Labeling

In just a few short days, CRB will be starting preschool at our church.  Since the beginning of July I have been working to get him ready for this big change.

We've stepped up our church attendance to get him acclimated, and he has even made some friends.  I have been working with him to clean up at home before we change activities.  I have also tried to introduce him to a few new art activities and I have worked with him about playing "nice" and talked to him about feelings.  Other than that, I don't have any good ideas for helping him emotionally to make the transition.

For my part in getting ready for this, it's all been about the labeling, both of the stuff and of us. (More about the stuff later).  Hardest for me has been the reaction of other people about how we are "sending him" to daycare ... as if we don't love him enough for me to quit my job, have more babies, home school, and grow all our food organically in the backyard. 

A reality check is in order here: CRB is the only child of two only children.  This means he does not have any aunts or uncles, or first cousins.  He has some more distant cousins, none of whom live down the street.  While it is possible he could have a sibling, he does not have one now, none is in the works, and he needs interaction with other children and adults NOW, not 9+ months away.  I don't want to say that I have big expectations for CRB related to his career, but I will say, proudly, that I hope to enable him to be whatever he wants,  learn about whatever interests him, and attend school wherever he can. For him to even have a chance at doing that, I recognize a need in him for some interaction and experiences we cannot provide for him at home (even if I quit my job, had more babies, home-schooled, and learned to farm.)

The rest of this getting ready has been the acquisition of stuff, none of which I knew about until recently.

First up, the nap mat.  Thankfully, I opted on asking a co-worker dad (and fellow church member) about the nap mat.  I was preparing to buy one of those red and navy kindermats when I got his email about how everyone gets a nice cloth mat, monogrammed, that is sent home for washing on Friday.  Randy then told me where to buy it and where to have it monogrammed with the child's name.  We found a great nap mat with an open wheel car print.  I monogrammed a patch I made (red with yellow lettering in a very Tifoisi (Ferrari) font) and stitched it to show when the mat is rolled for storage.

Next up, sippy cup labeling.  In real life, CRB's name is quite common, so I ordered some of these neat bands (think Lance Armstrong Live Strong or ONE campaign bracelets) with his first and last name.

It is also recommended that you label clothes and other items.  For that I found a place that makes labels with his name woven.  Most of the looms for this seem to be in Europe, but I found a place able to do the labels with a 3 week lead time.  While I was ordering those, I also ordered plenty of impermeable stickers with his name.  I received these items yesterday, and they are great.

Lately I have been spending some time looking into what to pack for his lunch and snack.  I want him to have good options for eating at school which is a little complicated by his inability to digest milk products, and the fact that he only has 8 teeth or so :)