The Title of This Blog is Sometimes Appropriate!

I'm sure everyone has seen countless Instagram images of little kids holding the chalkboard signs, announcing that it's their first day of school. There have been many tear-jerking articles circulating Facebook (this one is my ultimate fave) about the same subject. Every August and September of every year, moms seem to have a wide range of emotions about the return to school for their kids. Sometimes relief, sometimes sadness, sometimes excitement, and a lot of times I think it's the pride and disbelief that time could possibly move *this* quickly.

I'll admit that in these 4+ years of motherhood, I haven't given the school-aged years too much thought. Because seriously, the little kid years are no joke and there isn't a whole lot of time to look into the future and imagine what that enormous unknown will feel like. Parenting children who are in school will be a gigantic chunk of our parenting years and we haven't even entered that major phase yet. Until now. Because my first born is starting pre-school next week and I am so freaking excited. And a little sad. But mostly proud and feeling like 'holy crap, didn't we just bring this child home from the hospital?' We plan to enjoy the heck out of this last week of summer before school starts. Even just typing that feels surreal----summers now mean 'a break from school' instead of just more of the same routine from the whole year. Wow.





Sure, this 'Junior Kindergarten' step is still fairly small in the grande scheme of things. After all, he will only be there for 2.5 hours each day (next year at age 5 it's all day Kindergarten) which is quite a bit less than his hours at Lori's for daycare. But now he will go five days per week to the school where he will be through fifth grade. And it's school! With a lot of new kids and a new teacher and new routine. NEW TRANSITIONS.

The plan for when I return to work at the end of September is this: I will walk Truman across the street to school in the mornings (love that we are so incredibly close to his school!) and will then head to work on MWF. Tony will get Truman on those days and hang with him from 10:55 when they are released (ridiculous time, I know) until I am home around 4:30 with the other two kids, who I will get from Lori's right before that. We are super thankful that Tony will be in charge of Truman after school and I won't have to stop seeing patients to transport Truman over to Lori's or something. Grandpa time is going to be so much fun for the two of them!

(This photo makes me laugh. CC is picking her butt and Truman is doing some weird collapse into the water. These two are too much.)


Also another big transition? Nate started a new job this week! He has different hours and a minuscule commute compared to his previous time in the car. He's still working for the same company but just in a different (closer!) clinic and we are all excited for him and this new job. AND? The best part? Did you notice that I didn't mention drop off at Lori's for Cecelia and Porter in the above paragraph? That would be because Nate isn't starting at work until 10:30 on MWF, specifically so he will be here to help get all three kids ready in the mornings and will also take the little guys to daycare. This.Is.HUGE, you guys. Nate always left at 6:45am every day and wasn't home until 7:30pm two days per week, so this will be amazing to have him home in during the morning chaos before work;) And to only have pick ups on my plate going forward, instead of every.single.drop off and pick up for years? YES. Anyone who works outside of the home and uses daycare will understand this amazingness.

So yeah. Not only is it going to be somewhat bittersweet to see Truman wave 'goodbye' to me next week as he walks into those school doors, but this Wednesday is also his last day at Lori's. Tru has been with her since he was six months old and I made a job switch that meant an in-home setting would be a great fit. Erin had her Henry at Lori's and I asked if there was an opening, and sure enough! The rest is history. Almost four years for Truman at Lori's and she has been such a huge part of his life. I always say Lori is a part of our parenting team because of her role in caring for our kids and it's going to be sad to watch Truman move on from her house. I'm glad she will still have Cecelia for four weeks by herself and then Porter will join his big sister there, once I'm back to work.

But oh, CC is going to miss her big brother while he is apart from her.






I think my big boy will do just fine with this transition. He will surely miss Lori and his friends there but he's ready for the next step. I don't think I will cry next week when he begins his school years, and I'm pretty sure he won't, either. But the importance of this transition still sits right on my heart at times. I hope he loves school and makes great friends. I hope they are welcoming to my sensitive boy and that he finds a lot of good influencers in that big sea of new faces. I hope he has fun! I hope his teacher is amazing and the other parents are, too.







Yes, I'm 90% excited to have Truman in school. Only 10% sad and nervous, because I really think my boy is going to slide into this part of his life with ease. And so we begin the biggest chunk of our parenting 'careers': the school years. Wow.





And you better believe I will be taking pictures with some sort of chalkboard sign. For sure.

Anyone else sending their first born off to school for the first time? Are you feeling the range of emotions, too?