Jaydon's First Day of Kindergarten
Who would have thought that the little 6lb. 10oz. bundle that was handed to me on November 11th, 2002, at 12:10PM would be going to Kindergarten already? Who would have thought that he would be ready? Who would have thought that the little boy of no words for nearly 4 years would turn out to be so intelligent? Who would have thought that this day would be the hardest for his Mother?
Last night, I could not get to sleep. I was busy thinking about all of the joys that Jaydon has brought me for the past 5½ years. I was thinking about how we thought that he was Autistic, and went to doctor after doctor, diagnosis after diagnosis...only to be told that he would eventually be fine. I was thinking about how excited he was to start Kindergarten, while I was racking my brain to make sure that I had put enough to eat into his lunchbox, and whether or not his new Gymboree outfit (courtesy of Abuelo) was "GQ" enough for the first day. Had I done everything that I could to make sure that Jaydon was going to succeed this year?
6:30 AM came very quickly after finally dozing off around 12:30, and the butterflies started...no, not for Jaydon...for me! Oh boy! The day is here - it has finally arrived. The day that I have been counting down for since the last day of Pre-K. Would Jaydon cry like he did in Pre-K? Would I be able to contain my emotions?
We got ready and took a few pictures at home. Of course, Jaydon's eyes are closed in almost all of them. SO typical, but hey, that's Jaydon! I had his brand new brown Skechers ready for him to wear, and after he takes his first step in them, he says, "These shoes are just too hard, Mommy." (Meaning not broken in.) Then he says, "Watch while I walk like a penguin in them." Jeremy and I just laughed and decided that his comfort on the first day was more important than cute shoes, so we put another brown pair on him. We'll worry about breaking the new ones in later.
We got to the school only to find a parade of people and cars EVERYWHERE. We might as well have walked there considering we parked in our own neighborhood. Jaydon sees our neighbor, Marissa, who is also going into Kindergarten. They immediately start talking about him being a King and her being a Queen, and they hold hands all the way up to school. It was very precious! Jaydon says that he is "worried" because there isn't an American flag, a Texas flag, or a Christian flag hanging from the flagpole. Observant, aren't we? This isn't Glenview Christian School anymore, my dear.
Then we go in the front doors, and I have to swallow as not to tear up...
Okay, in the doors, first hallway on the left, first door on the left...Mrs. Goolsby's Kindergarten classroom at John D. Spicer Elementary. Okay Jessica, relax - inhale, exhale. The note last week at Meet the Teacher night said, "Say goodbye quickly." So we go to Jaydon's hook and he hangs his backpack. Then we take his lunch out, and he puts it into his cubby. He puts on his name necklace, and takes his crayons from his cubby to his table. WAIT - MY son knows what to do? How did THAT happen? When did he decide to do things for himself? Okay, so Jaydon sits down and I tell him I love him. He says, "I will see you at 2:25, Mom." ...and that was that. I only told you once that I would be there at 2:25. How did you remember that, Jaydon?
He gives me a kiss, (SWEET - I still get kisses from my boy!) I squeeze him tight, and then Jeremy walks in to tell him goodbye. (We took turns standing out in the hallway with Jacoby as not to bombard the classroom.) Jeremy comes back out, I take one last look, and Jaydon is content. WOW - SUCCESS!! Except wait, wait just one minute! Tears - oh, no...tears! How did that happen??? He was JUST fine! Yes, I am bawling! Not Jaydon...me - his mother is crying like a complete fool! I had to put my sunglasses on so I wouldn't embarrass myself. Thank God I hardly ever wear make-up in the Summer anyway!
Jeremy tries to comfort me, but nothing at this point will work...except looking into Jacoby's eyes and telling myself that I will get to do this over again in 5 more years, and then again another year after that. I cry the whole way to work. Listening to the sappy stuff on 106.1 about the first day of school didn't help. Am I crying because Jaydon has started a "new life?" Am I crying because I am not needed anymore? WHY am I crying?
Then, I realize something. I realize that there is just a special bond between a parent and his/her first child. It is not to say that you don't love your 2nd, 3rd, or 4th (or more) children the same, but there is an inexplicable bond between a parent and their first child. THIS is the child whom you shared everything with before other children came around. THIS is the child that you saw walk, talk, pee, poop, and smile for the first time. THIS is the child who will always hold the first spot in his Mommy's heart.
The tears subside after realizing that Jaydon is ready. He is a big boy, and the time has come. Jaydon is ready for Kindergarten. I did what I could, and he has proven that he will be okay. That's all a Mother can do.
Jeremy gets home at 6:10 today. Mind you, he didn't get to work until 8:45 today after going with me to take Jaydon to school, and then dropping Jacoby off. Jeremy rings the doorbell and runs. Jaydon hurries to the front door to find a "CARS" bag with a new toy, a new book, and a card in it. He also finds a bowl of spaghetti out there from what he calls "Pizza Planet". (Roma's - his favorite spaghetti place.) Jaydon is SO excited and brings it all inside. Then Jeremy comes in through the garage door. Jaydon starts opening his gifts and says, "Daddy, I think it was you that brought this for me." He opens his card and it says "Best Boy" on it. That's what we call Jaydon. (Jacoby is our "Best Baby".) There are a couple of tools from the Handy Manny show, a book about starting school, and a card from both of us. What a thoughtful Dad! I had NOTHING to do with that and didn't even know what Jeremy was up to. He says that he could hardly wait to come home to hear about Jaydon's day, and he wanted to see us. Words cannot describe what a perfect husband I have. He says, "I wanted to start a new tradition that on the first day of school every year, for each of our children, they get a new toy and their favorite dinner." Who on EARTH would have thought of that? We love you, "Best Daddy!"
Enjoy the pictures below. I took quite a few more including some of the entrance of the school, the sign with the school name on it, etc., but I don't want to bore everyone and it just takes too dang long to upload them 5 at a time which is all that blogger allows!
The video "interview" was done after school. Be sure to turn up your volume for that. It took 3 tries to even get Jaydon to answer my questions, but you'll get the point. He did well. He ate his lunch, saw 2 of his friends, and had a good day. I couldn't have asked for anything more!
Last night, I could not get to sleep. I was busy thinking about all of the joys that Jaydon has brought me for the past 5½ years. I was thinking about how we thought that he was Autistic, and went to doctor after doctor, diagnosis after diagnosis...only to be told that he would eventually be fine. I was thinking about how excited he was to start Kindergarten, while I was racking my brain to make sure that I had put enough to eat into his lunchbox, and whether or not his new Gymboree outfit (courtesy of Abuelo) was "GQ" enough for the first day. Had I done everything that I could to make sure that Jaydon was going to succeed this year?
6:30 AM came very quickly after finally dozing off around 12:30, and the butterflies started...no, not for Jaydon...for me! Oh boy! The day is here - it has finally arrived. The day that I have been counting down for since the last day of Pre-K. Would Jaydon cry like he did in Pre-K? Would I be able to contain my emotions?
We got ready and took a few pictures at home. Of course, Jaydon's eyes are closed in almost all of them. SO typical, but hey, that's Jaydon! I had his brand new brown Skechers ready for him to wear, and after he takes his first step in them, he says, "These shoes are just too hard, Mommy." (Meaning not broken in.) Then he says, "Watch while I walk like a penguin in them." Jeremy and I just laughed and decided that his comfort on the first day was more important than cute shoes, so we put another brown pair on him. We'll worry about breaking the new ones in later.
We got to the school only to find a parade of people and cars EVERYWHERE. We might as well have walked there considering we parked in our own neighborhood. Jaydon sees our neighbor, Marissa, who is also going into Kindergarten. They immediately start talking about him being a King and her being a Queen, and they hold hands all the way up to school. It was very precious! Jaydon says that he is "worried" because there isn't an American flag, a Texas flag, or a Christian flag hanging from the flagpole. Observant, aren't we? This isn't Glenview Christian School anymore, my dear.
Then we go in the front doors, and I have to swallow as not to tear up...
Okay, in the doors, first hallway on the left, first door on the left...Mrs. Goolsby's Kindergarten classroom at John D. Spicer Elementary. Okay Jessica, relax - inhale, exhale. The note last week at Meet the Teacher night said, "Say goodbye quickly." So we go to Jaydon's hook and he hangs his backpack. Then we take his lunch out, and he puts it into his cubby. He puts on his name necklace, and takes his crayons from his cubby to his table. WAIT - MY son knows what to do? How did THAT happen? When did he decide to do things for himself? Okay, so Jaydon sits down and I tell him I love him. He says, "I will see you at 2:25, Mom." ...and that was that. I only told you once that I would be there at 2:25. How did you remember that, Jaydon?
He gives me a kiss, (SWEET - I still get kisses from my boy!) I squeeze him tight, and then Jeremy walks in to tell him goodbye. (We took turns standing out in the hallway with Jacoby as not to bombard the classroom.) Jeremy comes back out, I take one last look, and Jaydon is content. WOW - SUCCESS!! Except wait, wait just one minute! Tears - oh, no...tears! How did that happen??? He was JUST fine! Yes, I am bawling! Not Jaydon...me - his mother is crying like a complete fool! I had to put my sunglasses on so I wouldn't embarrass myself. Thank God I hardly ever wear make-up in the Summer anyway!
Jeremy tries to comfort me, but nothing at this point will work...except looking into Jacoby's eyes and telling myself that I will get to do this over again in 5 more years, and then again another year after that. I cry the whole way to work. Listening to the sappy stuff on 106.1 about the first day of school didn't help. Am I crying because Jaydon has started a "new life?" Am I crying because I am not needed anymore? WHY am I crying?
Then, I realize something. I realize that there is just a special bond between a parent and his/her first child. It is not to say that you don't love your 2nd, 3rd, or 4th (or more) children the same, but there is an inexplicable bond between a parent and their first child. THIS is the child whom you shared everything with before other children came around. THIS is the child that you saw walk, talk, pee, poop, and smile for the first time. THIS is the child who will always hold the first spot in his Mommy's heart.
The tears subside after realizing that Jaydon is ready. He is a big boy, and the time has come. Jaydon is ready for Kindergarten. I did what I could, and he has proven that he will be okay. That's all a Mother can do.
Jeremy gets home at 6:10 today. Mind you, he didn't get to work until 8:45 today after going with me to take Jaydon to school, and then dropping Jacoby off. Jeremy rings the doorbell and runs. Jaydon hurries to the front door to find a "CARS" bag with a new toy, a new book, and a card in it. He also finds a bowl of spaghetti out there from what he calls "Pizza Planet". (Roma's - his favorite spaghetti place.) Jaydon is SO excited and brings it all inside. Then Jeremy comes in through the garage door. Jaydon starts opening his gifts and says, "Daddy, I think it was you that brought this for me." He opens his card and it says "Best Boy" on it. That's what we call Jaydon. (Jacoby is our "Best Baby".) There are a couple of tools from the Handy Manny show, a book about starting school, and a card from both of us. What a thoughtful Dad! I had NOTHING to do with that and didn't even know what Jeremy was up to. He says that he could hardly wait to come home to hear about Jaydon's day, and he wanted to see us. Words cannot describe what a perfect husband I have. He says, "I wanted to start a new tradition that on the first day of school every year, for each of our children, they get a new toy and their favorite dinner." Who on EARTH would have thought of that? We love you, "Best Daddy!"
Enjoy the pictures below. I took quite a few more including some of the entrance of the school, the sign with the school name on it, etc., but I don't want to bore everyone and it just takes too dang long to upload them 5 at a time which is all that blogger allows!
The video "interview" was done after school. Be sure to turn up your volume for that. It took 3 tries to even get Jaydon to answer my questions, but you'll get the point. He did well. He ate his lunch, saw 2 of his friends, and had a good day. I couldn't have asked for anything more!
posted by JESSICA @ 7:33 PM
3 Comments:
WHAT A HAM!!!
I like his little hispanic girlfriend! Outfit is a little TOO GQ, my baby's gonna have those girls fighting for him.
Good to know parents don't get any sleep the night before the first day either, join the club.
Oh, my little J3 is so GQ!! I'm so glad he had such a GREAT 1st day of school and am soo glad that Mom made it through "okay". I feel your pain! That is awesome of Jeremy to do that for his son! Such a good Daddy!!
That was too sweet! I didn't cry when we took Ana to school on her first day of Kindergarten but now I'm freaking because she's in 1st Grade! I've been completely sad since this weekend because I realize that my baby is growing up! When did this happen??? I'll admit that I have also teared up in the last few days...Hugs to you and babies :-)
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