Friday, September 3, 2010

Let the Countdown to Tuesday Begin!

We made it through preschool open house! Colin and I took this picture as Daddy was leaving for work and we were heading over to the school. The whole thing went surprisingly well and while I am still absolutely freaking out about it, I think I might live. :-) When we pulled into the parking lot, Colin announced "There is MY SCHOOL!" and actually sounded happy about it. We parked and headed inside with a sea of other people, which made my palms start to sweat. The first part of the morning was a brief assembly in the auditorium and it took Colin about 10 minutes of walking around in the very back with me assuring him that he would be fine before he would go sit with me in the crowd. Once we sat down, he immediately made friends with the two little girls sitting in front of and behind us. It was love at first sight because both girls responded to his knock knock jokes and agreed to play "I Spy". He was having so much fun that I heard absolutely nothing that was said in the assembly. Let's hope it was not important information. The assembly started and ended with a prayer, during which Colin yelled "Mommy! Am I bowing my head? LOOK AT ME! Am I doing it? Where is God? Is he here? AMEN!!!!". It was a beautiful thing. ;-)

After the assembly, we headed to his classroom and met his new teachers, Ms. Gina and Ms. Kelli. They were both very nice and seemed excited. Colin loved the classroom and managed not to have any meltdowns while we were saying hello to all the kids and parents. It was a chaotic atmosphere, so I did not really have a chance to ask a lot of questions with the teachers. I found out when to show up and what to bring and Colin was well behaved. I briefly broached the subject of Colin's sensitivities with them and they both gave me the smiles and nods that you would expect from women used to dealing with mothers dropping off their kids for the first time. You could tell that they were basically dismissing my worries as nervous mom stuff, but I can't blame them at all. I am sure they get lots of speeches from worry wart mothers and they don't know me from Adam yet. They will have first hand knowledge of Colin soon enough and we can touch base again in a less chaotic environment than the open house. They did reaffirm that the best idea was to just drop Colin off and walk right out the door and that is exactly what I am going to do. Colin is going to flip out, but I know that me staying won't solve the problem one bit. They said that they never have to call parents back to get the child, but they certainly won't hesitate to do so if the need arises. That works for me! Like every mother on the planet, I will be absolutely devastated when I leave there with Colin screaming for me. I have already decided to take myself straight over for a coffee and pedicure immediately after I leave. I am hoping that giving myself a small treat will make me feel better and also keep me from parking my butt in the hallway and watching the whole day from the corner of the window! I wish I knew someone with a supply of Xanax...I think I might need one on Tuesday. ;-)

Colin warmed up to the school very quickly and I still believe in my heart that he is going to love this place. It is the most beautiful church and the whole school area is bright and cheerful. It seems like the perfect fit. I also found out while we were there that Colin can move into the twice weekly program. Originally they did not have room, so we went ahead with the one day plan. They made room for him and I am going to take them up on the offer, at least to start off. I think going every Tuesday and Thursday in the beginning will help him acclimate and warm up to the idea much faster than going on Mondays alone. There is just too much time between the once a week class and I know it will take him ages to get used to that. I plan to take him on Tuesday and Thursday instead, at least for the first month. At that point, we will re-evaluate and see what we think. So here is to Labor Day Weekend...our last one before Colin is an official preschooler! :-)

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Preschool Prep

Tomorrow morning is the open house at Colin's preschool. I am excited and OH SO NERVOUS! We go from 9 -11:30am, with an assembly first and then breaking up into classrooms to meet the teachers and get a lay of the land. Tomorrow is an important day...if things go good, dropping him off for his first day next week will be a lot easier. If anything goes wrong...well, let's just pray that it doesn't! My prayer is that things are not too loud or overwhelming tomorrow and that his class is full of quiet children. (Yes, I realize that the exact opposite will happen!) :-) Colin has his lunchbox, backpack and fireman nap mat all ready to go and I literally cannot fathom that I am going to drop him off at preschool next week! It feels a little like the twilight zone. This boy was a newborn baby literally 5 minutes ago. I knew this day would come, but it feels so strange to imagine him in a classroom environment already, even if it is just one day a week. I am stressed out by the unknown in all of this and how Colin will handle a change this drastic with his sensory stuff, but I also have this feeling deep down in my gut that he is going to love it. There will be new things to learn and he is such a sponge these days...I think he will be blown away by how much fun it is, as long as we can get past the initial upset that is inevitable with a change this big.

The last time I left Colin somewhere was the day I quit work when he was 6 months old. With the exception of the occasional drop-off at his grandparents house (and even that is rare), he has not been dropped off anywhere. I don't know how long it will take him to adjust to this, so I am beyond anxious to get the first day here so that I can just know what I am dealing with. He will not even entertain the idea of being left at school and any time I bring it up, he says that I have to stay with him. Since he has no idea what preschool will really be like, I am hoping that he quickly sees that everything is fine and that I will be back. I am also wondering how long the teachers will let him cry before they make me come back and get him. :-) I'm REALLY wondering what it will feel like to be without a child from 9am to 2pm on Mondays! I have these visions of a clean house, laundry folded and put away, dinner done and my eyebrows properly waxed. I imagine what it will feel like to grocery shop by myself on Mondays and not have to purchase $15 worth of extras to keep Colin quiet and in the cart. I picture picking out my own library book and making a fall centerpiece for the kitchen table. I just don't know what I will do with 5 whole hours to myself once a week. It sounds decadent in the extreme. Heck, I might even paint my toenails! How about that! :-)
 
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