Family Alive

The lump is starting to form in the back of my throat.

I curled up next to Analise in bed tonight, praying for a good night’s sleep, praying for her day, her year, her teacher, her friends.  I snuggled close to her and it struck me that 5 years ago right about now, I was snuggling a tiny Analise on my chest with a lump in my throat the night before I headed back to work.  She was just 6 1/2 weeks old, and I couldn’t imagine leaving her, even in the capable hands of her daddy.

In between that night 5 years ago and tonight, there were 1825 days.  Some were busy days, some were family days, some were quiet days, lots were fun.  And some were long days.  Maybe it was a day after a sleep-deprived night, maybe it was a sick day, maybe our attitudes were not what they should have been.   But those were the days that I thought to the far-off day when she’d be headed to school, and I wished – with a twinge of guilt – that they days would go a little quicker.  And on the days that I was worn out with laundry, meals, picking up and whining, I imagined the coming quiet of school days.

And here we are, on the eve of the next chapter in our lives… our first child headed off to kindergarten.  Now, of course, I’m wishing I hadn’t wished for these school days to come so quickly.  So my public service announcement for moms of young kids is to be careful what you wish for, because, as cliche as it sounds, they’ll grow up faster than you can imagine.

Analise is full of excitement and anticipation at starting school.  She enjoyed meeting her teacher and checking out her room.  We picked up our short list of school supplies, the requisite pink and purple backpack, Disney Princess lunch box and thermos, My Little Pony nap mat (which she insisted on sleeping on last night!), and purple pencil bag.  She’s got a cute new dress and headband, and she’ll be a great student full of enthusiasm and curiosity.

We live too close to school for the bus, so we’ll walk the short 15-minute distance most days.  In the last few months, our kids have finally grasped the art of sleeping past 7, which elicited much joy and made for leisurely (and snuggly!) mornings this summer.  But being ready and on our way for the 7:45 start time will take some getting used to!  Since we all know I”m the emotional one, Brian’s going to do the first day of school walk tomorrow.  Josiah and I will stay at home, I’ll snuggle him close, and remind myself to appreciate each day I have left before he heads off to kindergarten.