Today is the tenth anniversary of a day that will "live in infamy" for my own generation, much like December 7, 1941 does for my grandparents' generation. It's been ten years since our country was attacked by terrorists seeking to destroy everything that America stands for. In many ways, I can't believe it's already been ten years. In those ten years, I've been busy living my life, reminded of the horrific events that unfolded that day on every September 11th that has passed since that time and periodically in between. And I'm grateful that I, unlike so many families, do not have to live with the aftermath of that day in the painful and person way that so many people who lost loved ones do.
The events of that day have weighed heavily on my mind for the past couple of weeks. Like so many others, I'm remembering where I was, and what I was doing during that time. A couple of days ago, I uncovered my college's newspaper that I saved that was published shortly after the attacks while I was going through some boxes from the basement. On the front page there is a picture of the burning towers; and it all came flooding back. I was a freshman in college. I'd only been on campus for a couple of weeks and was still getting accustomed to life on an urban college campus. I remember leaving my U.S. History class that morning and everyone around me was abuzz about something big that had just happened. As I made my way back to my dorm room, I was collecting more and more information. I quickened my pace as I went, anxious to get to a television to see what was happening. I caught snippets of panicked conversations as I walked: "plane crash" "New York City" "terrorists" "World Trade Center." I rode the elevator to my eleventh floor dorm room and turned on the tv. The screen filled with an image of a scene that both stunned and horrified me all at once. I, like so many others, couldn't wrap my mind around what happened. I frantically called my parents and sister. I spent the rest of the morning glued to the screen. Sobbing. Horrified. Terrified.
For many nights after the attacks, I couldn't sleep. I was shaky and uneasy. I was wary of the skies and the tall buildings around me. Even the very ground under my feet no longer felt so solid as I walked to class each day. And yet, I was one of the lucky ones. My loved ones are all here to also share the story of where they were that fateful day. When my boys are old enough, I, like my grandparents, will share my own story with them. And for that I give praise to God. I grieve for those affected by this sad, solemn day. I pray for those who were lost; for our soldiers; for our leaders, and for our country. And I will never forget.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Monday, September 5, 2011
First Day of Preschool!
Philip started at St. Luke's school on Wednesday, August 31st. His first day of preschool went great! He woke up early on his own, as is his new habit, and had a pancake breakfast. We got to school early and took a bunch of pictures. Philip was practically skipping through the halls, he was so excited!
He's in Mrs. Bean's class with his buddy Elijah which I think has really helped the both of them with the transition. Having a familiar face in his class makes drop off that much easier for Philip in the morning.
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| First day of preschool! |
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| Proud of his big brother! |
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| Classmates and best buddies! |
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| In front of the school sign |
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| His very own locker! |
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| So excited to start the day! |
At the end of the day, I am anxious to get in the car line and pick him up and hear about how his day went. He's such a big boy now; I can hardly believe he's already started his school "career!" We are so proud of him and how well he is doing!
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
"I feel the earth move under my feet!"
There was an earthquake today! A real, honest-to-God earthquake that measured a 5.9 on the Richter scale. Holy sheep!
It happened just before 2:00 pm. Philip was upstairs napping and Andrew was in his high chair. I was on my way into the hall when all of a sudden there was a horrible rumbling and the walls began rattling. I'll admit, I was instantly panicked. I was hardly the picture of calm. I'm pretty sure I screamed at Phil "What is that?!" and "Get the baby!" before dashing up to Philip's room where his dresser was still ratting as I grabbed him out of his bed and awoke him from his sleep. By the time I got him downstairs it was over. We flooded outside to join our equally confused neighbors on the street and ask the obvious question: "Did you feel that?!"
Apparently the epicenter of the quake occurred in Mineral VA, which is just 38 short miles from us here in Culpeper. All was quiet again until 8:04 PM when an aftershock rocked our house for a brief second and sent me flying to me feet ready to grab the children from their beds again!
I'm praying for a quiet night tonight. Not sure I'll sleep so soundly though!
Thankfully, the damage from this quake appears to have been minimal so far. We are all very blessed that it was not any worse!
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Andrew is One!
Our baby boy celebrated his first birthday yesterday! Where oh where has this year gone?
We spent the day at home just the four of us. Phil came home early from work and was here before Andrew got up from his first nap. We made a spaghetti dinner and had cake for dessert. Andrew loved the cake! He held it in his hand the whole time and kept taking big bites off of it, I think in an effort not to lose any of it!
Philip sang Happy Birthday to Andrew many times during the course of the day. It was a nice, happy day spent at home as a family.
This Saturday is Andrew's big birthday blow out. We're having it outdoors at a nearby park, the same one where we had Philip's first birthday, and many of our family and friends will be there. It should be a great day!
We spent the day at home just the four of us. Phil came home early from work and was here before Andrew got up from his first nap. We made a spaghetti dinner and had cake for dessert. Andrew loved the cake! He held it in his hand the whole time and kept taking big bites off of it, I think in an effort not to lose any of it!
Philip sang Happy Birthday to Andrew many times during the course of the day. It was a nice, happy day spent at home as a family.
This Saturday is Andrew's big birthday blow out. We're having it outdoors at a nearby park, the same one where we had Philip's first birthday, and many of our family and friends will be there. It should be a great day!
Happy 1st Birthday, sweet little "Dee-doo!" We love you so!
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Andrew: Months 9-12
Okay, so I've seriously slacked on Andrew's milestone posts. But that's probably because he's been keeping me so busy over the past three months! Andrew has changed and grown so much in the last 1/4 of his first year of life, I can hardly begin to recap.
He's walking now. He took his first real steps that added up to any amount of significant distance on 7/12/11. Now that he's figured out walking, he walks everywhere. He'll still plop down from time to time to crawl but with every passing day he is crawling less and less. We put shoes on him the other day to see what he thought of that. He acted as though we had put his feet in lead weights. He didn't know what to do! Mostly he just fell over. Hopefully he'll get the hang of that in the next week as his birthday party is next Saturday and I'd love for him to be able to show off his moves to our guests.
He's trying to hard to talk. He imitates a lot of what we say which is just so funny and amazing to me. Recently he started trying to say "I'm gonna get you!" which is a game Phil started playing with him while he was in his high chair. The words aren't clear and I'm sure no one else would have any idea that that's what he was saying but he's definitely trying to say it too. So funny! He started doing the same thing with Mickey Mouse the other day, too.
He loves to play! It amazes me how much he interacts with Philip now. The boys both love to play with the stacking blocks together. Philip will build a tower and Andrew will crawl around it, circling it like a shark, before reaching out to knock it over. When either he or Philip knocks the tower over Andrew laughs so hard! He has the best little nasal belly laugh. It cracks us up!
He still loves to play peek-a-boo. Sometimes we will hide behind something and play it and he will anticipate where we are going to appear next. He likes his alone play time too when Philip is napping or at preschool. He gets all of the toys to himself and you can tell he enjoys himself. He will play by himself for quite a while. He's very mechanically-inclined at this point. He can fit things into small places with little difficulty which is really fun to watch. He loves cars and will push them around on the floor while making a motor sound with his mouth. I have no idea where he figured that out as Philip is not a car kid! He also loves to play with things that are not toys. Cell phones and remotes are two of his favorites.
When you take something from him or prevent him from taking it he gets so upset! He starts whining and pointing right away. Sometimes he'll even throw himself face first onto the floor in full-blown tantrum mode. He's been expressing his frustration this way for a while now but it's definitely... intensifying. I got his first inconsolable, roll on the floor tantrum on tape the other morning. Philip was a little bit older for his. Andrew already has to be a head of the game!
He's such a sweet little boy and he still loves his mama best which makes my heart swell. In the mornings when I go to get him out of his crib, he wraps his chubby little baby arms around my neck and gives me the best hug. He holds on like that for a good ten seconds before letting go. It's one of my favorite parts of the day.
He's sleeping great. Bedtime is always right around seven o'clock and he will sleep straight through the night until around eight. He takes two naps during the day, between an hour and a half and two hours a piece. I think he's making up for all of the time he spent awake the first six months of his life! We are definitely enjoying his desire for lots of sleep now.
He loves to eat and is mostly on table food now with some chunkier stage three foods mixed in. Some of the new foods he is eating are oatmeal, scrambled eggs, pancakes, and yogurt; steamed green beans, broccoli, sweet potato, and carrots; grilled cheese, noodle soup, spaghetti, meatballs, fish, and chicken. He loves to eat and will try pretty much anything which is so nice. If we're eating something, he will point at it and cry out to let us know he wants some of it, too.
He goes in for his 12 month well child visit on the 25th and I will know his stats then. Right now I'd say he's probably around 25 pounds. He's a sturdy little boy with chunky legs and broad shoulders like his daddy. His hair is getting thick and grows really fast. It's still light, light blonde, and his eyes are still the prettiest blue I've ever seen. He's really a handsome little boy, just like his big brother.
He is such a joy and we are so grateful to have him in our family. Almost a year later, I can hardly remember what it was like to not have him here with us. He brings so much happiness and love into our family. We are so lucky to have two sweet little boys to share our lives with!
He's walking now. He took his first real steps that added up to any amount of significant distance on 7/12/11. Now that he's figured out walking, he walks everywhere. He'll still plop down from time to time to crawl but with every passing day he is crawling less and less. We put shoes on him the other day to see what he thought of that. He acted as though we had put his feet in lead weights. He didn't know what to do! Mostly he just fell over. Hopefully he'll get the hang of that in the next week as his birthday party is next Saturday and I'd love for him to be able to show off his moves to our guests.
He's trying to hard to talk. He imitates a lot of what we say which is just so funny and amazing to me. Recently he started trying to say "I'm gonna get you!" which is a game Phil started playing with him while he was in his high chair. The words aren't clear and I'm sure no one else would have any idea that that's what he was saying but he's definitely trying to say it too. So funny! He started doing the same thing with Mickey Mouse the other day, too.
He loves to play! It amazes me how much he interacts with Philip now. The boys both love to play with the stacking blocks together. Philip will build a tower and Andrew will crawl around it, circling it like a shark, before reaching out to knock it over. When either he or Philip knocks the tower over Andrew laughs so hard! He has the best little nasal belly laugh. It cracks us up!
He still loves to play peek-a-boo. Sometimes we will hide behind something and play it and he will anticipate where we are going to appear next. He likes his alone play time too when Philip is napping or at preschool. He gets all of the toys to himself and you can tell he enjoys himself. He will play by himself for quite a while. He's very mechanically-inclined at this point. He can fit things into small places with little difficulty which is really fun to watch. He loves cars and will push them around on the floor while making a motor sound with his mouth. I have no idea where he figured that out as Philip is not a car kid! He also loves to play with things that are not toys. Cell phones and remotes are two of his favorites.
When you take something from him or prevent him from taking it he gets so upset! He starts whining and pointing right away. Sometimes he'll even throw himself face first onto the floor in full-blown tantrum mode. He's been expressing his frustration this way for a while now but it's definitely... intensifying. I got his first inconsolable, roll on the floor tantrum on tape the other morning. Philip was a little bit older for his. Andrew already has to be a head of the game!
He's such a sweet little boy and he still loves his mama best which makes my heart swell. In the mornings when I go to get him out of his crib, he wraps his chubby little baby arms around my neck and gives me the best hug. He holds on like that for a good ten seconds before letting go. It's one of my favorite parts of the day.
He's sleeping great. Bedtime is always right around seven o'clock and he will sleep straight through the night until around eight. He takes two naps during the day, between an hour and a half and two hours a piece. I think he's making up for all of the time he spent awake the first six months of his life! We are definitely enjoying his desire for lots of sleep now.
He loves to eat and is mostly on table food now with some chunkier stage three foods mixed in. Some of the new foods he is eating are oatmeal, scrambled eggs, pancakes, and yogurt; steamed green beans, broccoli, sweet potato, and carrots; grilled cheese, noodle soup, spaghetti, meatballs, fish, and chicken. He loves to eat and will try pretty much anything which is so nice. If we're eating something, he will point at it and cry out to let us know he wants some of it, too.
He goes in for his 12 month well child visit on the 25th and I will know his stats then. Right now I'd say he's probably around 25 pounds. He's a sturdy little boy with chunky legs and broad shoulders like his daddy. His hair is getting thick and grows really fast. It's still light, light blonde, and his eyes are still the prettiest blue I've ever seen. He's really a handsome little boy, just like his big brother.
He is such a joy and we are so grateful to have him in our family. Almost a year later, I can hardly remember what it was like to not have him here with us. He brings so much happiness and love into our family. We are so lucky to have two sweet little boys to share our lives with!
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Myrtle Beach Vacation 2011
Summer is halfway over and I've been seriously lagging in the blogging department. Maybe it's the long, hot, lazy days? We're outdoors more. Bedtimes are later. The last thing I feel like doing once the kids are (finally) both tucked into bed and Phil and I get to have some time to ourselves is get on the computer and blog these days. But that doesn't mean we haven't been busy!
In June, we spent a (much needed) week in Myrtle Beach visiting Phil's parents. It was Philip's 3rd trip to SC and Andrew's first. It was also nine hours of car ride fun! [sarcasm] Once we finally made it down there, we have a great time relaxing and enjoying our days with the boys at the beach and the pool. Andrew was a natural water baby, as we were expecting, and Philip did better than we had hoped this year in the water. He still has a lot of hesitation and some fear but he did great. Towards the end of the week, he was even wading in up to his waist in the kiddie end of the pool.
The beach was a lot of fun for both boys. Andrew only went once as we learned quickly that he prefers to eat sand rather than play with it and it was just easier for us to engage with Philip without constantly swatting sand out of a balled up baby fist every ten seconds. Philip loved playing in the sand and he had a great time playing with the shovels, buckets, and other sand castle making toys that Uncle Brandon gave to him as a present when we arrived. It was so hot during the day that we'd only take the kids to the pool or the beach before noon or after four which made for a much more enjoyable time for all.
On our second day at the beach, we took Philip to the aquarium for some one-on-one time with mommy and daddy while Andrew stayed at nana and papa's house. Philip had a great time! He especially loved the sharks. Afterwards, we got pizza at the Mellow Mushroom.
While we were at the beach, we took a trip to the boardwalk to check out the new 200 foot tall ferris wheel they just recently built. It features glass-enclosed, air-conditioned gondolas and allows you a great view of the ocean and surrounding beach. I thought for sure Philip would be afraid but he wasn't even nervous. I, on the other hand, threatened Phil with divorce if he tried to swing our gondola!
Phil and I also got a much-needed and enjoyed night out that week We had a great dinner at a Japanese steak house while Phil's parents got the boys off to bed at their place. I always marvel at how great it is to eat dinner without retrieving toys off the floor and wrestling flatware away from a baby!
All together we spent 9 days in Myrtle Beach and thoroughly enjoyed our time away from the daily grind at home.We feel very lucky to have such a great (free!) vacation spot with all of the comforts at home. We hope to get back to SC by the end of the year!
In June, we spent a (much needed) week in Myrtle Beach visiting Phil's parents. It was Philip's 3rd trip to SC and Andrew's first. It was also nine hours of car ride fun! [sarcasm] Once we finally made it down there, we have a great time relaxing and enjoying our days with the boys at the beach and the pool. Andrew was a natural water baby, as we were expecting, and Philip did better than we had hoped this year in the water. He still has a lot of hesitation and some fear but he did great. Towards the end of the week, he was even wading in up to his waist in the kiddie end of the pool.
The beach was a lot of fun for both boys. Andrew only went once as we learned quickly that he prefers to eat sand rather than play with it and it was just easier for us to engage with Philip without constantly swatting sand out of a balled up baby fist every ten seconds. Philip loved playing in the sand and he had a great time playing with the shovels, buckets, and other sand castle making toys that Uncle Brandon gave to him as a present when we arrived. It was so hot during the day that we'd only take the kids to the pool or the beach before noon or after four which made for a much more enjoyable time for all.
On our second day at the beach, we took Philip to the aquarium for some one-on-one time with mommy and daddy while Andrew stayed at nana and papa's house. Philip had a great time! He especially loved the sharks. Afterwards, we got pizza at the Mellow Mushroom.
While we were at the beach, we took a trip to the boardwalk to check out the new 200 foot tall ferris wheel they just recently built. It features glass-enclosed, air-conditioned gondolas and allows you a great view of the ocean and surrounding beach. I thought for sure Philip would be afraid but he wasn't even nervous. I, on the other hand, threatened Phil with divorce if he tried to swing our gondola!
Phil and I also got a much-needed and enjoyed night out that week We had a great dinner at a Japanese steak house while Phil's parents got the boys off to bed at their place. I always marvel at how great it is to eat dinner without retrieving toys off the floor and wrestling flatware away from a baby!
All together we spent 9 days in Myrtle Beach and thoroughly enjoyed our time away from the daily grind at home.We feel very lucky to have such a great (free!) vacation spot with all of the comforts at home. We hope to get back to SC by the end of the year!
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| Lunch at a rest stop in N.C. |
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| So excited to finally be at Nana and Papa's house! |
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| Checking out the pond with Papa |
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| Swinging with Nana |
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| Reading a story in the morning with daddy |
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| Fun in the pool |
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| Loved the water! |
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| Passed out after swimming |
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| At the boardwalk |
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| On the ferris wheel |
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| Having fun playing at Nana and Papa's |
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| The aquarium |
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| At the aquarium with mommy and daddy |
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| Loved sleeping on his air mattress! |
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| First time at the beach |
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| Fishing with Papa |
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| Pajamas and sippies |
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| Loving vacation! |
Friday, June 10, 2011
First Day of Summer Camp
Back in March, I got a brochure in the mail from the local preschool advertising their summer program for children. They offered a half day program for children ages 2 and up, with the contingency that the child must be potty trained. Some of my friends were planning to put their little ones in the program and I was curious to see how Philip would like it. At that time though, he wasn't potty trained or even near potty trained so I threw out the brochure and the idea entirely and instead focused in on our goal of having him potty trained and ready to go for preschool in the fall. Fast forward two months and our big boy is successfully daytime potty trained. Again the summer program came to my attention and, on a whim, I decided to sign him up for it.
This past Wednesday was Philip's first day of O.A.S.I.S. (Outstanding Activities for Students in the Summer) at St. Luke's Lutheran School. I decided to send him on Wednesday as the theme for Wednesdays was arts and crafts and it seemed like a nice, gentle introduction to being in a group environment with kids and teachers he didn't know, and without mommy and daddy at his side.
In the week preceding the start of OASIS, we did our best to psych him up and get him excited. I tried hard to explain to him that he would be going all by himself and that mommy and daddy would be there to pick him up after lunch. He sort of got it. I thought.
Except not really.
On the car ride over, I could tell he was starting to get nervous. I think the reality that I was going to leave after we got there was starting to settle in, just a little. In the car, he asked me if "baby" was going to stay at school with him (Andrew had stayed him with Phil--it was just me and Philip on the ride over). I reminded him that Andrew was home with daddy and would be taking his nap while Philip was having fun playing at school.
The questioning continued once we arrived, until, that is, we got to the classroom and his teacher, Mrs. O'Neill, greeted him.Once inside he clammed up and wouldn't make eye contact with anyone talking to him. We went into the room and, thankfully, his buddy Elijah was there. Seeing a familiar face put him more at ease and he warmed up enough to find a toy to play with. Then Mrs. O'Neill brought us into the hall to show him his locker where he could put his backpack and lunch box. Philip loved that. It had his name and everything on it and he liked opening and closing it.
Then we went back into the classroom and Philip got right back into playing. If I'm honest, was reluctant to leave! It was the first time I've ever left one of my children with someone who was not family or a trusted friend. Philip simply is not used to being away from both Phil and I at the same time as one of us is always home with the boys when we're not both home. I had been getting pretty nervous about leaving him in the days leading up to his first day. I was nervous about how he'd react to me not being there; worried that he wouldn't adjust well; afraid that the other kids wouldn't be nice to him. I was concerned that he would have an accident because he would be too afraid to tell the teacher he needed to use the bathroom. Lots of worrying. That's what moms are for, right?
So as Philip was standing at the classroom's play kitchen, pretending to eat a plastic apple, I decided to casually move out to the hallway to talk with some friends who were dropping their children off as well. Philip didn't notice I was gone and all was well for about five minutes. Then I heard the familiar sound of my little boy crying. Cautiously, I peaked back into the classroom to see him in the arms of his new teacher, tears streaming down his face. Mrs. O'Neill was doing her best calm and comfort him, God bless her. I quickly felt at ease leaving him in her care. The woman has twenty five years of experience as a preschool teacher! She also had two assistants to help her. One of those assistants was an older lady named Mrs. Bayne. The second time I peaked into the room to check on him, Philip was sitting on her lap and, even though he was hiccuping and still upset, she was talking to him in a soothing manner and I could tell he felt reasonably safe.
Although it broke my heart a little to do it, I had to tell myself that he was in good hands and it was okay to leave him. That he would warm up and have fun. That this was good for both of us. So I left.
Phil stayed home with Andrew and I headed out to do some work in town. The next few hours passed quickly and before I knew it, it was time to get Philip. Phil and I were both eager to pick him up; excited to see how the rest of his morning had gone; anxious to be reunited with our sweet boy!
When we got to the school, Mrs. Bayne met us in the hallway and let us know that Philip had been her little buddy that day. That he was upset at first but slowly started to feel better. He had even had fun playing outside on the playground and spent the entire time outside swinging. We peaked into the classroom and he was sitting at a table eating his lunch. The last child still eating, he spotted us right away and tears immediately sprung to his eyes. Once reassured that we were there to take him home, a smile returned to his face and he began telling us about his day and showing us the art work he had made. He let us know he had been crying but we told him that that was okay. He said he had fun and that he wanted to come back. Such a relief to hear!
Mrs. O'Neill assured us that he did great and that his experience was perfectly normal for a child who had not had much time away from his parents. She suggested two days a week instead of one in order to keep him more in a routine of going so that it wouldn't be such a shock after a whole week of not being there.We agreed that it would be beneficial for him to be there two mornings a week to help him get used to being in an environment away from us, to make new friends, and to prepare him for preschool. Next week he will only be going once as we will be headed to the beach on Tuesday, but once we return I plan to sign him up for Wednesday and Thursday mornings.
We are so proud of our big boy! All in all, he did better than I had hoped, despite the tears and hesitation. I know as the summer goes on, he will become more comfortable being away from us and come out of his shell more and more. With any luck, there will be no tears on the first day of preschool in the fall!
This past Wednesday was Philip's first day of O.A.S.I.S. (Outstanding Activities for Students in the Summer) at St. Luke's Lutheran School. I decided to send him on Wednesday as the theme for Wednesdays was arts and crafts and it seemed like a nice, gentle introduction to being in a group environment with kids and teachers he didn't know, and without mommy and daddy at his side.
In the week preceding the start of OASIS, we did our best to psych him up and get him excited. I tried hard to explain to him that he would be going all by himself and that mommy and daddy would be there to pick him up after lunch. He sort of got it. I thought.
Except not really.
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| All smiles in the morning with his backpack and Toy Story lunch box, ready to go! |
The questioning continued once we arrived, until, that is, we got to the classroom and his teacher, Mrs. O'Neill, greeted him.Once inside he clammed up and wouldn't make eye contact with anyone talking to him. We went into the room and, thankfully, his buddy Elijah was there. Seeing a familiar face put him more at ease and he warmed up enough to find a toy to play with. Then Mrs. O'Neill brought us into the hall to show him his locker where he could put his backpack and lunch box. Philip loved that. It had his name and everything on it and he liked opening and closing it.
Then we went back into the classroom and Philip got right back into playing. If I'm honest, was reluctant to leave! It was the first time I've ever left one of my children with someone who was not family or a trusted friend. Philip simply is not used to being away from both Phil and I at the same time as one of us is always home with the boys when we're not both home. I had been getting pretty nervous about leaving him in the days leading up to his first day. I was nervous about how he'd react to me not being there; worried that he wouldn't adjust well; afraid that the other kids wouldn't be nice to him. I was concerned that he would have an accident because he would be too afraid to tell the teacher he needed to use the bathroom. Lots of worrying. That's what moms are for, right?
So as Philip was standing at the classroom's play kitchen, pretending to eat a plastic apple, I decided to casually move out to the hallway to talk with some friends who were dropping their children off as well. Philip didn't notice I was gone and all was well for about five minutes. Then I heard the familiar sound of my little boy crying. Cautiously, I peaked back into the classroom to see him in the arms of his new teacher, tears streaming down his face. Mrs. O'Neill was doing her best calm and comfort him, God bless her. I quickly felt at ease leaving him in her care. The woman has twenty five years of experience as a preschool teacher! She also had two assistants to help her. One of those assistants was an older lady named Mrs. Bayne. The second time I peaked into the room to check on him, Philip was sitting on her lap and, even though he was hiccuping and still upset, she was talking to him in a soothing manner and I could tell he felt reasonably safe.
Although it broke my heart a little to do it, I had to tell myself that he was in good hands and it was okay to leave him. That he would warm up and have fun. That this was good for both of us. So I left.
Phil stayed home with Andrew and I headed out to do some work in town. The next few hours passed quickly and before I knew it, it was time to get Philip. Phil and I were both eager to pick him up; excited to see how the rest of his morning had gone; anxious to be reunited with our sweet boy!
When we got to the school, Mrs. Bayne met us in the hallway and let us know that Philip had been her little buddy that day. That he was upset at first but slowly started to feel better. He had even had fun playing outside on the playground and spent the entire time outside swinging. We peaked into the classroom and he was sitting at a table eating his lunch. The last child still eating, he spotted us right away and tears immediately sprung to his eyes. Once reassured that we were there to take him home, a smile returned to his face and he began telling us about his day and showing us the art work he had made. He let us know he had been crying but we told him that that was okay. He said he had fun and that he wanted to come back. Such a relief to hear!
Mrs. O'Neill assured us that he did great and that his experience was perfectly normal for a child who had not had much time away from his parents. She suggested two days a week instead of one in order to keep him more in a routine of going so that it wouldn't be such a shock after a whole week of not being there.We agreed that it would be beneficial for him to be there two mornings a week to help him get used to being in an environment away from us, to make new friends, and to prepare him for preschool. Next week he will only be going once as we will be headed to the beach on Tuesday, but once we return I plan to sign him up for Wednesday and Thursday mornings.
We are so proud of our big boy! All in all, he did better than I had hoped, despite the tears and hesitation. I know as the summer goes on, he will become more comfortable being away from us and come out of his shell more and more. With any luck, there will be no tears on the first day of preschool in the fall!
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| With his art work outside of St. Luke's after school. |
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