Preschool....it has been daunting and overwhelming. Meetings, evaluations, IEPs. Some of the information was new, some was things we've been dealing with since day 1. Some evaluations are difficult, some roll right off your back. Sending my baby to preschool has been frightening. 3 wasn't something we even gave a thought to when she was born. Preschool seemed so far away. She is, in the eyes of the world, non verbal. It's hard when you ask "How was your day" and it is answered with silence. You are putting a great deal of faith into the hands of the teacher, the aids, the therapists and the administration. You do your research and you make the best decision for your child and you pray for the best. You pray that you made the right choice for your child. It's not easy and it causes a lot of weight on your shoulders. Do you send at 3? Do you wait? Do you home school? Do you choose private preschool? Is public preschool the best fit? A lot of planning and thinking and praying go into that decision and yes, it was only for preschool.
Hailey started preschool on Thursday. The day after she turned 3. A year earlier than her oldest brother and 3 months earlier than the other. I was nervous and I was scared. I tried to hide it from her. She seemed excited. We have been watching signing times school video for the last few weeks. It talks about the teacher, students and paying attention. Hailey was in love with her backpack and loves seeing the bus pull up outside picking up and dropping off her brothers.
The first day, the OT met us at the front door and led us into the classroom before anyone else came in. Hopefully to get Hailey acclimated to room before the chaos of the rest of the class filing in. Hailey was apprehensive and cried a little. I left at that point. I wasn't helping the situation. We received a good report that evening. The tears stopped shortly after mom left the room. Friday, she went again. This time with no apprehension and no tears. Whew...mom couldn't have handled more tears. This week will be her first full week. I'm crossing my fingers :-) For the record...mom hasn't cried...yet.
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| She wore her backpack through the house for the past week |
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| All ready for school |
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| Coming out to the car |
Awww, she looks precious with her backpack. It is so scary to send our nonverbal kids to school. We place so much trust in strangers to look after our BABIES! Just so you know, I cried more this year than last year--because it was no longer her first year, because it meant she really was a "big girl". Wah!
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