1st Day of School

Yes, baby bird has left the nest! Colin started his Mom's Day Out program today at a nearby church. Of course he had no idea what was going on, but Wes and I (mostly Wes) were a mess. Our stomachs were doing flips, Wes couldn't finish his breakfast because of an uneasy stomach, and our minds were racing with "what ifs". Upon arrival, there were tons of kids ranging in age from 1 to I'm guessing 5. Colin was thrilled to see all the kids and immediately started pointing and "talking" to them. I wish I could spell out the noise he makes but there's no way - just think of the noise a donkey makes and it's somewhat similar. Wes wanted to carry him in and I took all his belongings. After searching up and down the hallways, we finally found his room. There are 2 teachers, Melanie and I can't remember the other one. They both were very welcoming and seemed very nurturing as well. I immediately warned Melanie that Colin had never been away from us and to expect the worse. She calmed my fears and said that he'd be fine and she was used to dealing with similar situations. They had boxes labeled with their names for their lunches, pegs for their bags, and cubbies for their diapers and wipes. I didn't have to worry about germs because the place reeked of Lysol! Hey beggars can't be choosers!

Colin started reaching for a toy that was on the floor, so Wes put him down. Colin was taken with the toy and never turned to look at Wes or I again. We hurried and slithered out of the room before he could notice. One of the teachers did a good job distracting him. We didn't have to hear him cry and that made it a little easier on both of us, at least me. Wes was quite emotional which of course made me emotional. He and Colin have such a special bond and it was sad but also heart warming to see him cry.

We had debated going to pick him up early but we realized Colin has no concept of time so he wouldn't know the difference between noon and 2. So unless Wes gets a call from the school, he'll be picking him up at 2 like the rest of the kids. I have no doubt Wes will be there at 1:30 waiting with open arms. I would love to have a video when he actually gets to pick him up. I don't know which one will be happier to see the other!

I did run into a fellow sorority sister of mine who's little girl, Ellie, is in Colin's class. She further reassured me that this was a wonderful program and that we'd love it. It's nice to hear a first-hand recommendation and it's also nice that there's another Mom that I already know!

Of course I couldn't miss the chance to capture this milestone on film. Here are a few pictures of Colin as we were getting ready to leave, as he was going into the building, and playing with his first toy. I had to pack a lunch for him too and there's a picture of that as well. This was actually somewhat of a challenge for me because they aren't able to heat the food, or feed them with a spoon (occasionally they can but not on a regular basis since there are only 2 of them and 6-7 kids). Then of course you know me, the lunch had to be healthy! I can hear the teachers now as they open Colin's lunchbox, "Wow, this kid is going to eat this?!" Yes, my child is going to be a gourmet chef!