First Day of Preschool: 3's Class

Last Thursday was Open House for Jack's preschool. Jackson ran up to his teacher from last year and would not let go. 

We reiterated that she was going to teach a new class of 2's and now that Jackson is a big boy he would be in the 3's class. There are two different classes for 3 year olds and Jackson was overwhelmed with the crowds. He barely acknowledged his new teacher, and she barely acknowledged us. It was awkward how distant she was.

I tried my best to keep Jackson in good spirits and remain enthusiastic about school. We found all but one item from the ridiculously long school supply list. I was going to let Jack pick out a new lunchbox, but Walmart did not have a single one. Jackson proudly picked out this Michelangelo sandwich container.

Maddie has therapy immediately after preschool drop-off on Tuesdays. I couldn't decide if I should let the trio sleep so they would be in better moods, or if I should wake them early so they could eat before we left. I chose to let them sleep, and ended up underestimating the amount of time required to change, dress, and load everyone in the car. I very quickly snapped two pictures of Jackson in front of our door.

Jackson was getting anxious trying to navigate the crowded hallway. It didn't take him long to get comfortable once he was inside his classroom. As soon as he noticed me leaving, he broke out into hysterics and held on to my leg. His teacher, Mrs. Tara, picked him up and comforted him. I was relieved she wasn't the ice princess I had originally thought her to be.

When I picked Jackson up from school, he was in a great mood. Here's a recap of our conversation:

Me: What did you do at school today?

Jack: I painted a tree. It has to dry at school.

Me. A tree? I'm glad you got to paint. That sounds like fun.

Jack: It was big and had clouds.

Me: Did you read any stories today?

Jack: We all sat on the rug. Ms. Kerry's not my teacher. What is my teacher's name?

Me: Ms. Tara

Jack: Ms. Tara read us a story. And we got to play outside.

Me (noticing he didn't eat his sandwich): Why did you not eat your lunch? Are you hungry now?

Jack: I did eat my strawberries. I'm not hungry.

Me: Did you have a snack today?

Jack: Yes! Guess what we ate. We had... We had...

Me: Orangutan?

Jack. No! We had graham crackers!

And on and on and on. The boy takes a bit of prompting, but he shares every detail. 

Since he was in such a good mood, I tried to conduct a quick photo shoot since I only took two pictures and thought I could get a better picture. His Batman shirt had jelly on it so he changed shirts.

I totally pushed my luck. I decided to end our photo session after the first few pictures.

Jackson is every bit the three year old! 

I have some details to tweak with our morning routine tomorrow. Hopefully I can leave Jack's classroom without any tears and he is just as happy when I pick him up.