March 10th, 2010

Baby Steps

Isabel slept at school today.  That is a very big step.

She is the smallest child in her pre-school class.  Well, certainly the youngest but I think the smallest, too.  She started in December, just as she turned 3.  The school would have preferred to wait until September, but we begged and they relented.

But, up until now, we have been just sending her for the morning session.  She enjoys it and gets along well with the other kids.  She’s their baby.

Then they have nap time.  The first time we tried to leave her there for the full day she freaked.  She didn’t want to lay down and sleep.  That was too scary for her.

But this morning she asked if she could sleep at school and we said yes.  We kept our options open.  I was nearby with a mobile phone in case the school called, but she was fine.

And, once again, she takes a step that makes our adult lives easier, and it is a bittersweet moment.

There is the moment they first sit on the potty and you realize that you don’t have to change diapers anymore and you should be celebrating, no more visions of smeared poop, no more wiping it off their bum, no more of that smell, but on some level you’re going to miss it, too.  There is the first step and you realize that you won’t have to carry them everywhere, but you LIKE carrying them.  There is the moment when they can speak well enough to tell you what they want, which eliminates a lot of guesswork, but from that point forward it is a non-stop stream of demands that will drive you nuts.

I’m looking forward to the day when both of our kids will be able to go to school by themselves and I’ll get to spend more time at home, but I know I’ll look back on these days then with nostalgia, if not actual longing.