Our Kindergartener

Addie has been settling into kindergarten quite well. There were no tears - from her or me - on the first day although right as Cap and I left her classroom, I knew she had on her bravest face. After our goodbyes, I couldn't get out of that classroom fast enough. In a stampede for the door, I was pushing and shoving through the other parents with their kids in iron-armed hugs. Move it lady or my daughter is going to start crying! With the exception of one boy from her Montessori school, it is all new faces. We love her teacher Mrs. Carman and Addie was their first Happy Helper in the classroom. She got to sit in the teacher's chair and everyone in the class drew a picture of her and gave it to her in a booklet at the end of the day. I'd like to think she was selected because of her maturity and leadership skills but it could just be Adelaide is the first in her class alphabetically.

We took these photos before we left for school and Addie wouldn't let anyone, even Nana and Pop-Pop watch. It was a private photo shoot. I volunteered to take headshots of her classmates later that afternoon which gave me the opportunity to stop by their classroom again before the end of school. I took pictures of the girls and another mom was in charge of the boys. I can tell who is the chatterbox and who is, what Addie has since identified, the bad kid. I've got my eye on him.

I'm excited to get involved in her school. Beyond being a co-class photographer, I've volunteered to be a Room Parent and am on the Thanksgiving Food Drive organizing committee. I've offered to help prep classwork and signed up to read a book to her class in a few weeks - a luxury I wouldn't be able to do if I wasn't on maternity leave and had Papa Mit available to watch Xavier. Assuming we stay in this school district (a big assumption), I could have a kid in this elementary school for 11 years. I'm ready to take on the school system! (spoken like a true delusional, naive parent of a kindergartener who will have to return to a full time job soon)