This past August Andrew started kindergarten at Beaufort Elementary! It was quite the adjustment. Andrew was excited and adjusted well. Getting up and getting ready was a little tough for him (still is some days), but he looks forward to going to school every day. The hardest part for me was getting used to Andrew being gone all day every day. It was really weird not to know what he was doing at any given moment, if he was happy, if he got hurt, if someone hurt his feelings, if he was sad, if he was missing me. It was just hard to let go and know he was probably having fun and learning lots of new things. It was also hard to know that this was it. I would never get the preschool years back with Andrew. Then I started to wonder if I did enough, if I enjoyed it enough, if I spent enough quality time with him. There were parts of me that just wanted to rewind the last 5 years and do it over again.
I did worry about Andrew going to kindergarten, that's for sure. I was worried about how shy and quiet he is, that he wouldn't speak up in class, would be over looked, would be afraid to make new friends. I worried he wouldn't be able to sit still and concentrate on learning. I worried if he would be okay away from home for that long for 5 days a week. He was quick to disprove my worries. Before I talk about how amazing he is doing (and how all my worrying was for nothing), here's a rundown of his first day:
I did worry about Andrew going to kindergarten, that's for sure. I was worried about how shy and quiet he is, that he wouldn't speak up in class, would be over looked, would be afraid to make new friends. I worried he wouldn't be able to sit still and concentrate on learning. I worried if he would be okay away from home for that long for 5 days a week. He was quick to disprove my worries. Before I talk about how amazing he is doing (and how all my worrying was for nothing), here's a rundown of his first day:
He was excited and ready! His big day breakfast included an egg, a waffle with peanut butter, and a banana.
I had to get a shot of the backpack because it took 3 shopping trips to pick out this backpack. We went to Union Wal-Mart. He found several he liked, but wanted to look at another store, just in case. He wanted a camo one, but it cost about $25 (didn't really want to spend that much on a kindergarten backpack), so we checked Washington Wal-Mart. Nothing he could decide on there either, so we went to Target. I saw this one and suggested it. At first he said no, but then when I pointed out that the camo pattern is actually skateboarders, he was all over it. Thankfully! I had no idea it was such a hard process to find a "cool" backpack. He picked Cars for his lunchbox.
Picture with siblings before we left. It was great because Matt was off work that day, so he got spend the morning with us and take Andrew to school too.
All ready to go! He picked out his new shirt, new underwear, and new shoes for his first day. The shoes were also a big decision for him! We only went to one store, but it took a lot of thinking before finally deciding on a pair of Adidas gray and yellow ones. The selling point? The shoes were called "Hyper Run"....and that's right, they make him run really fast!
We are so thankful that Andrew and his friend Dillon are in the same class! I think that having each other has really helped them both. Dillon goes to our church and lives in our subdivision.
Worry number one that Andrew disproved....being nervous. I think he was a little nervous, but he had no problem knowing that we wouldn't be staying. He was quiet on the ride to school. When we got there, he walked into his room, found his name to hang up his backpack, found his name on one of the tables, and sat down. Not once did he ask for us to stay or try to stay by us or hide behind our legs. He knew what to do and he did it. I felt the tears coming, but fought them. He was doing so well that I didn't want him to think I was sad. I also figured we shouldn't stick around too long, so that he didn't start to get nervous. I talked to him for a bit at his table, gave him a kiss and hug, took a couple pictures, and we headed home. Weird. It was really weird leaving him there for an entire day.
Here he is sitting at his table as we left. Bittersweet, for sure. Sad to leave him all day and wonder where time had gone, but so happy and proud of the wonderful little boy he had become.
The first day did seem to go by slow. I was so ready to pick him up and find out how the day went. Of course, I should have known I wouldn't get much detail from him any way. He gave me a little, but I had to ask all the questions and mostly got yes and no answers. He was pretty tired, too! We had a little surprise waiting for him when he got home. I made a crayon brownie for him. I'm definitely not a baker or great at decorating baked goods, but he still loved it. He also has a major sweet tooth, so I think he was just pretty excited about the brownie part!
Ella and I made him cards and we bought him a new Bible as a gift. He takes his Bible to church now, so we thought it would be a great gift.
He had fun looking at his Bible and carrying it around.
The rest of the afternoon and evening, he was pretty mellow. We just kind of hung out and went to bed early. I think his first day was really successful! We definitely missed him! I actually think Luke missed him the most. It was so cute to watch them when we got home. Luke just kept laughing and chasing after Andrew. The two of them giggled, wrestled, and chased each other for a good hour once we were home. So sweet!
As I said before, Andrew disproved all of my worries! He has done AMAZING!! He is half way through the year now and has grown and learned so much. It's amazing what only 4.5 months can do. His teacher, Ms. Stieffermann (it's her first year teaching and we love her), has all great things to say about him. He has received all S's (that's the highest you can get) for both 1st quarter and 2nd quarter. At our parent teacher conference back in October, she said Andrew was doing very well, he was really bright, and knew more than he needed to. She also said that he was quiet and sat still when he needed to, but came out of his shell during center time and recess. He had a group of boys that he played with, and they always had fun together and laughed a lot. Huge relief! On his 2nd quarter report card, she wrote, "Andrew is doing a great job at school. He is very smart and sets a good example for the class. He is participating more and more while still following directions." We are so very proud of him!
Andrew loves school. He looks forward to going. He was upset when he missed school last week when he had a little stomach bug. The friends he talks about most are Karter, Dillon, and Haeden. His favorite part of school is recess. He is great with numbers and is starting to read. It was so surreal for Matt and I to listen to him read us his first full book. It just does not seem like he should be old enough to be reading. But he does, and he does great. He brings home a new book each night to read to us. Again, proud moments.
I've adjusted to him going to school for the most part too. I do still miss him and it is great to pick him up every day and see him again. I do still wish I could get back the preschool years some days. But I do know that he is having a great time at school and embrace all the new things that this stage of life brings.
As I said before, Andrew disproved all of my worries! He has done AMAZING!! He is half way through the year now and has grown and learned so much. It's amazing what only 4.5 months can do. His teacher, Ms. Stieffermann (it's her first year teaching and we love her), has all great things to say about him. He has received all S's (that's the highest you can get) for both 1st quarter and 2nd quarter. At our parent teacher conference back in October, she said Andrew was doing very well, he was really bright, and knew more than he needed to. She also said that he was quiet and sat still when he needed to, but came out of his shell during center time and recess. He had a group of boys that he played with, and they always had fun together and laughed a lot. Huge relief! On his 2nd quarter report card, she wrote, "Andrew is doing a great job at school. He is very smart and sets a good example for the class. He is participating more and more while still following directions." We are so very proud of him!
Andrew loves school. He looks forward to going. He was upset when he missed school last week when he had a little stomach bug. The friends he talks about most are Karter, Dillon, and Haeden. His favorite part of school is recess. He is great with numbers and is starting to read. It was so surreal for Matt and I to listen to him read us his first full book. It just does not seem like he should be old enough to be reading. But he does, and he does great. He brings home a new book each night to read to us. Again, proud moments.
I've adjusted to him going to school for the most part too. I do still miss him and it is great to pick him up every day and see him again. I do still wish I could get back the preschool years some days. But I do know that he is having a great time at school and embrace all the new things that this stage of life brings.
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