first day of kindergarten

The first day of kindergarten arrived today. I was much more comfortable with this idea back when it was still months away. Celia had a good night's sleep, and woke up happy to go to school. When she woke up this morning, she got herself dressed and made her bed before coming downstairs. That's when I knew she was ready, because if she hadn't wanted to go to school she would have stayed in her nightgown and delayed getting dressed. She and Henry sat and watched a show, which is what they do most mornings when they wake up. Then Henry went to daycare, and it was just Chris and me at home with Celia to focus on getting her ready for school. Pita was very calm, and seemed happy that she was starting kindergarten. She has talked a lot about being nervous, but this morning she seemed ready to go. She wanted to help pack her backpack and make her lunch, so we did that together. She had a good breakfast, I fixed her hair, and then we went out to wait for the bus. 

Celia was completely calm and ready to go. When the bus stopped, she didn't hesitate or cling to me. She walked right up those steps and disappeared. I knew that the hardest moment, for me, would be watching that bus drive away. And it was. I spent the next half hour internally freaking out a little, hoping the bus ride was okay, hoping she wasn't too nervous once she got to school. Her bus was labeled a "mini bus", so I thought it would have fewer kids. But that bus was full! I'd forgotten how noisy a school bus full of kids could be. Then I left for work, and luckily was distracted by that all day. I got home about an hour before Celia's bus, and sat outside way too early because I was paranoid I would miss it. It came later than I thought it would, but Celia said she liked the bus ride. There are two girls from her class on the afternoon bus, and she liked that. 

Here she is, you know, just chatting about her day on the phone. No big deal.

Celia never ceases to amaze me. She is still a little girl and very dependent on Chris and me in many ways, and she has fears and anxieties before something new. But when she needs to pull herself together and do it, she is so calm and capable, and can be very independent. There were a few things she said today that made her seem years older than she was just yesterday. One was when, at dinner, I tried coaxing her to eat by making her potato dance on her plate. She said, "I'm too old for that now." She is a mature kindergarten kid now, I guess. 

I'm so glad Celia had a good day, and has told me she wants to go back to school. She also said that the day didn't seem very long. It made me laugh because for me it was probably the longest day of my life! I always thought people were a little crazy to freak out about their kids starting kindergarten, but now I know I was wrong. I have been a basket case all week, so anxious about her starting school, not sleeping... It's been terrible! I'm sure it has been much harder on me than on her, which is good. I'd rather take all the stress if it means she is happy and successful. But I'm also hoping to get a good night's sleep tonight.