madagascar

the first time we tried to watch "madgascar", eljo got cold feet at the ticket counter and said "i want to go home na. i'm so tired." so we went home. but yesterday, we finally saw it. even little elle got to see it. eljo even bought popcorn.

half-way through the movie, eljo called my attention. i thought to myself, "oh no, he's gonna ask to go home again." but to my delight, he told me, "i love it, mama."

actually, i'm not surprised because the movie is a lot like shrek. the characters are funny and adorable (esp. the mob-like penguins); the script's hilarious (esp. for the adults, even yaya baby was laughing her heart out); and it wasn't scary (Even though alex the lion got really wild!) this goes down as one of our favorite animated films. so go see it.

second day

it's the second day of school. we're on our own now (meaning: we don't have a car. we're going to ride the tricycle.) eljo is back to his old habit: he doesn't like to take a bath, but he did eventually, with a little persuasion.
this time, we were early. other children are waiting inside the foyer, but eljo opted to wait outside (where the other yayas are staying).
i led him to his classroom, where teacher michele greeted warmly greeted him. the teacher aide, ate joy helped eljo again with his shoes. i said my goodbye and gave him a kiss, then he was off to the first activity, which was to get his nameplate. he looked at all the nameplates carefully and found his own quite easily. what was equally amazing was he even helped a classmate find his nameplate. it's only the second day, and he can already read the other boy's name by sight! wow!

later on, when i went to pick him up. he had a forlorn look on his face. i wondered if he had a bad day. well, it was in fact the opposite. he liked school so much, he didn't want to go home.

well, we eventually left school (i told him we'll go to jollibee).

first day

eljo woke up early today ( around 8 am). maybe, unconsciously he is excited to go to school, too. however, he didn't want to eat his breakfast. he just wanted to watch his favorite tv shows (which is the whole nick jr. line-up). so i let him be. i didn't want to start a fight on his first day. i'm cool.

so i prepared all his things, double checked if all his school supplies are in the envelope, all his other stuff in the paper bag, and all his extra clothing are in the backpack.

around 9:30 -i prepared his lunch. rice with asparagus, grapes for dessert.
10:00 - i took a shower, got dressed
10:20 - i demanded that eljo get in the bathroom or we'll be late for his first day. he complied (probabaly because he saw i mean business already)
10:45 - we were off
10:53 - we were stuck in a small traffic jam in visayas avenue.
11:00 - we were at the gate of the school (whew! just in time)

as soon as we entered the room, eljo held my hand so tightly which means he's feeling a little anxious about the new situation. but the teachers were quick to put him at ease. they showed him his cubby, helped him change his shoes to slippers, and gave him his nameplate (for the attendance chart). after all this, he went to the block building center and started playing by himself.

it would have been a joy to watch him the whole time, but teacher michele asked all the mommies and daddies to say goodbye already so they could start their day. so jong and i said our goodbyes, gave eljo our kisses and hugs and we're out the door.

there was no hint that he was still anxious, except for a little question he asked me, "will you be outside, mama?" so i said, "yes." and that put him at ease.

i saw myra, a friend of mine and parent of 4-year old, Sui, at the lobby, and she commented, "wow, you're leaving na? di mo na siya titingnan?" and i said, "hindi na, kaya na niya yan."

but inside i really wanted to stay (inside the classroom) and see eljo do all the things he can do. but this is the first step to letting him grow...letting him go.

so at 1:20 pm, jong and i went back to the school (after doing some errands). at 1:30 pm, their class was dismissed. when he got out, he saw me and said, "Mama!!!" (with much gusto). He looked happy. He started telling me some of the things that happened in school (a kid cried, he played in the sandbox (turtlebox), he ate the grapes and asparagus). But what really mattered was what he said, "It was fun!" And that made me realized that he is ready to go to school and be with other kids and experience the joys and challenges of school. and all the while i'll be waiting outside for him to share it all with me.

pre-work

tomorrow is eljo's first day in preschool (creative explorers). needless to say, i am very excited for him and for me. in a way, it's like i'm going back to school, too.

last june 4, we had a parent orientation in their classroom. their directress, teacher giselle gave us an overview of the school is about - their educational philosophy, their curriculum, their method of teaching, their teaching staff and the upcoming activities.

jong and i also met eljo's teacher - teacher michele. she looks like bea alonzo, the young actress from abs-cbn. she showed us the theme for the year ("i am part of a family")

we also met the parents but there wasn't any real interaction between us. maybe there will be another time for that.

then, of course, they also gave us a list of things to bring on the first day of school.

1. a big plasic envelope with handle
2. a composition notebook (with blue lines)
3. a set of big crayons
4. a bottle of glue
5. a set of watercolors
6. 30 cc of orange poster paint
7. jumbo pencils (2)
8. 20 pcs construction paper
9. 20 pcs oslo paper
10. pencil eraser
11. 2 long brown envelopes
12. a set ofwashable markers
13. 1 permanent marker
14. a toothbrush, toothpaste
15. 4 rolls of toilet paper
16. old t-shirt (for painting)

And of course, eljo will also need to bring snacks, a drink, clothes, slippers & a pillow.

so, we're all set for tomorrow. i hope it will be a good day.