He did really well this morning. When we dropped him off, a staff member came out to the car to get him, and he cried and cried and cried. We know that part will be hard for a while. I walked in with him but let the therapist carry him in to the building to help him get used to this new routine (their parking lot is tiny, so staff members bring the kids in to the building so parents don't have to park the car). He cried all the way in to the building. Then Chris and CB came inside and they took us back to the occupational therapy room where all the fun toys are. He kept crying for a while, so I let him sit in my lap and get used to his surroundings. Once CB walked in the room, they both climbed up on the swing, J found a ball, and all was well. Within a few minutes, Chris and I were able to sneak out to the observation room. They have cameras set up all over the building, and parents are invited/encouraged to observe their child as much as they like. So we sat in the observation room and watched J and CB play in the OT room. Once he was happy and comfortable, they took both of them upstairs to the classroom. CB helped him with the transition - I think just having her around made him feel more comfortable and less overwhelmed. So she stayed upstairs and played for about half an hour. After a while they took them both back to a different therapy room to work with a behavior therapist, and Chris and I were able to observe this also. J seemed happy and warmed up quickly to the therapist (probably because she had bubbles!). Then they went back upstairs to the classroom to play some more. I think CB would have liked to stay and play all day - they have super fun toys at this school! Tunnels, swings, trampolines, seesaws, balls, foam pits...you name it, they have it. But after about an hour they led CB out and let J stay by himself. He was perfectly happy the rest of the day.
Chris, CB, and I headed out after a while longer to enjoy a special Mommy/Daddy/CB brunch, since she's on spring break this week. It was fun to spend some special time with just her, and she enjoyed every minute of the extra attention. We headed back to the school to observe J for about another half hour - we got to see him in speech therapy as well as group circle time in the classroom. Surprisingly, he sat in the teacher's lap during circle time, stayed put, and participated the whole time. That's amazing for him, especially on his first day!
Then at dismissal they brought him downstairs to us, and he was super excited to see all of us. He really did great for his first day. I know that drop-off will be difficult for a while, especially since someone will be picking him up from the car and bringing him inside. But I plan to be there a lot, observing and participating in therapy sessions, so that will help make the separation much easier. We are so impressed with everything about this center, and I love that they encourage us as a family to be very involved. Once J gets used to the routine, I feel pretty sure that he will love it, and I can't wait to see how quickly he learns all kinds of new things!
It's a blessing and a relief to have this first day over with, and I'm sooooo glad that Chris and CB were able to come with me. It would have been much harder to face this day alone. Fortunately, we'll all get to go together tomorrow morning also, so Mommy AND J will both have some help through this transition time!
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