Bella started preschool (insert sigh here)

My baby started preschool on Monday. She was so excited that she could barely sleep the night before. When she finally did she woke me up bright and early. I, like most parents, was nervous that she would be scared, she'd cry when I went to drop her off, she'd refuse to let me leave, etc. Well none of that happened... When we got there she nearly ran to her classroom, the doors were still closed so we stood in the hallway with her fellow classmates and their parents. A few kids were crying, one was clinging to his mom's leg, and most were just standing silently. Not Bella, she was telling me all the things she was going to do and asking why she couldn't go in yet.

The teachers opened the doors and Bella was the first to run up and introduce herself to Ms. Chris and Ms. Joani and then walk into the classroom without me. I followed behind her, tapped her on the shoulder and said "are you forgetting something", she took off her jacket and handed it to me. Not what I was looking for, but I managed to get a hug and kiss from her before she ran off to play. As I was leaving the room, passing the parents of crying children, I was relieved that Bella adapts so well... but it would have been nice for her to at least pretend like she was going to miss me. When I got in my car I almost shed a tear, but decided to save those for when she starts kindergarden (insert goosebumps here).

Two hours later I joined the rest of the parents in the hallway to wait for our new preschoolers. The door to the classroom was open and we could see all the kids sitting in a circle while the teachers sang them a good bye song, at the end they both sang "yee haa" to which Bella was the only child to echo "yee haa" and do a little dance :) As the teachers released her to me they told me she loves to paint, which I knew, and could see by looking at her pink shirt which was spattered with red and green. Once in the car Bella said she loved preschool and couldn't wait to go back, so off we went again this morning!

My baby is growing up so fast!