First Day of School!!!

I really wanted to make the first day of school special.  On a whim, I decided we needed to have a visit from the "school fairy."  I hid clues around the house that lead to some small packages which contained Wesley's new lunch bag (that he picked out online), and some little toys for the boys.  The boys heard a ring at the door, and found the first red clue from the fairy.  They had so much fun running around the house following about 10 clues that eventually lead to the backyard where their gifts were waiting.  That night we had a special dinner.  I tried to make it special by using our nicest plates and such.  Wesley was a little grumpy and didn't seem to care.  Maybe the special dinner will be more fun when they are a little older and can appreciate it.  He got some new PJ's to wear, and was so eager to start school.    

The next morning I was way more nervous than he was.  My heart was pounding all morning.  I had so many emotions running through my head.  Since he has afternoon Kinder, we slowly spent the morning getting ready.  That morning felt like it lasted forever. Finally it was time to drive him over.  Chase, Blake and  I walked  Wesley to the Kindergarten playground.  His teacher wanted us to quickly say our goodbyes outside.  I was starting to get just a little sad, but his big smile made me feel better.  As I waved goodbye, I did get a little emotional.  Thinking about my tiny preemie baby starting school kind of hit hard.  Will he make good decisions without me telling him what to do or choose?  Did I do a good enough job over the last five years teaching him all that he needs to know? Will he be safe?  It was hard leaving my child alone with someone else, even if just for three hours, when he has been at home with me for his entire life.  However, as soon as I walked out of the gates, I was happy and ok.  This experience has made me so very, very grateful for the opportunity I have had to stay at home for the last five years.  I have had experiences with my kids that I wouldn't trade for anything in the world.  Being a stay at home mom is hard, exhausting, overwhelming, and at times even boring.  I have wondered if what I am doing is important, or worth it.  Watching him go to school has reaffirmed to me that those precious years spent teaching, guiding, laughing, and playing have been five of the best years of my life.  It didn't always seem that way at the time, but they were (and still are) so precious to me.  I am looking forward to spending lots of quality time with my other two little guys now. 

When it comes to school, Wesley has good days, and bad.  He is so ridiculously smart.  He is intellectually advanced in many areas, but he struggles with sitting still and talking to his friends which might be a big disadvantage in public schools.  He is silly, and does things that maybe the teacher isn't used to.  For example, after school one day his teacher pulled me aside asking to talk to me.  I felt like saying, "No need to talk - I already know" lol. She paused a looong time, trying to figure out the right words to say.  She told me that he is having a hard time adjusting to school, and gave me an example that he got up in front of the projector and started dancing in the middle of class in front of everyone.  I laughed inside, because that is sooo Wesley.  I have been working on teaching him what is and isn't appropriate behavior for school, and he is slowly getting the hang of it.  He is one of the few kids in his class that gets red notes.  Not because he has bad behavior, but just because he has a hard time following the rules - staying in his seat, not talking, and so on. He is doing much better though, and the good days are starting to out number the bad.  It has been a huge adjustment figuring out a schedule.  The first days were really hard, especially since Blake was usually sleeping when I had to pick Wesley up.  Waking up a sleeping baby is really sad.    However, now I put Blake down for a nap as soon as we get home (11:10) and he usually wakes up a little before we have to leave to pick him up (around 2).  Those three hours fly, and I feel like we are getting in and out of the car ALL day.  It is hard with two little ones who I have to drag back and forth, but we are making it work.

The gifts the school fairy left for the boys

One of the clues

Wesley with one of his gifts

 I love that he picked out a bee lunch box and cute pirate backpack.  They are so much cuter than all the normal "boy" stuff with scary cartoon characters on them.  I know sooner or later he won't want the cutesy stuff, so I'll enjoy it now while it lasts :-)