First Day of School

Today was Ethan's first day of preschool! Shockingly, I had no nerves about it whatsoever and was simply excited, which is odd since I've been lamenting all the big-boy changes of late. Ethan must have sensed this because he went in like an old pro! We got to the building, and he strolled right in to his classroom. I had to pull him back out to show him his hook for his bag. He resisted, but finally grinned when I pointed out he had a blue nameplate. Then he charged right back into the classroom, heading straight for a plastic bin and carrying it over to the play kitchen to "fill it with water." I stood back for a minute and watched him and then decided I might as well go! I asked him for a hug and a kiss. He sighed and gave me a hug. I asked if I could have a kiss. He audibly groaned and gave me a quick peck before going back to his work. I told him to have fun and keep his underwear dry. He responded, "K!" On my way out, I reminded the teacher to remind Ethan to keep his underwear dry, and as I left, he had already discovered the real sink and was gleefully washing his hands. I left and he didn't even bat an eye. The little punk =) (Not that I wanted him to be upset, mind you; I just expected some sort of goodbye =P)

I left the building (practically skipping, I'll admit) and rushed to enjoy my 3 hours of childless-ness, the only ones I'll get before my class starts back tomorrow. I wish I could say I did something fun, but in reality, I came home, uploaded a picture of Ethan to facebook, and then set about cleaning the house. I scrubbed the bathrooms, unloaded the dishwasher, dusted, captured an escaped goat (damn goats), and then headed back out to talk with a friend for an hour before heading back to the preschool to fetch Ethan.

I walked into the classroom behind some other mothers, whose kids came running into their arms. Not Ethan. He stayed right where he was, sitting on a shelf, and pushing a toy vacuum. Finally he noticed me and exclaimed "Mommy!!!" I went to give him a hug, and he said, "Mommy back!!!" Then he started showing me all the toys he played with, including a book that had wheels on it that he made "vroom vroom" noises over as he pushed around. Every adult in the classroom (his two teachers, the director, and an additional helper for the first week) came up to me to comment on how much he liked to wash his hands... apparently every time they turned around, he was back at the sink. Now they know what life is like at home! They also pointed out that he'd had no accidents, so that was my one fear put at ease! I asked Ethan if he was ready to go home, and he grabbed my hand and went to get his bag. As I put him into his carseat, I asked if he had fun, and he responded with an enthusiastic "Yes!"

All in all, it was a great first day for both of us. Hopefully he's just as excited on Thursday!