First Day of School!

Today was Kyle's first day of preschool! He will be going 4 mornings a week (Tues - Fri from 9 - 11:20) on an IEP for his social/communication delays. I really like the school/people and am hopeful that things will start to "click" for him, and that he'll let loose and learn that it's fun to talk/play with other kids!

According to his teacher, he had a good first day. About 45 minutes after I dropped him off though, the phone rang and caller ID showed "Wachusett Regional". So of course my heart sank and I thought something was wrong. But it was just the preschool director calling to give me a little update and tell me that he was doing well (after she said who she was, she immediately said that Kyle was fine...I must have sounded worried when I answered!). I thought that call was a really nice gesture, especially since it was my first time leaving him anywhere with "strangers".

Kyle said he likes the "new school", and likes Miss Pam (his teacher), but the popsicle for snack was "too cold" (the teacher said he battled through it though and ate about half of it...what a trooper!). So I think preschool will be a really good thing for him and he will hopefully benefit from the highly educated/specialized staff there.

These "happy" kid milestone days are still just so hard/sad, not having Jared here to share them with. Between this and their birthdays, it's a tough stretch. I just miss him so much, and really, really miss being parents together. I know I've probably said it a lot, but sharing the parenting experience with him was truly the most joyful, gratifying experience of my life. I love my kids more than anything in the world, but parenting can now feel very lonely and overwhelming. I continue to take life one day at a time though and try not to look ahead too much. Looking back over the last year and a half is helpful though, recognizing that life sure is a lot easier than it was this time last year.

As for Luke, no big news in his world. Still doesn't like to eat (and he went to the extreme of vomiting his lunch up for Grammy today to get his point across). But he's still the cutest/happiest baby :) He had his 12 month check-up a few weeks ago and it went pretty well. He's about 80th percentile for length but only about 30th for weight. They like for these percentiles to be much closer, but at least he's growing well in length and has maintained the 30th(ish) for weight ever since he dropped down there around 4 months old. I have scheduled another appt at the UMASS Feeding Clinic, as he is not making much progress with finger foods. He'll put most anything in his mouth and chew, but for some reason doesn't want to swallow and just lets the food sit there.

I just hope and pray I look back at all of these feeding challenges a year from now and have a happy, healthy little 2 year old who eats/drinks willingly and gains weight normally. One other Lukey Pooks tidbit is that I started bathing him in the full bathtub (not his baby tub) a few weeks ago. He really likes splashing around in there but also likes leaning forward and putting his face in/drinking the water...hopefully the novelty of that wears off soon!

And a brothers tidbit...a sweet little "game" has developed between Kyle and Luke. I now put Luke in the Pack 'n Play after meals (so if he spits up, it's contained and not on the rug). And Luke discovered that it's fun to throw his toys out of the Pack 'n Play onto the floor, knowing Kyle will pick them up for him. And sure enough, Kyle runs over saying "he needs help" and hands the toys back to him. Very cute :)

Here are some pictures of Kyle's first day, as well as some other recent ones...