First Day

Andrew left this morning for Kindergarten. It’s a milestone for every child and inevitable change in the day-to-day life at home. Andrew seemed weepy last night and said he had decided he didn’t need to go to school. The tug at my heart began and there was a slight nudge in me that said, "You are right, you don’t need school. Let’s just stay home and play together forever." Of course, that is not reality. So, this morning I braced myself for a teary-eyed Andrew not wanting to leave home. Instead, he bounded out of bed, found his new school shirt and even smiled willingly for the classic "back-to-school-on-the-first-day" picture. There were no tears, no begging to stay not even one last wave as he raced out the door.
That was all good. I mean, he could have maybe begged just even a little, but God probably knew that the mom in me wouldn’t want to resist any begging.
Now, it’s just Austin and me and surprisingly Austin is pretty quiet and self-amused. He asked for big brother a couple of times, but has been content to just play the morning away. I have realized that the baby-stage of these two crazy boys has begun to quickly fade. Though some days have felt like eternity, altogether, the past two and half years since there was an infant in my arms have passed quickly. Like any mom, there may some nostalgia for cute-baby days, but I welcome this stage as it is now. Diapers have become almost obsolete, sleeping through the night is a mainstay, words have replaced crying, and energetic playtime is much more entertaining than trying to soothe an upset baby.
So, today was the first full day of Kindergarten and I will probably look back at what I have written and cry my eyes out as I look at college tuition costs. Until then, I’ll focus on the fact that Monday, is Green day, milk for snack time is 40 cents and Andrew has to bring snack for his class on the last Friday of the month.