First Day of School (For Us!)

Annie's first day of preschool was spectacular! She woke up in a good mood this morning, helped me get our whole crew out of the house on time, and was "so excited" about going. I was worried about the drop-off, thinking that she'd be a little weepy the first time, but she was just low-key and happy when we got there. Miss Karen and Miss Colette met us at the door, she went potty on the teeny-tiny toilet in the classroom, started playing with an art project, and said good-bye without any drama. I watched her for a few minutes through the two-way glass and was so, so proud of my little schoolgirl.

At home, I didn't quite know what to do with myself after putting Jemma down for her morning nap. I wrote a few thank-you notes, talked to Connie on the phone, cleaned up the kitchen, cried a tear or two, and watched some Ellen after Jemma woke up. (Yes, that's right. Cried a tear or two, even though I've been waiting for this day for months. I was holding it together just fine until I read the little poem the teachers handed out to the parents for the first day. I'll post it later . . . you'll see.) The respite was glorious, but then again, I couldn't quite wait to get back and see what she was doing.

When I got back to pick her up, she was sitting on the circle rug with a few other kids, singing a song and doing the motions with her hands. Adorable. When she walked out of the classroom and saw me, she gave me a little "I'm so proud of myself" look and told me she couldn't wait to go back again next time. Exactly what a mommy wants to hear! I'm so grateful that this is going to be such a good experience for her; and, in her words, "I'm so glad I did such a good job at school, Mommy" (as I tucked her in for her nap this afternoon).

I'm posting a couple pictures. Note the knee-socks, please. They're my favorite.

Oh, and I was right: I was up all night last night. Not because I was anxious about Annie's day at school, but because Jemma woke up at 11:30, screaming her head off, and wouldn't settle back down no matter how many times I went in to rock her back to sleep. So I broke all my "sleep rules" and took her upstairs into the twin bed that's jammed against the wall. We slept there, together, fitfully, until 5:45 this morning, when she decided she was wide awake for the day. I'm not loving the lack of sleep/newborn baby feeling, but it was kind of delicious to sleep with her sweaty little head in the crook of my arm . . .