i almost got teary. almost.

five years ago, i loaded my little harper bird into her stroller, handed henry his star wars backpack, and we walked six blocks to deliver the boy at kindergarten. then harper and i walked home, i tried desperately to get her to nap while we had a quiet house (typically, a big, fat fail.), and more times than not she did this in her bed while waiting for me to come rescue her:

there were just too many things to do and too few hours in the day to waste on sleep for this child.

and she's like that to this day.

last two nights? 10 p.m. and after 9:30 p.m., respectively, when she finally gave up her quest to guilt us into letting her stay up late because, as she argued, she's BIG now ... and why can't SHE stay up late like henry, and like mommy and daddy, and she just wants to be a GROWN. UP. she's in *kindergarten,* after all.

yes, i said kindgergarten.

my baby.

where do the years go??

so today, five years later, i helped harper get *her* backpack on (birds, appropriately enough) ...

and we drove to her school. we walked to her classroom, where she promptly unloaded her backpack, hung it up in her locker, found her name stick and name tag, picked up a coloring sheet and a pink crayon (of course), and waved me good-bye.

just like that.

and while i was so thankful that she was happy and excited (at least so far), there was that tiny "mommy" part of me that felt sad ... nostalgic ... in denial that my baby, my little girl, has entered this stage of life. already.

in my head, she's still that squinchy little baby whose toes i would nibble and whose belly i would zerbert.

then i got back in the car to head home and realized: i have 2.5 hours to myself!

and the teary "mommy" part disappeared.

temporarily.

Comments

[Ann Marie]

We'll have to cry in our mocha's together some night soon..My oldest is off to kindy too.
But what mom doesn't flash back in their mind to when they were just a baby.
I'm glad you are rejoicing in your quiet time.

[Lisa Dickinson]

heeee...that's I got over the first-day-of-kindergarten-mommy-blues too! hugs!

[Christa P.]

Look at her!! So cute!!

I'll join you in kindergarten woes-my "baby" was sent off yesterday!

[Michelle S]

10:00 PM is MY bedtime, and I think I am a tad older then your daughter ;) She looks cute with her backpack. It is almost as big as she is!

[Susan Beth]

2.5 hours of alone time . . . man oh man could I go for that!