Reuben's 1st day at school, meet & greet

Signing to the head teacher

The arts & crafts room

The classroom

Feel exceptionally fortunate that Reuben's joining such a great school until age 3. During the 1:1 meet and greet with the head teacher today, I watched Reuben open up like a flower in the springtime, and I fondly stole furtive glances into the accompanying physical development playroom as children with warm, happy faces sat in circular play singing and signing nursery rhymes. The gardens are glorious, a Hansel & Gretal house nestled in the cedar-shaded landscape. I feel a sense of lovely sense of optimism about what school will do for Reuben and how he'll benefit from socialisation with other children. I hope he will continue to warm the hearts of those he meets, stays healthy enough to enjoy the experience and learn, and makes some lovely friendships along the way. They are my greatest wishes.

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Today Reuben starts the early intervention school programme at UCLA (University Hospital LA). We're lovingly joke that he's got into UCLA, one of the nation's best universities.

Reuben starts officially in January and today's our first day's orientation. Thereafter, I'll be confined to sitting in the adjacent observation room behind the glass wall. The school practices Total Communication, so the children will be signing as well as speaking which is a wonderful thing. I hope he's somewhere in the middle of the class in terms of development, with children to aspire to physically and children looking up to him on signing. I like to think once I'm comfortable with the programme that I can use the time to get out and about with Callum doing fun things in town as our 12lb Christmas moose will soon want a little more stimulus I'm sure than having mama stare at him all day.