Aaron's First Day of Preschool

As I had predicted Aaron had no trouble with his first day of preschool. I think that he has been ready for this next step for a very long time and even though it has been emotionally difficult, I have been ready for this too. The night before, he and I ran down to Wal Mart to get a last minute hair cut so that he would be looking his best for his big day and I also let him pick out an alarm clock which he thought was a HUGE deal. He got up with his alarm at 7:00 AM, got himself all dressed, and came out of his room ready for his first day of school.

I had his breakfast waiting for him, waffles as usual, and he was so worried about messing up his outfit that he refused to use any syrup at all. Smart kid!

He doesn't have to be at school until 8:30AM but he was ready with his jacket and backpack on by 7:40AM. I think he was a little excited.


A friend of mine, Leslie, had a picture on her blog of her and her daughter from behind heading into school and I thought that it was the sweetest picture ever. I got chocked up every time that I told anyone about it and Mike took a shot like that of me and Aaron heading in that morning. I love him.
Walking across the street with Aaron I started to get really emotional. It's amazing how fast four years worth of memories can run though your mind all in an instant. We got inside and I helped him hang up his jacket and backpack and he immediately went to play. I was so glad that he was so comfortable. Once I had the pickup routine squared away with the teacher it was time to say goodbye. I kept it brief, I couldn't handle much more, and I just hugged him, told him that I loved him, and headed for the door. I looked back, I had to look back, to make sure that he was ok and he was completely busy playing with his brand new friends. I waited until we got to the hallway and then cried like a baby.

The day went by quickly. Elyse and I had some great alone time and get this, she even took a nap and I had two hours to take care of things completely uninterrupted. Crazy huh?

Finally it was time to pick him back up and I felt like I couldn't get there fast enough. While I was waiting for him in the hallway, I stood up on my tip toes to see if I could see him and he was quietly sitting at a table with all of the other children that were waiting to be picked up. I could tell that he was kind of looking to see if I was there and when he saw me he got this sweet grin on his face and I almost began sobbing all over again. I held it together though.

To my disappointment he had little to say about his day, but I could tell that he was really tired. Eventually he shared a few bits and pieces like the fact that two boys got time outs and that he never did fall asleep at nap time. He was proud of himself for remembering to use his napkin like a picnic blanket like I had shown him, and while he couldn't remember any of the other children's names, it seemed obvious that he had made some new friends.

What an exciting time. I have already been flooded with letters about PTA and homeroom parents, fundraisers and school t-shirt order forms, and I'm loving it. This is what the last four years have been about; getting him and I to this point. He started out as a helpless baby that I had to do everything for and yesterday he became a preschooler. I am so excited to see what comes next because I have no doubt that he is going to do great.