Monday, August 23, 2010

I just left my heart in a classroom up the street

Update: I just drove by Hadley's school on my way to Target and *may* have slowed down, okay stopped in the parking lot, to watch her play on the playground (I know, I know). She was having a blast trying to tote a giant bucket of sand around. That's my girl.

The pink, blue, and green flowered backpack with "Hadley" monogrammed sweetly across the front was ready to go. It was packed full of diapers, a change of clothes, a blanket, and Hadley's favorite stuffed mouse. Her little lunchbox laid waiting on the kitchen counter, stuffed with cheese, crackers, and apple slices. Everything down to her socks was labeled. Hadley was enjoying her breakfast of greek yogurt and fruit. I pushed my bangs out of my eyes as I ate my toast and sipped coffee, silently wondering what in the world I would do all day while she was gone.

Then, the pace picked up and there was no more time for contemplation. There were breakfast dishes to wash, a baby to nurse, and a toddler to dress. As we got everyone ready to head out, Hadley tugged on my leg and pointed to her first-day outfit, declaring herself, "Cute!" And oh was she. She didn't even protest when I slid a little white bow into her hair. That was a first. Then, we all traipsed outside to load up the car and take a few pictures of our newly minted pre-schooler. Hadley obliged us by dragging her pretty backpack around, and we made fools of ourselves trying to get her to look at the camera. Despite her insistence on playing with rocks and leaves instead, the pictures turned out fairly well. Before we knew it, it was time to go.

In a whirlwind, we had the kids strapped into the car and had driven the two minutes to the school. We unloaded, unpacked Hadley in her classroom, and looked on as she dove right into the scene. She was so busy climbing the indoor slide and rocking on rocky horses that she didn't even realize we were preparing to leave. Kisses and quick goodbyes later and we were on our way out. My heart was heavy but luckily, little H didn't seem to care that we were leaving. Her whole world was changing and she was loving every minute of it.

2 comments:

Cassie said...

Oh my goodness, preschool! Such a big deal. I think big changes like that are almost always harder on us than they are on them. :) I hope you have a nice day, although I'm sure you'll be counting down the hours until she's home.

Mrs. Ca said...

I'm sure she'll have a great day, and I hope you've had a great day too. It's so hard, but I know my daughter has gotten a ton out of having a structured day with different activities than we do at home, plus the socialization. It's hard watching them grow up and away, though, isn't it?

I found you via Cassie's site - I'm sure I'll be back!

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