First Few Weeks of School

Cameron has now completed his first couple weeks of school! He seems to absolutely love going to school, and I love hearing all his stories about activities he's participated in, looking at his pictures and crafts, and hearing all about his new friends. These last few weeks have been full of excitement and adjustments! Even though I like order and a plan, I have never been that good at having structure during the day with the boys. Other than meal times and nap times (meaning, I know those things will happen at some point), our days were always different and we just did whatever we felt like. Needless to say, I was a little bit of a mess the first week of school. After dropping Cameron off at school in the morning, I came home every day and went to get groceries for dinner that night. Why I couldn't get it together enough to get a weeks worth of meals (or even a few days) is completely beyond me! Poor Harrison...on top of losing his buddy and playmate in the morning, he also had to endure going to the grocery store every single day! 

After looking back over the past few weeks, here are some thoughts I have about our new journey with Cameron.

*Cameron LOVES school! He is excited to go every day and loves seeing his friends when he gets there. When I pick him up, he's excited to tell me all about his day and what he was responsible for during class that day. He is the only child who goes to school for half a day. Even though there are other three year olds in his class, they all stay for the whole day. It's becoming much more clear to me that this is a cultural thing and that most of three year olds spend the whole day at school here. When I ask Cameron if he would rather stay for the whole day, he always says "no," so for the time being, we will continue with half days.

"Cameron's Family" class project...love our hair!

*Cameron is making lots of little friends. One difficult thing for me, and Cameron for that matter, has been watching him try to make friends with kids at the playground, but struggling because of the language barrier. If you know Cameron, you know that he is very social and loves playing with others, but that he can also come on pretty strong. Add that with the fact that the kids have no idea what he's saying and you have a recipe for disappointment. It's hard to watch your child be rejected and hurt, so seeing him make friends has been awesome! Cameron comes home every day and tells me about playing with so and so. Also, when I go pick him up at the end of the morning session, he is usually giving one of his friends a hug before he leaves. I love that he is making friends and look forward to exploring these relationships further!

Cameron and his buddy Ansh

*Cameron has had the opportunity to be a part of many fun and new activities since being in school. Two of those activities are swimming lessons every Wednesday morning, and after school yoga on Tuesday afternoons.  

So far, he LOVES swimming! 

Working with his teacher!

Cameron is second from the right

Cameron is second from the right

He's only had one yoga lesson so far. After the class, he told me that he liked it, but that he didn't want to go back...so we'll see!

 *I need a better plan for the day. I have gotten better at planning for shopping, cleaning, laundry etc, but I still feel like a crazy person running around all day...and I only have one child going to school...for half a day!! I have no idea how my parents, who had five children, managed to do it all.  Likewise, many of my friends and family have multiple children in school and activities and also work, but still seem to have it all together. I know I'll figure it out too, but right now, I am in awe of all those super moms (and dads) out there, including my own, that I look up to!

*I have to get up early, be ready for the day, and have a plan before I take Cameron to school in the morning. It's not like I really got to sleep in much before school started, but now I HAVE to get up. And taking Cameron to school in my jammies is not an option! I'm a little embarrassed to admit that it was not uncommon for us to be in our pajamas for a good chunk of the morning, but that is no longer my reality! That's probably a good thing! :)

*I have decided that I am going to try to bike to school as much as I can. It's only a five to seven minute bike ride to the school from our loft, but it's not an easy ride. There is a crazy (at least to me) hill right at the beginning of the ride that is very difficult for my untrained legs to handle...especially with 70 extra pounds in the back of the bike! However, it's easier than driving in the crazy traffic and I am determined to try to take advantage of the fact that I can safely bike there and do it as often as I can. We'll see how I feel once winter rolls around?!

Harrison loves to wear Cameron's backpack!

*I have enjoyed the opportunity to spend a few hours alone with Harrison each day. As you may know, Cameron has a rather large personality, so Harrison's personality is sometimes squashed a bit when Cameron is around. It's been nice to have some quality one on one time with him like I did with Cameron when he was that age. I feel like I am learning new things about Harrison and his specific likes and dislikes. I have also enjoyed our quiet cuddles, story time, and playtime! I hope to start planning some fun adventures (like not to the grocery store) for the two us soon! I think Harrison enjoys this time too. However, I know he misses his buddy during the day. He is always so excited when I tell him it's time to go get Cameron. He gets a big smile on his face and runs to the door every day! 

*I have never appreciated the weekend as much as I do now! Of course the weekends have always been nice because Cole is home with us, but I love them even more now! Even after just a few weeks of school, it's nice to have a break from the running around and routine we now have during the week. 

Despite all the adjustments, school has been a really positive positive experience for us so far. Cameron has a great teacher and the staff at the school is wonderful! I'm also starting to get involved and even joined the PTA! I hope to meet more parents this way and I'm excited to be part of the activities at the school!