First Day of Kindergarten!!!

Believe it or not... my little girl is now in Kindergarten. It certainly does feel like a rite of passage in our society. We have the backpack, the new outfit for the first day, and getting on the big yellow bus for the first time.



Her first day was actually just a half-day, though she is in full day kindergarten. I feel good about the full day for her due to her age, maturity, pre-school experience and academic readiness. Fortunately, she's been looking forward to going to school for over 2 years now. When we were in Brasil for her third birthday, there were two little girls that rent a trailer on my MIL's lot that are school age and Gabriela was somewhat jealous of them getting ready for school everyday. And she's had some older friends too from the apartments that also inspired her to be "big just like Audrey". She had been at the school each day the previous week for an orientation program. She knew her teacher, one girl on the playground her age and another that wound up in her class. She also knows a few of the other kids from our apartments that ride the same bus. So, she was ready.

I felt good about it too. In all truthfulness, she needs school and activity because she was starting to get too bored at home, and we know what happens when kids are bored - they drive their parents crazy! ;) But, I must admit, as she drove away I did tear up. My baby will be gone all day and I won't have lunch with her or see her until she gets home.

She did fine at school, though she got worried when she arrived, not knowing exactly where to go (they go to the gym for a bit until the teachers pick them up). She said she started getting "water in her eyes" but a teacher talked to her and helped her out. Poor thing must have felt lost, even though we talked about it in advance.



We actually had a little scare waiting for her to return that day. Fares was the one home to get her off the bus and I called just to see how the first day had gone and no one answered the phone. Even 20 minutes later no answer. Well, he called me (thank goodness) and stated she hadn't arrived yet - 45 minutes late! Well, I called the school and then the transportation people, and they didn't know anything and the driver didn't answer the radio... but as I was on hold, Fares beeped in and said she had just arrived. I didn't get a precise story, but something had happened with a student which caused the delay. Whew! Brief, but scary!

Yesterday was her first day being there all day. And another delay on the way home too. This time it was only 30 minutes, but apparently a student had boarded the wrong bus (despite their attempts to prevent this) and they had to go back to trade him to the correct bus. I thought it was so sweet when she got home she said she started to feel homesick on the bus on the way home! I think she must have been so busy all day she didn't have much time to think about it until she was on the bus. She didn't get to eat all of her lunch either, so she'll have to learn to eat a little faster I guess.