Proud Preschooler

We spent weeks, if not months talking to Jadyn about preschool and trying to ensure she was prepared. She seemed to understand but she also seemed quite unsure and even though she eventually warmed up to swim lessons, seeing her reaction to being away from me during those lessons left me a little nervous about how she would do at preschool. I knew she was ready for preschool and that it was the best thing for everyone but I must admit, I feared there was a real chance of getting off to a rocky start, especially after she refused to talk to her teachers at the open house last week. However, she claimed that she would talk to them with her Dora backpack on and on the morning of her first day, she seemed genuinely excited to be going. In fact, when it was time for Jake to leave for school, she wanted to leave for her school right then and there even though she still had an hour before her start time. I tried to take this as a good sign but remained skeptically optimistic.

Here she is before leaving for school. She literally could not wait to get in the car:

And once there her excitement did not wane. She walked in, put up her backpack and strode off to play with several familiar faces, including Haydin who is the little brother of Jake's bud from preschool Gavin. I did not dare linger or try to sneak pictures but when I returned 3 hours later to pick her up, she got glowing reviews. She did not cry or acknowledge my absence, she spoke to the teachers and for the most part participated in everything. She was happy to see me and quite proud to show off the things she had colored and glued. She was also much more talkative about her day than Jake ever was, telling me what sort of things they did, what they had for snack, whether or not she used the bathroom and who she made friends with. Her first day was definitely a success. Here is the picture I took of her after I picked her up. I know it was only 3 hours but I could not help but look at her in a new light. Somehow she seemed older and wiser than the little girl I had dropped off in the morning:

Today was her second day and she was equally excited to go to school and told me how much she loves it. I think it makes her feel special and grown up to be able to do something she has seen Jake doing for the past 2 years and I know it will be enriching for her as well. Here she is before leaving this morning with her "C is for Cute" shirt:

So a big sigh of relief from mommy as we now focus on settling in to our new routine. But we can't bid summer farewell until we have enjoyed a nice long Labor Day weekend. Hope you enjoy yours as well.