Audra's First Day of School

Audra has been looking forward to going to school for a long time and we really wanted to get her into a 3's program for the '16-'17 school year. I ended up deciding that the summer would be an even better time to start (since the center we chose is also open during the summer), because of the new baby and the fact that she was so ready. This will be awesome because I can have some one on one time with Brooke, Audra can have some extra stimulation outside the home and I can make it through this pregnancy during the extreme heat of the summer. And, since she is starting now and not the end of August, it should make her less sensitive when her new sister is born. Plus, if she had a difficult transition, there was plenty of time to troubleshoot.

So, today was the day. Over the past month we've been casually mentioning her starting school when she got back from her Texas trip. I checked out a few books about preschool when she got back and we've been reading them and casually mentioning things that she would need to do at school. We've been careful to stay very positive about the transition, but also acknowledge her nerves and remind her mommy and daddy won't be there with her. When we talked about our activities for this week, she would always say that she was "so excited" about school. 

This morning, we woke her up and she very slowly ate breakfast, brushed teeth, got dressed, snapped a first day of school picture and we headed off to school. On the way there I told her that her job was to show daddy where she was supposed to sign in. She was a ball of excitement and nerves. We walked up and went into the classroom where her teacher greeted her. I signed her in and she signed herself in while the teacher guided and talked to her. It was time to wash hands before their morning snack so she let mommy and daddy come with her. After she reluctantly got through all the hand washing steps, the teacher told her it was time to tell us goodbye and she could wave at us through the big window to the outside. We gave her a hug and kiss and left her waving with a big smile on her face. 

Just before their lunch time the center director called with a status update and said she was doing great. She was participating in the songs and wasn't missing a beat. 

When we came to pick her up, she wasn't ready to leave. We let her hang out and play on the playground a bit longer. Afterwards, we went to Chick-fil-a to celebrate a great first day. We are all so excited for her to go back.