The first came on Wednesday morning when we said goodbye to Daniel for his first overnight TDY (= temporary duty, for you non-military folks) since we became a family of four, and expecting our fifth family member. I was quite nervous about parenting the two boys by myself, but, so far, it really has gone quite well. I normally do from before breakfast to dinner time by myself anyway, so there are only a few hours of the day that Daniel is usually, consistently home and helping. But those evening hours, when my energy is waning and usually we tackle two bedtimes together was the part I was nervous about. But I've had three nights now and we've managed every one just fine. It's not exactly our normal routine, but both boys have ended up snugly in bed and seem to be sleeping just fine.
Wednesday morning was also another big event. We attended the Open House morning at Lucas' new preschool. He's been SO looking forward to preschool all summer, and I was very much hoping that he'd continue his excitement once we saw the classroom and met his teachers. He did. *grin* We got to decorate a place mat for his snack time, and he played with some of the toys in the room. It was really a great introduction to his teachers and the classroom, and he was very excited to go back.
Thursday morning was his first day of school. We got ready to go and talked in the car about how great the day was going to be. I asked him if he was nervous at all, but he said he was just happy and excited. Once we got to the parking lot, we were holding hands and walking in (one of the nice things about having Levi in the stroller is that I can push with one hand and still hold Lucas' hand in moments like that), and he told me that he was a little bit afraid about preschool. I told him it was okay to be a little bit afraid and that, pretty soon, when he was with his class and his teachers, he'd be having so much fun he wouldn't be afraid anymore. I prayed this was true and he seemed to believe that it would be. We got up to his classroom and the teacher's assistant, Mrs. Gonzales, was in the hall, showing the boys and girls where to put their buckets (all of the kids were given a blue plastic bucket to decorate and use to bring things to and from school, instead of backpacks). Lucas put his down, and she told him he could go play. He didn't hesitate and went right into the classroom and found some dinosaurs to play with. I signed him in, and called him to tell him I was leaving. He ran over, gave me a hug, let me take a picture on my phone to send to Daniel (my camera's battery was dead. For the first day of school! Mama failed on that one, but I'll take pictures on Tuesday, since Daniel should be back home for that, anyway.), and he ran off again to go play. I felt a little lost at that point, kind of surprised by how easy it was for him to say goodbye. I was definitely thankful that he wasn't clinging to me or begging me not to go (which, when I was in preschool, was my standard MO, according to my parents. I do, definitely, remember hating preschool and I was very afraid my little guy would be the same way. ), but I realized that I'd been so focused on how he would react, and praying for him, that I'd totally forgotten to prepare myself for saying goodbye that first day. Levi and I walked back to the car, and I held it together until I got us both inside. I cried. I prayed for Lucas. I prayed for a wonderful day and that he'd be just as happy when I picked him up, as when I dropped him off. And, praise the Lord, he was!
That boy has blown me away this week by his transformation from a little boy who cried when I left him for an hour at the gym's child care to an honest-to-goodness "big kid" who can do things by himself and felt safe and happy and peaceful without me around for a while. Seriously, I'm treasuring and pondering how much he's growing right in front of me. I'm so proud of him! It's easy to see a six month old develop, and we're loving watching Levi as he's perfecting his sitting up and getting ready to crawl, but these big kid milestones are even more amazing to watch. My baby's no baby anymore and I can't stop thinking about what a wonder it is that he's blossoming so much, even amid such a tumultuous year in our family with babies and moving and starting over and starting new things. God is so good to us!
And, yesterday, we had one more first for the big boy. Nothing quite as big as preschool, but he had his first dental cleaning. I know that it's recommended to have it happen once the child turns three, so we're almost a year behind, but I claim baby/pregnancy immunity for about six months of that time! Anyway, he was amazing again. He held still for the x-ray, and opened and closed when they asked for his cleaning and exam. He even had to have trays with foam fluoride put in his mouth - both at once, which I thought was a little bit torturous for anyone, particularly with still such a little mouth! - and handled it beautifully. The dental hygienist and the dentist both commented on what well behaved boys Lucas and Levi were and thanked them for being so good. And then the receptionist commented, too, on my well behaved boys, but thanked ME for doing such a good job with them. I liked her. *grin*
Today is going to be a relaxing day at home, I hope, and we'll do our best to get to church tomorrow without Daniel. I'm looking forward to a nice, quiet weekend after such a busy week, but I'm also very thankful to be looking forward to another week of exciting stories from preschool and watching my boys grow right in front of me.
Yay for the Big Boy! And for Mama too!! :)
ReplyDelete