See, just yesterday, she was my tiny baby girl (well, at 9lbs 3oz, she wasn't exactly TINY, but she was awfully little still!):
I sent her off to her first day of preschool two years ago without much issue. It was hard to see her growing up, but it was only four hours a week and I could handle sharing her for that long. Look how little she was! And look at all that hair!
I sent her off to her first day of the 4's class last year without much issue as well. She was gone for ten hours a week, but still, she was mostly mine. I'm discovering I have problems sharing, apparently! SHE'S MINE, ALL MINE!
This year is harder. It's KINDERGARTEN. It's FULL DAY Kindergarten. Including bus rides to and from school, she'll be gone about 7 hours a day. I have to rely on other people to keep my baby girl safe and happy. I'm not the one that gets to comfort her when/if she's sad. I don't get to doctor her up if she gets hurt. This is the first time I really have to LET GO of her a little bit, and let her start the process of becoming a young lady and, someday, a woman.
She's still my little girl... Yesterday, she was running through the house in dress-up stuff, laughing the goofiest laugh I've ever heard, singing some high-pitched made-up song, and enjoying childhood. And she spent a good portion of the day angry that no matter how many times she says, "I believe in fairies," she has yet to see a real fairy. My baby girl still believes in fairies! I hope she always does. The innocence of childhood is so amazing. I hope for her that no matter how grown up she becomes and how busy her life becomes, she always takes the time to remember that, once upon a time, she believed in fairies, that daddy was the king, and mommy was the queen, and the world was a good and friendly place. I hope as she starts on this journey into adulthood that she finds friends and laughter and good times that far outweigh the heartaches and sorrows and troubles that come with growing up.
Today, my baby girl heads off to Kindergarten...
She likes to pose...
And she's a little silly!
She had her new backpack she talked me into buying ("but mom, my other backpack was my PRESCHOOL backpack, I need a KINDERGARTEN backpack!"--who can argue with THAT logic?)
She had her double-sided drawing for her teacher (scanner's very sensitive and picked up both sides at once...) side one:
side two:
She had the card I made for her, wishing her a good first day of school and reminding her to be a good listener!
We took her to lunch at McDonald's to celebrate such an important day. She's pretty excited:
We got to school just as her friend Rachel was arriving!
Look at them two years ago... Oh, how they've grown.
Hand in hand, heading to class together
Posing for the obligatory pictures with the teacher (who is FABULOUS; I love her already and the year has barely begun!)
Some final goodbyes (and despite my best intentions of doing so, I forgot to hand off the camera to have myself included in a picture as well...)
Getting started on her very first Kindergarten project
And there you have it, my baby girl starting a new journey...
(I'll post the pics of her getting off the bus late tonight or tomorrow; I'm plum out of time for now!)
4 comments:
Leah, Your daughter is just the most gorgous thing on earth. I love seeing her grow and can see why you don't want to share.... I am sure you will be there to remind her of when she believed in fairys.... take some time to write her another letter telling her how you felt on her first day of kindergarden and she will read that when her little girl starts her first day and probably be feeling the same way. HUGS LEAH.
Ooooh!! :( I'm all teary...partly cause I remember those pics...not all but most. CRY!
She looks wonderful and so happy! I see we had the same idea about McD's today! lol It makes everything all better, doesn't it? I love that her and Rachel had the same theme of backpacks too!
You have a wonderful way with words....your paragraph about believing in fairies and remembering this world as a wonderful place....you should really scrapbook that paragraph next to her kindergarten pictures for her to read later in life!
So sweet...both these asn the school bus pictures! You captured all the moments...even if the door of the bus was in hte way...she'll never thing "GEE mom, you could have caught that better" She'll be thankful that you got it at all on her FIRST BIG DAY!
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