The First Day of Preschool!

Hello everyone!  As my very first post, I thought I'd truly embrace the essence of this blog...teaching and motherhood.  So, let me recount my older daughter's traumatic first day of preschool.  Traumatic for me........not her!  

It has been a few years since then, so I can now look back on the situation with humor.  I was 7 1/2 months preggers with Baby #2 at the time and was really excited to enroll my first little angel in preschool 2 mornings a week to have some special time when the new baby arrived.  E was almost 3 years old and eager to start school and make new friends!

It was E's first day of school and it was just an Open House to meet the teacher from 9 to 10 am, with her first full day of school being the next day.  Or, so I thought!  

We arrived at 9am, after a 10 min stroller ride from our house (good for mommy to get some exercise!).  We met her teacher, Mrs. Lance, and her 11 classmates while sitting on the rug.  I snapped a few pictures and before I knew it, Mrs. Lance was telling the kiddos to wave good-bye to Mommy and Daddy.  What?  Huh?  She told us to return at 11:55 to pick them up.  What??

Well, I guess it was E's first REAL day of preschool.  I had no idea what happened to the "meet the teacher" at Open House.  I gave kisses and hugs as E put on a brave face while 2 other kids went into hysterics.  I followed another mom out the door and asked her about the supposed Open House.  She didn't know what I was talking about...I was dumb-founded!

I pushed the empty stroller home, tears streaming down my face.  I was SO not prepared to just drop her off with complete strangers in a new environment.  I had her dressed for a cute, short visit, not the first day of school.  No sunblock, wearing a skirt that ties in the front (troublesome as we just did potty training), hair down with just a bow in it, nothing to put in her little white cubby...my mind was racing.  I didn't get to chat with the teacher or check out the potty facilities in that specific classroom or check on the daily snack they provided that day.  Nothing. NOTHING.

How could I have been so wrong?  Where did I get that Open House idea from?  From the SCHOOL, that's where.  So, I waddle in the house with my tear-stained face and my dear hubby J listens to my story while grinning (he decided to work from home on her first day of school...such a good daddy!).  He's sympathetic, but knows E is just fine, it's her mommy that is a wreck.

I was hell-bent on finding the paperwork that discussed the Open House.  I'm not crazy!  I knew I had JUST tossed it out, as school was starting this week.  I had also written it on our calendar.  I looked in her 'school' file.  Nothing.  I searched all of our trash and recycle bins in the house.  Nothing.  As my luck would have it, it's trash day.  I don my bright yellow and unused dishwashing gloves and head to the street.  The neighbors must have thought I was crazy to pull out bag after bag from our huge bins.  The recycle bin wasn't so bad...it was the trash bin that was terrible.   Oh my....when you have two big dogs that poop as much as ours, diving in the trash bin is a horrific experience (I don't plan on doing it EVER again until E loses a $300 retainer...).  Gasping for fresh air and feeling frustrated...I gave up.  What was the point anyway.  She's there and probably having a great time, while I'm elbow deep in dog poop.  Time to move on.

I spent the remaining hour and a half of my 'free time' cleaning, doing dishes (without the gloves, of course), going through paperwork, etc.  And, when 11:50 rolled around, I hopped on J's bike (it has E's bike seat on it), and meandered my way the four blocks to her school.  I must have been quite a sight, as two parents commented about what a great way to pick her up, as parking is a bit difficult.  I think they were really wondering how I was going to keep my balance on such a large bike with E in tow and my huge pregnant belly sticking out!

I was thrilled to see E as happy as can be on her little spot on the rug.  She had a GREAT day and even went potty twice without much skirt difficulty (we always wear little shorts or capris at home, but will practice with skirts now).  We biked home while she babbled about the apple artwork she had sponge painted that day and was gripping tightly on our journey home.  Daddy had lunch waiting for us and a nice, cold 7-up for stressed out Mommy.  E showed us the new ouchy on her knee (dang skirt!), and said that it was okay now.

She was okay....and finally, so was I.