The First Day of Kindergarten.

The day has finally come, Kendall started Kindergarten.  She is such a social girl that I thought Kindergarten would be no big deal.  She was anticipating it and looking forward to it all summer long.  However, last Thursday things started to be different.  I thought she was acting a bit "off".  Then Kevin confirmed my observations with a few of his own.  Then came Friday night, the big night to go by the school and see which class she was in.  As I walked her to the window to look for her name, she stopped and grabbed my hand.  "I am really nervous mom."  I was a bit surprised by this declaration, but it did explain her odd behavior.  I told her, "You should be nervous.  This is a really big deal.  The beauty of it is, all of your classmates will be just as nervous as you.  All of you are starting school for the very first time." 

The next few days, she would gradually revert to the emotional toddler that we had on our hands a few years ago.  At one point on Monday (the day before her first day), Kevin asked her, "Why are you crying?"  Her response, "I don't know...."  Then she started both laughing and crying interchangeably. Yes, she is such a girl!  We went to the meet and greet that afternoon and she met her teacher.

The morning of her first day, she woke up excited.  She put on the new outfit that Grandma Karen had made.  She also got to put in her new earrings.  She had been waiting for this day. 

After a picture with her Dad (and the customary front door picture), it was off to school we went. 

As she waited in her class line, I leaned over and asked, "Is it alright if I kiss you?"  She grabbed me by the neck with both of her arms, gave me a big kiss and off she went.  I must say I was fighting waves of emotion.  I think I had to count to 10 several times, look at the sun and think about many other distracting things to keep the waterworks at bay.  I really did not think I would be emotional, but I was.

When she got home that day she proclaimed, "I LOVE KINDERGARTEN!"  Our little girl is back to normal, all of her anxiety is gone.  She has already made two new friends and complained her second day that the big kids got to go in the playground and the Kindergartners did not.  Let the fun begin!