...yeah, yeah, yeah. (Sorry for 2 Elton John lyric references in a week, I know it's a bit much)But, I am still standing after a big day! It actually went not quite as smoothly as I'd anticipated. I figured since Riley had attended 1 1/2 years of preschool that it would be a smoother transition than this. Once we got into the classroom, he kind of clammed up. Started losing confidence and getting really miserable. There were several crafts to do and he was mostly concerned with the fact that his hands were getting dirty from markers and such. Then he went potty and was afraid to flush because he anticipated it being very loud in a very small bathroom. He finally finished his crafts and had a fish cookie (fish was the theme of the day) - and we heard that it was time to get on the school bus for a trial. This was actually good news to me - a good way to try out the bus before his first actual bus ride to school. I asked if he wanted to go on alone, he said yes but quickly changed his mind once he climbed the stairs and looked down an aisle full of kids. We got him situated about halfway back, he was seeming uncertain but still okay. After about 5 minutes of just sitting I figured that maybe there was no ride after all, and considering it was about 150 degrees in there, I said - okay, let's make room for some other kids to try it out. But as we were just about to get off, the driver said 2 more minutes till we get going. So I told Riley, let's get you buckled back into a new seat (right behind the driver). He got all fastened and his breathing got strained and rapid. You could sense his blood pressure going up. He gave me a look that said "Whatever you do, DON'T leave me." So I did what I had to do. I left him. I told him he was going to be okay (despite looks from other parents to me that seemed to say "Is he going to be okay??") and that I'd be waiting for him when he got back. It would only be a 2 minute drive around the parking lot. The bus started, then the doors opened - I assumed it was Riley who was going to be escorted off in hysterics. But it was another little girl who'd broken down in sobs and was being brought to her mother instead. The doors closed back up, and off they went - with Riley presumably still in one piece. Around the parking lot rolled the bus, and back to it's starting point. The doors opened, I saw a pink shirt (what Riley was wearing) come my way, and I hesitatingly looked at his face for his reaction. Boy was I ever pleased when I saw a HUGE grin and heard him exclaim "Mommy, I RODE on the BUS!!!" He was really psyched, and it was then that I decided I will put him on the bus to school tomorrow morning. It's now or never.
I got a bunch of photos, I'm in the process of resizing them right now. In the meantime, here's my favorite. Enjoy. :)
Oh - and everyone was wrong on the poll!!! Neither of us cried, although if anyone came close, it was Mr. Riles.
