School Days

Tuesday, August 31, 2010 was the VERY first day of school for Kiss and Cookie.  Yes, there will be many, many more "First" days, but this will always be the FIRST, first day.  I can be a bit sentimental like that, and in this case was!  It was a great first day.  It was filled with growth and love and new friendships. It was exactly what a First Day should be.

It was also filled with tears and crying, from Kiss, from Cookie and from Mommy.

Here are some highlights!
The kids are attending Christ United Methodist School For Little People (SFLP) on Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday.  They are in separate classrooms!!  Kiss has Ms. Sylvia & Cookie has Ms. Whitney.  I really love the school and their teachers.  This is a GREAT place.  The SFLP is about 1/2 mile from our house so we also know a lot of the kids that attend.  This is very nice for Mommy since I have 2 classrooms to get to know and 22 kids to remember!  We are the only set of multiples that have "split" but Cookie has a set of triplets in his room (we know them from Kindermusik & gymnastics).

Daddy & Cookie at SFLP Open House

Miss Kiss had a good first day.
There was excitement on the way to class, but then a few tears when Daddy said goodbye.

Monkey (Kiss) & Frog (Cookie) backpacks courtesy of fairy godparents

The report was that there were a few more tears as the day went on (lot's of "new" kids and some younger two's as well in her class) and she was more than ready when I arrived to pick her up 4 hours later.

Go home!

When we got home she went straight to her night-night (blanket) and told her all about her day!  Ms. Sylvia, a BOY named Jake (not just a dog name - interesting) and that she was home just like she had promised!!  It was seriously priceless!

Night-night, school was so fun!

Day two was rough!  She knew what was going on and wanted little part of it, but when I went to pick her up she was too busy helping clean up to want to go home!!  Yippee. Back home to see night-night and fill her in on the day.  She did tell night-night that it was "pretty fun, uh, huh"!


Day Three.  No tears at drop off, ate most of her lunch, finished an art project and had a grand day.  Ms. Sylvia said she was a super helper and also soothed Cookie on the playground.  When we left she said "More Church, More Church!!" (we also go to church as CU so she still associates it more with church than school).  This was music to my ears!  Now we just need to get her to nap after school and we will be in business.

A GREAT first week of school for Miss Kiss!!

Master Cookie was not quite as on board with school as Kiss and not so eager to even get out of the car!  He didn't start crying until I walked into the classroom where he had to be peeled off me like a barnacle and proceeded to carry on like a Howler Monkey!  It was lots of tears for me and Cookie as I said goodbye and beat a hasty retreat.  I had gotten the sage advice "like a bandaid".
Ms. Whitney called around 10am to say that, although he still had a death grip on the backpack & lunchbox, he was no longer crying.  He & Kiss share outside playtime and once he saw her was much calmer!  We said NO! to blankets & paci's at school so his "comforts" from home are the lunchbox, backpack and ,of course, his sister!  He couldn't wait to get out of there when I went to pick him up, but said it was "Ok". (His classroom has mostly older twos and many kids that attended the toddler room last year - Kiss & Cookie were too young to attend last year, they are middle two's as they turn 2 1/2 in Sept.)

Ready or not, here I come!!

Day Two.  Howler Monkey from the time we walked in the door.  Screaming in the hallway and refusing to move.  Once in classroom resumed death grip on backpack & lunchbox.  I left streaming tears and sick to my stomach.....

Ms. Whitney called around 10am to say that he was chill.  That he and Kiss said howdy on the playground, switched sunglasses and were then off to do their own thing.  He had relinquished his grip on backpack & lunchbox and was doing pretty well. When I went to pick him up he wanted to stay and play with the wooden blocks.  Smile!!!!

Day Three.  A few tears, but there was no real drama behind them this time.  We all knew that he was going to have a fun day.  He was willing to give up the backpack but the lunchbox was still a must have.  At pick up he was good to go.  Waved goodbye and was all smiles.

SFLP rocks!  Kiss & Cookie Rock!  Pre pre-school Rocks!!  I'm exhausted.....

Exhausted and ready to be back home!

As for Mommy.  It has been a long week.  In addition to starting school we began a new bedtime routine.  At 30 months I had hit my limit of 4 hour bedtimes.  I just can't rub backs for two hours - so we started the dreaded "sleep training".  It has been hard but tonight they both feel asleep after just a little fussing and no full on screaming (they are clearly exhausted - note above, me too!).  On top of all that I am pretty sick and my Fall allergies are in full swing.  Bummer.  All that aside, it was another great week in Mommyhood!

This latest "first" was awesome.  I am always awed by the great blessing that  have in Kiss & Cookie and the amazing responsibility that I have to them.  It can be hard for me to let go.  Each "first" is also a last and only for me.  I treasure these moments beyond measure and they are bittersweet.  My babies have left the "Bubble".  They are being influenced by kids that I haven't handpicked, teachers that I haven't done full personal history checks on, activities that I didn't personally select.  They will make new friends and have new experiences that I will not be directly involved in.  This is exactly what I want and yet it is HARD to acknowledge that they are not babies anymore.  It is days and moments like these that re enforce the biggest lesson parenthood has taught me.
This is the only moment of its kind.  Cherish it, love it, hold it -oh so briefly - in your heart, and then wish it goodbye as you prepare to embrace the next moment.

Goodbye my babies.

Hello my pre-schoolers!