Jack the Green Bird

As soon as we got back from the beach, Jack flew the coop from Orange Birds to Green Birds at school.   Here he is on his very first day!

He'd been looking forward to this move it seemed, since many of his friends had either recently moved to Green Birds or were moving right along with him.  I was a bit apprehensive because every time we've moved rooms, it's not gone particularly well.   When he moved into Chickadees, he'd been "laid off" with me for 5 months, so that was expectedly hard.  Then he moved to Orange Birds literally the week that Max was born.  Again, no one really expected that to go great.  This time, I was super hopeful we'd have an easy transition that would help Jack realize that not all big changes like that are bad or things that you need to worry so much about.  I moved twice as a kid and didn't handle either move well, so I'm not surprised at Jack's reaction, I was just hopeful we could change it.  I'll be honest...it hasn't gone great.  There have been many tears.  Many mornings he woke up and before he was even out of bed, he'd mutter that he didn't want to go to school, or that he just wanted to be an Orange Bird again.  It broke my heart.  Over and over and over.  And, I only had to drop him off once.  Kenny does that every morning and so he's the one that had to leave him in tears most mornings and then find a way to focus on work.  It's hard.  We tried a lot of things, but like most things, time seems to have been the only healer.  


This week, one month later, Jack got dropped off more days than not, without a tear and without a "Daddy, don't leave me!"  YAY!  It's not that he's not happy while he's there.  His teachers constantly tell us that he's fine once we leave and he comes through the door every evening with a great big smile on his face, dying to tell me all the great stuff he did that day. I think for him, it's all about not feeling secure.  In Orange Birds, he was one of the oldest and was kind of in charge.  He knew at every second what was coming next and what all the rules were.  In a new room, with so many kids and new things to learn and understand, I think he was just out of his element.  That's something I completely understand and sympathize with.  In starting a new school or job or anything really, I'm just not comfortable until I understand it all and know what to expect.  


We've also been very spoiled in that Jack has not only had amazing teachers but they have been so warm and loving and offered him so many snuggles and hugs.  His new teachers, while I don't know well just yet, I'm sure are also amazing and loving, but Jack doesn't have that relationship with them just yet.  They are still new to him and that relationship too will take some time to build.


At any rate, we are getting there!  And I'm really proud of Jack, because I know how hard it has been and how brave he has had to be.  


At back to school night we got a chance to experience his world a little bit and understand a bit more about what he's learning and how.  I am fascinated with the things he knows and how quickly he picks up on them.  At the beach, Jack asked where the water in the puddles went when the puddles were gone.  He thought it melted.  Kenny explained the different states of matter basically and how you get from one to the other and now Jack talks about how water evaporates!  He's 3!  He went from recognizing a few letters from his name to knowing almost all the letters in the alphabet and being able to figure out what things start with.  He can pick out his name in the magnets on the dishwasher too!

And his art...my goodness!  Look!  He draws faces with eyebrows and teeth!  

This one he even cut out by himself when he was done!

This one isn't a face, but a xylophone...and a pretty darn good one, if I do say so myself!

And a dragon on the magnadoodle at school!

His teachers definitely get all of this credit!  Kenny and I can't draw a thing.  His school is full of very artistic people and they have clearly rubbed off on him.  Thanks guys!

Unrelated to school, but in cute news,  every day he calls me on the way home from school to tell me they are crossing the bridge, so I can have dinner ready.  It's SO cute!  He tells me where they are and then starts telling me all about his day.  I can't understand a lot of it because he's going so fast, but he's just so excited and it's so cute to hear his sweet voice on the phone.   


Since I don't often update the blog about the ins and outs of Jack's life anymore, here's a few details to help me remember:


He still naps great - though he only gets 1-2 hours at school during the week and then not usually more than 3 on the weekends.  He sleeps from about 8PM to 6:30 AM.  He loves reading books and going to the library.  Right now his favorites are Halloween Kid and Cyrus the Unsinkable Sea Serpent.  He's pretty sure he IS Spiderman and loves watching the old cartoons on DVD.  He's still a picky eater though he eats more than he used to.  If he finishes what's on his plate, he can have a chocolate treat (a Hershey's kiss or a few M&M's usually).  Many nights, that's not even enough to get him to clear his plate, but sometimes it helps.  I don't really care if he eats it all, I just want him to try it all.  He's getting better - he'll eat some chicken nuggets, fish sticks, and one certain kind of pizza in addition to his old standbys, yogurt, cheese, pesto pasta, beans, bananas, applesauce, almonds, and the very fave, peanut butter and apple butter sandwiches.  He'll also eat corn, peas and green beans, but he won't ever ask for them. He LOVES milk.  His favorite color is green.  He is still pretty attached to his blankie, and now often calls it "blank, blank."  He also still sucks his thumb, though only when he's sleepy at least.  He wears 3T clothes, though some of the shirts are getting too short and the pants HAVE to have an adjustable waist as he's nowhere near big enough to hold them up without it.  


Oh me, he's getting so big.  I'm so very proud of him and the boy he is turning out to be, but I sure hope he won't outgrow wanting snuggles anytime soon.  He will often look at me and say "I haven't had ANY Momma snuggles today!"  And this Momma is always happy to drop whatever she's doing and oblige.  ALWAYS.  I love you Doodlebug!