Eddie Starts Preschool

How did this creep up on us?  Who authorized Eddie to get SO BIG so soon?  I ask him this all the time:

Mama: "Eddie, how'd you get so big?  Who said you could get so big and handsome and smart?"
Eddie: "My body did, silly!"
Mama: "Who let your body get so big?"
Eddie: "It's from all the food and veggies I eat!"
Mama: "Well, where'd you get all that good food to eat?"
Eddie: "YOU MAMA!  Are you joking me, Mama?"

Dang, he's right.

This morning he attended his very first day of preschool. He's in Teacher Kerri's class, along with 15 other kiddos, in room one. The class helper is named Maria. We got to check out his cubby and his new classroom. It was all very cool and exciting with daycare friends and new friends everywhere.

Eddie and Dave headed straight for the play dough table when we arrived.  The little girl on the left was happily painting just after I snapped this picture when, all of a sudden she realized where she was. She put down the brush and started looking around and cried out, "I want to go to Terri's!"  Some of parents around laughed because Terri is the daycare teacher and she clearly forgot where she was.  Hopefully she gets to go to daycare after school with Eddie.

I read Eddie a book about Clifford the Big Red Dog going to school when he was a pup. After the story, we gave him a hug and lots of kisses and then we were off.

His class is from 8:15 - 11:15 am and Teacher Kerri will walk the daycare kids around the corner to the daycare afterward.  Breakfast is provided (for a fee of $1.25) so he'll get a second breakfast each morning--I doubt he'll mind.  I packed him a lunch to eat at daycare, which we put into a Spider Man lunch bag inside his new Star Wars backpack.  

First day of school lunch.

Before heading out the door this morning, I was on Mom Duty and made him pose for a bunch of pictures...and again at school.  What can I say?  Mama + Smartphone + Cute Kid + Pinterest Ideas for First Day of School Pictures = Many Pictures.

Biggest Boy!

Look at the size of his backpack!  He choose a Star Wars one.

Eddie Bower, Big Boy Preschooler!

I made a sign showing (a very condensed) list of the family members who attended the same school before him. The list would be longer except that there was NO school here when his great great great grandparents were around. His preschool is actually not part of the public school, but is a state preschool that uses the building.  We tell Eddie about his family heritage all the time so I think he understands that there were people around before him, us, and his living grandparents. Sometimes he'll lament, "My great great great (fill in the blank) died." He'll say this to anyone, like fellow shoppers at the grocery store. They're always a little confused and startled and don't know what to say. I think it's adorable and sort of fun to watch him figure this type of thing out. My response is along the lines of "Yes, that's true. But so-and-so lived a long, long time ago and everyone dies at some point, usually when they're really, really old." And thus ends the longest picture caption ever.

Eddie and Dave with the family list.

Dave got a call from Teacher Kerri saying Eddie had a pee accident--not surprising to anyone since he often gets very busy and forgets to run to the potty.  I might put an extra-extra pair of pants in his emergency clothes stash at school.

We're all very excited to watch him develop and go through this learning experience together.  My guess is he'll pick up letter recognition pretty quickly, once he decides he's ready to focus.  

Here's to a great school year and a long, fun, challenging educational career for Eddie!