first day of kindergarten reflections

I wanted to get my thoughts down about today while they are still fresh in my mind. Adam woke up

at 5:30 this morning, and so I'm winding down fast.

- Last year at preschool, Adam was in the oldest group, and so he looked big and I felt like I had a big kid. Now, he looks tiny again.

- We have been preparing Adam for kindergarten for a long time, and I think it really paid off. He told us he wanted to ride the bus this morning, and so we let him and told him we would meet him at the school to take pictures. I really don't get very emotional about these things, but when that giant bus rounded the corner and the lights started flashing, reality hit me. I know we're not sending him out into the "real world," but that's what it feels like sometimes. Thankfully, I held it together. He got on the bus and didn't look back. I had to get him to turn around so I could take his picture. I was so proud.

- The staff at his school was amazing. I know it was stressful for them and that not everything went perfectly, but they handled it very well. Being greeted by the principal as we walked up (without Adam since he was on the bus) meant a great deal.

- I'm glad we have a long weekend to regroup before heading into a full week.

- I am immensely grateful I felt good today and was headache-free so I could be fully present for the experience.

- By far the greatest blessing of today has been all the people who have asked about Adam and told us how proud they are of him and how happy they are for him. This morning I was getting texts faster than I could respond to them. We are incredibly blessed to have so many people who care about our little family.

- Adam's education will have lots of challenges, but I'm glad we got a good start today. I'm trying not to think too far ahead into the future, and trying to enjoy the small, sweet moments while they last.

The day he was born, we began the process of letting him go. Today was just another step of that process. 

adam moments

Adam had several cute moments today:

• Playing with my contact lens case and pretending to put contacts in. (He'll be wearing contacts soon enough.)
• Saying the word "TiVo" for the first time
• Watching VeggieTales for the first time - Ultimate Silly Songs. He laughed and watched the whole thing.
  

Adam's First Report Card

the whole tooth...

...and nothing but the tooth!

 

We've been waiting quite a while for this to happen... hopefully the others will follow quickly!

first fire station visit

I'm hopelessly behind on blogging, and I'm not going to try to catch up, but here are some pictures from a visit with my moms group to a fire station a couple of weeks ago. It was Adam's first visit to a fire station, and our first outing in our new (to us) van. Afterwards, we cara(mini)vaned to McKay's Mill for a picnic. There are four other babies near Adam's age in the group, and it was so much fun to watch them interact!

Firestation Visit

Grandparents and Swimming!

Adam Five Months with GPD and GMP and SWIMMING!

This weekend, Grandma Pat and Grandpa Dave came to visit. We had lots of fun... including something I've NEVER done before... we went SWIMMING!

Mom and Dad took me in this big pool thing at the YMCA. It was like a big bath with lots of people in it. It was cold, but I was brave! After I got used to it, it was lots of fun.

Adam's First Cereal

After four and two-thirds months, we decided to see how Adam liked cereal. Bottom line, he does! I think he's watched Mom and Dad eat enough to understand how the process works.

Steve's Naturalization Ceremony

Our friend Steve became a real, live U.S. American on Friday! Lydia and Adam came and picked me up at lunchtime to go to the Estes Kefauver federal building in Nashville where Steve took the oath of citizenship. He was born in Hong Kong a few years back, so he's had a United Kingdom passport.

It was the first time Lydia or I or Adam (of course) had gotten the opportunity to be a part of one of these ceremonies, and I highly recommend it. There were sixty new U.S. citizens that day, from the middle east, central and south America, Europe, Africa, the far east... I think the only continents we missed were Australia and Antarctica. It's great to see the melting pot in person.

Non-baby book firsts for Adam:

• First walk in a crosswalk
• First time in a courtroom
• First naturalization ceremony
• First time through security (but around the metal detector in the stroller)

my first trip (and more firsts)

So two days ago, everything's going great. The Mom person has fed me, and I got a little nap in, and I'm on another bottle, when who should show up, but the Dad person. In the middle of the day. I mean, hey, we might go see him at the work place, but he doesn't come to the house place.

Next thing you know, they're running around all over the house, and they've got bags and boxes and diapers and all kinds of things together. Then they put me in my seat where I sleep and ride in the car. Dad puts me in the car, and Mom gets in the back seat with me, which is a little weird, but I love my Mom, so I don't mind.

I love my seat. It's so warm and comfy. Almost every time they put me in here, I fall asleep, and this time is no exception.

So I wake up, and I'm in the car, and we're driving. No big deal, we do this all the time. Mom and Dad say something about me being in my first new state to go to on a trip: Georgia.

And then, we're still driving.

And then, we're still driving. I get a little fussy, and Mom gives me a bottle.

But then we're still driving. Dad says that Mr. T says that we only have 30 more minutes, but I don't know what he's talking about, so I start complaining.


Finally, they seem to have heard me, and we get out of the car in a garage. Mom and Dad are all excited, because they say this is my first time to go to an Ikea. I understand that my cousin really likes the kids area, and when I'm potty trained, I can go too. All I know right now is that I'm wet.

We go up in an elevator and go to the family bathroom to get changed. That makes me very happy, and as soon as we get out of the bathroom, Aunt Allison is there! She hugs me and then we go up in the elevator again.

Mom and Dad and Aunt Allison roll me to the Ikea Restaurant where they eat dinner and I have a bottle. Then we walked through the store and Mom and Dad got some stuff (even one thing for me, I think) and then we said goodbye to Aunt Allison and left.

It was all dark outside, so I knew it was time to sleep. When I woke up, I was in a room with a bed and a TV and a chair and table and Mom and Dad. Mom woke me up for a bottle, and then all of us went to sleep. I only woke up once, and went right back to sleep.

The next morning, I watched Dad eat breakfast, and then Mom and I got cleaned up for the day. All three of us got back in the car (again!) and picked up Aunt Allison. We drove to Kennesaw where she and Uncle Dave are planning to move soon... but I didn't stay awake to see their new house. Mom and Dad told me later that they really liked it.

I woke up and saw Mom and Dad and Aunt Allison eating lunch at Sweet Tomatoes. Then they took me to the mall to roll around.

After the mall, we went to Aunt Allison's apartment, and I got to meet my cousin Vincent. Well, sort of my cousin. He's the first cat I've ever met in real life. He didn't quite know what to make of me, and I didn't quite know what to make of him. He seemed nice enough though.

I still haven't met Uncle Dave. He spent all weekend flying an airplane again. Maybe someday I can take a trip on his airplane.

Then I hugged on Aunt Allison, and Mom and Dad and I got in the car and started driving again. We drove for a while and then stopped for my first ever visit to an outlet mall. Dad got a shirt, and Mom got me lots and lots of stuff. Mom says the best clothes come from outlet malls.

We got back in the car, and Mom and Dad ate dinner. I had just had a bottle, so I was feeling pretty good. Mom was riding in the back seat with me, and she saw me smile, so she stuck something out of her mouth at me. It was pink and shiny, and funny, so I thought, "hey, I've got one of those..." and I stuck it out at her. She laughed so big and said, "he stuck his tongue out at me!" I guess that's what the pink thing in my mouth is. So Mom did it again. So I did it again! And she did it again! And laughed! And I did it again! And laughed! It was so much fun. Then she got the camera out and stuck her tongue out at me, and I did, but the camera was too slow. We played the game for a while, and I think she didn't get my picture. Or maybe she did.

Then, after a little while, things started sounding funny. Then my ears started hurting, so much I had to cry. Mom said something about Monteagle Mountain and got out a bottle for me. That helped a lot, but my ears still bugged me until they said we were off the mountain.

Then we drove and drove and drove, and I fell asleep again, and when I woke up, it was the next morning, and I was at home. I feel like I slept for nine hours, and that's what Dad said I did!

more non-baby book firsts

First picnic
with friends on Friday

First girl birthday party, First encounter with bubbles
This afternoon at Paisley Goode's birthday party

First puppy encounter
With Rudy Jernigan at the Sunday School party

Picture evidence of all three:

Picnic, Paisley Party and Park

Adam's first day at church

...was last Sunday, but we're just getting around to getting the pictures off the camera.



This week has been busy busy busy. Adam's Dad has gone off on his first business trip (only one night, much to the joy of Adam's Mom,) Adam has gone on his first prescription (Prevacid, as referenced in the previous post somewhere) and Adam has given us his first smile. We think. Maybe.

firsts not in the baby book

First department store: Macy's this past Saturday

First restaurant: Pei Wei last weekend

First double-digit diaper day: Feb 5 - 10 diapers

First successful time of any significant duration in the swing: tonight


First webcam time with great-grandparents: tonight

First time being babysitted: last Sunday morning by Lydia's parents while we went to Sunday School. Adam performed just as we told him to, he slept and only pooped once.

First visit to Dad's work: today

First awake visit to Dad's work: not occured yet

First visit to a discount store: Big Lots this past Saturday

First bottle: last Friday after...

First (probably) unnecessary trip to the pediatrician: last week when he was showing a little fever (about a half a degree) and was having trouble getting to sleep because he was fussing so much, which produced his...

First trip back to the hospital: today, to have a follow-up visit with the lactation consultant. He passed with flying colors. He's doing everything right... he just needs to do it more often.