The First Day of School
Well...it was an eventful day...but we made it!
Only half of the kindergarteners went Tuesday, then half Wednesday, then the full class on Thursday. Parker was the Wednesday half.
We managed to get out the door on time this morning. I dropped the boys off at Stephie's for breakfast and them came back to see Parker off on the bus. Davina's mom Diane is the bus driver and I almost lost it right there when I saw her! I know she'll take good care of him. I watched as Parker stood in line with all the other daycare kids with not a care in the world. If he was anxious is any way he didn't show it. All he showed was excitement when he actually saw the bus coming down the road. He actually was jumping up and down in line. And then it was over. He just followed the line, got on the bus and looked out the window at me, gave a little wave and that was it. I didn't start tearing up until he was gone. Then it was on to Emmitt's first day of school.
Emmitt has been giddy about school starting since he realized this was in fact the year he could go. He was much faster about getting dressed and ready this morning. Like I said, I had dropped them both off for breakfast at Stephie's, then I was off to the grocery store for the items listed on the list that I had just located. I was in search of a snack for 16 kids and juice! I came back to get Emmitt when we sent Parker on the bus. He was so excited as he waved goodbye to his brother and Stephie. We get to school, he poses for me with his backpack, he smiles after recognizing and locating his locker, he lets Mrs. Baron take our picture and begins to play. He is totally fine at this point. I was not worried at all. Then as I begin to say goodbye he starts showing that he is not quite ready for me to go yet. I tell him I love him, give my baby a kiss, my heart aches a bit and I walk out the door. I am visiting with another mom and Emmitt appears in the hallway. I stearnly tell him it's dangerous to leave the room and bring him back in. I then tell a "teacher helper" to keep an eye on him because he just ditched preschool. Then I did our goodbyes again and left him. He is not crying at this point, he is not acting truly unhappy, just unsure. I get to my car and notice that Emmitt has escaped again from the room and snuck out the door to the sidewalk (OUTSIDE) crying his eyes out looking for me. Another teacher realized a 28 pound 3 year old is outdoors and retrieves him. I roll down my window and alert Mrs. Dowty that I am in fact not a terrible mother, I do realize that my child has just busted out of the school and ask her if she wants me to come help. She says no, she's got it covered. I tell her he belongs in Room 101. She's been teaching for a long time and I know her well and she scoops up my baby to take him back inside. Another mom that I know is there to witness. (who can miss it, the kid is screaming for me and bawling his eyes out). She comes over to my car and hugs me through the window as I quickly become the mom who bawled in her car in the parking lot and proceeded to cry all the way to work. When we picked him up, it was like nothing had happened! He was happy and excited about his day. He got to be the weather helper today and stuck close to his buddy Andrew. He teacher felt awful as soon as she heard about the great escape and put the "closed door" policy into immediate action.
As soon as he saw Papa Milo was there to pick him up, he asked if he had brought him a cookie. Well, Emmitt...of course he did! Welcome to the new tradition of the daily cookie from Papa when he picks you up from school. I only hope that Friday it is better when Essa takes him to school and Papa picks him up and I have nothing to do with it!
Emmitt and I met Parker at the bus stop after school too. I managed to catch him coming off the bus even! He wasn't too excited to see me picking him up right away. He really wanted to go back and play with his friends at Stephies! I convinced him that I had a cool afternoon planned for us and a surprise at home. (it was a bike ride to play at Kerry Park and I baked cookies while I bawled at home all afternoon). So he was convinced and hopped in the car. I asked one tiny question and the flood gates opened. The question: "What was your first day of Kindergarten like?" It started with how cool it was to write on dry erase boards and then use socks on their hands to erase the marker! AND that Mrs. Pavleck is going to take them home and wash them! She's cool! He had a gingerbread hunt (a tour of the school) and retold daddy all about it. Then they all got to eat the gingerbread cookie...he said he really wanted the eye with the m-n-m but settled for the foot so it couldn't run away again! He couldn't find his lunch money for a milk, but somehow got one! And that he really had a fun day!
I really can't believe how emotionally exhausting today was...but I wouldn't trade it for the world
