Best or Worst?

When I found out that Ryan's first day of preschool would be on my birthday, I had to wonder to myself: Will this be the best or worst birthday present?

We've been talking a lot about his turtle class & his teacher, Miss Pam. He had an open house last week, so he had some idea what to expect. He seemed excited, but sometimes, he's hard to read.

I, on the other hand, have been a nervous wreck and not nearly as excited about leaving him 3 mornings a week (2 for preschool & 1 for bible study) as I thought I might be when we signed up months ago. It seemed logical: "I'll be almost 8 months pregnant when he starts, so I'll want the extra rest, and of course once the baby is born, it will be great to have the alone time with him." But I am finding that being away from my baby is harder than it seems. I have been accustomed to spending all day every day with him for the past 2+ years after all!

Regardless, I know it is good for both of us, and so here we go. Today went better than expected - he went right into his room, sat down with some play dough, and when I told him to be good, he said "okay", gave me a kiss, and looked at me like he was ready to go. The leaving was no problem for either of us. Hooray! I definitely didn't think we'd get through that without one of us crying.

Best I can tell, he had a good time. He didn't talk much about it, which my mom tells me I'll have to get used to, having boys :-) And I have to admit that it was nice to have a couple of uninterrupted hours at home to work on preparing the nursery for our next baby.

Here are some required "first day of school" pictures prior to leaving:

classic

not sure what this face is all about


He got distracted by the garbage trucks

There's something innately cute about a tiny backpack on a tiny person


And here he is afterward, flirting with his girlfriend Emma while waiting for her big sister (and another best friend) Sophia to get out of her class. We all went to a double-celebratory lunch afterward at Souper Salad & had a GREAT time. Thanks, Smith ladies :-)


That evening, I got to celebrate my birthday some more with my wonderful local family, who made me feel so special & loved!


me & Ryan, before a yummy dinner at Maggiano's!


... and one (final?) pregnancy photo with my sister-in-law who is due on the 25th. Can't wait to meet that baby & see these cousins grow up together :-)


Thank you to everyone who made my birthday so special & Ryan's first day of school so manageable :-)