Dear Hunter,

Last summer, I mentioned to Daddy that you may be old enough to attend preschool the following fall. Although it seemed early to make a decision since you were still very young, from the moment you became mobil at six months old, you were barely able to sit still and hated being in the same place (like our house) for long periods of time. You craved activity and exploration and being around other kids. So even though it was over a year away, it really wasn’t difficult to decide to sign you up for preschool a few months later. Fortunately, there was one school in the area that you were old enough to attend. It was required that you turn twenty months old by September 30th. So you just barely made the cut off!

To be honest, I have been looking forward to your first day of preschool for months and months. You are ready both developmentally and maturity wise, and Daddy and I think you will learn so much from being in a structured environment with other kids for two and a half hours twice a week. Of course, I also welcome the extra time to clean the house and run errands!

Well, today was finally the day.

Your first day of preschool!

You were bit of a grump this morning and had the worst night of sleep last night that you have had in a loooooong time. It probably didn’t help that before you went to bed I reminded you that you were going to school with your back pack tomorrow to play with Benji and Nicholas.

Needless to say, you were yawning in the car on the way to school and it was only 9:00am. Not a good sign!

Thankfully, you were a ball full of energy once we got to your school and you saw your friends.

You and Nicholas waited eagerly for the teachers to open the door.

Once the door was opened, Daddy and I both walked in with you. Before we had a chance to say good-bye, you were off to the back of the room to play. Not once did you look back or seem unsure. Of course that is probably because you thought Daddy and I were going to stay with you. Regardless, we were both so proud that you excitedly walked into the room and did your own thing without making sure that one of us was by your side. We watched you from the viewing window for a few minutes and it seemed like you were doing well, so we left. I decided to come back a half hour before your class was dismissed to check on how things were going. Bad idea! I could hear you screaming before I even got to your classroom door. Now, several kids were crying, but you were the loudest. I decided to walk away since there was nothing I could do, and wait until class was dismissed to come back. Once the doors were opened and I picked you up, you clung to my neck for dear life for several minutes. I have never had you hold onto me like that before. You calmed down pretty quickly and were back to yourself in no time. I took you to Panera for a celebratory lunch where you had your favorite grilled cheese!

You were such a happy guy at lunch!

Daddy and I are so incredibly proud of you! I know the next few weeks are going to be an adjustment but soon enough you are going to be begging to go back to school.

Love,

Mom