Rocco Started Preschool!

Rocco started preschool the day after Labor Day and he was SO excited!

Last winter, he was not looking forward to school one bit. We'd try talking to him about it and he would get mad and tell us he didn't want to go to school. We would tell him all the fun things he would do at school... and he would ignore us.

But, oddly enough, by the end of summer, he was full of anticipation for his first day of school. He would tell us all about what he was going to do at school and how he'd make his OWN friends (friends, that Gabby wouldn't have), etc. It's amazing how several months in the life of a 3 year old can make such a difference on their perspective and interest in something. It is also interesting how time changes their need for social interaction and their own friendships.

I imagine Rocco also developed a need/want for his own friends because he is much more aware of how Gabby has created friendships. And, he truly enjoys the friendships that him and Gabby have built with our neighborhood kids. The kids in the neighborhood are constantly playing together and going from house to house. It's really cute and sort of reminds me of my childhood neighborhood.

In addition to starting preschool, Rocco is now also enrolled in gymnastics and a swimming class that does not include a parent or his sister (both are once a week). He truly LOVES both classes!

I tried on several occasions to have him try gymnastics back in the spring, but he wouldn't even participate for 5 minutes. Now he really enjoys going to gymnastics and really looks forward to class. He even likes to show off and do somersaults at home and flips on the trampoline. He seems to do really well at the beginning of each class... he listens and follows instruction, doing exactly as the coach instructs. Then, I seem him start to get chatty with the coach, and other kids. And, by the end, I see him diving and jumping and rolling onto the mats like he's fighing some sort of superhero battle while he's waiting in line for his turn to do something. He's such a little clown! Last week, he was waiting in line, diving and doing somersaults. I saw his coach say something to him (her back was to me, so I don't know what she said) and then Rocco got up and I heard him say "I have another brother and his name is Matteo!", and then he dove back into another somersault. Ii was so strange... gave me chills and warmed my heart at the same time. Love that Matteo still lives within him.

Rocco and Gabby were in a private swim class together through the spring. Then, when July hit, I decided to enroll them in a different program, where they would each be in classes relevant to their level of swimming. This was Rocco's first class without a parent or his sister and I was expecting it to either be a complete disaster or something to build on. Well, in his first swim class he was frozen still and had his head down for the first 10 mins. But all of a sudden... it was like a switch went off, and he started having fun. He started talking and responding positively to the instructor, and when we went home, he was so proud to tell his sister and daddy all about his instructor and 2 new swim class friends.... even though they didn't really say a peep to each other. Last week... he talked the teacher's ear off and the teacher looked at Dan almost as if she was needing Dan to get him to stop talking. Silly Rocco... he's such a crack-up!

We're so proud of Rocco! Preschool, gymnastics and swimming classes... all by himself!