Well folks, she did it. As of today, we’ve got a full-blown preschooler on our hands! And like she does everything in life, she did it with a lot of passion and a little bit of sass. Last night, we packed Clara’s new space backpack, a gift that has been sitting dormant in the guest bedroom for weeks now. Extra clothes in case of accidents, winter gear for outdoor adventures, nut-free snacks for mid-morning sustenance. Then, we picked out her outfit, an adorable navy dress with gold accents- one of my recent favorite consignment shop finds! As I tucked her into bed, I asked her if she was excited to go to school, and with a grin taking over her face, she exclaimed, Yeah Mommy, I a big girl now!
Flash forward to 6:17am, up and at ‘em! It’s time to go to school, Mommy! I get my backpack. An hour, half a banana, and lots of coffee for mom later, we began prepping for our day. Clara endured the obsessive photo shoot just about as well as she always does… that’s where the sass comes in. I swear, for a three-year-old, she really has mastered the eye roll! Aside from a bit of school bus traffic, the morning was a success. I cherish car rides with my girls, Clara talking my ear off as Eloise oohs and ahhs at her favorite things: trees. Despite how much I tried to circle back to school, our chat this morning centered around Santa for some reason.
Clara: I want to buy a pony.
Me: You can’t have a pony.
Clara: I need to buy a pretend pony.
Me: Well, you should start thinking about what you want to ask for from Santa!
Clara: I need Santa. I love Santa. He’s soft.
Me: Yeah! Next month, Santa is going to visit our house and bring prizes for you and Eloise.
Clara: I want to show Santa my room and my bed and Danny and Doggie and Monkey and my heater.
Me: Well honey, Santa isn’t going to come into your room. He has a lot of kids he visits in just one night, so he comes after you go to sleep. He’ll come down the chimney and leave prizes for you under our Christmas tree!
Clara: Ohhhhhh. I need to show Santa my bathrobe. And slippers.
Me: Okay, well, we’ll see about that.
She’s so sweet, so innocent, and so passionate about the things she loves. I knew that arguing about getting a pony or trying to explain how she won’t actually see Santa on Christmas Eve would be fruitless; when that girl has her mind set on something, she’ll go to the ends of the earth to see it happen. (Trust me, you should’ve been part of the “big juice” meltdown during dinner last night. Seriously fun times.)
We pulled into the parking lot and headed toward the school. The director, Miss Betsy, answered the door and walked us to Clara’s classroom. She had her very own cubby with her name on it all ready to go. Her teacher, Miss Becky, greeted us warmly. A bit timid at first, Clara hugged my leg. I helped her put her things away as several of her new classmates came over. With two boys ogling at Eloise, Clara was introduced to about three or four of who could very well turn out to be her new friends. She immediately let go of my leg and walked over to the table games without a care in the world! And that was that. Eloise and I were left alone for the next three hours, Clara having stepped into the next phase of her life with all the skills she needs in her brain and in her heart.
I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect when I picked her up, but it was basically the best case scenario. She came roaring out of the play space, excitedly exclaiming that it was dinosaur day. She took a girl’s hand and told me, this is Scarlett, she’s my new friend. We got her things, she asked for milk, told me I a big thirsty Mommy, and we headed for home. With dried blue paint dotting her arms, she flopped on the couch as soon as we arrived. For a brief moment, I flashed forward to having a high school student, so exhausted from juggling academics and extracurriculars that she just has to collapse for twenty minutes. But as quickly as the flash came, it soon left as I heard, Mommy I need mac and cheese and watch a New Ariel please. (New Ariel, otherwise known as The Little Mermaid Live that we DVR’d for her, is her new obsession. And yes, we’re currently accepting your thoughts and prayers.) So I suppose with that, Day One is in the books!
