First Day of School: Kindergarten (sniff!) Edition

My baby girl Nenna is off to Kindergarten today.

She woke up at 6:44am, came downstairs where I was sleeping with Alec and woke me up to tell me that she was going down to the play area in the basement to get her brush because she didn't want to "go get it later and miss the bus."

She got herself dressed in her picked-out-the-night-before outfit of her new plaid tunic shirt and jeans and, of course, her new sneaks.

We packed her enough food in her lunchbag to last her 'til next week (I can't have my baby be hungry!) and reviewed what was for her morning snack, what items were for lunch and what she could have for her afternoon snack. I'm pretty sure she just "yes, Mom"-ed me when I was going through the whole thing.

We waited outside with Daddy and Alec (who was in the same stroller that Jenna was in on Michaela's first day of kindergarten... awwwww) and the neighbor girls. Jenna was excited and eager and happy.

When the bus came (on time, incredibly), she screamed and laughed with excitement and anticipation. She hopped right up, never looked back, and I strained to see her through the tinted windows, but she was on the other side and out of my sight.

We waved furiously at the bus as it pulled away, and I felt good and so happy for her.

If someone had told me three years ago that Jenna, my shy, fearful, clingy, quiet Jenna, would get on the bus for school facing a whole day away from home with that much joy and anticipation, I would have laughed and laughed and laughed and said it's impossible. But she did do it, and she was happy, and therefore I am overwhelmingly happy.

It is a good day.