Ask me did I cry? Or don't even ask because you and I both know the tears started well before her first day. Which really wasn't even that bad because she didn't leave us on her "technical" first day. The next day though, that day she left us. We had to drop her off and let her out of the van and watch her walk away towards a building she doesn't know, to find a classroom not right there. That was Tuesday... But Monday? Monday really was just a piece of cake.
She woke up saying she was scared over and over again. She ate her breakfast as slow as possible in between more rounds of her expressing her scared level. She got real pumped though when she saw her Shopkins backpack filled to the gills with school supplies (thanks Nonna and Poppop!). We dropped the boys off at my sister's and headed in for a quick breakfast in the cafeteria. Fruit and donuts and juice for all the kindergarten kids and their parents. In a room sans air conditioning, stifling, as you can imagine. Letty finished up rather quickly and so we headed towards her classroom, explaining that this was the same way she would be coming in tomorrow when we dropped her off. Which incidentally, it wasn't. So on Tuesday at drop-off she only freaked out for a second until assured by the principal that an adult would walk her to her room, and I only freaked out for about ohhhh... four hours.
But back to Monday. We gave her teacher a small gift and handed in all our school supplies. And then we got to do a scavenger hunt, finding her locker and her mailbox and the library, etc. She definitely got a good feel for the room. The teacher took her photo with a sign saying "The First Day of Kindergarten" and the date. And we got to go through the morning's expectations. What goes where and what kids are supposed to do. Lots of steps all before 8:00 am and with no coffee!! How these kindergartners do it is beyond me.
The teacher gave a brief talk and then we had to fill out some forms and I was able to get some step by step explanations about drop off and pick up procedures which had quite literally keeping me up at night for days and days and all for nothing because of course they know what they are doing! Of course.
We took Letty back to the drop off point thinking we would need to go over the path her classroom again and she just skipped along ahead of us knowing exactly where to go so.... Another fear of mine not necessary. Until Tuesday when I saw the kids wandering around the side of the building to a place we didn't practice from... I think I may have PTSD about that actually.
We left then with Letty squealing "I am so excited when do I get to go again!? I wish it was tomorrow so I could go to kindergarten!" Refrains of which I heard all day long and I couldn't be happier about. The time away from her will be hard enough without having to worry about my cautious shy girl walking slowly and lost and scared through those halls. Now I know when she bounds out of the car she's totally amped about it. It made it so much easier. And then I just have to miss her all the day long and not worry about whether she loves it or not.
I held it together (barely) during the drop off on her first full day which was really just fast and sort of like wait! what is happening!? and a kiss and a hug and she's gone!? And then I cried more. And watched the clock. All day. I had two parent volunteers message me telling me they saw Letty and she was doing great and smiling and loving life so I held on to that till pick up time. At which point she told me alllll about her day and my heart soared because not only does she love it but she is sharing it with me! And she didn't even give me attitude after school! She was kind (the first two nights anyways)!!! It's the best when it happens!
But we did it. First week in the books. Amen.
