First Day of School

Emmy had her first day of preschool yeterday.

She had been chatting about it before she went to sleep last night.  It was the first thing she  spoke of  when she woke up.

Excitement. My little girl who is sometimes shy couldn't wait to go to school. 

I was excited to.  Two whole hours to get something done while Madison napped.  Dare I hope that a clean(er) house might be in my future.  Maybe a chance to paint my toenails or get caught up on email.  Or even better-to blog.

I was a little trepiditious to.  Would there be tears? Would my sweet child morph into someone I didn't even know with all of those other children and parents looking on. Would she screaming and fling herself into my body refusing to enter the classroom? Would she be responsible for starting a chain reaction of crying and pleading from other litttle ones?

I had prepared Emmy for the fact that she would be at school with her friends and teachers-without mommy.  She knew though that I would be there waiting for her ready to hear about all the fun she had when school was over.

On the way to school, she was squirmy and smiley in her car seat chattering away telling Madison all about her school.

At the preschool, her little friend yelled her name when she saw her and rushed to meet her outside the door to the classroom.  We joined the throng of parents who stood waiting to shepard their little ones into class as soon as the teacher opened the door.

We all knew the doorway to the classroom was an invisible DO NOT CROSS line as we starred at the closed door. They had asked us not to enter the classroom for many reasons.  The main one being that if our child sees us there, they will want us to stay and it will remind other little ones that their mommies and daddies weren't there. 

When the teacher opened the door, Emily's little friend grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the door among the other little ones and their parents.  She didn't wait for me as other parents pushed ahead with their children.  Ahead my baby went with me several people behind, rushing to enter the classroom with her hand in that of her little friend.

At the doorway, she stopped looking around.  It was then she realized, "where's my mommy?"  Her head turned side to side trying to locate me amongst the other adults crowded into the small hall. I heard her little cry of "Mommy!"

I couldn't get to her which was probably a good thing since at that moment my first instinct was to rush to her and pick her up.  Her teacher, God love her, picked her up and spoke quietly to her and held her as she greeted all the little ones at the door.

One lone tear trickled down Emmy's cheek but she wasn't looking for me anymore nor was she sniffling.  She was content right where she was.  This is where she wanted to be.  In school. She looked around in awe, curiousity replacing the look of fear on her face. 

In some small place inside, I was almost a little disappointed at how easily she transitioned to being a preschooler.  This is the  first time that cord that keeps her to me is starting to unfurl.  One day I know it will have to be cut.  Thank goodness, that is a long, long way in the very, very distant future. 

Those two hours flew right by and it came time to return to pick her up.  When they called Emily's name to leave, she burst through the door running towards me with a smile and a sheet of paper that she had painted.

That smile said it all.

If anyone asks, she is now officially a big girl. Not because she is three.  But because she is in school.