Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Nursery: First Day

What a nerve wracking day. I barely slept and I had a bad dream about Raf being in a place with a million other kids, and I was watching him trying to make friends with other little ones and no one would talk to him. Gah. Talk about projected anxieties! Poor lad, I tried very hard to be upbeat about it all... So Rich and I packed all of his things, his little lunch, extra clothing, and so forth, and headed to Gorham. The plan was to stay an hour to help him settle. He did seem very comfortable and had a nice time pushing a pram along whilst drinking 'tea'. As time neared 10am, though, I could see he was getting ready to leave... ach, just as we were supposed to. Rich nipped out to head to a meeting and I stayed for the dreaded goodbye.

it was much harder than I even expected. I burst into tears but was careful to try not to let Raf see, and said, in a probably unconvincing voice, 'have a lovely fun day, sweety, see you later'. And then he started to hug on hard.. I was about to panic, honestly, and I could tell I was going to sob and disintegrate into a total mess (which would have made things a trillion times worse, I know). THANK GOODNESS, one of the lovely women opened the back door to the yard and off Raf trotted. I sort of followed him and said goodbye and then ran out...

It was a very difficult morning and I didn't get much work done as it was so hard to focus. I called and spoke to his teacher and she reassured me that he was having a very good first day. He was actually sleeping!! Such a relief... Apparently after he realised I was gone he was upset for about 5 minutes and then found the sandpit and slide.

I was anxious to see him, though, and so Rich and I met for a late lunch at the cafe next door to the nursery and went in to pick him up together. When he saw us he smiled so brightly and ran into my arms.. it was a really sweet moment. He did have a very good first day, though, and it is such a relief. I do think it is hard on these little ones even if we think it's harder on us. What was so hard was realizing that he had no clue that were going to be leaving him... I know kids are very resilient but it is tough on them.

Sonya, his main teacher, writes a little note in each child's journal (for now ours is just paper but we;ll get a journal for next time). This is what she wrote....

"Raph has lots of fun playing in the yard today. He likes the slide and the sandbox. He showed his creativity with chalk, and his flexibility by being comfortable in a new environment :) he is so interested in musical pursuits, this should prove to be fun in the future"

Rejuvenation: 12:40-1:25 (sleep)
1:25-1:55 (rest)

Nourishment: sandwich and fruit @ 11:30
applesauce mixture @ 2:10.

Pretty lovely. She said that when he woke up he saw the other kids still sleeping and rested with a teddybear he liked for about 30mins, Apparently towards the end he collected some blocks and then brought them back to his sleep mat to play with!

This is him this evening.. pretty happy :)

5 comments:

  1. aw, i'm so glad it went well. you all did great! it'll get easier, for sure. lots of love x

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  2. I'm so happy the day went so well, Alex! Though I know it was excruciating for you, and challenging for him. And what a great place this is--"Rejuvenation," not "Nap Time"! It sounds like he's getting lots of caring attention and his little personality is coming out nicely. I am proud of you all for making it through this rite of passage.

    From the moment they're born, they're moving away from us, but we don't always notice it until it's an occasion like this. He's growing up! And gaining confidence through seeing that he can exist without you and can bond with others. ... But it sure is hard and I do understand why you cried and had trouble focusing. That part does get easier, indeed, though I'm not sure the pain of separation ever goes away. xoxo

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  3. Glad that the first day went well. This is indeed very emotional for you and Rich! I couldn't stop thinking of little Rafi this morning !! The staff seems to be very nice and caring :)
    Wonder how our kids grow up so soon. I still remember how Raami looked when I saw him for the first time and now he will be two years soon ;) time really flies!
    Good luck Rafi boy :)

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  4. aw alex, it is so heart-warming to read this. lots of love to you and raf. x x

    x

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  5. Thanks, you guys. We're really pretty happy with the place. His second day on THursday, though, didn't go as well. They were short staffed as so many people were out sick, and he didn't nap and seemed a bit shell-shocked when I arrived (probably tired). He has also been even more mama orientated too, which is to be expected... But it went well and he does seem to be ready. When I called on Thursday to see how things were going, the teacher said he was standing there laughing at one of the older boys! He does get a big kick watching the big kids :)

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