First Day of School!

We made it: today was Reese's first day of 'school!'

Last night we picked out clothes to wear, and Mommy began packing her lunch box and double checking everything for labels.

When Reese woke up (at almost 7:30AM, kind of late for her) and I asked her where she was going today she got very excited and almost sprang out of bed shouting, "School! I'm going to school today!" The excitement wore off when our morning routine continued semi-normally after that, unfortunately school doesn't start until 9AM.
(To kill some time we took pictures and a video to document this momentous occasion.)


Once she had breakfast and was dressed, she insisted on wearing her backpack and carrying her lunch box for nearly a half hour leading up to our departure. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to convince her to surrender the back pack for the ride to school. Luckily she realized they wouldn't fit in her car seat.


When we got the school, masses of moms and kids were converging on the parking lot and walkways. Reese gawked at all the kids and donned her backpack and lunch bag for the walk to class.

As we approached her classroom all other sounds were drowned out by screaming children. While Reese was the fourth or fifth kiddo to arrive, from the door I could only spot one child that wasn't in a state of absolute melt down. I had to wait a few minutes for the teachers to tag-team their barricade of the door so Reese could walk in without letting any of her distraught classmates escape. I was worried the sight of other kids crying would send her over the edge, but to help her and the teachers out, I said my quick good bye and high-tailed it out of the building. When I left, she was standing by a table staring at the kids who were crying.

Daddy is working from home in the afternoons now (a recent change after our most recent baby #2 check up), so he came with me to pick Reese up around one o'clock. On the drive there we placed bets on everything from how dirty she'd be (paint, dirt, and/or food), if she'd even be in her original set of clothes, to how much of her lunch she'd have eaten.

When we arrived, the teachers were a little busy, so I didn't get a full run down on her day from them or if she cried when I left, but one teacher mentioned, "She's SO smart," and the other said her backpack and lunchbox combo were "absolutely the cutest." I don't mind that they didn't have more time to chat--I know first hand how hectic the first day of school can be, and with 2-year olds I'm sure the drama is magnified.

Reese was excited to see us at the door and was all smiles on the way to the car. When we asked her about her day she told us that she played games and sang songs (the ABCs and "The Wheels on the Bus"). That was about all we could get out of her. It's strange to not know what she did for part of her day and to have to rely on her recall. From past experiences, we know that her interpretations of things get a little muddied in the retelling sometimes. But, I guess it's a good thing to get used to--for both of us.

We got Reese home and got her ready for nap. I was hoping the school experience would have worn her out and produced a long power nap, but no such luck. Her lunch box didn't contain a scrap of food so we figure 1. she ate it all (what a shock that would be) 2. she "shared" her food with other kids or 3. the teachers threw away any left overs. Regardless, she seemed to be in a great mood this afternoon and was very happy and cooperative. Let's hope that trend continues! We'll see come Monday.


On a side note, we went out for hamburgers tonight at Mighty Fine as a special Friday treat. To our surprise, Reese devoured most of a 1/4lbs burger. Watching her hold the burger and take bites was pretty comical and we wished we had brought our camera. (This was her first hamburger experience of any kind.) She particularly enjoyed eating the lettuce and tomatoes. Initially she took the meat patty off the burger, but in the end she gave in and tried the meat (with hearty helpings of ketchup of course) and loved it.