FIRST DAY!

Kindergarten!

JP awoke sooooo excited this morning.  He picked out his shirt (I vetoed the bowtie). 

The whole morning happened just so fast.  

We ate a quick breakfast, snapped a few scrapbook-worthy photos and walked down the block to the bus stop.  The bus was scheduled to arrive at 7:15 AM.  We arrived at 7:08.  We greeted our neighbors (a family of twin sixth grade boys and a fourth grade girl), and JP announced he was ready for the day. 

Before I knew it, the big yellow bus chugged around the corner at 7:09.  I gave JP a quick hug, snapped a photo, and that was it.  He hopped on and never looked back.  By 7:09 and 32 seconds, he was gone.  I stood there, camera in one hand, AA in the other, with our nanny and the neighbors, and I panicked. Tears filled my eyes.  I looked at AA and asked, "Should we follow the bus?"

She agreed.  Except in the two minutes it took to run back to our house and find my car keys, the bus got ahead of us.  Way ahead of us.  I drove around the nearby neighborhoods like a mad woman.  I think I spotted it once or twice.  Suddenly, I had a better idea:  immediately drive to school and wait for him to get off the bus.  We arrived at Bonner Elementary at 7:25.  I literally parked right next to the school bus drop off.  AA hopped in the front seat with me, we put on sunglasses to be incognito and we waited.  And waited.  My heart was pounding out of control. 

When the crossing guards came out and started shooing other cars away from this No Park Zone, I pretended like I couldn't see them.  They never tapped on my window.  I'm sure it was the glasses.  By 7:40, the Yellow Horse Bus #21 rounded the corner, and there he was.  He stood in a sea of energetic children with new backpacks and shiny shoes that were surely to be dirty by the end of the day.  JP looked around, somewhat confident, and then was escorted to the playground by a teacher.  That was it.  He never saw us.  

I took the day off from work.  It was one of the LONGEST days of my life.  I kept looking at the time thinking, He's still at school.  He's still at school.  I just could not keep my mind off my little blue eyed babe.

AA and I went to the Olive Garden for lunch (her choice) and shoe shopping.  She thought our girls date was pretty cool, but she too kept talking about JP.  This was a big day for her too!

FINALLY, it was time to pick up JP!  We walked down the block extra early … and, of course, the bus came ten minutes late.  But there he was - all in one piece, and a smile that made me cry.  He did it!