It's finally September 9th! James started Pre-K today. When I mentioned preschool about a month ago, James' reaction was not quite what I hoped. He was scared. Since then, I've worked hard to change his perception and talk him through his fears. Last year, James enjoyed preschool most of the time, but sometimes fought going.
I started a new tradition. James got to go back-to-school shopping with me. It was a mommy-son date. James got to pick where we ate dinner, and he got to choose some new clothes. My day was made when James picked Cafe Rio for dinner. I splurged and got James a quesadilla with meat. James was giddy as we strolled through Target and definitely had his eyes set on specific things. The best part of the evening may have been the fashion show when we returned home. James loved showing off his new clothes and Izzy was ecstatic for him. (I expected jealously and was pleasantly surprised.) I explained one thing to James-- he had to wait to wear his new clothes until preschool began. Suddenly, going to preschool wasn't so bad after all. Mission accomplished.
We created a paper-chain countdown to help James visualize how many more days until preschool. James' feet were itching to break in his new Paw Patrol shoes and he eagerly put them on this morning, several hours before school began. He even considered an outfit change, but I convinced James that the outfit he had on looked perfect.
Since we didn't know where our new home would be, I was later than some to sign-up for preschool. This meant that all the morning preschool spots were taken. At first I was disappointed, but I've since realized it might be a good thing. Afternoons go by slowly for me, so breaking them up will be a relief. James has preschool on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday afternoons for two and a half hours. So far, I've been impressed with his preschool. There are only 9 kids in his class which might be my favorite part. Andrew pointed out that this preschool is over double the price of his last preschool, so no wonder it's better.
Getting a good picture turned out to be quite challenging. Izzy didn't want to stay away and I haven't found "the spot" to take photos at our new house yet. Isabelle can't wait for the day she gets to go to preschool and told me many times that she is big enough to go now! Luckily, I was able to convince her that coming home with me would be worth it-- I painted her nails and we ate chips and dip together.
In addition to going to preschool, we're supplementing and doing a free, at-home preschool program called Upstart. I actually interned at Upstart back in the day and know a lot about the program. Kids learn to read using the computer for 15 minutes a day, 5 days a week. Watching James learn brings me so much joy. He's curious and is catching onto letters quickly. He even wrote his name on his own this week. At first I wondered what I got myself into when James couldn't maneuver the mouse at all. Thankfully, that was short lived and I no longer need to click for him.
When I picked James up from preschool, the first thing he told was, "Someone told me they like my whole outfit. First, they told me they like my Spiderman shirt, but then they said they like everything." Maybe I put too much emphasis on the clothes this year, but I hope the excitement for learning and school stays. I just hope Miss Debbie can handle James' smarts and energy.
Here's to a wonderful, tear-free school year for James!
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