Seth's First Day of Preschool!

This has been a big week around the Horvath house. Seth started his first week of preschool! He is in a 5 day per week program, and that has proven to be a big transition for all of us. Who knew the traffic we would sit in to get him to school in the morning by 8am? Or the car pool lines that people start lining up for 3o minutes early when it is time to pick him up?

We went to Meet the Teacher last Friday and met Ms. Carrero in the Arctic neighborhood. Ms. Carrero is from New York and is very cool. We graduated from high school the same year (I thought teacher's were supposed to be old...not the same age as me! :~) She is great...engaging, friendly, warm. Everything you would want in a preschool teacher. I met one of the teacher's aides, turns out we went to school together from elementary through high school! Small world. Seth had a death grip on my hand the whole time we were there, and didn't want me to go anywhere without him. So we knew the first few days might be a little rough!

So over the weekend, we wrapped up the school supplies shopping and made sure his backpack was packed with snack, change of clothes, all papers signed, etc.


Monday morning...6:30am...my alarm goes off and we spring into action. Seth and I are definitely not used to "springing" anywhere at this time of the morning. We decided, after much deliberation, that Steve was going to take him to school and I was going to stay home. Now, don't think that this wasn't hard on this Mom....my first born's first day of preschool, and I wasn't going to be there?? What if he needed me? What if he had a meltdown? Well, the truth was, he was much more likely to have a meltdown if I WAS there, so I knew it was the best thing for him. He does much better when Steve drops him off places. So we got him dressed and put his backpack on. He wasn't so sure about things at first (it was 7am after all....)



But then we started having a little pep rally and pumping him up about school and how cool Ms. Carrero is and all the fun things he was going to learn. We turned that frown upside down!



So then I put him in the car, had several second thoughts about not going with them, tried to tell Steve maybe I should go (he reminded me that I was the one that made the decision to not go)...oh ya, I forgot. So then I let him drive away with my baby, and I snapped this shot as they left the house.



Steve had strict instructions to call me as soon as he had dropped him off. He called and said it was a good thing I didn't come. He said that it was pretty traumatic in the room...lot's of screaming and crying going on. But not Seth! Steve said he left him with a dazed look on his face while all sorts of craziness was going on around him. I think he was in such shock he didn't have time to cry.

So it was a long 2 hours and 45 minutes before I could go and pick him up. Yes, I know. He is only in school from 8am - 10:45am, but FIVE DAYS PER WEEK people. He is only 3...barely 3! Anyway, the first day (and the first day only!) I could actually go in to his class and pick him up. After that, I have to go through the car pick up line outside and they bring him out to the car. So I went in to his class, and this is what I saw..

Little Seth sitting quietly with his Thomas backpack on listening to story time. He looked so grown-up! Ms. Carrero said he had a great first day, only a little crying off and on, but then she assured me, "He was definitely not in my top 3 crier's today!" Way to go Seth!!

He still cries a little when I drop him off, but he is really doing great considering he is being dropped off at a completely strange place with strange people who do not let him take his shoes off when he wants to. That is the only thing that I have gotten negative feedback on so far...he takes his shoes off and they keep having to tell him to put them back on!

All those who are reading this and thinking I am a crazy person, just wait until YOUR baby goes to their first day of school!