It happened

Kindergarten finally happened.

Honestly, when I was searching and moving and participating in awkward playdates, I knew it was on the horizon, but I didn't think it would actually, really, truly happen.

But it did.

My first child went to kindergarten today. She ate some cereal, got dressed, said goodbye to her sister (who starts school an hour before), played some iPad word games while her mom got dressed, put on her backpack and walked to school.

She wasn't scared or nervous or any of the things I was. And when I left her in her lovely classroom, she didn't cry. And, surprisingly, neither did I.

Here's the story in pictures:

Her backpack is gigantic, yes. But notice who is hanging off it: our pal, Rockandrolla, the mascot of self-confidence.

There was a table with Berenstein Bears books and that's where we started the morning. I did not tell her to wear an emo hoodie, by the way, that's all her doing.

If Marina's friend from preschool wouldn't have been there, I really don't think the drop-off would have gone as smoothly as it did. But as soon as the friends saw each other, they immediately went off to play and forgot I was even there.

This is the Play-doh station. See? Kindergarten is still fun and games. I heard horror stories that modern kindergarten is all regimented and serious. Happily, that doesn't seem to be the case.

At the end of the day, when we were walking up the stairs to our apartment, she said she would tell me her favorite part of the day when we got inside. (Drawing her self portrait, followed by a tour of the school in which she got to walk through the "hospital," or as adults call it, the nurse's office.)

"Will you also tell me what you didn't like?" I asked.

"There was nothing that I didn't like."

And that's when I finally breathed.