Here is my email I sent my family after I dropped Caleb off:
"He didn't seem very nervous this morning. He let me take his picture, and he liked his new big backpack. We walked him to his class, holding his bear. We found his name for his backpack hook, and his name at the table. He asked how many minutes until I came back, and I showed him on the clock that it would be 2:30. He smiled because you know he likes to know the schedule! But when I started to leave, he started crying and said, "Mommy, I don't want you to go!" David went back in and hugged him and reassured him. He just hugged his teddy bear and buried his face in it and was trying not to cry. Breaks my heart! I wish I could stay with him the whole time! I know he'll do good though. Just makes me sad because he's usually fine staying anywhere. Maybe this just felt bigger and more important than just playing at church. I know everyone has to go through that feeling of being alone and fear...but I would keep him with me forever if I could!"
I wrote:
"I was thinking on the way home how I sometimes looked forward to having more time to myself or time to run errands or clean or make dinner without craziness. But now I realize that all of that is nice, but it's not what brings me joy, and I'd give it all up to have my babies. They're my heart! And I'm just very thankful I've gotten to stay home with them this long."
When I picked him up, he said he liked preschool. He seemed really tired. But he said he had fun. He liked the playground, he ate most of his lunch, the kids were nice, and he got picked to help the teacher carry her bag and hand out the snack.
The second day I wrote this to my family:
"Good news again! Caleb had a great day! I did the carpool lane to pick him up, and his teacher brought him out to the van. He said, 'Mommy, I didn't cry! I had fun!' Hehe. So cute. He said he ate all of his lunch. AND he got to pass out the snack today. He forgot to tell me he also got to pass out the snack on Tuesday as well as help the teacher with her bag. Do we have a teacher's pet here? hehe. They painted with apples, he told me the teacher had a sandwich and apple for lunch, they talked about the day and date and the teacher put up the number 12 for Sept. 12th, he napped in a different spot, they went to the gym, and they went to a different playground (not the rollercoaster one) that he's been to before for Kindred, and one boy accidentally cut another boy's finger with scissors. He cried and got a bandaid. While listening, Nathan says, 'Someone needs to kiss it.'" :)
Other updates:
Caleb's very much into pretending things. Most days he'll throw a birthday party for his animals, complete with cake and presents. He has all of our family's birthday orders memorized (aunts, uncles, and grandparents included). So he also made up birthdays for his animals. He knows how old they are and when their birthdays are. For example, Bear is 13 1/2 and his birthday is in February. Turkey is 21 (I think) and his birthday is in October.
Here is a Caleb creation. He frequently does this where is makes this compilation of random toys into this masterpiece that he doesn't want to destroy. And everything on that wagon has a purpose to his playing. I think here he was pretending he was going to school, and there are decorations in there, he packed his lunch, and there is stuff for music class, etc. Oh, and he has a make-believe friend named Organis. Have no idea where he came up with that one. One day I took this apart without asking him, and he had a meltdown. But then he created a new one he liked better. :)
He's such a sponge when it comes to numbers. Our little mathematician. He knows how to count to a hundred. He told me he can count to a billion and nine though. He has most addition and subtraction memorized. He does it all in his head, although occasionally he'll look at the clock so he can visually see the numbers. David just bought him flashcards because we could tell he loves adding and subtracting so much. He had fun going through them.
He already knows how to tell time. Since his chair in the kitchen faces the clock, he always asks what time it is. I've told him how to tell time, but I think it's pretty confusing. But he's memorized it - whether or not it makes sense to him. And he's memorized when all of his favorite tv shows come on.
He's athletic too. He takes after me with the monkey genes. He can climb and hang from anything. I caught him doing this flip at parents' day out at a gymnasium.
And here he his hitting a ball. I can't believe he has such good eye-hand coordination with that small ball and skinny bat!
When Daddy left the ladder out, Caleb ran to get his tools and pretended to be hanging curtains on the front door. He hammered, and grabbed blankets to hoist up there as the drapes.
Sometimes even big boys need naps. This is him falling asleep while playing in his room during his rest time. He loves to set up scenes like this. That's his rocking chair on his bed with the blanket covering it and his animals on top. Speaking of setting up scenes, he loves playing with our "junk baskets." Kind of catch-all baskets in the living room to collect random toys, things from birthday parties, church, etc. He loves to use all of those things to interact together and create something new each time.
He's so sweet and tender with Matthew. He talks to him in mommy-baby talk like I do, he watches him for me if I need to leave the room, he tells me if Matthew needs something.
Ok, now this one blew me away. I put the letters j-o-y together and asked him what is spelled. Then, after I left the room, he came back a little later, and showed me this. You have to read it in a certain order. "Joy, joy joy joy, dan (down) in mi (my) hort (heart). The he said, "I also put in the words CAT and GOD." What??!!
Here he made a delicious picnic for us to enjoy. Complete with a phone to call Nana, and a camera to take pictures of us.
I love my boy so much! I could write so much more, but I better hit publish, or I'll never get anything recorded down. It's such a joy watching him grow up. I just think every day how blessed I am. I love hearing his exuberance for little things and hearing his sweet thoughts. I'll cherish these times always!
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