Cora goes to school

You bring these tiny babes home from the hospital, and they can't even hold their heads up.

And then, you blink.

And they're smiling, talking, walking.

Singing, dancing, running, arguing.

Ice-skating, bike-riding, swimming in the deep end. Pumping themselves so high on the swings, you shout to stop before they swing over the bar.

You leave them at Sunday School for an hour, at preschool for two, and then a sleepover with a friend. And it's fine! They don't even look back when you drop them off.

And then, that life-changing day comes, when you walk them to school for the first time. You say good-bye at the classroom door with a wave and a lump in your throat. And you wonder, how did those five years go by so fast?

On Tuesday, our Cora Rose started kindergarten. And Stace and I experienced the joy and tears common to all parents who've come before us.

The night before, we went to the "Kindergarten Social," where we met Cora's teacher, found her cubby and desk, and went home with a thick packet of paperwork to fill out.

 Tuesday morning went very smoothly. Stace stayed home for the morning and helped get the girls going, which wasn't hard because Cora was so eager.

As she was getting dressed, she squealed that she couldn't wait to be in her classroom.

For the past few mornings, we've followed a detailed schedule Stace printed up with pictures from clipart, to help Cora know what she should be doing.

 So far, so good: Cora has done very well with getting up at 7 (an hour earlier than her natural wakeup time) and staying on task to leave the house by 7:40.

I can only hope her enthusiasm continues. I've been dreading these early school mornings since I found out school starts at 8!

We met up with the Roberts and walked on down. Cora and Johnny aren't in the same class, but Cora does know a couple of children in her class.

Ave is starting second grade, hence the big backpack.

 Stace and I handled the morning well enough, in that we didn't embarrass ourselves with open sobs.

When I felt a little teary at one point, I distracted myself by leaning over to Violet: "Did you shout good-bye to Cora?"
"NO!" came her forceful reply.

We found Cora's name on the list in the window, and learned that she should line up on the chalk-drawn number 4. As she stood in line, waiting to go into class, her nerves were clearly getting to her. It was distressing to see her look so anxious.

But we knew she'd be fine once she got in and settled.

The 3 1/2 hours passed quickly enough, and sure enough, she did just great and greeted me and Violet with hugs and happiness.

 I'm so glad to see Cora and Johnny in school together; they started playing together before they turned 2!

After school, we visited Auntie Melly, who made Cora a special tea. Here, too, is the snack box Melanie personalized, and flower headband she made. And this is Cora's new lunch bag - kindergartners at her school don't bring backpacks, so the lunchbag was Cora's important "back-to-school" purchase.


In the evening, we celebrated our family milestone with dinner out at Buca di Beppo, an Italian place that serves family-style meals.

Cora, we know you are more than ready for school. Enjoy every minute, soak it up, learn as much as you can. Be loving and kind in your words and actions. Try your hardest and don't give up. We love you and are proud of you, always.