Andrew's 1st day riding the school bus

Andrew had his first day at his new school on Tuesday. He goes to our local, public grade school and rides the school bus. The school bus picks him up and drops him off at our driveway. It's pretty awesome for me, too. :) Andrew qualifies for this program so he can continue therapy services through the state, ensuring that he continues to develop well and that he will be ready for Kindergarten when the time comes.

Andrew understood exactly what was going on when the bus came to pick him up the first day. He was not afraid to leave me and he did not cry. He was afraid to get on and off the bus because the stairs are near the (very loud) engine. Once he is on the bus though, he is happy and excited. By Friday, he did walk down the steps to get off the bus on his own with a hand held. When he comes home from school, he is excited to see me through the bus window. He's also getting the hang of wearing his backpack.



(picture at bottom right: first time getting on the bus in the morning)

The bus has about 4 seats, a driver, and a helper (puts the kids in a harness, sings songs with them). They are very nice - Andrew seems to love them and they rave about him every day. They say he is very "even-keeled", every day they say he is very chatty during the entire ride, and that he says "bye" to his friends as they get off the bus. He has 4 other classmates that ride the bus, and an addition 2 "peer models" from the community. Andrew is the first on and last off the bus. I think that's a good way for him to decompose before and after school, get a little extra time to socialize, plus I think he really likes riding.

He's quite happy on the days he goes to school, so I can only assume he likes it. On Tuesday afternoon (the first day) he told me that his teacher is nice. He is still a little confused and mixing up schools - asking where Miss Amanda (his teacher last semester) is, as well as his best buddies and favorite toys at his previous school. He hasn't thrown out any of his friends names, but I'm sure it won't be long before he feels more comfortable around them.

Every night since he has started going to school, he has been singing "wheels on the bus" in his bed, complete with hand motions. He never was into the hand motions, but he is now.