Off she goes!

Annabelle started preschool last month.  I stressed about the choice of her preschool and when she would enter, apparently three is the new four when it comes to pre-preschool.  I'm pretty old school, we skipped that experience, so by four, she was more than ready.  We visited three different schools as a family, checked the snack procedures everywhere, stressed about days of the week and start times (ok, just me really).  Shamefully, I actually had a pro/con sheet, and maybe a few graphs in order to pick this perfect little heaven worthy of housing my kid for a few hours a week.  No need for intervention, I know how ridiculous this all sounds. 

We settled on a school and got to work on meeting her teachers and starting the whole "galactosemia conversation".  After asking around and stealing a few ideas from trusted galactosemia mom's who have gone before us, we settled on a one-page write up to introduce Annie.  One page of just-the-basics on galactosemia in order to help them understand her diet.  But more than that, we tried to make sure that Annie's preschool experience was as normal as possible.  I tried to be cool during our one on one with the teachers, but as always, on the way out, my husband kindly pointed out that I could have said half of what I said. I was a jittery mess hoping I said enough, not too much, didn't scare them off, but didn't make them think it wasn't a big deal.  Either way, after graphs and pro/con lists, school visits, sleepless nights, galactosemia handouts and drilling Annie over and over again about checking all her snacks, reading labels, and remembering to show her medical bracelet to anyone handing her food...it was time...to let her go!

It was like holding a horse at the gate.

Big sis was ready.

Exactly. What. I. Was. Waiting. For.

I loved seeing her confident, excited and ready to go. 

I was more mamarazzi than usual this morning.

Backpack on, ready to walk to school.

We walked Annie to school as a family.  Annie gave baby sis a ride.

And in she strutted, barely remembering to give us a little kiss.




Annie has been in school for almost a month.  She has made new friends, learned new songs, brought home oodles of paintings, drawings, and other goodies she has created.  Every morning she is excited to go to school and even occasionally, when we pick her up, tells me "I wish I could just stay at school all day, Mom."  That's what I want to hear.  Let us see if that's what you're still saying in ten years?  But for now, I just want to roll around in the joy of a short school week, a happy kid having new experiences and the innocence of it all. 

Of course I still grill her every day on what she had for "snack time".   And every day she tells me, "it was safe for me mom". 

Her first school photo: