The Brothers Bennett: Back to School

With two kids now in preschool/daycare, we're experiencing "back to school" in a brand-new way -- as parents! Over the past few weeks, we've stocked up on new clothes, bigger shoes, new (BPA-free) bottles and spoons, and baby food supplies, and we're suddenly part of the pack of parents doing the same thing at Target and Costco.

With the new school year, Ronan is transitioning to the big kids room at his preschool and Callum is beginning in the infant room. It's been an intense and exciting week. Callum started yesterday and it was a rollercoaster of emotions for me and him. He adapted quite well to the group environment, but I was pretty surprised at the chaos of his first day. The other two kids in the room (14 mos and 16 mos) were particularly needy and the school had scheduled an orientation for a new child at the exact same time as Callum's first bottle feeding--ON HIS FIRST DAY. Before too long, there were two crying toddlers, one screaming, hungry baby (mine), a year-old girl who looked totally confused, and a mommy who was looking daggers at the situation and ready to haul the baby home and rehire the full-time nanny. Things improved and Callum and I stuck it out, though I was still in between tears and anger all day. The main teacher in the room is fantastic and I don't know how she does what she does. She stayed calm and cheerful all day, even through the morning chaos. At the end of the day, I learned that Callum took both of his naps, drank all three of his bottles, and ate two big helpings of solid food. What a good boy! Today, his second day, was a little easier, and Christian is helping me see that this childcare option may actually work out, for all of us. But obviously, it'll take some time...

Ronan's room is about 50 feet away from Callum's. The teachers from all of the rooms know each other and know the kids, which creates a nice sense of continuity. A baby can start in the infant room and travel through all of the classrooms until he reaches kindergarten. And in such a small preschool, that journey can be very personal and intimate. Together with his teachers, we're learning more about Ronan every day. He's so passionate and loving, determined and sweet. A complicated boy, sometimes. Most of the time, of course, he is completely delightful, but when he's not feeling well or when his personal space is being invaded (a big pet peeve of his), he can be downright obstinate, bellicose even. A specialist who observes the children occasionally asked if one or both of Ronan's parents are lawyers, because of his unusually persistent and detailed speech. Ha!

Besides school, what else are the boys up to? Well, Callum is sitting up well, rolling over constantly, and reaching for everything in sight to put into his mouth. He has been drooling and gnawing on his hands, and he also has a constant runny nose (with no other cold symptoms) -- all signs that his pearly whites will be poking through soon! His golden 6 pm-6 am sleep routine has recently been interrupted by crying (teething pain, poor thing). Despite the discomfort, Callum is still a cheerful, adaptable little guy. And wow, does he love his solid food! He's eaten mashed avocado, plums, pureed corn, winter squash, potatoes, and spinach. I can't wait to make him more food cubes this weekend! He and Ronan have a crazy-tight bond, too. When Callum hears Ronan's voice, he smiles and looks all around for his brother, who usually comes racing over to cover him with kisses and caresses.

Ronan continues to enjoy lots of pretend play, having books read to him, and going on family walks and fishing excursions. Every night before bed, we play "camping" in the living room and he creates a whole world of camp gear, tents, and fires -- with marshmallows to roast and flashlights to light our faces. He asks about a thousand questions a day and some of them are real stumpers. "Why do octopuses have eight legs? Why do they have suckers on their legs? Do they suck their thumbs?" He also surprises us with his comments. After he saw me annoyed once, he said, "Mommy, I am fascinated when you're upset." Tonight, he was pretending to be a "volcano scientist" who has "two jobs: my volcano job and my dinosaur job. I love the beautiful lava and I love looking for dinosaur bones to take back to the laboratory. I work hard!" Ronan also has the memory of an elephant. We recently went hiking in a park that we hadn't visited in over a year. On the drive there, Ronan asked, "Where is my apple?" What apple? My apple. We didn't know what he was talking about until he said, "On our walk last time, I dropped my apple in the forest. Where is it?" He remembered a tiny detail that happened a long time ago, something we had completely forgotten!

Most endearing are Ronan's daily proclamations of love for his brother. "I love you, baby brother! I will always protect you. You're the best!"