Mother's Day Out

Caleb started a new Mother's Day Out program a few weeks ago!  His summer program was at our church, which is a good 20 minutes away (in the HOV lane!  if we were to take the main lanes, it'd be much longer).  His new MDO is at the Foundry Faith Academy at The Foundry UMC, which is only about 5 minutes from our house.  He goes on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:15am to 2:15pm.  It is SO much more convenient than having to drive to our church.  We absolutely love our church and do not mind at all driving there on Sundays and for other church events, but for MDO it is not so convenient.  I have to use those days to run errands and with Aubrey's feeding schedule right now, having him somewhere closer is just so much easier.  Less time in the car means more time with Aubrey and more time to do other things I need/want to do. 

One thing that I really love about this MDO program is that they actually teach them basic things like letters, numbers, and colors and they also have music time.  For their inside playtime, they have various "centers" (reading, a kitchen/grocery setup, puzzles, etc) and they also have a covered playground outside and an indoor gym for rainy days.  Our church's MDO is really just childcare and is not intended for learning.  They have an actual preschool program if you want a learning-focused program....but it is much more expensive than the regular MDO.  Now, I am not saying that Caleb will come out of this MDO a genius, but it's just nice that we are paying for a learning environment, not just for childcare.  (not that I have anything against our church's program - he will most likely go there during the summer anyway b/c the Foundry doesn't have a summer program).


The first day, he cried when I dropped him off.  I knew he would.  However, every day since then he has practically busted down the door to get in...and you can forget about a kiss and hug for Mama!  There is no time for that!  He absolutely LOVES going and I am so thankful for that.  There is one mom who I see every day standing at the window, watching and waiting for her kid to stop crying.  I feel for her because it is sad to leave them when they are upset....but I am happy that Caleb has adjusted and I don't have to worry about whether or not he's having a good time.  His teachers are Miss Sarah and Miss Deanna and they are both very nice ladies.

Caleb started remembering people's names really well this summer and he always talked about his "fins" (friends) Joseph and Everett from his summer MDO.  I was a little sad for him to have to leave those friends he made there, but he has already made some new friends and calls them by name - it is too cute!  His new friends that he talks about now are Gavin ("Gabin"), Colson ("Cosun"), and Abbie.  There are other kids in his class but these are the three names he says all the time.  Last Thursday when I dropped him off, we actually got there a little early so we were waiting for them to open the classroom door with some of the other kids/parents.  I noticed that Gavin and his mom were standing near us (his name was on his backpack) so I told her how Caleb talks about Gavin all the time.  Caleb smiled really big when he saw Gavin and pointed him out and called him by name.  Then he also pointed out Abbie and Colson who were also waiting with us.  I know he was right because all the kids have their names on their backpacks and sure enough, it was Abbie and Colson.  I don't know why, but it amazes me that he remembers their names already (this was the 3rd week)!

I was probably the only mom who did not bring in my camera and take pictures on his first day of "school" (that's what we are calling it - easier for him to say than Mother's Day Out), so I don't have any pics of him in his classroom.  I did take a picture of him before we left that morning, though so here you go....

sidenote:  If you are looking for a personalized toddler/preschool sized backpack, I got Caleb's here:  http://www.thelettertree.com/moblgrstjosm.html.  It is really great quality and it comes personalized with their name as shown in the picture.  His lunchbox is from www.easylunchboxes.com and I bought both the lunch box and the divided containers - love them!  I got the lunchbox personalized with his name across the top at Monograms Etc off I-10 and Bunker Hill.

another sidenote!  We had to buy the boy new shoes right before school started and he is now wearing a boys size 8 wide from Stride Rite!  We should have bought them sooner because he's been wearing a 6 wide since March.  In my defense, he did wear his Crocs pretty much non-stop this summer so he wasn't in his tennis shoes much.  He's got big feet....oh, and he all of a sudden (overnight, it seemed) started growing out of his shorts, too.  They are still ok enough for him to wear but they are a little snug and some are a little short.  I do not want to buy him shorts now though because we will soon be buying pants!

And here is a picture of his "report card" from his first day (we get one every day):

Every day, the "bowel movement" section is left blank.  Why?  Because Caleb requires privacy to go #2 and I guess he can't get that at school!  As soon as we get home, he goes straight to his room, shuts the door and poops!  LOL


Stay tuned for a post with some great artwork made by Caleb!  I love seeing his little art projects!