i survived - ha!
and i'm going to go out on a limb and say that libbi didn't just survive - she thrived. and we are so thankful.
it's been a strange and emotional few days as we've all transitioned into our new roles - libbi as a kindergartener, jeffrey and i as "parents of a school aged child," and laney…. well, it's safe to say that laney has gladly accepted her new role as queen of the castle. ;-)
poor liza is still just hanging on as the baby...it's a tough job, but somebody's gotta do it. :)
granted, we're only two days into this whole kindergarten thing and i'm sure there will be plenty of bumps in the road and lessons to learn over the next 178 school days. but for today, i feel pretty confident in my new "parent of a kindergartener knowledge" so i thought i'd share some things i've learned over the past few days….
1. i had NO idea how tired I would be. i expected libbi to be tired. exhausted even. but me? never crossed my mind. i'm sure it's a combination of nerves, stress, emotions, and everything in between. but i'm also sure that it can be largely attributed to one thing.
one cute little thing.
and her name is laney.
now that her BFF is away at kindergarten, i'm the next best thing. i love laney to pieces, but let me tell you what: being her friend is exhausting. :)
2. carpool. (or parcool as libbi and laney like to call it). if this isn't your first rodeo, you're probably nodding your head and giving a little "mmhmmm" because you know. you know how crazy it is. but people like me that were accustomed to our little preschool carpool had no stinkin clue that we could be in line for almost an hour. and when you're waiting to pick up your precious five year old that you haven't seen since 8 am, that hour in carpool line can feel like an eternity. i'm thankful for books, iPhones, dvd players in the car, and a travel potty (for laney, not me. although i'm not ruling anything out at this point…) :)
3. i was shocked to find that the days have felt really long. like painfully long. and not in the "oh my word when is naptime/daddy getting home/ bedtime" kind of way. more like "IT'S STILL FIVE HOURS UNTIL PICKUP TIME?!" kind of way. we've frequently tried to guess what libbi is doing at certain times throughout the day. my guesses are typically more realistic than laney's….
4. i'd been so selfishly thinking about how much i would miss libbi while she was away each day, that i neglected to think about how much laney would miss her, too. i think that's been one of the harder adjustments - seeing laney lose her built in playmate. don't get me wrong, my girls can fight like it's their job - but they also play really well together. and they enjoy playing together. so it's been a little bittersweet knowing that libbi is out making new friends to play with each day. laney has made it clear that she will "cry just a little when libs is at kindergarten" and so libbi in turn has prayed every night/morning that "laney won't cry too much while i'm gone." and so far each afternoon has been like their own personal family reunion. and i love it.
5. seeing my baby go to kindergarten has been hard. but in the best kind of way. doing hard things helps us grow, it stretches us to new lengths, and it challenges us to step up. it's only been two days, but i've definitely felt stretched and challenged and i know libbi has, too. and i'm so proud to see how she's stepped up. it's been so reassuring to see how she's adapted to these new changes. like i said, i know that it won't always be smooth sailing, but i'm thankful that we started off on a high note. there is nothing better than picking up my baby from school and seeing her smiling face. i'm so thankful that she loves school and i'm praying that her love will continue to grow!
happy friday, friends! :)
