My Children

My baby started first grade today.

It was a really good morning. Her aunt, uncle and two cousins got to see her off and wish her well, since their quick visit overlapped with the big day. She was excited about going to school, and glad to have RevDad and I with her for the first morning. When we got to her classroom, and she saw her classmates, mom and dad didn't matter anymore! She was rarin' to go. The only anxiety was when she looked for her name on a desk, and couldn't find it. Once the teacher explained that they would be fitting each child to the desk that was the right size for their height, she was fine and dandy.

It was nice to see that all the classmates immediately connected, as if they hadn't been apart for the summer (of course, only having 5 in the class does promote bonding!) They share their teacher with the second graders, and do many of their activities with them, like gym, music, art and English. So in many ways she is a part of a class of 13, instead of just 5 (yes, the second grade class is made up of 8 kids, that's rural life for you!)

I find myself enjoying the quiet, and the chance to relax and catch my breath. But I also catch myself checking the clock often, thinking things like, "only one more hour until she's home!" It will be nice to have this time before the baby arrives to get stuff done during the day. But it will take awhile to get used to being separated from her for so many hours again. Better get used to it though, that's how it's going to be for a long time, now that the school years are here.

The baby has the hiccups again, it's so darn cute! And less uncomfortable than some of the big kicks. I think she's dropped some more today, things just feel different. At yesterday's prenatal exam, the doctor said we're at 1 centimeter dilated, and just a tiny bit effaced. Of course you can sit at 3 centimeters for weeks on end, but it is a hopeful sign nonetheless. We really are coming down the home stretch! As of this weekend, we're at 37 weeks, so baby is fully developed, and just puts on weight from here on out. That is also an awesome, reassuring thing! This weekend I'm going to pack my hospital bag, I probably won't need it for a few weeks, but this time I'd like to be ready! With Lil' Princess, I was quickly stuffing random stuff into a bag after my water broke, and rushing off to the hospital without a bunch of stuff I needed. So if this little one is early too, I'd like to be prepared.

How lovely to be thinking about "my children" instead of just "my child." A miracle I never expected!