Cooling Off

The polar bears at the zoo were happy to see us, or maybe they were escaping this hot santa ana weather. We had to take a break at the zoo, sometimes we just need to get out of the house.



JT enjoyed an ice pop while lounging on the couch. (I just noticed that he dripped some on the couch. Hmm, good thing it is old!)



Today we visited our number two preschool choice. (The German school won't take JT until next Fall because they have an age cut-off date.) JT helped clean up the toys, participated in the circle, ate the snack, and wanted to try out the paints before heading outside where he played with their kitchen (making mudpies), a shovel, tricycle (his first time riding one), and then at the end, a marble tower toy. He was very upset to have to leave, but our parking meter was running out.
This preschool is a co-op, and it was less organized than the German one. Free play was the order of the day, and the teachers let the kids play with the outdoor toys any which way they wanted. One boy was pouring dirt on a tricycle and washing it off, others were careening around on the tricycles, some were helping clean a table, etc. One thing that surprised me was that boys and girls were all using the child-size toilets at the same time, and I wondered what other parents would think of this. I am unfamiliar with other preschools, so maybe this is normal?

I am ready to send him to preschool. Sure I will miss him a lot, and I enjoy being at home with him, but I can't enjoy him when I have this stupid dissertation hanging over my head, and if I don't get busy and finish it in the next year, then my chances of actually completing my degree are close to nill.

I also think that he is ready for school - he loves playing with the toys and was interested in the other kids (he tried to give one a shovel, helped a girl by pointing out where a puzzle piece went, etc.) and seemed able to handle the routine. The only problem was that he kept wanting me to play with him or hold his hand most of the day. Some days it seems like he is attached to me at the hip. I love holding his soft little hand, showing him how to make his legos into an airplane, slide together down the slide, and I know that at some point he will be ready to take on the world - I hope! I want him to be confident, and I know that he will be someday. Or maybe he will be somewhat shy and reserved like JK and I.
(Okay, he is much more confident when he is with people he knows - the other day he played with his friend O, and when I said I was leaving, he just looked over, said bye and took O's mom by the hand. It was cute.)