This August marks the start of another school year for Annabella - she is back in preschool! Annabella loves her school. She asked almost every single day this summer if it was time to go back to preschool. 

When she started preschool, she was still only 2 years old, about to turn 3 right before the cut off date. I was nervous about putting my still-two-year-old in school, but she was so ready to start. Annabella loves to be outside and to play. She loves drawing and coloring and always having something to do. Staying home was getting boring for her, and at the time I was pregnant and found it difficult to get out by myself with her. I knew she needed something to do during the day besides staying home and watching too much TV. 

I applied for free preschool through the school district and waited almost the whole summer to hear back. When I got the call that she was accepted, I cried happy tears. I was so proud and excited for her. Annabella was barely potty trained at the time, but I had hope that everything would work out. 

We decided to put Annabella in the afternoon class because I had just given birth to Addie, who would be about 10 days old on the first day of school. When that day came, Jeremy and I got the girls ready and we drove down to the preschool together. I was so nervous to leave her. I trusted her teachers and the school, but this would be the first time I was leaving her somewhere new and driving away. As soon as the classroom door shut behind me, I sobbed. There were tears and I struggled to muffle the sounds. The other parents looked at me funny, and Jeremy laughed at me (that meanie). I tried to blame it on “I just had a baby,” but who was I kidding? My first baby was sitting in the classroom, about to start her learning journey. 

I decided to give preschool a chance for two weeks. If Annabella didn’t do well in those couple of weeks, I would pull her out and reapply for the next year. Well, it turned out I didn’t need those two weeks because putting Annabella in preschool was the right choice for our family. She absolutely loved it! 

In one school year, Annabella changed so much. Preschool reinforced things we were teaching her at home, such as sharing, taking turns, and how to be kind. She can now write her name and count to about fifteen, and she can sing all of her ABCs. 

This year Annabella is in morning preschool, so that we can all start getting in a better routine to prepare for kindergarten. She goes for about 3 hours a day, 4 days a week. She’s a little apprehensive so far, because there are a lot of new kids and she is not a morning person. At all. Yet, everyday she tells me about all of the fun things she did and what she learned about. Preschool is still the right choice for our family, and I am so glad I gave it a chance when I did.