The Big Day

Today is the day I am officially the proud owner of a kindergartner. Not just any kindergartener but this big kid with an amount of self-confidence I didn't know he possessed. He could barely eat this morning, he was so excited to go. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. I kept waiting for that moment when he would realize what was going on and just lose it. Didn't happen.

We walked to the bus stop, just four houses down, and when the bus came he just hopped on. His bus driver is terrific and told him where to sit. She told me she likes to keep the little ones up front near her and I said, "THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!" (suffering a little bus anxiety). So we followed him to school just to make sure everything was o.k. He hopped off the bus and started walking inside and I yelled to him and he turned around with this look like, "Oh yeah, she said she would follow me to school. Ok, bye." He waved and he was gone. That's it. So he comes home and I said did someone help you find your classroom and he said, "No, I knew where it was." Well, alrighty then. Some of you warned me this would happen but I guess you just don't believe it until it happens.

It's a bittersweet kind of day. More sweet than bitter. I remember being completely sleep deprived when he was an infant and thinking this day would never come and, quite honestly at the time, thought it couldn't come soon enough. And now it's here and I wonder if I wished too much away or didn't enjoy it enough but all in all I think we did o.k. I've struggled with my choice to stay at home, pretty much from day one, and today it became really all good with me. It was worth it. Pure and simple. I always thought I was that mom who would be dancing around the house when he went off to elementary school and really, not so much. I think maybe in another week I'll start tappin' my foot a bit.

And what's not to like about school? I don't remember any of my teachers looking like this:
Seriously, how cute is she? I took this picture at his open house on friday. And check out his new do. Daddy took him to the "big man barbershop" for an Army man haircut. No more Cartoon Cuts (WOO HOO!!! There is much rejoicing!) So that's really about it. Monday's are half days in Fairfax County so tomorrow is his first full day - 7:55 to 3:12 (not 3:15, not 3:10 - 3:12, that's when the bus arrives.) It's a long day for a little man. We'll see what kind of spirit he is in by the end of the week!