And Now I Bring You, OUR First Day at the Cesspool!

That is to say, Preschool.

So yes. Today was Maya's first day at preschool. A day I have been dreading for months.

We took a tour of the place back in early spring, and we liked everything we saw and heard, except of course for our tour-guide saying, "Yeah, your kid's gonna be sick p. much constantly." (OMG SEE RECENT ENTRIES OMG.)

We had previously asked our friends for school recommendations, then we visited the school, asked a million questions, walked about, investigated, saw Maya play and interact, asked a million more questions, and, of course, took advantage of their sign-up-now-receive-one-free-month-later deal.

We filled out a zillion forms, one of which asked us what our main areas of concern are. The options were things like:

[] Reading
[] Socialization
[] Safety
[] Creativity
[] Hygiene

And so you know what I did. I don't even have to tell you what I did. I not only checked:

[x] Hygiene

but I put about five exclamation points after it. !!!!!111@

...And then, feeling guilty, I also added a halfhearted, pathetic exclamation mark or two next to: 

[x] Safety. !! 

Because what mother is more concerned about germs than about strangers stealing their offspring?

The headmistress amusedly said, "It seems you are concerned about germs." I felt sheepish.

---

Anyway, Maya started school this morning. We were up around 7 am, a departure from the kids' usual 9:15 am wake-up.

(The baby was all, you woke me up for this shit?)

And with us we took all paperwork, her required items (change of clothes, "comfort items," food, etc.), and we were off.

Maya and her saweeeet backpack and matching lunchbox, that she picked out herself:

We drove to school...

We walked her in...

She watched, waited, hesitant, observing...

We gave her words of encouragement ("I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, 

and doggone it, people LIKE me!")...

And then we said goodbye.

And inside my heart, I was still all,

...but like everything I do as a mother with intense OCD, I just did it. 

I said a quick prayer to the Patron Saint of Cesspools, and I said goodbye to my firstborn.

...But, I mean, then I went home and took a nap with the baby and before I knew it, it was time to pick Maya up. 

Whatevz.

Anyway, first day: SURVIVED. I am doing remarkably well. :)  A friend of mine recently commented, "You can't know for sure that Maya is going to be one of the kids who gets a lot of colds."

To which I replied, "Too true. And I'm hoping she's not, if only just to prove that my Bubble Kid doesn't catch every germ that blows her way."