Posted on by — 3 Comments ↓

He saw me through the door and I could read his lips: “Mama!” And he was excited to see me. (Yay!) He finished out his turn in the game they were playing and as I was gathering his bag, his teacher said he did just fine—that he’s VERY talkative!

The first thing he said to me? “I love school! School is SOOO fun! When can I come back?” 🙂

On the way home I just started recording him because he kept talking about school and I was afraid he wouldn’t do it once we actually got home…I didn’t want to miss the moment. So that’s why the video is all over the place—I was driving and obviously not watching.

When we got home:
Me: Do you want to tell me more about school?
Owen: No, it’s a secret.

And then he asked for a granola bar and to watch TV.

So I’d say his first day was a success!

This was the form the teacher filled out:

20130904-121408.jpg

Owen’s first day of school!

Posted on by — 1 Comment ↓

After being excited about school being today, he actually started the morning with a mini meltdown because he didn’t want to put clean underwear on because his weren’t dirty (“See? There’s no poop in there!”)—which he was right, there were no poop stains (which is, honestly, fairly new) so I tried explaining that we change our underwear every day but he wasn’t having it. It wasn’t a battle I really cared about, so he got to wear his ninja underwear again.

Then the outfit he had picked out was a little too small. It’s been on the verge for awhile now, and of course this morning was the morning it was too tight…so he wasn’t happy about that and I had to make other outfits look appealing. He wasn’t thrilled, but picked another. While he was getting dressed, he came up to me with sad eyes and said “I don’t want to go to school because I will miss you!” Awwww. I told him he would be so busy and be having so much fun that before he knew it it would be time to come home…and I couldn’t wait to hear ALL about it!

Socks still proved difficult to get on so I had to help with that…and he got frustrated with the tennis shoes, too. Poor kid. But he was still VERY excited for school!

Ready to go!

2013-09-04kids034

2013-09-04kids035

2013-09-04kids036

He was the first one to arrive!

2013-09-04kids038

He found his cubby! The poor picture quality is because I only had my phone plus I was holding Katie plus he wouldn’t stand still!

2013-09-04kids037

Playing with the other kids before class started.

2013-09-04kids039

Then it was time for me to leave so I actually had to get his attention to come over and say goodbye. Yeah, he couldn’t have cared less. 🙂

As I was out in the parking lot talking to another mom friend (from mommy group) asking about our other mom friend, she texted saying she wouldn’t be coming to school because her husband took both sets of keys. I told her I’d be right over (she only lives five minutes away). She’s the one who has volunteered to bring Owen home now and again, so I figured it was karma at work!

Owen’s going to preschool!

Posted on by — No Comments ↓

Well, Owen is officially signed up for morning preschool three days a week! I wanted two, but she said better to start with more and cut a day (if necessary) than start with two and want to add a day and have there not be room.

Best part? One of his friends is in the same class! 🙂
Worst parts? Class starts at 8 and ends right in the middle of Katie’s nap. 🙁

So this means we’re all getting up by alarm (YUCK). This was a VERY rude surprise since we thought it was 8:30 (that’s what the paperwork I have said) and that was VERY doable with our regular schedule (Owen is up at 7, I’m usually up and showered by 7:30, but Katie can sleep until 8 or 8:30 sometimes—though it’s usually 7:30). But 8? Good god, that’s a BIG change in our schedule to be up and out the door by 7:35.

And on the other end, I either keep Katie up and deal with her being a hot mess and she falls asleep on the way to pick him up OR I let her nap but have to wake her up after 30-45m. Neither are appealing. Poor second kid gets the shaft nap-wise. The only thing I’m hoping is that maybe by getting her up earlier she will be tired earlier and will nap earlier… FINGERS CROSSED!

That said, one bonus to having a friend in the same class? I already know his mom well (she’s part of our mom’s group) and he’s an only child so she doesn’t have to deal with other kids napping…so she has GRACIOUSLY offered to pick up Owen on occasion and bring him home! So they’ll just come out for lunch and a play date! I swear, this mom’s group just keeps on giving and giving!

The only other thing I was planning on but didn’t pan out is dropping Katie off at the same place for once a week morning preschool…but they only do full-time care for one-year-olds (you have to be potty trained for pre-school classes). They do have drop-off first-come-first-serve daycare, though, so I may still be able to have a morning to myself now and again!

We got to meet his teacher, Miss Jennifer, and see his classroom. He had been SUPER excited about going to school and wanted to GO (not just visit) today but he didn’t seem too thrilled once we got in the classroom. I think (am hoping) it was because they just cleaned it (while the kids were outside) and it smelled like disinfectant. He also could see the playground and wanted to go play but that wasn’t an option.

After a few minutes he seemed a bit more at home and was walking around exploring. He had to go potty when he was there, so he got to check out the bathroom and wash his hands in the kid-sized sink (and learn how to use a different soap bottle and towel dispenser).

The teacher and I talked about his issues (mainly pooping and autism diagnoses) and she said she had another kid with GI issues and that she hadn’t noticed anything autism-related with him. She said they eat breakfast there, there’s no rest/nap time, water is available all day (they just have to ask for it), they have outdoor play time, and there’s no real regimented activity time (like “Okay, you HAVE TO sit here and practice writing for 15 minutes.”).

I still can’t believe this is happening. My baby is leaving the nest… I just wish he was taking a school bus so I didn’t have to spend an hour of my day trekking back and forth. 🙂