Andrew's First Day of School

Last night Andrew found me at the computer and asked me to sing him his favorite lullaby, Hush Little Baby, before he went to bed.  He cuddled on my lap and snuggled into me as I sang and then kissed me goodnight before he skipped up to bed.
 
This morning it hit me as ironic that last night I was singing him a lullaby and then this morning he's already old enough to go to kindergarten!  It was probably a good thing that I was distracted from being emotional by extreme physical pain in my hip.  I was thinking the pain originated from a recent walk around the block (such vigorous exercise often does that to me), but then I remembered that I had lifted the back bench seat out of our excursion and that was probably what did it.

I was also distracted from feeling emotional about Andrew by his rare lack of tact this morning.  When I told him why I was hurting he said, "Well, how come Daddy can lift the seat out by himself and it doesn't hurt him?"  I informed him that Dad has muscles and I do not.

Andrew's charm continued later.  I had sat/sitten/sut on the floor and could not get up.  It hurt so bad any way I tried it.  Andrew was exasperated: "If you can't get up, who's going to make me my breakfast?"  I said, "Andrew!!"  Undeterred he suggested, "What if you drag yourself down?"

Fortunately I figured out a method of getting up.

We had breakfast and then I drove him off to school on his first day.  I limped in the building and left him in the class without a hitch.  He sat down immediately and began coloring the back-to-school coloring page on his desk.

I limped back out with another mom who asked, "What are you going to do now?"  Good question.  I'm actually going to have time.  Weird.  What does one do with time to oneself?

 I said, "Maybe I'll finally clean my house."  Then we both laughed because, well, it's funny to have had a messy house for seven years, and even funnier to think I'll ever clean it up.

I drove home to find the door was locked.  I was very discouraged in my crippled state to realize that.  I limped around to all the doors until I found one that opened.

I didn't clean my house.  I'm a temporary cripple after all.  Instead I took some Ibprofen and calcium and rubbed some essential oils onto the offending hip.  Then I popped in the latest Netflix, the Prize Winner of Defiance Ohio, and didn't move until the kids were due at the bus stop.

I met the kids at the bus stop and when Andrew got off I was surprised at how old he looked.  Was this tall kid really mine?  The one in new school clothes carrying a backpack and getting off the bus?

I'm not sure I'm ready for this, but I know that he is.