Summer was over and it was time for school to start back up again... I was so excited and a lot nervous for Anabelle to start at her new school and I was unsure of how Lennon would handle going back after the summer break. I wasn't sure how I would handle getting both kids to school on time knowing that I would want to stay and wait and make sure both of them settled in ok. Fortunately Eric took the day off so we could drop off the kids together.
We arrived at Monarch Academy first because the start of their school day was 15 minutes earlier than Anabelle's school and walked Lennon to class. Even though he had a new teacher that year we were already familiar with her as she had been teaching there for years. Also the most important part was that the assistant teacher was the same wonderful, caring, loving teacher he had the prior year. We felt comfortable leaving him knowing he would be in good hands. We dropped him off, said our good byes and got in the car to drive Anabelle to her brand new school. The drive to our 1st day of Kindergarten was an emotional one. We drove past an industrial area off of a long stretch of road that clearly once belonged to animals and has since been taken over by electric wiring/buildings and underneath a lone tree were a family of dear, grazing on the grass. At first I felt sad to see them surrounded by so much "city life", and then I went to the symbolism of it all and began to smile with anticipation. It had to mean that we were on the right path for Anabelle. I did, however, start to worry about the path we set Lennon on.
When we arrived at SCVi we walked Anabelle in, taking pictures along the way, and when we arrived at her class she walked right in and immediately began to make herself at home. Communication was still a bit of a struggle for her so I jumped right in to help "translate". Her teacher was brand new to the school and had a quiet and calm energy about her. I saw a few other families with kids from Monarch Academy and once again felt reassured about our choice to enroll Anabelle.
Each learner made a name tag for themselves and I helped Anabelle with hers. The Facilitator asked the learners to sit in a circle around her so she could begin introductions and as class began Eric and I stood in the back, watching and taking it all in. Our baby girl was in Kindergarten. And, as her parents, we were welcome to stay and observe as long as we felt we needed to. If I wanted to volunteer in the classroom all I had to do was have a current TB Test on record and get Live Scanned by our local Sheriffs Station. Which to me was a no brainer. Once that was complete I was able to be in the class as often as I wanted. Open Door Policy.
Eric and I kissed Anabelle good bye and let her know we would be back in less than 4 hours to pick her up. I had arranged for Lennon to stay at preschool for "Lunch Bunch" so we could pick up Anabelle 1st and then head to Monarch to pick him up.
The time in-between school drop off and pick up is a blur to me. I am sure I tended to baby Tiger and watched the clock until it was time to pick them up. I don't remember if Eric stayed home with Tiger while I picked up the kids or if we left him at home, (with my sister) and both went. I remember when we arrived to pick Anabelle up she had her shoes on, but at some point had taken her socks off. I didn't care, it is just what I remembered. She was in good spirits and I loved that I was able to walk in and see her "in action" right before I picked her up. I really want to reflect on her 1st day of Kindergarten and how awesome it was, but my heart is filled with anxiety over what happened with Lennon and his 1st day back.
When I arrived at Monarch Academy my heart broke when I saw Lennon's teacher sitting on the couch in the lobby, holding Lennon who was and had been crying. Turns out that extra hour of school and lunch did not go as I had planned, (HOPED). I am not sure if I ever told you about the fact that in addition to being a screamer Lennon used to also hit his head (hard) in frustration. And not with his hands... He would hit his head on the wall or he would head butt Eric or I. There are few things worse than seeing your child deliberately hurt himself because his feelings/emotions are so overwhelming. When I walked into the lobby, I grabbed Lennon and just held him while the teacher explained to me that he didn't do well with transitioning from class to lunch and began to hit his head on the desk in frustration and wouldn't stop crying/screaming. They thought it could have been due to the noise and amount of kids in the class, but I was sure it was because he didn't want to eat what was given to him. It very well could have been a combo of both. I should have listened to my inner worry about leaving him there to eat a lunch that was not provided by me, especially when I knew how food could be a trigger for him. Instead I somehow convinced myself that he would be ok and utterly failed.
He wound up falling asleep in the car on the way home which also told me that it was just too much for him. I spent some time speaking with both the Lead and Assistant Teachers and rather than trying to acclimate Lennon to a new schedule that was clearly so stressful for him I opted to take him out of lunch bunch. This meant I would be picking him up an hour earlier (11:30am instead of 12:30pm) and on the way to get Anabelle. Still only 3 days/week.
This also led me to inquire about other avenues I could take and what else I could do to help him. At the same time I felt there weren't any answers for the questions I had, I knew I had to keep seeking for more. More. My children deserved nothing less.
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