It's that time

School supplies

New backpacks and lunch boxes

New fabric napkins to pack in lunches (because we are all about recycling and not making extra trash in this house).

Ridiculously expensive name-brand shoes that I swore I'd never purchase

Two adorable kids wearing new outfits

One really sad mom who doesn't want her baby to be old enough for school
(definitely no picture of that)

Two kids who couldn't wait to tell us about their first day

Happy Back to School Xander and Jordis!

First Grade

Xander just completed his first full week of first grade. He started last Wednesday and I'm glad they ease into with just a few days because he was worn out.

A few days before school starts they have an open house where you can drop off your supplies, meet your teacher, check out your classroom and go to the cafeteria to have a treat and mingle with other people.

I loved Xander's teacher from the moment I walked into the room. She was welcoming, friendly and had a very clean and organized learning environment. She already had nametags on the kids' desks and mailboxes, her books were organized into categories, and she had fun lamps, rugs and pillows in the reading center. It looked like a fun place to come to every day and, compared to last year's teacher, I was very impressed. On top of that, he gets two teachers. The intervention teacher is also in his room most of the day as well, so I'm hoping that will be very helpful for him.

On the big day, Xander was super excited! He was up and dressed earlier than he's been in months. I bought the kids a special treat of chocolate donuts to celebrate and Xander ate his on the plate he made at the paint-your-own-pottery store.

We made chocolate chip cookies for his teachers.

He got to use his Transformers lunch box and fun food containers inside.

And best of all, we finally let him wear his new light-up Skechers. These aren't just any light-up shoes. You could wake the dead with these things. I could see him coming up the stairs from my bedroom with the door barely cracked open. God bless a good sale and Jason's mom's store discount, or this kid would not be wearing shoes that cost more than his parents' shoes.

Jason took Xander to buy his annual first-day-of-school outfit and he had to have a Toy Story t-shirt. He also picked out some new jeans.

We awaited the bus with great anticipation. I love that the bus stop is at the end of my driveway. I hope it continues to stay there as long as we live here.

Xander had no trouble getting on the bus this year, and I had no trouble saying goodbye.

(And in case you were wondering, I made sure he didn't get on the bus with a firearm.)

K is for Kindergarten

I can't believe our little guy started kindergarten today. Monday night they had an ice cream social where the kids could come in to drop off their school supplies, see their room and meet their teacher.

Last night he signed the form saying he understands the rules in the student handbook.

This morning Jason got us a special Tim Horton's Back-to-School breakfast.

Xander was super-excited to go to school and loves his new Spidey shirt.

He did not love taking his picture with his mom.

Apparently he's had this attitude about posing for pictures with me for over five years now.

I have no idea what they were looking at while we waited for the bus, but I liked getting their profiles all at once.

Here's Xan getting on the bus.

Here's Xan getting off the bus.

I don't have pictures of Jason coming and carrying him to the seat and then running down the stairs so Miss Kelly could close the doors. He was screaming, "No, Daddy, no!" as the driver was trying to use her arm to hold him back. She even had to stop the bus a few houses down. It was so sad. The new neighbor across the street assured me he'd be okay, which I already knew, but I still felt sorry for him. My mom said they shut the bus doors on me, too, in kindergarten, so I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Jordis came outside with me again later to wait for his arrival. The bus ride home is only kindergarteners so that went fairly well.

He had Honeycomb cereal for snack, played on the kindergarten playground, didn't go potty, colored, and has an assigned seat at the yellow table. This apparently qualified as a good day and he says he's going to get on the bus tomorrow morning. We'll see.

Xander goes to school!

Today was the big day. Okay, it was yesterday. But I fell asleep working on this last night so it still says today. Xander was up at 5-something and we managed to keep him in his room until 7:30. He ate, brushed his teeth and got dressed. Thanks for the cool new outfit Ba and BaDee! The bus was supposed to come at 8:40. Xander was ready to go at 8:20. So we bundled up and went outside to wait. Our neighbor, Mr. Kevin, was leaving while we waited, so the kids were telling him goodbye. The bus came and Xander marched right on. No trepidation, no "goodbye," no hugs. We could barely get his attention for a photo. He had to sit next to another boy but he didn't mind, just waved out the window at me. We're sure his reaction to riding the bus has to do with the E-card Jason's Uncle Ricky and Aunt Chris sent him. It was super cute and showed all these animals having so much fun getting on the bus. That's what I want to think anyway. That's easier to believe than the fact that he didn't act like he was going to miss us. Jordis was very sad.
While he was gone we made him a welcome home sign and decorated his kitchen chair. For our special 1st-day-of-school dinner we had some alphabet pasta and what was supposed to be bus shaped garlic bread. My bus cookie cutter doesn't work so well on bread. I even brought out the china. Jordis was so excited when he came home. She just about knocked him over. He just wanted to know if it was time to watch TV.

Almost time for school!

It's official. We're counting down the days on one hand. Xander heads off to preschool in 4 days. The papers are signed, the bus driver has called, and today.....his backpack came.

(how cute is he in his little Thomas the Train underwear?)

Do you know how hard it is to find a backpack when it's not back-to-school season? Granted, looking "all over town" doesn't mean much when you're in Delaware, but apparently you can't just go to Wal-Mart and pick one up. I thought you were supposed to be able to get everything at the ole Wally World.

So, we asked Xander what he wanted and he said Cars, so Jason found him one on Amazon.com. He's been anxiously awaiting its arrival since he found out that we ordered it the other night, and wouldn't you know the UPS man brought it during quiet time. We put it back out on the porch so Xander could think he was the one who brought it in the house. We opened it and he loved it. It even has a lunchbox you can attach or use separately.

He put it on and Jason helped him adjust the straps.

Then he said, "Bye, I'm going to school" and walked off. And that is when I started to cry. Not a lot, but enough that Jason noticed. Afterall, I'm pretty sure it was just yesterday that my little man looked like this....







So Jason told him to come and give me a hug because I was sad that he was such a big boy. And he actually did it, which kind of surprised me. I have no idea what I'll do on Monday morning.

We did it!

It took 18 months, 3 school evaluations, an outside evaluation and lots of paper work, but Xander FINALLY qualified for the special needs preschool in our district. They are opening a brand new room at his school with a new teacher, so even though the school year has already started he'll be coming in at the same time as the other kids, hopefully October 22nd. There will only be 12 kids so he should get lots of attention.

This also means that he can now receive services from MRDD, so we're super excited to see what that process is going to achieve.

I'm not sure how he'll take to riding the bus, but I guess we'll find out soon. I'll have to stand out in the driveway with my camera (crying, of course) and hope he doesn't do what I did the first week my mom tried to put me on the bus.

I am sad that he's going away (I know, it's a whole 2 1/2 hours 4 days a week), but it will be so good for him socially and will hopefully get him ready to be mainstreamed in the next few years. It will also give me the opporutnity to spend one-on-one time with Jordis, so we may start going to story time at the library. Xander never wanted to be there and I was always trying to keep him from leaving. I think Jordis will love it.