Preschool!

So about a month ago, there was a day where I had about 5 people ask me if I had Savannah signed up for preschool yet, and I kind of freaked out.

I had COMPLETELY dropped the ball on Preschool! For some reason, that always just seemed like a very distant thing. I was thinking that you went to preschool at 4, not 3 AND 4! 

So I started scrambling, calling and e-mailing a bunch of different places, trying to find an opening. Do you want to know what is completely bonkers? Most preschools start enrollment a good 8-12 months before the school year even starts! Even for just the little community preschool that the rec center does, you have to go in January or February, line up at 7am to get a wristband, that will hold your spot in line for registration that evening, for class that doesn't even start until August. It's kind of a joke.

And the only preschools that had openings were far away and VERY expensive. Like, one preschool in Salt Lake was 1 1/2 hours a day, 3 days a week and it was 12,000 for the full 8 months! Twelve. Thousand. Dollars.

For PRE-school guys!

So then I started thinking, well, who needs school yeah? I'll homeschool for preschool! We will just watch a ton of Sesame Street and play with play dough all day, it will almost be the same thing! 

But I ended up calling my Mom, kind of upset about how I was basically the worst Mom ever for not signing my kid up, and she mentioned how a lady I had known for years might have a couple of openings. Of course! Why didn't I even think of her? She was my sister's preschool teacher! So my Mom called me back 5 minutes later and told me she had called her, and Savannah was all set to go! She had missed the first day of class, but she would be fine to join in the next morning. 

Let me tell you, no 3 year old who has ever lived, was more excited about going to school than Savannah was. We got up bright and early, and put her in her new school clothes that her grandma and grandpa had gone out and gotten her the night before. She barely ate any breakfast because she kept saying "Ok Mom, I'm done eating, let's go to my preschool now!" 

When I told her to come outside on the porch so I could take some pictures, she said "Yes, let's take pictures of fabulous Savannah!"

 

^^The moment she noticed a bird in the tree.^^

 

"Mama, get that bird!"

So far, she is absolutely loving it! She excitedly jumps out of the car when I drop her off, yelling "Bye Mom!" without even glancing back. Half the time, I ask for a kiss goodbye when we get to the door and she doesn't even hear me, she's so focused on getting in there and starting the day. She really loves her teacher and tells me that she is her best friend at school. The other day when I went to pick her up, Savannah started throwing a fit and didn't want to leave. I ended up having to pick her up and carry her out to the car!

I'm really glad I put Savannah in Preschool. I knew that a lot of the stuff they will learn she already knows. She knows her letters and numbers and colors already, but there are a lot of things she is learning that are new to her too. One of the most exciting things to watch her do is trace her letters! I knew that she didn't need preschool to learn social skills either. Anyone who knows her, knows how outgoing and friendly she is! (How both my kids are! Deagan got right up in a kids face the other day, trying to hug him and the kid kind of panicked and fell off my porch!) 

I think the biggest reason I wanted to get Savannah in preschool when I really thought about it wasn't because I didn't want to be the only Mom in the neighborhood who's kid wasn't in school, but because I wanted to give Savannah that time away from me, away from home where she gets to fully be her, completely Savannah. Where she will learn how to make friends, and where she will learn how to listen to other adults, and even how to get in trouble with other adults. 

Deagan really misses his sister while she's gone, the other day he just kept walking around, looking up at me and saying "Sissy? Baby? Sissy?" But I think it's really good for him and I to get that one-on-one time together too. Savannah had 2 years of just mom-and-me time and she gets that every day while Deagan naps, so it's nice to get a few hours to snuggle and play and get to know him a little better when he's not just tearing the house apart with his sister (A.K.A partner in crime!)

So far she's been in school for a month and she just absolutely loves it. She's really thriving at school and I get excited for her every time I drop her off!