In the garage, before we leave for school. I took most of the morning off so that I could take him and pick him up.
Outside Jack's building at St. Henry's
Walking down the hall. I think that backpack wears Jack instead of the other way around!
Jack's first day of preschool was Tuesday Sept. 2nd. We preregistered him last spring. This whole preschool thing has been such a learning experience for me. I had no idea it was such a big deal. Basically, in Marshalltown there are only a few good preschools, and the others are free Head Start. I was told that the good ones fill up fast. We really wanted him to go to the Catholic preschool, not just because we are Catholic, but also because it is supposed to be the best one.
So the first thing I had to do was the paperwork. Jeez, you would think I was applying for Jack to attend Yale or something. I took me three days to gather all the necessary documention, immunization records, physical form signed by the doctor, me signing his dental exam card, and filling out all the required consent forms and information sheets. Then you had to wait in line early in the morning to pay the registration fee to reserve the spot. Chris went at 6:30 AM that day last spring, and he wasn't even the first in line. We did all this not even knowing if he would be fully potty trained and ready to go in time, but wanted to make sure that if he was, then he could go. That is the rule, kids must be fully potty trained to go to preschool. Jack is, and has been, potty trained for a couple of months now, but he still won't go #2. So we are working on that but his time of the day is late afternoon/evening so I am not going to worry about that happening at preschool.
I emailed the teacher a few weeks ago to discuss Jack's special needs. I wanted to give her a heads up that he will require more time and attention than the other kids and that if she didn't think he would be given that at MACS (Marshalltown Area Catholic Schools) than we should enroll him someplace else. She was very kind and explained the whole preschool setup to me and said there is one teacher to every eight children and that there will be 24 kids in his class. She said that she would put Jack at her (she is the head teacher) table right next to her and she would assist him when necessary. She was very encouraging and made me feel so much more comfortable with him going. We discussed what she was going to tell the other children about Jack, why he has to wear a helmet and why he has to wear an ankle foot brace. We talked about that Jack will need help in the bathroom, pulling his pants up and down and fastening buttons. I am going to try to send him only in pants with elastic waistbands so that it is easier. Jack is doing much better doing it on his own, we practice every day.
We got a school supply list in the mail and I was blown away by all the stuff he needed for two mornings of preschool a week. Jack and I went shopping together one night and bought everything he needed including a back pack, three ring binder, zippered pencil case, two folders, and of course all kinds of art supplies, kleenex, paper towels and other things. At meet the teacher night we met Mrs. Sickles and her two associates. They were very nice. Jack found his hook in the coat room and we practiced taking his backpack off and placing it on his hook. He went right up to the other kids and started playing. He has no problems with being social, that is for sure. We dropped off all his supplies that night and showed him the bathroom. We practiced moving the stepstool in front of the urinal and then washing his hands at the sink. He did a great job!!
The morning of preschool I tried not to be nervous but I was. I walked him to the classroom and he was all smiles as he took off his backpack and hung it up. He stared at a few of the other kids who were hugging their mom's legs and sobbing. I think he wondered what was wrong with them. Mrs. Sickles walked Jack over to find his name tag and to place it in the mailbox. It was interesting to see her reaction when she realized that Jack was not going to be able to do this activity without assistance. Since his left hand was holding his name tag, it would have been very difficult for Jack's right arm to reach up and pull down the door to the mailbox. At home he would have either set down the nametag and opened it with his left hand, or put the nametag in his mouth to hold for a second and opened it with his left hand. Her eyes just softened and I think she realized that using both hands to do normal everyday activities is something that people really take for granted. After his nametag was "mailed" he sat down in his little blue chair next to the teacher and started right in on playing with the Play Doh. I gave him a kiss and said bye-bye. He just smiled up at me and said, "bye-bye mommy." I walked out and that was that. I was very proud of my big boy!
As I drove back to the school to pick him up I prayed that he would be wearing the same clothes I sent him in. When I walked down the hallway I saw Mrs. Sickles walking all the children down the hall with their backpacks. She smiled at me and said, "He did great." Then I saw his little head bobbing as he walked and I saw he was wearing these HUGE navy sweatpants. So not only was he not wearing what I sent him in, he wasn't wearing the backup outfit all the kids are required to bring in their backpack. So in my head I thought, okay...two accidents, I was not happy. Mrs. Sickles looked at me then and said, "However he did have three accidents." I was shocked, preschool is only two and a half hours!! What happened?? Three accidents!? She explained that this is very common, especially in the first couple of days. She said Jack was very engrossed in the activities and he did not seem to even notice that he was wet. I took him straight to the bathroom and he went for me like a champ. Later, she came to the bathroom and said that he wouldn't go when it was time for everyone to take a potty break. But, he had already had one accident by that time so she said she wouldn't be surprised if he didn't have to go. She also said at snack time he asked for more juice. I explained that doesn't surprise me because he doesn't get much at home. But, no more refills for Jack!
Chris and I are hopeful that things will improve but if not we will just have to wait until next year for preschool. He is the second youngest in the class, and the youngest boy. Tomorrow he goes back and I really hope that he tells her when he has to go. I think Chris is going to walk him in and make him go once right before class starts and I am sure that will help. We'll hope for the best!
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