First Day of School!!

Getting your picture taken in front of the flowers with your lunch box, always a tradition for me growing up, now passed along to an uncooperative Tyler.

My sweet baby boy went off to his first day of preschool today! He was very excited because I'd been talking up what great new toys there would be for him to play with and look at. I failed to mention that he'd be looking and playing at them without me (was that mean?). So, when he was distracted I hit the road and tried not to look back (or cry). Luckily, we did not receive a call from the school so he clearly did okay. When I came in the room at the end of the 3 hours, he ran to me and said, "Go home now!!!!" like he'd been in some horrible Thai prison for the past six months instead of making cute Valentine's day bags and playing with choo choos. The teacher said he did great, right as T said, "You were exercizing, Mommy," which is apparently what they told him I was doing. When we got into the car he mentioned that he cried at school because he was sad and that he had had a poopy diaper there. I hope he wasn't crying, that just breaks my heart to think of him crying and sad while I'm just trying to catch up on stuff at home! I think he'll really like it, though, once he gets used to it and realizes that I will always, always, always come back for him. I had asked the teacher if he ate a good lunch (I packed enough for 3 toddlers) and she said yes, but I looked in his sack and it looked like he ate all of 3 raisons. So, during our errands after school he proceeded to eat all of his cheese, crackers, turkey sandwich, more raisins, cheeries, grapes, biscotti, fruit roll-up and cereal bar. Preschool made him hungry!!! He's now sleeping like an angel and I couldn't be more proud of him! Boy, it's hard to think that we're on that very, very first step of letting our little one grow up (especially when we've been able to totally protect him from everything and the preschool wants us to pack an "emergency kit" with water, blanket, non-perishable food items, etc in case something should happen). I can't imagine! My kit was 5 times bigger than it was supposed to be so the teacher sent me home to re-pack it, but I couldn't help it! The thought of Tyler being somewhere in an emergency without us kills me. So the least I could do it put in extra Pop Tarts and a bigger blanket to help console him until we were able to get there to save him, right?. Why do I think I'm going to blink and I'll be sending him off to college? Isn't there some way I can stop him from growing or at least slow it down? Please, someone create a pill that does this!


In the classroom curiosity.

The second day of preschool T's curiosity did not help as he cried for me more than on day one. It was heartbreaking! But, when I went to pick him up he had frosting and sprinkles all around the outside of his mouth and Valentine's Day stickers all over him, plus a big bag of Valentine's to take home so I know he had a good time (once again, first words out of his mouth were, "Go Home Now!!"). We ate our lunch in the car on the way home and finished it up in the front seat with a special "car picnic" that I'm guessing will be our routine from here on out.

Big Valentine smiles with a few remnants of sprinkles and face paint left.

The next week school was cancelled for "Ski Week" so we've been doing some fun stuff around town. I took him to the Clifford exhibit at the Science and Discovery Center (he calls it the "Recovery Center" and I think to myself, oh, not yet, honey) where he was able to play with Clifford, Cleo, T-Bone and do all sorts of things like sort mail, drive boats and cars, fill Clifford's dog dish with bones, etc. We've also been to the mall, the beach, Choo Choo train park, My Gym and hosted a pizza party playdate at our house. I'm dreading next Tuesday when we go back to school without a special holiday, but it's got to be done. He's waking up from his nap now so I've got to run. He wakes up singing a different song every time these days. I think I hear "Zippidy Doo Dah" right now - hilarioius!

It's a dog's life, Tyler Shea!