First Day of Preschool!

Today was Wade’s first day of preschool! Just look at how precious my little guy is!! (please ignore the scattered sawdust debri on our porch! Someone, ahem, didn't get around to sweeping it up after some light construction work occurred there over the weekend...) He’ll be attending a one morning a week program through a local church, and so far we couldn’t be happier. The director has been wonderful to work with, and Wade has several friends in his class too. I was so encouraged to hear from my friend, Shannon who was volunteering in the class today (her cute boys are Wade’s classmates!) that Wade did great—she said he never even so much as whimpered and had a ball playing with all the fun, new toys. This mama just couldn’t be more proud! :)

Wade has stayed in nurseries for the same amount of time as he spent in his class (his class!) today, but there was something different about preparing to drop him off at school! As we got ready this morning, and I looked at him reading his little books while he waited for me, I couldn’t help but see his 19 months of life flash before me—wasn’t he just born? Where, oh where, has the time gone? Sometimes I want it back, but then most of the time, I love where we are even more than where we’ve been. I felt a bit emotionally heavy heading off to take him, but really, I am so grateful for this new experience for both of us.

Motherhood has been teaching me many (MANY!) things about myself, and one of those things is that I am a better mama when I have little breaks. In what I now know to call my pride, I want to be a mom who doesn’t require all these breaks, all this time away that frankly feels kind of self-indulgent (confession: this morning, while Wade was in school, I got a pedicure. And praise the Lord for it—I was so thankful). I want to be able to just give and give and delight in it all…I mean, some people do it, some people homeschool like, five kids at one time! (Hi Calli! :) But I’m learning that there’s a whole lot of freedom available because at the end of the day, it ain’t really about me being a rockstar mom. It’s about me (and of course my kids too!) learning to know and love and in some fractured way, look more like Jesus. And you know, I think Wade appreciates our little breaks, even though he may not realize it :)—when I picked him up he showered me with many unsolicited kisses (not something he regularly does), and I was so much more ready to engage with him and play with him after a little respite away.

And so tonight, I am feeling particularly thankful to God for the grace that He has shown me and my son. Here’s to a fun year with lots of new experiences for a little boy who is so very dear to me.