The first of many firsts

On Thursday, August 2, 2012, this kid started Kindergarten.  

He told his dad the night before that the only thing he was really nervous about was the bathroom.  The Kindergarten bathroom has "tiny toilets" and he was nervous that if he had to use one, he'd be too big.

On Thursday morning, with a little bit of coaxing, the kid got out of bed, dressed in his Welby t-shirt, and refused to eat breakfast.  I managed to get most of a peach and a fruit rope into him before it was time to get in the car and go to school.

We got there a few minutes early, with the rush of parents and so many nervous little five year olds.  My kid though, seemed to keep his cool.  He chatted with me, sized up the rest of the kids, and waited patiently for his teacher to come outside.  Just as it was almost time to walk into the school on the first day of the next 13 years of his life, he looked a wee bit nervous.  But, he's my kid, up for any challenge, and was ready to take on this new adventure.

I was so proud of him.  It's so hard for me to believe I have a kid in kindergarten.  How did he get this old?  This big?  This grown-up.  Though I did not shed a tear like most of the moms waiting around, and I didn't force a hug in front of his peers, I did have a momentary "choked up" moment as he walked into the school.

We'd had a little bit of drama getting Elliott onto the right track and morning kindergarten but once he got to school, I knew that the stomach ache I'd had for the last week would finally go away.  He doesn't know anyone in his class, but I think that he has a great teacher to lead him through this first experience in public school.

When it was time to pick him up, the Chick and I got there a little earlier than we needed to, just in case.  We kept ourselves entertained in the car, waiting for the big kid to come outside.

Once we found him, he bounced across the street, gave me a big hug, jumped into the car and couldn't stop talking about how awesome school was for almost the next hour.

He loved it.

I was so excited.

What a big boy.