Sophie started pre school on Wednesday! WOO HOO! The school is amazing — this is how imagined pre school should be. Cooking classes, science labs, dance class, she loves it. Mike was home on Wednesday so we took the boys to school, went to Starbucks, then dropped off Sophie.

We were home by 9:30am or so, and I started cleaning the boys room and organizing (or trying to make sense of it all). After about an hour, I wasn’t sure if I was organizing their toys or making it worse. I was taking my time because, well, I COULD.

Then the phone rang, the caller ID read GISD elementary. Crap. Johnny’s sick. I answered it and it was the school nurse. She said that Johnny came in with a tummy ache, crying, and after about 30 minutes felt well enough to join his class. We talked, (of course he had no fever), and discovered that it was anxiety. The night before he told me that he cried all day at school and that he didn’t want to go back. I thought he was being dramatic, and sent him on his way the next day. Turns out, he was crying at school. Poor thing. I called the clinic to ask for advice — do I pick him up from school or let him tough it out? After talking to the social worker, I went to get him. That is what I wanted to do the second the nurse told me he was crying. Mike didn’t want to set a precedence, and I was worried about that too.

I picked him up (literally), and he immediately started crying as I carried him to the car. I tried to ask him what the problem was, but it was too hard for him to articulate his feelings. I took him to Sonic, got him some lunch and we chatted. He’s doing fine in class, as a matter of fact, he’s one of the smartest kids in 3rd grade (of course!). I thought it was the pressure of doing well, and getting good grades that made him upset.

Turns out he just misses me.

Really, for the past 16 months we have been inseparable. We are always at arms length from each other 24 hours a day.

But now, he’s in a new school. All of his friends are in middle school, and there are only two kids he knows at his school — Joey, and his friend Will — both in 5th grade.

So I talked to the counselor, his teachers, pretty much anyone that would listen, about what he’s going through and if after a few weeks it’s still really hard for him, we will see a counselor at the clinic.

This morning he was fine until they were walking out the door, he turned around and hugged me and started to cry. I wanted to cry too. But I didn’t. We talked about the Kissing Hand book, and I printed up a couple of family pictures for him to take to school, so when he felt scared or lonely, he could look at the photos and know that I was with him. I also pick the boys up after school too. They ALWAYS complain about the smell of the fumes, and that it makes them car sick. I have to get Sophie anyway, so what;s one more stop?

Tonight Sophie had a slight fever — 101.0, so she won’t be going to school tomorrow. Alas, my freedom was short lived… Hopefully she will be well enough on Sunday to go next week!

Johnny and Joey have a surfing contest on Saturday I think, — last weekend’s contest was cancelled because it was SO FLAT. Hopefully this weekend there will be some waves for them. Boog asked the boys to join the Ohana Surf Team, Joey was stoked! Johnny was like “um, …okay, sure…”. He just wants to have fun, and be low key.

I will update more later!