Gabe's first week of Kindergarten

Gabe's first day of kindergarten...so anticipated...so planned for...such a cryin' shame! We got up early that morning (OK, so we ALWAYS get up early around here), and I made name pancakes (gluten-free) for breakfast as a treat for the first day of school. Gabe was thrilled, as pancakes are not a frequent occurrence around here, gluten free or not.  Gabe was dressed, scrubbed, back-packed, and ready to leave right on time. Everything seemed like it was going fine...until John herded Ben and Max out the front door.

Gabe stopped short and refused to go to school. I sent John on ahead with the slow coaches as it doesn't take very long to walk to school and we didn't want to get there too early, so now we apparently hadn't left enough time to deal with the melt down. Eventually after a few minutes of coaxing, I got him out the front door and he posed for this LOVELY first day of Kindergarten picture that we'll cherish forever. Yea.

Then he proceeded to walk to school a few feet in front of me because he was too mad to hold my hand and walk with me. Plus it was ticking him off that Ben and Max were "winning". As we got closer to school though, he got less and less willing to walk, until at the front door of the school I had to pick him up and carry him inside. Luckily there are lovely big kids (5th graders) who open the doors for you every morning. Must have heard us coming...

At least someone is glad to be at school!

By the time we got to his classroom he was hitting and scratching at me to get me to put him down so he could run away and not go to school. I carried the screaming banshee into the classroom, and tried to put him down. Now he's changed his mind and is clinging to me like a baby monkey. I am no longer holding him, I can't shake him off me. So I walk to his cubby and get his papers, then to his backpack hook with my clingy baby monkey hanging from me, then over to the carpet where Ben is sitting reading a book with the rest of Gabe's classmates. I try to push him gently off me to sit with the class, but it's no go. Mrs. Miller has to pry him off me and I drop a quick kiss on his head and jam out of there.

I hang in the hallway for a few minutes in case he decides to make a break for it. About 5 minutes after I left the room, Mrs. Miller sticks her head out the door looking left and right. She says to me, "Did he come out here?" I assure her he has not...then enlist another parent to peek in the room and spy for me, as I don't want him to see me in the hallway even if I'm not actually leaving yet. Gabe is hiding under a table clutching his "lonely book" I'd made him....where he remained for most of the morning...until snack time when Mrs. Miller brought out Goldfish crackers. Since Gabe's been on this Gluten free thing since March, he hasn't seen a Goldfish cracker in FOREVER, so he came right out and joined the class for snack and recess and stayed out until parent pick up. Guess Kindergarten wasn't looking so bad anymore...

When I picked him up he was all excited about the fish and recess, where he'd played a game that had "a ball tied to a string, tied to a pole!" amazing what an impact a tether ball can have! He said Kindergarten was very fun! I passed Mrs. Miller, who told me about the morning spent hiding under the table. Her version of his morning wasn't quite as "fun". However, Gabe said he liked kindergarten and was willing to come back the next day...

Until we actually got to the next day. Once again it was all good until it was time to leave. John did not take a second morning off to take Gabe to school, so I was on my own. Once again he refused to come out the front door. I could just see myself, Max in the red stroller, Ben holding the handle on the side, Gabe flung over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes...not happening! So I totally bribed him instead.

I told him if he could go to school (which he liked yesterday, remember the tether ball?) every day that week without fighting, I'd take him to the Lego store to get a new Nijago Ninja. On went the backpack and off we went. No more troubles at drop-off, no more arguing about whether or not he should be allowed to take just one day off. Magic!

Of course, when I picked him up, he wanted to know where his prize was. I reminded him that it was a prize for going to school nicely all week, so he couldn't have it until Friday. He was a little miffed about that, so since we needed to grocery shop anyhow, I took them to Freddy's and he picked out a ninja to share with Ben. I put it on the Fridge so he could see it all week, and he seemed fine with that. On Friday after school he got to build it, and I don't think going to school is an issue any more!

His behavior at home in the afternoons has not been fabulous this week. I've been all over him, and I'm hoping it's just due to stress and not the handful of goldfish crackers he's been downing at snack time every day. If it continues past next week, I did tell him I'd cut him off from school snack. The mention of goldfish snack going away does seem to cut off most temper tantrums - but boy is he tired at the end of the day now. I'm hoping that with the new routine, it'll get better soon.

No more bribing now though - next up is Lose a Ninja consequence week if it comes to that. I don't think that it will though. Today he asked me (not until Bedtime, mind you) why he didn't get to go to school today.  Now to find a preschool for Ben, or a way to fold space/time so we can send him to Young Learners across town....

Gabe's School Open House Ice Cream Social

Time to catch up! John came home early the Thursday before school started so we could all walk over to Alberta Rider's Ice Cream Social Open House. Ben and Max were very excited! Gabe was at least willing to eat the ice cream before leaving...no sense leaving good ice cream to go to waste, you know... Plus he had his new red Ninjago shirt to wear, and what good is a new shirt if only Ben and Mommy get to see it?

We walked over to the school and timed the walk - should take us about 5 to 10 minutes in the morning, even allowing for the slow coaches (Ban and Max). When we got there at 4, it wasn't too busy yet. We found Gabe's Room and met his teacher, Mrs. Miller. She seems very nice. Gabe said a grouchily mumbled, "hi!" under his breath, but wouldn't make eye contact. Luckily she had prepared a scavenger hunt. So we happily tooled around the room, checking things off his list. Cubby? Check! Pencils? Check! Bathroom for boys only? Check! Awesome activity room with a play kitchen and a puppet theater? Check!

Finally Gabe settled in the back of the room, playing with Math manipulatives that stack together like legos. Another boy came to stand next to him and play with the bead box. I pointed out to Gabe that the boy, whose nametag identified him as Aiden, was also going to be in Gabe's class! Gabe gave Aiden the flat faced stinkeye. Aiden returned the favor. Aiden's dad tried, pointing out Gabe's Ninjago shirt to Aiden, who is reportedly also a big fan. Aiden said...nothing. Gabe responded in kind. Aiden was wearing an Oregon Beavers t-shirt. They played silently side by side for another 5 minutes, while Aiden's dad and I exchanged rolled eyes over shy kindergarten boys. Then Aiden's dad told him it was time to go. Aiden turns to Gabe and shouts, "Beavers!!" at the top of his lungs. Gabe cracks up like it's the best jokes he's ever heard. I guess that makes them friends?
When we got to the final item on the check list - say goodbye to the teacher. The list said Gabe had to either hug, high five, or give Mrs' Miller a handshake goodbye. I guess I should start making lists for Gabe, because, since it was on the list, he voluntarily went back up to her and gave her a high five. I was a little surprised, since he'd been pulling the shy and silent routine the whole time.

Finally, it was time for ice cream out in the covered area of the playground. That was the easy part. Each boy chose a fudge bar. and ate them with varying degrees of neatness. Ben could not be bothered to stop eating long enough for a picture to be taken, and Max was disgustingly messy by the time it was all over. We took a quick peek into the gym, where Gabe and Ben made the video shared below. Then we left school for a spontaneous celebratory dinner out, since as parents John and I were both so relieved to have made it through the gauntlet of Open House with out a single major meltdown or embarrassingly messy incident. When you go out with three little boys, that's always cause for celebration!

Kindergarten School Shopping

We were off to Target bright and early this morning to get our Back To School supply list filled. Gabe starts kindergarten September 6th. It's still weeks away but it feels like it's just too soon. Don't get me wrong - some days I'd love to send him off to school for a bit, but as the big day gets closer it feels like such a big turning point for him. Going to preschool wasn't as big a deal, I guess, and he is changing so much right now!

Here's Gabe with his new backpack. In the past there wouldn't have been any question - it was Buzz Lightyear all the way. And even though Gabe doesn't watch any superhero TV - never seen Spiderman, or Batman, or Ironman, it's like little boys have some kind of built in sensor that goes off and makes a biological imperative to love all things superhero. He knows how Spiderman throws his webs. He corrals Ben into attacking invisible villains. He protects Baby Max from the forces of evil. Where does he learn this stuff?

By the way, on a side note, apparently I am often a villain, as when I am not giving him his way, he often yells, "Bad Mommy! Eeeeviiiil Mommy!"  I'm trying not to take that too personally....plus I don't know too many 5 foot ex elementary music teachers who are addicted to scrapbooking, coffee, and Pinterest who qualify as a force of evil. Just saying....

In any case, Gabe thoroughly enjoys shopping his school supply list. What better way to spend the morning than hanging out at Target putting glue sticks into a shopping cart. Note that in choosing his new backpack he managed to get the only boy backpack on the aisle that is actually glittery. The fabric behind Spiderman is very sparkly, and even a rainbow colored sparkle. Sweet!

Ben got a new backpack as well. I wasn't planning on it, but he was starting to feel a bit left out as Gabe was "choosing" the items from his list:

Me: Do you want the red scissors or the blue?

Gabe: I Want Purple.

Me: They don't have purple.

Gabe: Yes, They do. They are right there. (Points to kid scissors costing 4.99. I am holding the 50 cent sale scissors.)

Me: Those are only for kids who are ten and older. Now, red or blue?

Eventually Ben made it known that he needed school supplies too. Now, considering he's not going to preschool, nor has he had a dry underpants day in, well, what seems like forever, I think his point was debatable. But it did seem unfair that I ended up taking him on a shopping spree just for Gabe, so Ben got his own new Lightning McQueen backpack and a 20 cent pencil sharpener. He took an unreasonable liking to the pencil sharpener, especially considering that he A) doesn't know what a pencil sharpener is, and B) it's not his favorite color (green). There was a green one, but he inexplicably chose red. Hey, man, I didn't argue with this face. He hugged the sharpener all the way through the shopping and up to the checkout line. Any 20 cent item that can get him to sit quietly in the cart through 30 minutes of shopping can come home with us anytime! 

Luckily Max was asleep, since he now echos everything the big boys say. Tonight at dinner I laid the plates on the table and MAX screams out "keee-puuup", which is 18 month old for ketchup. Really? Man do they ever learn fast. Perhaps by next week Max will be Perler beading alongside Gabe too. Until next time...