Sorta Wordless Wednesday: First day of first grade

Kiddo went off to school yesterday, the first day of first grade. No big whoop in terms of the "full day with lunch in the cafeteria" bit, as she went to full day kindergarten last year (and longtime readers might remember my minor freak outs about that last summer around this time), but big whoop in terms of it being a new school in a new district with a new aide and therefore a lot of unknowns. We really, really like her aide thus far; she strikes us as a very competent, very serene, very sweet person. Same thing for her teacher. I do have some concerns but I'm holding them in to give things a chance to settle in, as it has only been two days, after all, and also because I want to hear what they have to say at Curriculum Night which is tomorrow. So, I've got my concerns simmering on a back burner on low for now, as best I can anyhow. Thus far, Kiddo loves her class, loves her teachers, loves her aide and seems to be making friends already in her class - just this afternoon she was taking forever to get off the bus because she was talking to a girl from her class with whom she sat on the ride home. Even as the bus pulled away (while I was dragging her out of the road), she was still calling out goodbyes to her new friend. I've made a note to myself to make a point of introducing myself to her parents at Curriculum Night, in case playdates turn out to be in our future...

In the meantime, here's my first grader all set for her first day! In honor of the big day, I not only got a new dress (a steal on sale at the outlet mall) but I dug out that funny, spade-shaped contraption from the back of the top shelf of the laundry room closet, plugged it into the wall and ran it repeatedly over the dress, thereby rendering it mostly wrinkle-free. I can't recall the name of that contraption, as it has been so long since I've used it, but I did almost burn myself on it twice, which could be the reason I've ignored it for so long - it's dangerous! Yeah, that's the ticket.....



The girls from next door, who are in 4th and 5th grade and therefore take the later bus (40 minutes later than Kiddo's), opted to take the early bus with her for her first day to keep her company. Kiddo was thrilled and felt like quite the big deal having two Really Big Kids ride the bus with her. It was a bit of a letdown for her this morning when they opted to sleep in a bit more and take their regular, later bus. I can't say that I blame them...



And off she went, onto the bus and away for a new year of adventures! The bus stop is the end of our driveway, which is mighty nice, I must admit. It will be especially nice in the inclement weather period, which typically lasts anywhere from mid-late October right on through May. We can stand on the covered porch and then she can walk up juuuust as the bus is pulling up. Excellent! She does have to cross the street both in the morning and afternoon, but our road is very quiet so I'm not terribly concerned about that, *knock wood* .