Kindergarten: A New Adventure!

I'm sitting here, trying to think of a way to adequately describe last week... and all I can come up with is "crazy". I spent the first part of the week feeling down and overly emotional. I was preparing to send my baby girl to kindergarten and it was seriously just overwhelming me. The realization that my "stay-at-home" days with her are over was a little too much, and I was desperate to create the most perfect last days possible, which of course backfired. The thing is, she's totally ready for this, much more than I'm ready for this. She also has the advantage of knowing most of the kids in her class from either Sunday school, choir, or preschool; and her teacher happens to be the first one we ever met at Calvary Baptist Day School when she had her preschool evaluation two years ago. Her best friend, Raegan, is in her class again this year and my sassy sweetie had absolutely no worries the morning of her first day. 

The week got a little crazier on Wednesday when Ethan started running a fever. My biggest fear was that Gracie was next, and she was all set to start school on Thursday. Luckily, she is fine and Ethan is now being treated for an ear infection that has us all worn out from the past 5 nights of poor sleep.

Back to Gracie's first day of Kindergarten... I was a nervous wreck, and I don't even know why, except that I was coming to terms with the fact that my firstborn was going to be spending 7 hours away from me while attending "real" school. Sean took the morning off to go with us, which was such a relief to me and made his Daddy's Girl very happy.






Gracie was more than happy to strike a few pre-kindergarten poses for me.



Sean stayed with Ethan in the hallway while I walked Gracie into her class. She was quiet, but went in without much hesitation. I knelt beside her desk as she sat and started working on the activity at her table. I had the biggest lump in my throat, but she didn't cling to me and she didn't cry, so I pulled it together, kissed her good-bye, and that was it. Ethan wasn't feeling well at all, so I took him home and spent the next few hours cuddling my sick baby. Sean came home in time to go with us to pick Gracie up that afternoon. She hopped into the car in a great mood and told us a little about her day! She'd had fun and was excited to return the next day! 



I'm so proud of my big girl. I know she's going to grow so much and learn so many things this year. I'm going to grow this year, too... and I'm already learning how to let go just enough so that my daughter can continue to find her independence as she begins this new adventure.

Comments

  1. Platinum RoseAugust 22, 2013 at 12:08 PM

    I love these photos! You really captured some precious moments of her on her first day of kindergarten, and with you and Sean. I still cannot believe she's started kindergarten already. How on earth is she not that baby I met over 5 years ago? Reading the emotions you were going through in the time leading up to her first day, brought lumps to my throat as well. I am so not ready to go through this with my son, either. It's so much harder on us, than the kids. I'm glad I have you to lean on in these throat-lump moments! Gracie's going to do awesome, and I can't wait to see how this year helps her keep growing into the girl that God made her to be.

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