First Day of School

Somehow, this sweet little girl

is now a big preschooler!

I was so worried about how she would do on her first day. Since she was 3 months old my mom had kept her everyday. This was such a huge blessing in so many different ways. Saved us money, I didn't have to worry about how well she was being taken care of and it allowed them to have a special bond. On the other hand, it meant she had little to no interaction with other little ones. This was really the main reason we went ahead and started preschool this year. I wanted her to learn how to play and make friends.

Bailey and I were both nervous about the big day. The night of orientation the kids stayed in their classroom while the parents went to the sanctuary. Bailey did great! She gave Nick and I hugs and kisses and then started coloring. This really gave me hope. The night before her first day, she and I were lying in her bed after reading her bedtime story and we were talking.

B-Let's talk about school mommy.

Me-Ok, do you have questions about school?

B-Yeah. How do you make friends?

This little convo seriously broke my heart. After more discussion about making friends and what to expect for her first day, I kissed her goodnight and closed the door to my baby's room, knowing the next day I would be opening the door to my big girl.

Nick had taken the day off work so he could go with us on the big day. In true Maxwell fashion, we were pushing it to the last minute to get to school on time. We get there, walk in the classroom, and I know immediately there's going to be trouble. Bailey's obviously nervous, and there are two little boys just screaming in the classroom. The teacher is holding one little boy and the other screamer is being held by his dad. I really think if Bailey hadn't seen this, she would have been okay. But seeing those two little ones crying made her even more nervous and scared, and as soon as we tried to leave, the waterworks started. Standing in the hallway with her, Nick was manning the stroller with Peyton, I was trying to console her and tell her everything was going to be okay. I was trying so hard not to cry, because I knew it would only make the situation worse. Thankfully, the preschool director was standing close by, and as she saw me about to lose it, she stepped in and saved the day. As Bailey willingly went with her into the classroom, Nick, Peyton and I headed out the door. I cried the whole way to the car, not caring that I looked like a blubbering mess.

Let me tell you, the 3.5 hours I had to wait until I could go pick her up were some of the longest in history. I'm pretty sure the clock simply stopped moving at one point. I was standing in the hallway outside of her classroom at a prompt 11:50 (only 10 minutes early, although I wanted to go much sooner!) waiting to squeeze my munchkin. When the teacher opened the door and started dismissing kids I kept a look out for my braided beauty. After what seemed like forever, she came rushing out of the classroom with a big grin on her face and one important question to ask me. "When can I come back to school?"