Day 1207 - 1st Week Wrap-up: Preschool Week

The first week of preschool is done, and for the most part, it was a good week. The kids are having fun at school, and I am having fun having three hours to myself in the morning.

At first, it is a very weird sensation being at home by yourself without the kids at home. You get so used to having your home being a place of screaming and shrieking and chaos that you're shell-shocked when it's quiet. It was so shocking to me that I actually peed myself a bit.

Emma seems to be doing really well at school and is genuinely excited about it. When I pick her up, she energetically tells me all of the fun things she did at school. Although she has shown no display of separation anxiety, Emma has not been sleep well at night. She wakes up 3-4x a night crying and often comes into our room where she finds us also crying due to sleep deprivation. I can only assume that this night restlessness is due to her transition into preschool. And if not that, it could be the life-sized Chewbacca doll I set up next to her bed.

Andrew has a great time when he's at school, but he is having a more difficult time getting used to preschool. He still cries when I leave him at preschool, but he stops a few minutes later. I'm hoping to remedy this problem by leaving him at random spots around Los Angeles and picking him up three hours later.

Andrew's teacher also says he has a more difficult time transitioning from one activity to another. Andrew wants things his way and gets upset when he doesn't get his way. If it's time to go inside, he wants to stay outside. If it's time to clean up, he still wants to play. But his teacher says this is something that he will understand through time.

As for my impression of the preschool, I really like the staff. All of the teachers knew the kids' names and my name. It could've been the fact that on my first day I wore my t-shirt that said "I'm Scott, Biatch!", but it was still nice. I also like the way the staff takes care of the students. They are strict, but extremely loving and nurturing at the same time.

The only thing about the preschool that took me by surprise is how messy the kids get. When they told me that they emphasize learning through playing, I didn't know that meant I would also have to do the laundry every day and purchase a gallon of Shout. But it is nice that the kids have a chance to be kids at school, and they can continue to be anal-retentive Crazy Grandma germ-a-phobes at home.