First Day of School - Part I

Samantha started preschool today. My baby is growing up! She was excited and nervous (and so was I!). Last night, we packed her lunch and her backpack, set out her clothes and picked out a blanket and stuffed animal for nap time. She chose her very favorite dress, the green one with white polka-dots. (She loves this dress so much that I actually had to buy an identical one in a larger size so that she could continue to wear it! The new one lives on the top rack of her closet and is reserved for special events, like the first day of school.) This morning, I curled her hair and we put green butterfly barrettes in. I say "we" because first I did it, then she took them out and did it herself (with horrendous results - hair was everywhere!), and then she finally let me take them out and fix it. Then we took some pictures in front of the tree and were off to school! She was timid at first, especially when we first walked in the room and all the kids turned to look at her. She is the only new kid this week, joining 2 other girls and about 10 boys. But there will be more little girls starting next week, so she has a bit of a jump start on them. Jeanne, her teacher, took our picture and then helped Sammie get settled in the classroom while Jeff and I left. There were no tears, no 'please don't leave me!' but I could see a level of anxiety in her eyes. She's a brave girl, and she is excited about growing up, but this is a new experience for her. She's been at our daycare since she was 3 months old, and she loves it there. This was foreign and scary. Soon, though, she'll love it, I'm sure! I'm excited to hear how her first day goes!