La-La's post
I have to say, that first welcome home hug....felt good!!!!!!!
Well it starts with the song. You prepare them and pump them up for it for 5 years then you realize that bus and those wheels takes them away! We survived the first week of school last week. I must say I'm so pleased with how she is doing and how's she's handled it all. I was so full of excitements and concerns for her heading off into to the world. But she has been a champ. My big brave Bit has begun kindergarten. She started last Monday morning bright and early. We had our outfit picked out for days, down the ribbon for her hair. She was obsessed w/ getting to that bus stop on time. I've made her promise me she would learn punctuality from her daddy not her mommy and I think she has taken my advice. Her only tears of anxiety came when she realized she couldn't bring her 'La-La', (her little stuffed cat) to school. Brian spoke up real fast to fix this. He immediately gave La-La an important job. He set her in Abigail's window to keep lookout. That afternoon when the bus brought Abigail home La-La would have the responsibility to let the other toys in her room know she was home. Abigail bought it, hook line and sinker and that was the end of the first day of school tears. Brilliant daddy...brilliant!
We coached her on eating a good breakfast and remembering her manners like a good mom and dad then patted her skinny little bottom out the door. The entire family made an appearance on the curb in front of our neighbors house. Chloe quite shell shocked to be up and out the door before she even got her morning milk. We all waited patiently for the big yellow bus to come bouncing up the street. Abigail was fearless as it approached. A wave to the sweetest granny looking bus driver and she popped across that street w/o looking back. Only a quick, wave to mommy who pleaded made her give me a second look for a picture. The tears began to swell as I watched her head up those stairs like the big girl she's always ached to be, and she was off.
To ease the strangeness of our little girls doing the school thing until 2:30 we met another family sharing our newness for breakfast around the corner. We gladly shared stories, picked at each others puffy eyes and spent over an hour chit chatting away our nerves over bacon and coffee. Chloe did amazing by the way. Never made a peep, just played with her toys and munched her pancakes in silence. It was almost like God told her "not now, they need this".
The day was long waiting for her but some sweet time w/ my Chloe made it all ok. Brian laughed at me as I wanted to head out to wait on her return 30 min before the bus was to arrive. I didn't care! What if it came early and we missed it! So I proudly took up my post at my look out on my porch and waited...somewhat patiently. The bus was an extra 20 min late on the first day but we had quite the reception to cheer her return. I've been so proud of her understanding of my need for information on what she's been doing. I think in her own little 5 yr old mind she knows how much I need to hear it. She was patient and sweet as Brian and I spent the next half hour interrogating her about her experiences. Her little head spun left and right w/ her chocolate milk straw in her mouth, responding to our line of questioning. Such a good girl!! Her biggest complaint of her first day of school was simply "mommy, those kids won't be quiet for rest time and I was so dary tired!" I'm so proud of her right now. Ahhh, glad this day is behind us!
