More Firsts!

Anyone who has talked to Kendall in the last few weeks has heard her talking about how excited she is about being a big first grader.  We met her teacher last week, and she is super sweet and appears to be very loving.  (On the first day K came home and told me, "She doesn't yell, Mommy.  And that's a good thing.")  So Sunday night, as we climbed into bed, I don't know who was more excited/nervous -- K or me.  She, luckily, went right to sleep.  And though I feared she would wake up all night long, she slept all night, and woke up refreshed and raring to go.

Of course, I had to wake her at 6:25 after an entire summer of her waking at 6:15 on her own.  But that's the nature of the beast, right?

So Monday morning K got up, got dressed in the clothes she picked out the night before (that were strategically hanging inside her closet -- my newest attempt at making our mornings a little easier), packed her lunch box, brushed her teeth and hair, and came to the breakfast table with a smile on her face.  Two bites into her breakfast she informed me that her tummy hurt and she didn't want to eat anymore.  I knew it was nerves, and so did she, which tells me that she is growing up too fast.

Nana came over at 7 to sit with Tannerbug so I could walk K in at school; I was anticipating tears, so I wanted to have both arms empty for her.

But I didn't need my arms after all.

After 20 minutes in the carpool line, we parked, entered the building, and Kendall walked in front of me to her classroom.  I had to take her to the cafeteria since it was before the 7:30 bell, and that was the first sign of unease (from either of us!)  The thought of leaving her, sitting in the cafeteria, alone, not among friends, terrified me and left me feeling so sad.  But I also didn't want her to the only 1st grader whose Mommy was standing beside her the entire time, unable to leave her to be a big girl.

So I stood with her for a minute, pointing out people we knew from last year.  When I knew she only had about 5 minutes left before the bell, I reminded her how to get back to her classroom, kissed her on the head, sniffed back some tears, and walked out the cafeteria door.

I looked back one time, just to make sure she wasn't running after me, and she was fine, sitting quietly in her seat, a tiny little head among a sea of other tiny heads.

Then, when it was time to pick her up, she met me at the car door with the biggest smile!!  As she climbed in the car (and buckled herself ... things sure have changed since last year!), I asked about her day, to which she went on about her new teacher and how different 1st grade is all the way home.  (Also a big change from last year when she never told me anything about her day!)  She said she only cried for a minute when she couldn't find her crayons (I had moved them in her book bag ... that's my girl ... getting upset because she thinks she's not prepared and feels out of control ...), but that Ms. Cervone helped her find them and then she was fine.  She loves not being "the baby" anymore.  And on Day Two, she didn't even want me to walk her in anymore (though she did say that she didn't want to sit in the cafeteria, so we made sure we got to school after the 7:30 bell).

And when she's gone I miss her so much.

And she misses me.

So I guess this is just what we needed.