It was a really, REALLY, long time in coming, at least as far as Connor was concerned. But today was his first day back to preschool. He was so excited that he was up with Sawyer, you know, before 7 a.m.!
It was hard to keep him occupied, even after Mommy came downstairs at a much more respectable 8 a.m., because he was so ready to go to school. And we only had 45 minutes to pass by that time. He spent most of it chasing his little brother around on the Lightning McQueen trucks (which I've taken my first moment of peace to banish back upstairs because they're driving me crazy)! He managed to eat a little dry cereal and some strawberry milk, but not much. He's going to be hungry come snack time.
That's another new thing this year. Each classroom has their own way of doing snack time, and last year's class was the snack helper method, where parents bring in a snack for the whole class in rotations (meaning you do it about four times a year). His new classroom is individual snacks, which means we have to pack him something every day that is just for him. He helped me pick out today's snack - Minute Maid fruit punch juice box, club crackers with cheese dip, and chocolate pudding.
I have a feeling this part is going to get old before the school year is out. I kind of prefer the snack helper method, if for no other reason than the kids might be exposed to new kinds of foods than what we do at home all the time. But we'll figure it out. He's at least old enough (and verbal enough) to help me decide what he wants, both when we're grocery shopping and when it's time to pack his snack. That helps more than you can possibly imagine.
So we made it to school and waited in line with everyone else, though at a safe distance down the long hallway. The twins were not terribly excited to be back in the double-stroller in an unfamiliar hallway at Connor's school.
All in all, the boys did well. Connor was nervous and had to be kind of pushed into the room, but he listened as his teacher told him how they are to hang up their bags every day by their name tag and then take their folder out to put it inside the basket on the shelf. He even spoke when she asked him if he thought he could do that, which was an improvement from what Josh said about the open house (you know, where he didn't say a single word to anyone). He still looked uncertain as I backed out of the room, but I wasn't worried. There were toy trucks on the floor, and he was eyeing them pretty hard. He'll come around, just like he always does.
The twins did okay in the hallway, where I had to leave them (the double-stroller has its limits, and it's too big for the classroom door). I had to sign "wait" to Xander a few times, who kept pointing at the latch and wanting to be released from the restraint harness. And then we made our way to another room for the mandatory parent meeting to go over the handbook. It was all pretty standard stuff, especially since Connor was here last year, but we attended anyway.
Once again, we had to leave the stroller outside in the hallway, but this time I had to take the boys in with me. They did okay. We sat near some grandparents of one of Connor's classmates from last year. Both were wiggly and a bit loud, especially Xander who kept spelling words and randomly reciting letters. But they weren't too much of a distraction, I hope. Sawyer sat on my lap for most of it, and was relatively quiet except for a burst or two of his usual jabber and his need to smack my hands with his repeatedly (he desperately needed to both move and have a little sensory moment, apparently).
And then it was time to go home. We had about an hour before they needed to be dropped off at their school. We spent a little time playing, having a light breakfast (still working on getting them to eat their school lunches), and going potty before it was time to load back into the truck.
And so it begins, our new routine. Earlier days, four trips to and from school instead of just two, and a window of peace in the middle for Mommy. It's busy and sometimes chaotic, but it's good to get back into the routine. I think the boys have been missing school, that outside interaction and chance to expand their horizons a little bit. And I know I've been missing a little break in the day!