Another blog is born.

Well, we all know that I'm not lacking for words. So, what better time to start blogging than this monumental time in the Baughman family: Nate's debut in school. He started Developmental Kindergarten (otherwise known as DK) this week. Yes, DK is a fancy term for preschool. I was tired of the hairy-eyeball I've gotten when people presumably asked me what program he's in and succumbed to the pressures of "kindergarten isn't what is used to be." Heaven forbid he start kindergarten, is behind, gets labeled the slow kid and, well, it could be a crazy downward spiral from there for which I am not prepared to be responsible simply because I was annoyed with the inconvenience and aghast at the expense of it all. So, he's enrolled tuition paid, name tag on his cubby. And, honestly, much to our surprise, he is NOT a fan.


The first week went a little like this...Excitement abounded with taking a backpack, packing a lunch in the ever-so-awesome Spiderman lunchbox, and having to do a bonafide homework assigment (an 'about me' collage). It was a pitiful rainy day. With raincoats on, we loaded up, backpack delicately stuffed with the prized collage and lunchbag in tow. I snapped the appropriate pictures for memorable documentation (see above). Nate was beaming. Troy and I were beaming because our little man was going to school and we for surely had made the right decision despite the inconvenience and cost. Tessa was clueless and seemed to be content with her usual schedule of events. We arrived in the parking lot and Nate was panic stricken. He babbled about wanting to go to Brooke's house, tossed the lunchbag aside, tore the backpack off his back and stood his ground that he was not going in to that building despite all the enticement of nice teachers, new friends and new toys. We left him with his tear-soaked face pressed against the glass. The teacher told us he sat by the door for a large majority of the day. He wouldn't participate in the large group activity...for which the purpose is to meet all of your new friends the teacher told him...Nate said he would meet them tomorrow. He's quick.

In his description of the day, Nate did disclose that he sat on the bench by the door a lot, but that he was also the model student. He bragged that his collage was so good the teacher had asked him to do another one (not true). He was proud he didn't get in trouble for anything and listed all of the negative behaviors that required the teacher's discipline (true, and we were shocked.) I have to admit, I was worried that he would be the kid biting, kicking, punching, not listening and talking about rear-ends and private parts. I was not worried about him being a loner. He has always demonstrated an initial shyness and reservation (and most of us know how he feels about fireworks), but he's almost always overcome with minimal persuasion and support.

The next day went a little better. He didn't cry, but didn't participate throughout the day and still only knew one other girl's name in the class. The third day, all out brawl. The fit started in the van, before the parking lot this time. It took sheer force by Troy to get him in the door. Lo and behold another kid was 'having a bad drop off,' as the teacher's call it, so Nate was up for the challenge of outdoing the screams and cries of that boy. Troy was depressed all day at work and his concern was growing.

And, as if the social stress isn't enough. No one told us we had to do a full-body dowsing with antimicrobial soap to combat all the new germies! Thursday night there was little sleep in the household. Nate developed a terrible croupy-cough with stridor. He sounded like a crazy barking seal that was sucking air through a straw between barks. I was paranoid that his throat was closing, but being the medical professional-mom justified every reason why I didn't need to take him to the emergency department. He would awake every 20 minutes or so and ask me, "what's that noise?" and he was referring to the gasping he was doing to get air even while he slept! After a much-debated but urged-by-the-24hr-nurse-visit to the doctor and quick steriod-treatment, Nate was feeling great. However we had already called in his absence for school. We decided it was best that he not know that he was missing school and especially because he was sick. I know for a fact that he would be dramatizing the stomach flu or something of the like in the near future.

And, yes, I did put up a little bit of stink about whether or not Nate really needed the steroids or not seeing that he's only ever been to the doctor for a sick visit one other time when he had scarlet fever as a baby and then his testicle surgery. We've all breathed easily over the weekend. Even got a UM victory over the Irish! Go Blue.

So, we've survived bath time and a little talk about school again tomorrow. Troy and I are keeping our fingers crossed that tomorrow morning and the week to come will only get better. If not, we have some anti-depressants for ourselves and a plan for serious bribery.