Preschool

Yesterday was Emery's first day of preschool. I woke up at 5:30 am, and just held on to her as tightly as I could without waking her. I stared at her little features; those cheeks and the button nose. I gently counted her little fingers and toes. I watched as she made some of the same faces in her sleep as she did when she was a baby. God, I wanted to stay in that moment forever.  To me, this is the true beginning of change. It's also the reality that my daughter is really growing up. Now I'm not a crazy person that truly believes her daughter would stay little forever. That's not what I'm really mourning (at least I don't think it is). What is really hitting me is that all of those little moments and milestones have come and gone. There is no more going back, and we're about to hit the ground running. Full speed ahead. You see, when she was three months I was comforted by knowing that she would still be in that "baby state" for a few more months at the least. I'd get to enjoy it longer. Now, she's changing and growing in so many different ways...daily. She's losing those baby features too. And of course children always need their parents, but I had to ask her twice to let me get her dressed for school. To which she replied "Ugh. Mooom. I can do it by myself." Well, I know you can kid, but just let mom do it one last time. FYI: She did!  So there I was, having an itty bitty pity party for myself when I whispered "It's your first day of school, little." She sprang up from bed with a "MOM! It's my first day of school! I have to get dressed! We can't be late mom!! Hurry!" I don't think I've ever had such a quick morning in my life. She brushed her teeth, found her shoes, and had her back pack ready to go well before it was time to leave. She grabbed the keys, and all but shoved me out the door. When we arrived at her school we had about 10 minutes before early care started. So, I went over how she needed to be nice to the other kids. Tackling someone just to sit on them was a no-no. Listen to the teachers. Try not to be rude. Please let an adult know if you need to go potty. etc, etc. As we walked in, she greeted everyone with a "Good morning!" or a "Hello!" I turned in her completed admissions paper work, and walked with her to the early care room. I said goodbye, and she gave me a kiss. As I walked away she said "Love you, mom." I made it to the parking lot before shedding some tears. 

Since my father doesn't work during the week he'll be the one to pick her up on the days she has school. But it being her first day and all I decided to meet him there to show him how to sign her out. I also wanted to see how her first day had gone. Once we arrived I was  informed by one of her teachers that there were a few tears in early care after I had left. Is it completely horrible that I was a teeny tiny bit glad about this? But they quickly dissipated once she was taken into her regular room (the one she spent time in at the teacher meet/greet). I was told she did really well, and was very interactive with all of the other kids. When I asked her about her day she quickly told me about the crying. Then just as quickly she stated she would not cry the next time because it wasn't so bad. She had plenty of stories to share and let me know that she made friends. This is completely bittersweet to me. I am so proud of her, and I cannot wait to see how much she accomplishes and learns this year. Getting to see my little girl grow, and learn is a really amazing experience! It's a blessing that I'm thankful for each and every day. And yet, I can't help but feel this small tug on my heart that's reminding me: This is it. This is the first and last time that she'll be just like this. Tomorrow she'll be a little bit more different. I wish I could prolong it. I wish I could pause it just for a few moments. Or bottle it up to carry it with me always. However, since that's out of the question, I'll just have to learn to pay extra close attention. I'll have to make sure that I don't miss a single thing as Emery embarks on her new adventure. 

Life Lately

Two weeks from today I'll go into my second to last semester (fingers crossed) of college. Then it'll be off to a University a lot closer to home. Two weeks from today Emery will be getting ready to head off to her first day of Pre-K. I can't believe that this summer is almost over, and yet I can't wait for fall to begin. It's been really hot and dry this summer. We've had one thing after another fail at this new house, which was of no fault to anyone really, just things that needed to be fixed. We've fostered two dogs, and the last one is "this close" to being in his forever home with my parents. I'm so ready to be back to a one dog house. Without even realizing it summer kind of just flew by. Here's a little glimpse into it:

We saw an old friend of ours play at a local bar. Emery decided she wanted her ears pierced. We were asked to be in the 4th of July parade. Draco has gotten bigger since the last time you guys saw him. We've spent every other weekend at the local flea market; enjoying roasted corn and snow cones. For Christina's birthday we all went out to see the Toadies play at a local venue which was pretty awesome! Emery officially finished her swimming lessons two weeks ago. Next year, the teacher will not be doing these classes, but she enjoyed Emery so much that she offered to give her private lessons next year! Since Emery is pretty bonded with her we've decided to go ahead and plan for that. Christina's last week with us ended on Friday. It was awesome of her to stay with us and I'm super grateful for her. Our summer would have been a lot different if she hadn't stepped up to help us. Thank you, Stina!! Now it's back to finding a schedule that works for us again. This is one of the things I absolutely hate about going to school so far away. Our lives get interrupted, and Emery goes through a rough adjustment period. But it has to be done, and I'm glad that I'm almost finished at this school. I just have to hold on a bit longer. So, here we go again! And from my family to yours, we hope everyone's had a wonderful summer! 

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