First Day of Pre-K

It's been a long time since I've reported on the day to day happenings of the world's best boy, but the first day of school seemed like a significant milestone. We've been calling the day care "school" for years, but this was honest to goodness school with a cafeteria meal plan and uniforms and recess and a single teacher. We signed Ian up at St. Gregory the Great Catholic School for several reasons, none of which have to do with being Catholic. He's been going to St. Gregory day care since he was a few months old and it's been good to us. The day care, church and elementary school are all across the street from our office, so it is certainly convenient. And with Ian's birthday being 22 days past our area's arbitrary September 30 cutoff date, no other Pre-K I called would accept him. We would have had to "red shirt" him for a year before he could have done Pre-K next year and he would have been bored out of his mind.

So the Catholic school took him with open arms. We had to buy uniforms that are polo shirts and khaki shorts and white sneakers. He's not allowed to have any tattoos or nail polish and his shoe laces have to match his shoes. Given that I come from the wolf pack of parenting models, all these rules made me a bit nervous, but Ian seemed to do okay. We had several discussions about the uniform and he was dubious of the button shirt but Daddy wore a similar outfit that first day for solidarity.

Yesterday was the first day of school but it was really just an open house from 8-9am. Ian dutifully dressed in his uniform and was a star student for that hour. I was surprised that he actually wanted to keep his school clothes on while we ran errands that morning.

Even more surprising what this morning when MY son, who is NOT a morning person, cheerfully agreed to put on khaki shorts and a polo shirt at 6:30am. We dropped him off without a hitch and it was super easy. He was stoked for school!

There were a bit of shenanigans at dismissal in that they didn't have a letter saying he should go to after school care, but we sorted that out. I just don't understand how schools that do this every single year can forget to mention things like that.

We went to pick Ian up at 5:20pm and he was very upset that it apparently had taken "forever" for us to come get him. He said he had fun at school but he didn't like the after school program because there were big kids there and they wouldn't share toys with him. We're going to bring a backpack tomorrow and see if he can have a few special toys of his own to play with after school.

He wasn't allowed to have a blankie at school either, but he seemed to fare well with that. We brought him back to the office with us so we could finish our fantasy football draft. He ate a bit and went to watch a movie on the loveseat in my office. By 7pm he was out cold and he hasn't moved since.

This school stuff is hard work!

Playing doctor

Tuesday we went for Ian's three year check up. I suppose it's no longer a well baby visit but more of a "well, kid" visit. Ian was confused by the early pick up from school. When we said we were going to the doctor and he had to get in his seat, he was all "No! I want to go with you!" It took me a minute to figure out what he was talking about but then I realized he thought we were going to Daddy's doctor appointment for his belly and not his. "No, dude, this is your appointment. So we're all going." Oh. I wondered if Ian would ever have interest in trucks but in the last few weeks he's rallied. As we waited in the lobby, he took a dump truck and systematically moved every toy in it from one side of the room to the other. He clearly had things going on.

We waited for the doctor and the nurse told us to strip him down to his undies. Ian was more than happy to oblige that as he's all about naked time. Except he kept asking why he had to keep his undies on. We told him he could ask the doctor when she got there, and he would walk around holding the waistband and ask us with one eyebrow raised, "now can I take my undies off?" I swear, I can't make this stuff up.

He is 41.75" tall and 42 pounds. So he's huge but the same factor of huge he's been his whole life which is normal. He kept wanting to hide in anticipation of the doctor coming. He's really been into that "hurry before X happens!" thing whether it's getting to the car before Daddy locks the front door on the house or hiding under the blanket before the doctor opens the door. It's exciting being three.

So we did a lot of hiding and waiting and when the med student came, we did lots of tests to check his balance and look in his ears and eyes. Everything is super normal and he's perfect in every way (ok, they didn't say it quite like that, but they don't want to make other patients jealous).

It was, dare I say, a fun visit. I ignored most of what the pediatrician handout says about time outs and discipline and foods. I don't fault the doctor's office for giving standard info, I just don't need it. I'm gonna let my kid eat butter and I'm going to talk to him when he's upset and I can't make him sit somewhere by himself and cry.

He can play hide and seek in his Batman undies all he wants.

Newsletter: Month 31

Dear Ian, Last week you turned 31 months old and we're here to talk about your brain! It's actually what compelled me to sit down and write you a letter, being pretty remiss of late in my chronicling of your milestones.

This last week you have been a bit of a challenge. "Jerk" is the affectionate term your father has used on occasion, combined with one that starts with "A" and rhymes with glass pole. But I prefer to think of all the amazing things going on in that little body of yours and compliment you for retaining what civility you have.

It's been a bit of a "NO" fest around here. They took note of it at school too. So it's been a standoff at times between deciding what we're going to wear or eat or well ... anything. But, to focus on the positive, I think your going through a growth spurt and you're just struggling to keep up. Friday night around 3am, you pulled on my sleeve and said clearly, "Can I have some mama milk, please Mom?" This is the child who normally moans like Frankenstein's monster for milk and suddenly you were in top hat and tails puttin' on the ritz. There are many folks who joke that as soon as a child can ask for milk, it's time to cut them off, but amazed at your politeness in the wee hours of the darkness, I would have given you the moon.

You've also started doing a lot more imaginative play. Yesterday you pretended to put on hockey skates before we played in the living room. You also ate some pretend food as a snack sometime during that workout. As you took two little hockey players out and were lying on the floor making complicated orders, it was all I could do to not immediately order you little green army men on Amazon. (Note to self: order little green army men.) All this brain activity, though, has made it hard for you to sleep. We just spent from 8:30pm to 10pm tonight lying in the dark with you while you tossed and turned, unable to slow your brain. And last night, despite the aid of melatonin to fall asleep you were wide awake at 4am.

But that led to another first for us. We had already had a gallon or two of mama milk and I was growing weary of that. But you still just couldn't fall asleep and you looked at me all sad. Not crying, but just pitiful. I asked you if you wanted me to tell you a story and you said "Yes!" So I started off with "Once upon a time, there was a magical kingdom and in it was a very brave knight named Ian." Even in the darkness of 4am, I could see you grin with recognition. This was going to be a great story! I mixed in some dragons and horses and fire but tried to keep it simple. You were satisfied once I told the story twice and we snuggled under "big covers" (our covers are big covers versus your little blanket) to go back to sleep.

So, sure, you dumped your soup all over my lap at dinner today because you were determined to use the utensils yourself, but you apologized in the car and made sure to smooch me. All was right again in the world as we ate our donuts in the hockey rink. I'm staying positive that the new things you can do far outweigh the bumps in the road along the way.

Love, Mama