Good for them. Hard for mama. This time of year stirs so many emotions inside of me.

Of course I’m thinking back to THIS DAY exactly 52 weeks ago.  Our comfortable little existence had been turned upside down a couple of months earlier. The boys had just started getting comfortable at their new babysitter when we split Theo and Dexter up for the first time in their best friend-brother lives.  Dexter continued going to the babysitter while Theo began Montessori preschool.  It was a hard transition but here we are, a year later, in a much better space.

Today, Dexter followed in Theo’s footsteps and began Montessori preschool.  I can’t stop thinking about the fact that one year from now, Theo will be starting Kindergarten. Kindergarten! And yes, I know that it’s still a whole year away but I’m painfully aware of how quickly this time will pass.  I mean…Kindergarten. That’s like real KID status. No longer a baby, not at all.

I was trying to explain to Ryan the other day why it is such a hard thing for me to embrace… my kids growing up. As a little girl, I played with baby dolls. I pretended my Barbies were mommies.  Like so many little girls, I dreamed of the day when I would become a mother.  As an adult, I began fantasizing about holding a sweet infant in my arms. Teaching my brilliant toddler his numbers, colors, and ABCs.  I spent so much time dreaming about what being a mother would mean to me – far more time than I have actually spent carrying out those mommy duties.  The dream is something that you hold onto and look forward to for years – decades, even.  But then your baby is born. You embrace the struggles and joys of parenting your child at every stage of their infancy and toddler-hood, but before you know it, it’s over. They are walking and talking and know their letters, numbers, and colors.  It’s over and you’ve moved on to the next stage, kicking and screaming. Ready or not.

Theo sure has a sassy mouth these days and I find myself mumbling under my breath all too often, “where did he come up with that?” or “when did you become a teenager?”  Dexter comes up with some funny phrases and comments too.  I know they are picking up ideas and terms from the older kids the babysitter watched during the summer.  It’s only a matter of time before they are hearing dirty words on the school bus. Am I ready? Oh geez.

So without further delay, here are some pictures from Dexter’s first first day of preschool and Theo’s last first day of preschool.

 Pardon my wet hair – I was reading Llama Llama Misses Mama by Anna Dewdney. Best first day of school book ever!

Our favorite page says:

“Don’t be sad, new little Llama! It’s okay to miss your mama. But don’t forget – when the day is through, she will come right back to you!”

Theo and his teacher were happy to see each other.

 Time to say goodbye.

Getting in good with his teachers.I borrowed from the school’s private facebook page — look! He’s working on a Montessori job!

He had a good day aside from a little accident. He’s just used to someone telling him to go to the bathroom and Montessori fosters independence in everything they do. Could be a rough little minute with a few wardrobe changes for this new little Llama.  Theo did great and didn’t want to leave when I arrived to pick them up!

All of our first, first days of preschool are a thing of the past!

xo-

~C~