School Days

Hooray! School starts today. Translation: our life returns to a normal, predictable routine. Amelia loves to go to school. She doesn't even notice I'm there when I walk her in to drop her off. You see all the different types of separation techniques when dropping off the first day. There are the children who have a death grip on their parents and a look of horror on their faces. Then there is the child who would be fine except the nervous parent hovers so long the child starts to think maybe they should be nervous too and then freaks out. Then there's Amelia. She walks in and never looks back. I have to coax her into a hug and a kiss goodbye. Yes, this is a little sad for me for a moment. I wish she had such fond memories of our time spent at home that she didn't want to leave me. But in my heart I know that her independence is good. She is confident and self-assured. She doesn't need me to be at her side every moment. After all, I have worked towards this, right?

Tomorrow Lane will go to school for the first time. I'm sure the whole separation experience will be completely different. I'm actually not sure. I'll let you know. He will be going two mornings a week from 9-12. Lane is going to school a little earlier than Amelia did for a few reasons. First of all, with his speech being a little behind, I thought it would be good for him to be around and hear other children and given opportunities to communicate with them. Also, as he tends to be a little stronger willed, I thought the routine and the expectation to listen and obey other adults would be a good lesson for him. Then there's the obvious, the third child has proven to be a bit overwhelming at times and I will appreciate the small break that having the two of them at school will give me. Because Amelia is going to the free VPK program, sending Lane 2 mornings will be manageable. Owen will not go until Lane is free. Paying for one child at a time is plenty.

I will not know what to do with myself on these two mornings with only one child. I can actually spend some one-on-one with Owen. My Tuesday mornings come September are already committed to a bible study with my girlfriends. I will make it a point to spend Thursdays at home being productive and spending some special time with Owen.

Here is a picture of Amelia with her new lunchbox before heading out to school this morning. She was all color coordinated except her cast. I just can't work with orange and blue for every outfit! Oh here's a story of my ridiculous, everything has to be perfect personality. We have a brown bow that matches the dress she's wearing in this outfit. Well this morning I couldn't find it. I had a pink and orange ribbon that matched but I had not yet made it into a bow. So, this morning seemed like the perfect time for me to pull out my needle, thread, hot glue gun and other supplies to whip her up a matching bow right then and there. Heaven forbid she go to school without a matching bow. Sarcasm. That was sarcasm. Anyway, here's my sweet girl going to school on her first day.