- 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.
You've been doing a lot of growing... from seven pounds and change to almost ten now. You're not a lot taller, but you are a lot different. In the beginning, you looked a little like a miniature boy to me... and now you're 100% baby. Before, we almost had to pull out the bungee cords to keep the diaper on you, and now, we're hoping we can use up all the small ones we're using right now before you grow out of them!
The rough spots along the way for us have been mainly figuring out how you like to sleep. You're not too big on the concept... awake more than you are asleep unlike your peers who tend to be the other way around at this stage. The new soy formula is helping you keep your dinner down and probably keeps you from waking yourself up. 
The roughest time was probably this week when Dad became violently ill right after your baby dedication at church. All the family helped, but Mom and her parents really stepped up to the plate, staying at our house for a couple of days to help us weather the storm. It was still a special day for you.
But Dad getting sick wasn't your fault. You've been doing what babies are supposed to do. Eat. Poop. Cry. Sleep. But then, one day, you did something that we didn't expect, but something that just changed the whole world for us. Smile. Not that we didn't ever expect you to do it, but just that you did it so soon. And you won't know for many more months what it means when someone you look at smiles back at you... your vision hasn't gotten to that point, not to mention your cognitive development, but when you do, you'll find out just how wonderful it is, and why it was such a big deal to us.