Thursday, March 24, 2011

I'm a Big Boy

In the last two weeks Edmund has shown me he isn't my tiny baby anymore, but, as he will inform you, is now a "big boy." For some reason Edmund has determined that if one is a "big boy" he can not be anything else. For example I may ask, "are you funny?" His reply, "nope I'm a big boy." And he is a "big boy" Less than two weeks ago I had determined I was going to have to hold Edmund back from kindergarten because he just didn't understand this potty thing, Thus, I did something I was at the time ashamed of, but now am so glad I did. I took Edmund's beloved diapers away. I was sure I scarred him for life, but in a matter of days he was almost fully potty trained. Edmund's been accident free for three days now. I know this potty training thing isn't quite over yet, but Edmund "gets it" and is so proud of himself.

Today was a big milestone for me as well as Edmund. We went to tour the school Edmund will attend in June. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, as it may be time to cut the apron strings, my school's 3-5 year old program is located across town. I was impressed with how well the children interacted with each other, but was overwhelmed with the sheer size of the school and independence the children were given. Edmund was clearly overwhelmed too, as he openly showed his distress by crossing and uncrossing his fingers. However, he did seem to have fun while exploring the two playgrounds, playing with play dough, doing puzzles, and playing with the train table. I know he'll do well, but it will be hard to have him out of my sight for several hours every day.

When we got back to Edmund's current preschool the children ran to the gate to greet him. They all excitedly asked "did you go to the new school." Edmund assumed a cool stance by crossing his legs while leaning against the fence. He said as nonchalantly as possible "yep, I had fun. I played on the big playground." I know inside he's a little nervous, but he wasn't about to lose his composure in front of his friends. And he has such a big heart I'm sure he wanted to ease their fears too. So far I've been able to keep my composure as Edmund hits his "big boy" milestones, but I have a feeling I'll be bawling after dropping him off for his first day of "big boy school." Fortunately, I have two more months to prepare myself.