Alec has started kindergarten.
He is about 40 days in, and has yet to have a complete meltdown about going.
This, my friends, is nothing short of a miracle.
After all the planning, the meetings, the observations, the IEPs, the therapy, the doctors, the medicine trials, and the praying- ooooohhhh, the praying!- it turns out he was perfectly ready and perfectly capable to get on a bus, ride to school, and do exactly what his teacher asks of him.
We did lots of prepping this summer for the whole experience.
Here he is at the bus safety presentation, learning how to safely cross the street in front of the bus.
Here he is in front of his cubby in his classroom on Orientation day.
Here is his box of school supplies I ordered for him. His name looks so official.
As we were carrying these out of the school building so we could take everything home and label it, Alec insisted on carrying it.
"This is freakin' heavy!" he declared to our surprise and horror.
(We have discovered over the last few months that Alec has an active potty mouth. Not sure if he picked it up from school, the bus, videos he watches online, or (ahem) from having older sisters/parents in the house. Amazingly, he has used several of the milder swear words in casual conversation, in perfect context and with appropriate inflection. Most recent example: putting his pj's on he struggled with one of the sleeves. "That was hard as hell!" he woefully told his surprised mommy.)
We even practiced eating lunch- what to expect, how to open everything, and pack it back up. I woke up in a panic the day before school thinking that maybe he couldn't open a plastic sandwich bag- what was I going to pack his stuff in? Turns out he can open the baggies just fine.
And finally, it was showtime.
He wore his yellow shirt for the first day because yellow is his favorite color.
He was so tired of Michaela, Jenna and I hovering all around him that he finally told us all very nicely to Back Off, I've Got This. He climbed up those stairs and away he went. Helped me greatly that Jenna was there on the bus with him and was more than willing to help him in any way.
Thank God for siblings.
He was tired the first few days getting off the bus but has never complained that the day is too long. He loves all the activities and the structure his teacher provides. He feels successful in the academic realm of things and he has always been very compliant and a rule-follower, so he is constantly being rewarded for "being good." He rides the bus every day except for a few times in the morning when he has asked to be driven, and I am happy to do that.
His awesome adjustment to kindergarten has certainly helped my mental health as well. I am now, 40-some days in, almost feeling like I can relax a bit and stop waiting for disaster to strike. Almost.
Hooray for Alec! We love kindergarten!!
