First Day of School

My baby is a big boy now! Today was Ian's first day of school!

...Well, first day of daycare, but a friend suggested that I call it school since, for what I'm paying, he'd better learn something! I knew this day would come and to be honest, I wasn't that anxious. More than anything, I was concerned with not knowing how he would react to the strangness of it all. Would he think I was leaving him with his teacher like his orphanage caretakers left him with us, thinking he'd never see us or Polli or his toys again? Would he cry the whole time I was gone? Would he know what to do, how to act...what about lunch without a highchair or a nap without his rainforest music soother? A coworker has her son in the same daycare chain/different location, and she convinced me that they've seen a toddler or two and the kids figure it out. I just needed to plan for a few off kilter days with his schedule, but he would ultimately be fine.

Boy, was she ever right. I woke Ian at 7am, a full 1.5 to 2 hours before his normal waking... sped him through breakfast and dressing and whisked him out to the car. He had a "what's going on" look the entire time.

Upon arriving at school, we checked in and went back to the toddler room. Three other kids were already there, two Asian, and the other a little blonde haired boy I remember from when I was taking my tour (with the same runny nose!). Ian broke away from me and headed right toward the toys. I talked with his teacher, Patricia, for a few minutes and put away his belongings (he already had a cubby with his name on it!). By the time we finished talking, he was already sitting with a little boy playing...well, maybe they just happened to be near each other. I've figured out that at this age, they don't so much play together as they do near each other, occassionally making eye contact or exchanging a coded babble phrase of some kind.

I waved goodbye and he waved back "da", which is Ian for "bye" or "hi". He was hardly concerned that I was all the way across the room. I left and went to Starbucks to get some work done for a few hours rather than come all the way home for such a short period of time. Three hours later, I went back to pick him up and as I rounded the corner, there he was sitting on a chair at a little table with the other kids eating his lunch...with a spoon...on a plate. It was the first time I became emotional. It was quite possibly the cutest thing I've ever seen. There are no cameras aloud in the kids rooms for child privacy reasons or I would have gotten a slew of pictures.

I stayed while he finished eating and I'm happy to announce that he was the neatest eater of the bunch and drank all of his milk. The boy next to him was drinking mouthfuls of milk and then just letting it drool out of his mouth... another boy (the one with the runny nose) was stuffing an entire tortilla in his mouth and then spitting pieces on the floor... Another boy can only eat bread... I have to say Ian was the best behaved of the bunch from what I could tell. How proud am I?

We left once he was finished with his lunch and tomorrow we'll start a bit earlier and have him stay until after naptime. That is what was planned for Wednesday, so we're a full day ahead of his transition schedule already. Patricia said he cried a bit when he realized I was gone and once when he couldn't see her. He also wasn't thrilled about going outside, but I explained to her that he had no outside area at his orphanage, so his only outdoor experiences have been a few minutes here and there since we've been home...and it typically involved some sort of snow related torture. She walked with him around the playground and he was happy. On our way out, several older toddlers yelled out "bye, Ian!", which was really cute. All this in the span of 3 hours. It also states on his daily progress sheet that they played "pass the ball", listened to stories, sang songs, and counted numbers. I'm sure there was very little in the way of reciprocation of any of these things, but with repetition, it's getting stored in his little hard drive somewhere for use 6 months from now when he suddenly starts belting out 1 through 10 at the dinner table.

So, he's in his crib now, supposedly napping, but I can hear him in there talking away...much like after his playdate a couple weekends ago.

I should also mention that his teacher Patricia is from China, grew up near Beijing and went to University in Hangzhou... Where we met Ian! She lit up when she heard he was from Wenzhou and that we stayed at the West Lake in Hangzhou. She told me that Ian has a hairline and facial structure of Chairman Mao...and would be considered a lucky son in China. We were actually told by a few locals in China that he looked like Mao, but I assumed they said that to all boys as a gesture of flattery...maybe she was just saying that or maybe it's really true. I'm not sure, but it's funny to hear it from someone here.

Bless her heart, she and one assistant are in charge of 6 toddlers. She has been doing it for more than 5 years at this facility, so it's nice to know that she has no intention of leaving anytime soon. I think often about how much daycare costs (especially in our area), but then did the math and decided that per day for one on one attention from a patient and attentive caregiver, who so far appears to really care about the kids...It's worth it. Like so many have told me already, you really do get what you pay for most of the time. I couldn't do her job.

I'm excited to see how the rest of the week pans out. So far, so good!

Pictures below are from this morning, leading up to the big day. Looking at these, it's so hard to believe that less than 3 months ago when we first met him, he was so much more a baby...hardly even crawling or eating solid food. It really goes to show what time, love, and nutrition can do for a little person.

Blurry but cute.... "Yawn... Tell me again why you woke me up before I was done sleeping?"

"How do you like my outfit? Yeah, it'll get filthy, but I have to look cute for my first day!"

Already looking like an A+ student. All he needs is a backpack (and these days, an iPod, laptop, cell phone, GPS, and $20 for lunch money).

Outside the building... He's still not sure what's going on here or why am I taking pictures of him in a strange parking lot in the freezing cold.