School Week Two

So week two at school is over! The first day of the half one pick up was so odd and I did find myself clock watching a little bit to see what time it was for pick up as I was so used to the 1200 pick up from nursery last year! I have had to remind myself after my groups to go home as I would normally have just waited around till pick up time. 

The full class of thirty have been in this week and James has made a lot of new friends! I was worried about how he would cope with the noise and his ears. He seems to be doing ok, but both his teacher and the TAs know the signs to look for if they causing him problems. He has started leaving me in either at classroom door or even one day left me in cloakroom! I'm hoping this will progress to him leaving me in the yard as the school are wanting reception to do independent entry from after October half term holiday. 

We are still struggling to get an interest in his reading book or his key words. I know he is the youngest, but it's such a struggle to even get him to look at his school stuff.

I think it's been a pretty successful week on a school meals point. He has not been coming home at half one wanting food. I think because Newcastle City Council have the rolling menu online I can tell him what there is so he knows what to expect. 

He has been absolutely exhausted with the half one finish so I am fully expecting lots of tears from tiredness on the full days pick ups. I will be attaching the buggy board back onto the pram to get him home quicker. Poor boy has been asleep by half seven at the latest and slept till at least half six every morning although Thursday it was after seven when he woke up! It was after half seven again on Friday morning, but I think that was more due to the disturbed night he had had with a massive thunderstorm waking us all up and keeping us up for a good couple of hours.

We have had a lot of tears after school due to pure exhaustion! Its been an extra two hours from the first week. Next week will be a full day with a three fifteen finish. So I am fully prepared for an exhausted little boy!

I am really stumped for ideas for an after school snack though for next week as we normally don't have our tea till about five o'clock and reception are taken to have their school lunch at twelve. James does like apples, but not the skin! So any ideas please let me know! 

All about James

The last update I did on my big boy was his third birthday last August. He's now three years & nine months old, so we are edging towards the big fourth birthday in three months time! I can't believe in a few short weeks my first born baby is going to be four years old!

So what does James like?

He loves: 

* playing outside

* his nursery

* the park

* his kindle fire

* Man United

We got his primary school place confirmed nearly two months ago & I'm thrilled he's going to be at the school where he is currently at nursery! It's a lovely school right on our doorstep where the head teacher makes it her job to know every child in the school. It's a nursery to year six school so goes from age three to eleven. I'm so glad James won't have to change school till he's in secondary school and again the local one is a short walk from us. I have the reception class parents meeting in a couple of weeks! 

Our local park is just across from his nursery, so if the weather is nice we will sometimes go straight from nursery to the park for a little bit then go home for lunch or we will come home for lunch then go back to the park, Freddie will nap in his pram so I can play with James on the swings! 

He still loves his trains and vehicles, but has developed a love of space and dinosaurs since starting nursery! He forever telling me that we live on the planet earth!

He's still very much a daddy's boy, so mummy does not get a look in when daddy is home. But he still loves a mummy cuddle but only on his terms! 

He has taken am interest in cooking, so he likes to help mummy to bake cakes and biscuits and make jelly! 

He has a habit of getting out of bed on a night and falling asleep in silly places! In the last few weeks he's been on his chair a couple of times, but the oddest has to have been in his wardrobe!

His favourite tv shows are Bob the builder, Thomas and friends, Noddy toyland detective, Ben and Holly the list goes on, but his big favourite is Paw Patrol! His favourite character is Marshal the fire pup! He can sit for hours and watch Paw Patrol over and over on Netflix! 

Like most kids his age he still likes the videos on YouTube of people opening kinder eggs. He also is always finding new shows on YouTube to watch like Tayo the little bus or Robo Car Poli.

This year was the first year James has shown a real interest in the FA Cup I'm guessing because our team, Man Utd, were in the final! He got so excited when we won! He was waving his arms around shouting nited won! 

I can't believe in a few weeks time my big boy will be a four year old and getting ready to start on his educational life at full time school! Where has the time gone! 

The school waiting game

Now it's April, the stress has finally started kicking in. A week on Monday, April 18th, we find out which primary school James will be attending. It's hard to think about our little boy starting primary school when he's not even four yet and won't be four until a few weeks before he is due to go into reception class.

His application was put in at the beginning September, so I had managed to put it out of my head till April started. Am I nervous? Yes I'm actually terrified about it. 

Our first choice school is where James currently attends nursery. It's a five minute walk from our house and we love it. The foundation unit is separate to the rest of the school, it has its own entrance and it's own playground. It's like it's in its own little bubble away from the hustler and bustle of years one to six. It's a small school with one class per year group and the head teacher knows every child and parent. The best bit is the school goes from nursery to year six, so James wouldn't have to change school again till he's eleven.

Our second choice school is still quite close to us but it's a nursery till year four school, so James would have to change schools at nine and then again at thirteen. 

How would I feel if James didn't get his first choice? To be honest I would be heartbroken. Over the last few months I have grown to love the school. James hasn't had the easiest start in nursery. He's the youngest in the class by over six weeks. Plus most of the other children have been in some sort of nursery or playgroup before coming to nursery, so they were used to being away from their parents on a daily basis. James however hadn't, he had been with me or my parents everyday since he was born. Sure we had been to stay and play groups but he had never been away from me till he started nursery. 

Check back on 18th April to see which choice we get!