1st Day of 1st Grade

You think I'd know by know to expect that completely calm reply when I ask "are you ready?" Will there ever be a time Meredith gets nervous or anxious for something? Today is the first day of school. REAL school. All-day school. With lunch! True, it is only until 12:30 today, but still. So yesterday we did all the necessary prep work for today. We picked out an outfit, took a shower to make sure her hair looks nice, packed a lunch and went to bed early. Now, I have memories of lying in bed the night before the first day of school, and they aren't pleasant memories. I always had trouble sleeping and my nervous stomach sure didn't help. I was ready with the pep talk, but it was not necessary. I tucked Meredith in and asked if she was excited. "Yep!" Are you nervous at all? "Um, no. Just excited!" Perfect.

This morning at 6:40 she walked in to my room, a giant smile on her face. She gave me an extra tight hug and we talked for a bit. She wanted to know how much longer today would be than last year. She wanted to know what they would do first today. She asked about the pick-up procedure. But she took each answer in stride, just nodding. Then she was off to watch cartoons.

We took a few super-smiley pictures...

...and we were off. We found some friends outside. That's Jackson on the left and Garrett on the right.

We decided to walk Meredith to her classroom, just to make sure she was settled.

This was the first time I saw her smile fade a little, but only because she was so focused on what she was supposed to be doing and where she needed to be.

She got her backpack and lunchbox hung on her hook and headed to her spot. Ms. Henley gave her a big welcome and it was our time to leave.

I have such a hard time with the leaving part...like the minute I'm out the door she'll need something. But I know better, she'll be fine. We peeked in the window as we were leaving, trying to wave one last time (in true Horine fashion), but she didn't notice. She was too busy saying 'hi' to friends and doing some serious coloring. She's got a big day ahead...and she was ready.