This has been a week of change for us. A couple of weeks ago we found out that Kathryn did not get into the daycare we had hoped for this fall. She has been on the wait list for 2.5 years (yes, before she was even born). Honestly, I was a little heartbroken because I really loved the facility, but there's nothing you when they aren't any spots available.
So we had to move to a plan "B", quickly. Frustrating? Absolutely, but it needed to be done. After researching the quality of local places, we found a place that seems like it will be a great place for K. They consistently have great scores when inspections are done and when I went to visit it 'felt' like a good fit too. Honestly, I still wish she got into our first choice, but I'm confident this happened for a reason.
When I visited the school, they mentioned that they were looking to expand their summer program and actually had spots open at the beginning of June, rather than waiting until fall. E. J. and I talked about it and thought this might be good for her to start 'school' a little early and make the transition from staying with my MIL.
So for a couple of weeks we started really to 'hype' school and how much fun it will be to learn new things and meet new friends. Monday morning rolled around and it was time to transition into our new routine. There are little things that are different like giving her breakfast in the morning. Normally, I just packed everything up and she would eat when she got to my MIL's house.
I'm also not used to having company in the backseat on our 40 minute commute to work. Kathryn's favorite game is to point out the 15 or so different oil wells that we pass and announce each one, "OY-EL". Only in Texas, right?
When we pulled up to school, Kathryn immediately saw the playground and yelled "We're at Kathryn's schooooool!!". She was so excited! We walked in and were greeted by her teachers who said that she must be 'Kathryn' (since it was a face that they didn't recognize), which was comforting to me knowing that they were expecting her.
K's cubby was already prepared with her name on it so we put her stuff away and I talked with her for a minute before I said goodbye. She definitely sensed I was leaving and was holding on to my leg, then reached out for me like I was leaving her for good. So sad.
When I told her I was leaving she told me "I need you, mommy". Cue my time to hold back the tears and be strong for her as she started crying. She gave me the tightest hug. Her teacher was very sweet and eventually held her to distract K before I left.
When I was walking down the hallway, I didn't hear K crying anymore, which didn't surprise me because she's normally easy to calm down, but it was me that needed the calming. I may or may not have called E. J. and started crying. Ummm...
Her super cool new backpack from The Maloney's!
Since it was her first day ever being in 'school', I took the day off so she could stay for a few hours to get a feel for it. I think in someways it was little harder on all of us now that she can talk and understand that we're leaving her for the day, rather than her being used to it from a much younger age.
After 3 hours I went to pick her up from school. I was so excited/nervous to find out how it went. When I got there she was eating her strawberries at the table with the rest of the kids like it was no big deal. She saw my face and started clapping and yelling "mommy!!". I've never seen her so excited to see me. She ran up and gave me the biggest hug. It was then that I knew everything would be ok.
Her teachers told me that she did great. As soon as I left, she was playing with the other kids and never once cried. Phew. Big relief for mom and dad.
As K and I were walking out she turned to me and said, "Mommy, I meet friends at school". She might as well ripped my heart right out of my chest at that moment.
As a treat, we met with E. J. at K's favorite place, Chick-Fil-A, so she could tell E. J. all about school.
Success tastes so good
You gotta have ice cream after your big first day of school
Love my Bug
Tuesday and Wednesday also went well. She cried for a few moments when I dropped her off, but all was fine as soon as I left. I got a call late Wednesday afternoon that Kathryn had a bit of a fever and hadn't been herself much of the day. That explains why she barely slept at all Tuesday night and was up crying for most of the evening. By the time I brought her home, she had a 102.5* fever.
The upside of a sick Kathryn...she'll sit still! That girl laid in bed with us for over an hour watching Curious George and she didn't move. Unheard of! As much as I don't want to see her sick, I'll take the welcomed cuddles any day. There is a price though, as I write this, I'm battling the 'daycare crud'.
But earlier this week, I was feeling much better and entered into the last year of my 20's. E. J. made a delicious dinner (fajitas, my fave) and he even made me a tasty birthday cake too, topped with candles that re-lit themselves. I eventually gave up. I still hope that means my wish comes true ;).
As the week comes to an end, I'm ready for us to all be 100% healthy again, for sure! But mostly, I'm excited for Kathryn as she transitions to a new stage with many new experiences.
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