Earlier this spring I applied for a Pre-K 3 program for Wesley and was unsure he was going to get in solely due to space availability. Two weeks ago I got the call that he was accepted and just needed to send in some registration paperwork. I told the grandparents, who of course were excited then we were talking about some of the differences in the new school verses his current daycare.
While thinking about the differences between the two school settings I realized that Wesley is coming toward the end of being a toddler. Typically toddlers are 1-3 and once they hit 4, they’re a full-on pre-schooler! And I find it wild. As I’m going though having to give notice to his daycare I realize that as calm and chill as I am I was slightly overwhelmed. In the process of a weekend (Friday-Monday) we are going to: Celebrate Wesley’s 3rd birthday at his current daycare and it will be his last day, have his 3rd birthday party the following day, and he will start the new school Monday morning.
As I was freaking out in the moment I realized that everyday I am a mom to a new kid. That I changed a diaper for the last time and didn’t know it, I told him the colors of crayons for the last time, even him sleeping in his crib for the last time. I know that being a mom is constantly mourning the newborn that turned into an infant, the clothes that literally JUST fit that are now in the outgrown pile, and trying to keep up with new interests. A big change like Preschool just threw me for a loop.
For now Wesley is excited about new shoes, we are picking birthday treats for daycare, we’ve started looking for a new backpack, and we are letting Wesley pick clothes for his birthday wish list to get excited about a new school.
So, for now, we are checking shoes to make sure they fit, looking at fun play clothes, and trying to find a fun transparent backpack. I’m excited for my 3-yr-old in Pre-K 3 who will be able to take walking field trips and see his grandma on campus. I have all summer to enjoy my 2-yr-old in daycare who still takes his pillow with him everywhere.
Next year I’m going to long for the 3-yr-old in Pre-K 3.
