Our LAST First Day of School

When I found out I was pregnant for the 5^th time I surely thought I would die.  I never really believed people when they said, “We are so shocked!”  I was like please…..Well, I totally had to repent because, I WAS SO SHOCKED!  I had always wanted another boy but had given up on the prospect and had moved on, content with my family! God had other plans and I am so very thankful!!

That surprise has blessed us beyond measure!  What a funny, little cutie he is!  He has been pampered and loved by his four siblings possibly more than any other child alive.  Bless Maggie’s heart! She still attempts to hold him on her hip even though he is almost as big as her.  He is one lucky little boy.

Because he is so adorable, he gets pretty much whatever he wants.  I worried that when he started school it would be a rude awakening for our little, spoiled boy.  All my other kids entered happily into Sunday School classes with Ms. Vanessa but Ed has opted out.  I’m not sure why, honestly.  We seem to always be going to church in shifts and someone will take Ed home.  We went to his school to register in the spring and he totally freaked out and must have said a thousand times, “I don’t want to go to Aunt Page’s pool!”  I have no idea why he thought we were at his swim lessons.  I was worried when we went to his Open House this past Saturday.  He put on his Cars backpack and boldly walked right in his classroom and was checking everything out, with a smile on his face.  He loved the fish tanks and the guinea pig, Henry.  I hope he doesn’t poke out Henry’s eyes like he tries to do with our dog, KC.  Some little girl wanted his Thomas trains so he took them and crawled under the Thomas Table to protect them from the little girl.  He seemed to like both his teachers and it was a great experience for him!

Well, today, as Dan pointed out was our LAST, first day of school with one of our kids.  He was saying it like, THANK YOU JESUS, we survived but I immediately got choked up.  It’s a milestone we have done four other times and this would be our last baby to walk across the school threshold.  It officially begins the slow process of turning our kids over to the world, little by little.  I pushed my sadness and creeping melancholy away, and focused on what an exciting day this was for Eddie!  The night before, the kids helped get him ready!  He tried out his new tennis shoes and ran around the house at lightning speed, with his new backpack on.  He was pumped.  He was so precious all dressed up in his Cars attire, even down to his undies and was ready to go to “Cool!”  Dan and I walked in, took some pictures and Eddie showed Dan the fish.  Dan hugged him and I waved goodbye and off to the Thomas Table he went.

 

I have to admit it was very nice to run errands and actually get what I went for and to do Yoga without him jumping on my back!  I zipped in and out everywhere I went and had forgotten what it is like to focus.  I didn’t have to protect any kids from oncoming cars or buckle any in car seats.  It was just me and me alone. It was freakishly quiet though.  I thought about him all day and almost drove by the playground to spy.  With my man truck pipes it would have been impossible to sneak by so I didn’t take a chance of ruining his first day.

 

I got in the carpool line to pick him up and was giddy with excitement, about seeing his pretty, little face!  As I rolled up, I heard his teacher tell him to watch my wheels and to not move until the wheels stopped.  I swear he grew at school and didn’t look like my baby who I had dropped off.  I buckled him in and he says, “So, how was your day?”  I cracked up and said, “NO, how was YOUR day at school?” He told me he played in the boat and didn’t even get wet!  He played with a “boy” and the Thomas Trains!  I read the paper in his folder and he apparently had a lot of fun at Stretch and Grow Exercise class on the playground! LOL!  He sang songs, read books, painted wheels on a school bus and learned about the color red!  The teacher said he was PERFECT and had a blast!  I am so grateful and relieved!  Now, I just need to figure out how I am going to tell him that he doesn’t go to school tomorrow just Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays…yikes!