Auggie's First Day of School

Auggie's first day of school was a success!! Thanks for all of your prayers--much appreciated!

Apparently our efforts to adjust the boys to going to bed early and waking up early worked. Both boys were up, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed before 7am this morning. Today school started at 9am for Auggie, but on a typical day it starts at 8:15am and goes to 12:45pm. At first I was worried that going from zero "school" experience to 4.5-hours-a-day 5-days-a-week was going to be a rude awakening for Auggie, but now I'm confident that he'll adapt just fine. 

We woke early, had a breakfast of scrambled eggs, toast, and milk, and then our whole family headed off to Auggie's first day. Since we borrow a car and can't rely on having one each day to take Auggie to school, we'll be taking him via bicycle. (The trip to school is two minutes at most by car, but about 30 minutes in each direction to walk.) Dan's bike had a flat, but without too much delay we were off. On a typical day Dan will take Auggie to school while Eland and I will pick him up. I have only ridden Dan's bike while pulling the kid trailer once, so I pulled the kids while heading to school this morning so that I could see what it's like. YIKES! I had no idea that Dan was hauling such a serious herky-jerky load multiple times a week when we go for bike rides. Anytime there's a dip in the road the trailer pulls back on the bike, so there's pretty much a constant feeling of being jerked around while riding with it. It's going to take me a few times to get used to it, but I did pick Auggie up successfully sans Dan.

As soon as we arrived at school, Auggie's friend Kerani (an American friend who is in his class, if you can believe that!) gave him a big hug and showed him around the playground. The set up for Pre-Reception (aka Pre-Kindergarten) is super-cool. There's a paved courtyard with a play painted road and brick play houses all around. Once you pass that there are two RR (short for Pre-Reception) classrooms opposite of each other across the courtyard. Beyond the classrooms is a huge jungle gym and the area where the kids eat their lunches. Inside Auggie's room there are four art tables, individual cubby lockers, a rug where the kids sit and listen to their teacher, a "loft" treehouse play area, a dress-up play area, and a bathroom with three stalls and three sinks, along with hooks for their art aprons and wash cloths for drying their hands. It looks like great fun!

Auggie, Eland, and I introduced Dan to Auggie's teacher, and then we pretty much said goodbye to Auggie and headed off to work/home. Auggie wasn't the least bit bothered, and hardly noticed when we left. :) I am so glad Kerani was there, because he felt perfectly at ease. She really reminds me of Auggie's best friend back in Albuquerque, Nora.

All ready for school with his lunch in his backpack

Eland wasn't about to get left out of the first day of school excitement!

Brotherly love :)

While this is not the entrance to his classroom, Auggie wanted me to know upon picking him up, that you can get to his classroom from this hall

A quick shot of the door to his classroom

Auggie pointing. :)

I realized today that despite whatever Auggie tells me about the day (they painted birds nests, may or may not have read a story, he played with train tracks and a boat, he didn't eat with any other kids--but nobody else ate together), he officially has his own story now. He has a life that exists apart from Dan and me, an experience that belongs only to him. Things will happen at school that I will never know about. And yet, this is part of life and having kids. Isn't the whole point to ultimately create successful, independent people? Well, here's to one step in the right direction! :)