First Day of School

Fer and Wendy started their new school yesterday! Chris was confident all would go well and I was kind of a nervous wreck, but probably that reflects our own childhood school experiences more than anything about the girls. (He was a basketball star and I was a bookworm, and we fared socially pretty much how one would expect from those two roles). In any case, after a mini-panic attack (mine, not the the girls') on Monday afternoon, we made it to school yesterday morning on a gray, somewhat misty day that turned into a steady downpour throughout the day. Wendy's 3rd grade classroom is in the portable classrooms behind the school, and Fer's 4th grade room is in the main building. Both girls seem to have lovely teachers, and the afterschool program, which we will use as needed depending on the girls' interest in going and also on any coverage needed for appointments or commitments that we have, also seems to have a great staff. I stopped by at dismissal to check in and bring them both a snack. Wendy wanted to stay in Afterschool with some friends that she saw from the summer program, and Fer wanted to come home with me, so Fer and I had a lovely afternoon hanging out at home and chatting about her first day. Wendy demands so much of my attention when I have both girls with me that it was really wonderful to have time for just me and Fer. We also sorted through all her clothes since it suddenly seems to be fall and we needed to see what she had. Also, she has grown 7 inches and gained 23 pounds in the past year, so needless to say there is some weeding out to be done! I am going to have to buy some new bins for the hand-me-downs we amassed for Wendy -- quite a treasure trove. Fer and I then went to Target to exchange a pair of jeans and went to pick up Wendy, who came skipping over and seemed to have had a great afternoon "playing and playing," as she put it. No homework for either of them, just lots of papers to hand off to Mami!

Unfortunately I think the strain of the day with so much newness took its toll and things kind of unraveled once we got home. I had to field a major meltdown before dinner, complete with going out in the rain to a neighbor's house to ask for backup (Chris was running late from the city with the weather). Fortunately Miss Amy was home two doors down and she came over with her daughter to play (thank you again Amy -- you saved us!!). This helped create a sense of calm and get back to a more regulated state to continue with our evening. Fer and Wendy both ate a good dinner while Abby played Barbies in our living room, and the three girls ended the visit coloring together at the dining room table. There was again a bit of agitation at bedtime, but a hearty snack of pasta and a few extra songs seemed to do the trick, and both girls were asleep by 9 p.m., thankfully.

This morning they did their first day on the bus -- it was late and we were about to leave in the car but then it appeared and they jumped on, which allowed me to get to 8 a.m. Mass at Seton Hall, much needed. The refrain for the psalm was "The Lord is compassionate towards all his works," and the Gospel was the Beatitudes. I found a lot of food for thought and prayer from the readings and of course from the Eucharist, and hopefully I'll be able to make it over there regularly.