First day of Kindergarten

I am sitting here in my home all by myself, watching Matlock. Can't wait to find out who done it. Yesterday was Lily's first day of kindergarten. Jeff took the rest of the week off from work except that today he had a meeting he couldn't miss. This is the first time I have been alone. So far no one has cried, we are working our way through this period of adjustment the best we can.

Lily decided to get a hair cut, long hair has a lot more tangles than short hair.

Tuesday morning I spent with Mandy at the DMV renewing her permit. Tuesday afternoon Jeff, Lily and I got to go to the school and meet Lily's teacher. The classroom was amazing, and Lily loved it there. We got a packet of papers to read. We had already gotten the class supply list, brought the supplies to the meet the teacher day, but in the new packet we got on Tuesday the teacher informed us we needed to get Lily a mat to take a nap on. I did not know this ahead of time and did not know how my bus riding daughter was going to carry a sleeping mat. The teacher also requests that Lily bring a change of clothes and a jacket in her backpack everyday. Plus, Lily brings her lunch so her little backpack is very full. We decided to put Lily on the bus and then jump in the car and bring the sleeping mat to the teacher before Lily got to the school. I couldn't think of any other way to get the sleeping mat to the school. I wanted to make sure that Lily didn't have a bunch of change added to what she is already going through going from a life spent with mom to going to school all day. I think it is best if she rides the bus to and from school all the time with as little change to her schedule as possible. The school recommends utilizing the bus and it is a nighmare to drop off. Plus I think the kids going to and from cars looks dangerous. All the kids on our street ride the bus and the bus driver is very nice. I know a lot of parents feel like the bus is an unsafe environment for the kids without a lot of supervision but I am feeling this is the best for our little Lily. Plus she loves it. Here we are on the first day at the bus stop.

After Lily got on the bus we rushed to the school to get the mat to the classroom before Lily got the classroom. I did tell Lily I was going to go there and bring her mat while she was on the bus, it wasn't like I was keeping secrets. I just want for her to feel like school is for her without me. She is very adamant that there are NO MOMMIES ALLOWED at school. She told me that she is pretty sure there is a sign at her school a big sign, that says NO MOMMIES.

School drop off is a crazy thing. The teacher gave us a two typed page instructions for how to drop off your child, including a map. Bascially you enter on the East you drive around the back of the school drop off the kids at the back of the school and exit on the west of the school. Since there was so much traffic, Jeff thought he could drop me off as we entered on the East and as he drove around the school I would run to drop off the mat and be back in the car before he exited the dropping off line of traffic going around the shool. I jumped out of the car and all the doors on that side of the school were locked and there was no path to the front of the school from that side of the building. I would have had to swim a moat. While Jeff was driving around the school, here is Marsha walking next to all the cars waiting for their turn to drop off the kids. What a dork. I finally got around and there I was walking with a mat and no kid. Jeff was in line to drop off a kid without a kid to drop off. The opening the door lady looked at him and around the car and gave him a wierd look. I walked straight to Lily's room, got a lot of looks but no one stopped me. Must have been the mat. The school forbids parents from walking their kid to the room, everyone was walking their kid to the room. The school forbids parents from walking to the room without first checking in at the office, so that was my first offense.

But, all went well, I dropped off the mat, and found Jeff. We then had to navigate through all the traffic from the school to a church. Our PTO held a boo hoo breakfast for all the parents who had kids starting kindergarten. I met several moms that live very near me and have girls Lily's age. So great. Two girls from Lily's actual class that live just two streets over. I exchanged phone numbers etc. I signed up for all the committees available. Is that too much?

After the breakfast we came home and looked at each other for awhile. I called my parents forgetting about the time diffence and woke them up. Jeff wanted to see a movie. We decided to go to the gym and to lunch. I killed myself at the gym and then we went to the Korean Restaraunt that we love still in our workout clothes. If you have never had Korean food, let me tell you that when you eat it you stink afterwards. Fermented cabbage, lots of onion and garlic. Jeff eats there a couple times per week and he reeks. It is nicer when we have both eaten there, I think it deadens the senses. I imagine that I did not smell or look all that great. But, I made it through the day. We stopped at Walmart and got home and still had about an hour. I was counting down all day to when will Lily come home.

She got off the bus and I can't tell you how happy I was to see her. While she talks all day everday, I could not get out of her any details about school. I drove me crazy. We had cookies. Lily did tell us that she forgot to bring her water bottle from from her backpack with her to lunch and she didn't know how to buy milk with the money I sent. The school has a lunch account for people who buy lunch, but not for people who buy milk. She must bring exact change everday 35 cents for milk. First day of school and I gave her water and money for milk, yet she had no fluids. Seven hours away from me and no fluids, I am surprised she is still alive. Just kidding. Jeff and I were discussing how to handle this, to make sure she got something to drink at lunch tomorrow, which is now today. And the teacher called.

Isn't that sweet, the teacher called us so we could discuss her first day. I love her teacher. The teacher gives us a daily stamp telling of her day: green great, blue good, ... red horrid. Lily got green her first day. I was so relieved, long time readers will remember that Lily has had a difficult time learning how to behave. During the phone call I was able to ask about the milk situation etc. The teacher was able to tell me that Lily talks all day long, even when the teacher is talking. When the teacher askes Lily to stop talking and use her listening ears Lily says, "What". And when the teacher reminds Lily to say, "yes, Ma'am" Lily growls at her. The teacher actually made the Lily growling sound to me over the phone. She asked me if we have taught our daughter to say, "yes, Ma'am" at home. She said she wanted to make sure we were on the same page. I felt like saying that she was lucky Lily didn't scream and smack her like she does me, when I correct her behavior. But, I did not say that. I told the teacher that yes, we do teach her to say yes, ma'am at home. And that I will work with her at home and remind her about not talking when the teacher is talking and to say yes ma'am.

Lily's teacher also mentioned that Lily was very excited to be at school and had a very good day. Excited seems like to tame a descritpion about how Lily feels about going to school. I thought that a girl who has never been away from her mom would be shy or timid in this new situation. I guess I thought wrong. I am happy that Lily feels safe and is developing her social skills. I do not think Mandy spoke to anyone at all during elementary school. While the teachers could not praise Mandy enough for her excellent behavior, Mandy was misserable and I don't really think she got a whole lot out of elementary school. Lily may be a chatter and not the dream student for a teacher I think she will get attention and not be that kid the teacher didn't even know was in her class.

Lily is still a little on the possesed side. She is hyper and hard to talk to, easily upset etc. With patience and calm I have been able to keep her on schedule and keep her from having a melt down. I know it is a lot for her to handle but I think she is doing well. It is just so weird that she has this whole day of things that I don't know anything about. What are her friends names? Were they nice to her? Did she laugh? Did she have fun at recess? What did she learn? I have no clue, no clue at all.