30 Days of Thankful: For School

I remember being so full of fear when I dropped the little dude off for his first day at "school" in April. It was the right decision for our family, with a new baby on the way and a high risk pregnancy meaning lots of doctors appointments. And it was right for AJ to get him around kids his age who weren't speech delayed. But with his food allergies there was such fear there, to let him out of my sight and trust that other people would take his allergies seriously and keep him safe. We chose this particular daycare because they had an RN on staff. It eased my mind... a little bit.

We were hopeful school would speed up his language development. And we were right. SO right. The child who held my hand walking through those doors almost 7 months ago had maybe 10 words and 20 signs. He didn't know about circle time. He wasn't a fan of getting his hands dirty for arts and crafts. He had neighborhood friends but no clue how to really play with them.

Today he is a social butterfly. He's the friendly kid who says hi to everyone. He calls everyone he sees "friend." He likes to show new kids how to do things. He transitioned to the older classroom better than I could have expected. He talks a ton. And his teachers have been amazing. They embrace the things that make him unique and work to help him learn how to control his crazy energy. We are so lucky to have him there 2 days a week in addition to his speech therapy program. It's made all the difference.

So today, as I spend my day with just Sam and a long to do list of things I can only get done when the toddler tornado isn't around, I'm thankful that we took that leap back in April and that we continue to be a part of the SS family.