{Mason goes to school!!}

I have been putting this post off for a while now! I wanted to wait until I was in the right state of mind to talk about it. :) Long story short - Mason started school on Monday, June 13th. This is Mason's first time in a structured facility and it has been quite the adjustment (for all of us)!! 

Mason was born in May which was perfect. I was able to stay home with him for 2 months, and then my mother in law kept him until school started back in mid-August and then my sister has kept him since then. We feel very blessed to have those arrangements for Masons first year! However, we felt in our hearts that it was time to put Mason in "school". He's very smart and a quick learner. We knew he'd thrive and benefit from school. Plus, the challenge is always good. I prayed and prayed about it and God showed me in many ways this was the right thing to do.

The school we chose couldn't be more perfect! It's a Christian Academy and we are in love with it. It's in a small town outside of where we live so it's not overly crowded. Mason's teachers are amazing and the program is awesome. 

However, we are still in "transition" phase. It's been a battle, for sure. Mason's first 2 days were pretty horrible. He was fussy all day, wouldn't sleep, wouldn't eat. My heart was breaking and he had me feeling like I made the worst mistake of my life. I have always felt like a good Mom, until I was slapped in the face with those two days of heartache! Mason came home so cranky from not napping and it took us over 2 hours each night to get him to stop screaming and go to sleep. (I'd like to thank my husband for this one! His mom says he would do the exact same thing as an infant - get too tired to sleep. ha) Oh man were those 2 days hard on a mama! I felt like this awful woman dropping her kid off with strangers only to leave him miserable. So hard. I had to keep reminding myself that it's an adjustment phase and we will all get through this. But my heart couldn't help but break for Mason. I mean, new people, new sounds, new toys, new bed, etc. Must have been hard on my poor baby boy.

Wednesday,Thursday and Friday were much better days. Mason napped well, ate well and played and had a good time. This put an ounce or two of hope back into me!

I love that they send home a report card every day to let you know exactly how Mason's day was. It tells his mood, his activities he engaged in, any other comments, his napping schedule, how much and when and what he ate, and diaper changes. I look forward to reading these everyday and always pray for good report cards. I can't believe my baby boy is only 13 (almost) months old and I am already fretting over report cards! 

Here are Mason's "reports" for his first week:

Monday:

Mood - Quiet

Played games, listened to bible songs, swang and played with toys

Had to be rocked & swung to sleep. Nap times - 9:40 - 10:25, and 3:45-5:00

Tuesday:

Nap times - 9:50-10:15, 12:10-12:25, 1:30-1:45, 4:40-5:05

Wednesday:

Mood - Sleepy

Played games, read Peter Rabbit, went outside

Nap times - 8:25 - 11:40, 3:00-5:00

Thursday:

Went outside for a ride in the buggy, listened to lullabies in Spanish

Hate 2 ritz crackers (and didn't gag, YAY!)

Nap times - 7:35-8:20, 11:10-2:50

Friday:

Mood - busy

Played w/foam shapes and blocks, listened to Disney music

Note that Mason had dry cereal every morning for breakfast, and especially likes the marshmallows in Lucky Charms! 

Nap times - 11:10 - 1:40

They also send us home with a Monthly calendar that lets us know exactly what he's doing each day! 

We are a week and 3 days into it now and it's slowly getting better! Drop-offs are still tough. Mason doesn't want me to leave and cries. :( I hate being the mean one that drops him off. I just want to be the happy one to pick him up! ha

Sorry for not having pictures for this post!