First Day of School!

Andy did it! He is in kindergarten as I type this! I am bursting with so much pride I can hardly sit still. For those of you who want the blow by blow, keep reading. For those of you who are just happy to know that the first day was a success, you can rest easy knowing that it was. I will pull the pictures off of the camera this evening and send them along. In the meantime, I have attached a couple of photos from Cory’s phone camera.

Andy has been a little apprehensive about the first day of school, about the bus, the new kids, etc. He was really excited last week to meet a new friend (Tyler) at the school playground on Tuesday and at the open house Thursday night, where we met his teacher (Mrs. Malacarne), played in the classroom, walked through the library, computer lab, etc. Even after that, he was a bit “nervous”; nervous is a new word for him, and he uses it exclusively in relation to kindergarten.

We talked through the whole morning routine at bedtime last night, solidifying and shaking on the terms for our bribes to get him on the bus. He woke up himself this morning at just the right time (a sign for his superstitious Mom because Andy can be a total crankpot when he is woken up), and was cheerful during the normal morning routine. We did the usual pretend-we-are-not-dressed game with Daddy, which involves getting dressed, pulling covers up to the chin and pretending to be grumpy and not want to get dressed when Daddy asks. We do this a lot… seriously, a lot. He put his star around his neck (a laminated big blue star necklace worn only by kindergarteners that tells everyone his name on the front, his daycare bus and emergency contact information on the back; most important, I believe, is that it's mere presence indicates that people should be careful of the little guys who wear them) and grabbed his near empty backpack to take some pictures on the front steps and then all head for the bus stop.

He has been a little afraid of big kids lately, so we were a little afraid of a scene at the bus stop. I promised him that when he got on the bus, I would run to the car and race to school so I could be there when he got off the bus – before you laugh, this is a very common practice. He came running back to me just as he was getting on the bus. My heart stopped thinking this would be the big scene, but he grabbed a quick hug, hopped on the bus, found a seat and waved with a big smile... and so started the Mom waterworks.

I ran to the car, raced to the school and stood in a long line of kindergarten Moms who also promised to greet their little monkeys when they got off the bus. I was directed to the "brown" bus where Andy was standing with another little boy and his 6th grade bus monitor, who will be on his bus and escort him to his classroom every day. As I approached, I heard Andy say, “I told you my Mom would be here” (It sounded sweeter than it looks, I swear!). The little boy, whose star read Matthew, said in a scared little voice “I want to go home”. I told him school was fun, asked Andy to grab his hand, and they headed off towards the door. I heard Andy say “I am your new best friend”. They stopped at the door. Andy ran back for a hug and a kiss, and then offered my Mom hug and kiss services to Matthew. Matthew decided to forego the kiss (thankfully – that could be inappropriate), but gave me a squeezy hug. They took hands again and followed the bus monitor to their classroom.

Tonight is our first soccer practice, so I will get some of those pictures posted as well. Now that school is back in session, I will be more diligent with the blog, the photos and general news. I have birthday pictures, vacation pictures, news of new jobs and lots more to catch up on. Enjoy your day! I am sure enjoying mine!