First Day

He woke up squealing, "I'm so cited!" Dropping the "ex" is a sign of real + true excitement here. It was Buby's first day of school. He ran into our bed hoping to catch "just a few minutes" of Playhouse Disney while I nursed + bathed Bleu. After he washed, dressed and brushed, My Sweets made him a big fat blueberry pancake. Then we grabbed the blue backpack and all piled out the front door. Buby sort of skipped and tripped down the front step. An itty bitty scraped knee. An "I'm okay." A sigh of relief from us that we're still starting the day off on the right foot. Apparently, two of them.







Buby was pensive in the car. I think he sensed the momentousness of the day. And so did I. Please don't let us be late on his very first day. And boy am I glad we didn't go with the school 48 minutes away {that's with no bus traffic}. My guys held hands as they walked across the lawn of the school {note to self: drop-off and pick-up in this crowded little lot is going to be a nightmare... I might even have to learn to parallel park.}


We were greeted at the door by the director. We continued down the hall to the Starfish room and saw Buby's teacher Cathy. She seems sweet. Older but not old. Fun but firm. Her hair is short + dark, curly and soft {not that I touched it}. Cathy has been teaching 3 year olds at this school for 19 years. I like her. She intimidates me a little bit. She will be a new force in my Buby's life. An authority. Someone he may always remember. I hope I keep liking her.







The class is 7 girls and 4 boys. Bien sure. Every class Buby has ever taken has been predominantly girls. What's with that? Do moms of boys not leave their houses? Anyway, Buby walked right in with great curiosity and enthusiasm. He was game. Cathy showed him to his personalized cubby and coat hook. Daddy ducked in for another quick hug + kiss. From the hallway I heard Buby ask, "Where's Mama?" We met halfway, and Buby threw open his arms to give me a bear hug and firm pucker on the cheek. That was nice. We didn't practice that. "I love you, Bubs." "I love you, too." And that was that. I have no idea what he did or said or thought after that. I nervously asked Cathy, "Is that it? Are you done with us?" We were the only parents left. She just looked at me and laughed, as to say "Amateurs." Oh, okay. We'll leave now.







It does feel strange to leave anywhere without one of your kids. This one has been my every day for the last 3 years. But I'm incredibly proud + "cited." Go Buby! My Sweets worked from his Blackberry so he could be there. Told you he was AmAzInG! We're all stronger when he's around. Though I did tear up as we pulled away in the Jeep. Do we really have to leave the grounds? What if he needs us and we're not here? So we took Bleu grocery shopping in the nearest town. My flip phone saw some wear + tear... I kept checking just in case it rang and I didn't hear. Suddenly it was time to pick him up. Wow, that was fast! We sped back to the school as I thought again, please don't let us be late on his very first day.







Back at school, Buby looked relieved to see us. And us him. He was slightly less sure than when we left. His eyes tired. We asked him where he wanted to go for his special School Boy lunch date and he responded, "I just want to go home." Okay. In the car, My Sweets + I took turns firing questions at Buby. "So what was it like?" "Did you have fun?" "Did you meet any new friends?" "What did you think of Miss Cathy?" "Did you go to the bathroom?" "Did you walk down the hall alone or did someone go with you?" "Did you keep your shoes on?" "You closed the door to the stall, right?" "What about art... what did you draw today?" Nothing. Buby's only response was "You tell me." He was content but still taking it all in and not ready to spill. Over the next few hours tidbits of his first day would trickle out. And we just had to catch them and piece it together for ourselves. That's the hardest thing... knowing that we will never again know everything he does or says in a day. As he gets older, there are things he'll share and things he won't. Gulp.

After a few hours of downtime at home we told Buby to pick a restaurant for dinner. Any restaurant. He said, "The one with the big fish on the wall." That would be the island-themed place we just dined with Grandma DJ two weeks ago. It's his fave. He especially loves the ginormous Adirondack chairs in the lobby. All in all, a cool day in paradise. We'll see how Friday goes now that Buby knows what's up.