I did the unthinkable:

I forgot to get a picture of Nicholas on the front stoop on his first day of school.  Kelsey's bus came a bit later than expected (think Dad, Kelsey & I were all worried we had missed it for a bit) and then we had but a few minutes to get to Nicholas's new school.  While I should have thought of it during our 25 minute wait, Nicholas was busy moving mulch and playing King of the Hill…who wants to miss that?  I guess I shouldn't fret about that so much as the day itself is more important.  

We walked him into the school as new students are taken to the classroom for the first 3 days, rather than dropped off at the door (yes, we will normally drop him at the door and he is welcomed by a parent or teacher each day…how awesome is that?).  We nearly tiptoed inside, dropped his extra clothes in the bin and entered the classroom.  He was a bit thrown off at first, as we finished the day in the large playroom yesterday and he assumed that was where he would return…not quite.  He was a little bit cranky about this, but the assistant teacher offered her hand and they walked together to get a puzzle to work on.  No tears, no fuss and by the time we drove past (a whopping 4 minutes later), I could see him sitting at the table, back to the window, clearly calmly involved in an activity.

Was I sad?  A teeny-tiny bit.  It is a bit of a departure from our Cali walking group/Kindermusik days, but I think it is a good departure.  We will still do those activities, but maybe just in the afternoon (anyone local up for a weekday walking group?).  More importantly, I have a few hours each day where I can finish unpacking boxes, organize, sort, de-clutter, maybe hang some pictures (I know, let's not go nuts) and take care of errands that would be little or no fun for Nicholas. Meanwhile, he is happy and safe in a loving learning environment.

And the verdict?  

He loved it.  He was grinning ear to ear when we picked him up at the door, and the teacher smiled and said it was a great day.   We buckled up, drove off and chatted about his day at school.  Maybe not exactly our prior routine, but I think I am going to like the new one very much…as is he.