Kindergarten Firsts

Kindergarten started a month ago.  Q's first year of public school.  Our first year as parents of a school age child.  Things had a bumpy start, but we made it through and are starting to find a comfort with the schedule and other little things that come with the Kindergarten package.  This is how it all started:

Back to school night was the week before class started.  We got to meet her teacher and put her supplies in her very own cubby.  Quickyn soaked it all up and already loved her new teacher.   Bill and I signed our first set of unending forms for field trips and computer lab access.  It felt like a right of passage similar to the first Christmas with the never ending twist ties and battery installations.  We made it through and had to answer the question, "do I get to ride the bus today?" for the rest of the week. 

First day of school.  We were up on time and ready to go, but Q sure had a hard time of it.  She is a late sleeper, so it was fun to watch her not fall asleep in her pancakes.  Even though we started waking her up earlier in advance of the first day, her body would still rather sleep late.

Waiting for the Bus

So we walk to the bus stop, blessedly only two houses down, and wait impatiently.  Q at first is excited, rushing down the sidewalk, then as other kids start arriving she is pressed against me and wanting to be held.  A few reassurances, hugs and kisses later the bus comes around the corner.  Now she is wiggling out of my arms and into line to board the bus.  I have to ask for a goodbye hug!  She gets onto the bus, parks herself next to a window (the bonus of being one of the first stops for the bus) and is on the edge of her seat trying to contain her excitement.  She doesn't even wave goodbye to us!  Bill and I laughed. 

We get into the car and head over to the school.  I go to wait by her classroom and Bill goes to where the buses stop to make sure she gets off okay and heads in the right direction.  They  have a "pathway" of painted blue paw prints for the Kindergarteners to follow so they won't get lost.  Only problem is they are very small and about 10 feet apart.  So, we practiced with her at back to school night and she felt confident she knew where she was going. 

Bill and I forgot that the Junior High kids also get off at the same stop.  They head south and the elementary kids head north.  Well, Bill made it to the buses, but didn't know which stall our bus was assigned to, so by the time he found her bus it was empty.  He started back tracking thinking he just missed her.  There are lots and lots of kids!  He makes it all the way to me......no Quickyn.  He heads back to check again and I double check the hallway, the classroom, etc.  I stay put.  He comes back again, still no Quickyn and now the halls are thinning down and the bell rings.  No Quickyn.  I start to panic.  He runs to the office, tells the principal, they start checking the other hallways.  I'm tired of standing around and head slowly down the hall.  Once I get to the doors that lead outside I see the principal walking toward the school with Quickyn by his side.  I ran so fast, baby belly and all, and hugged her like she was going to disappear.  I start crying, she starts crying (I could tell she had been holding it in before that).

The principal was quite impressed with Q.  He said he found her at the Junior High and she was very upset.  He asked her if she wanted to just skip a few grades and start going here.  She got mad and said, "NO!  I go to the school with the playground!"  He got a good laugh from that.  He said she knew her entire name, first middle and last, her parents names and her teacher's name as well as the blue footprints and the horse on the door of her classroom.  He said she got caught up with a big group of older kids headed to the Junior High and got turned around. 

I am just so glad that we were there!  Afterwards we headed back out to the car and were stopped by a friend who had helped us try to find her.  She said shortly after we got Q to the right room she was headed out and saw a teacher with three more little kindergarteners headed over from the Junior High.  So, it wasn't just our little girl who got lost in the crowds.

Now she has it down and is quite proud of herself.  I'm proud of her because even after that scary situation she still wanted to go to class.  She didn't want to miss a minute.  When I was that age, I would have wanted to come home!