Kids never cease to surprise….

Last week at Kdg. pick-up Ethan enthusiastically announced that "next week we even get to have HOMEWORK!  I can’t wait!" as he was jumping up and down with excitement. 

I was so proud of myself for not missing a beat with my response: "Wow!  That will be great!  Because that way it can help you learn even more, right!?"

Well, yesterday was the day.  It was not very hard, but he completed it with gusto, and was so proud.   Now, if only there was a technique to help parents continue the excitement for the rest of their lives…. 

Tonight when coming in for supper Ethan exclaimed, "Ew!  That poopy diaper is REALLY bad!"

It was quickly determined that Caleb did not HAVE a poopy diaper.

Ethan: Then what IS that smell!?  It’s horrible!

Me:  Well, could it be the asiago cheese I’m melting on some bread in the oven?

Ethan: I don’t know.  Maybe…. Does it smell just EXACTLY like poop? 

My new favorite quote from Caleb:

"Mommy?  I love you forever and ever in HEAVEN!"   

Me too, Baby. 

I know, every parent (every mother, at the very least) goes through this.  But now it’s my turn to say, "No way is my first baby old enough to be in Kindergarten!  No way."

Well…. way.

And even though on Tuesday for Info/ Meet Your Teacher/ Fill Out Tons More Paperwork Day he told me that he planned on speaking to no one that day "because, you know, I get kind of shy around new people;" even though… he did great.  We talked about at least being able to be polite and he agreed he could do that much.  Then he got to play in the room while I filled out more paperwork, his teacher was really sweet and enthusiastic, and he got to meet a couple of classmates.  We also found the playground, which looks wonderful to him.  He couldn’t believe that the cafeteria tables fold up "like that."  "THOSE are TABLES!?"  How cool is it that his class is in the basement, and therefore already in the tornado shelter!  (It’s kind of built into the side of a hill, so there’s still ground- level access and windows.)  PLUS!  To get to his room we had to go through the Library, and it seemed really cool to him that his school has ITS OWN LIBRARY — and that he may actually be allowed to get books from this Library, take them home, and READ them!  Oh boy.  He also had wanted to find out if his classroom had a number on it (how like his father!), and it did.  Room number "I’m Not Allowed To Say Cuz I Have A Paranoid Husband".  Icing on the cake — a number.

By the time we left Info Day, he was literally bouncing down the hallway.  Oh, it made me feel so much better to see that he was excited again.  He told me the thing he was most excited about was the Library and that maybe he’ll get to check out a book.  Then he decided that on Thursday he’d ask Mrs. F if Kindergarteners got to do that.

So yesterday (Thursday) was Day One of a whole new life.  Caleb was really upset/ angry/ crushed that he didn’t get to stay and play too.  Cried all the way back to the truck.  Which made me want to cry, because I felt bad for him.  Ethan was somber and alert, but I knew he’d be fine.  Still, it is hard to walk away from a piece of your heart like that, even if you believe it to be the good and right thing to do.  So when I got to the truck I called Tim to say, "Well, the baby bird is learning to fly, but Caleb is sad because he wanted to stay too."

Tim asked, "Well, did Mommy cry?"

Me: "No (sniff)  Not till (choked sob) now (sob)!  Thanks a lot! (strangled laugh)"  

At pick-up time as Ethan got in the car I said, "Well, how was your first day?"   His answer: a huge grin and, "It was AWESOME!"  At some point I asked if he had asked the teacher about the Library.  He grinned again and said she told him that they DO get to check out books, and their Library day would probably be Friday.  "Not tomorrow, of course, but maybe next week." 

All in all, a success story.  So far.