Tuesday, September 27, 2011

....back to school.....

....it feels like yesterday when we were gearing up for nursery school during this time last year.....Elsie was just two and a half and nursery school was an unknown for both of us.....we spent countless conversations talking about being a big girl and going to school for a little while until Momma comes to pick her back up......we discussed meeting new friends, playing with new toys and practiced our new teacher's names so we had it right on day one.....fast forward a year and it's Callie who I'm having these chats with....

....except this go around, Callie knew exactly what to expect....she has been gearing up for her turn at nursery school and she knew exactly what to expect since she helped me do Elsie's drop off last year.....last year when I had to drag her out of the classroom every afternoon we waved goodbye because she wanted to stay and play.....until finally at the end of the semester, Miss Lauren invited Callie to join in on circle time and tell the class what the weather was that day.....and if Callie wasn't already hooked on classroom fun before that, all it took was telling 12 children one year older than she was that it was a bery, bery sunny day.....

.....this year, Callie was ready for her turn.....





....and as brave as she was, once we got there she wanted to make sure I stayed jus fur a wittle bit....so I joined a group of parents who had cornered themselves at the far end of a classroom giving reassuring smiles, over exaggerated waves and quietly shuffled around their backpacks and oversized purses for their cameras.....

....I did not take my eyes off of Callie for a moment because I did not want to miss one of her glances to ensure I was there.....I wanted to confirm I was watching her interact in her new setting because she was so proud.....


....and Elsa was so good about letting Callie have her big day.....she quietly sat in the corner of her old classroom and read books......


.....until the class got a little closer to where she was reading and then she wanted to participate......and her old teacher kindly let her join the new students for story
time......


.....and as class dismissed, Elsie was the first one to point out to the 2s students where the door was, where their cubbies were so they could retrieve their backpacks, what buttons in the elevator to push and when to push them.....this missy knew her way around school.....she is big time this year because she is upstairs in the 3s class and loving it......


.....she's got old friends she is reunited with and loves going every morning......


.....me on the other hand.....let's just say that getting three kids out the door and looking presentable by 8:30am has been a challenge....I can't just throw my other two in the stroller with pjs on because we have to park the stroller and walk to the classroom, so it's a good thing we get a few months of practice before having to do this in 20 degree weather when I have three sets of winter gear to suit up......

....but just as it hit me last year when I realized my oldest was off to nursery school, I am having the same nostalgia with Callie, but differently.....it's not so much that she is off to school because she is a very independent 2 year old and practically made herself as part of Elsa's classroom last year.....but she is changing.....our conversations are more complex.....I am able to reason with her and she understands my explanations......she is becoming more empathetic, she can answer questions thoughtfully, her observations surprise me because she notices minute details, she engages more with her brother......and she genuinely loves the time she gets with him when Elsie is at school because it's her time to be the big sister.......she is blooming and her radiance is beautiful......


....however, after we get home from school, wash up and prepare for some quiet time; she nestles up next to me, sticks her thumb in her mouth and I am reassured that she is still my baby.....and always will be.....