Well, today was the day. The day we've been waiting for. Rachel's and Simon's birthday. Their first day of school. Watching them get on the bus. And now it's done.
The last week has been, to put it mildly, CRAZY!!!!! Because of the snow prior to the holiday break, all of my plans to visit the schools and get comfortable with everything were just out the window. We had this past week to get everything done and to get comfortable. That included visiting both of the schools and allowing the two of them to get familiar with their new classrooms. It also included getting all of the paperwork together and dealing with my own reservations about everything. And, of course, there's a 2 hour delay on the day when we were planning on visiting CAPP for Rachel which delayed her visit (and then she developed a fever delaying the visit even further).
But this morning, we came downstairs and got breakfast for the kids and treated it just like every other day. Then, at 7:47, I hear a horn honking and realize that Rachel's bus is here -- 10 MINUTES EARLY!!!!! She doesn't have her socks or shoes on yet. She doesn't have her coat on. She is still eating breakfast. I run outside and inform the bus driver that we'll be ready very soon, get her ready, and take her outside. She sees the bus and doesn't want to go ANYWHERE. The bus driver and bus aide was nice enough to allow me to bring her on the bus and get her in the seat myself rather than having a stranger strap her into a carseat (which is something she's not very cooperative with in our own car). But she was screaming and watching the bus go was very difficult. But she was off. One down, one to go.
Simon's departure was a little smoother -- mainly because the bus was there on time (or maybe a couple of minutes late). By the time the bus got there, we were ready. He was dressed and had his backpack on. But, again, he didn't want to get onto the bus. Once again, the bus driver and aide were kind enough to bring him onto the bus and sit with him while the harness was attached. Then I said goodbye and left the bus and waved as the bus took him to MPAC.
Throughout the day, I received (and made) phone calls to check on them, and they both seemed to have a really good day. Not too many expectations were being placed on them this week -- right now, it's more important that they get comfortable. But they seem to definitely be on the way to having that happen. Simon had fun playing with the toys in the room. Rachel got to experience an "art" special. It's definitely a good start.
The return trip was also successful. Simon returned home just shy of 2:30 this afternoon. He got off the bus with minimal issues. And then he got to go downstairs and play for a while before snack. The only problem with this schedule -- NO NAP. Rachel arrived home just shy of 4:00. She HAD fallen asleep on the bus and didn't appreciate being awoken by the bus aide. So, it took her until nearly 5:00 until she was no longer crabby. But then, she was right back to herself.
So, Day 1 of many is now behind us. Hopefully, the following days will go as smoothly.
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