Firsts

Tuesday was Sam's first day of preschool. Wednesday was Addie's first day of kindergarten. Today was the first day of both of them being gone at the same time. Sam had a great first day. He loves Miss Jeanna. He loves Miss Heather, and even told her today that he wanted to make letters with the play-doh they were working with to say "I love Miss Heather." He loves getting a treat at the end of class, because if there is one thing that motivates that kid it's sugar, much to my chagrin. I think he's going to have a great year. Addie had a great first day, too. I cried leaving her assessment last week, so I was worried about falling apart at the drop-off, but I held it together with only a few choked up moments. Her enthusiasm was contagious, it was hard not to be excited for her. She couldn't stop talking after school about who she met and her classroom and her cubby and all of the wonderful things about school. She's most excited about the weekly visit to the school library. Her request for yesterday was to have some girl time, and Pat was not feeling well and working from home, so the boys went down for naps and we went shoe shopping and picked up some supplies for her classroom. She's seeming so much more grown up lately, so ready for this new stage of life. I think she's going to have a great year. Addie and Sam have been so cute together lately, especially building up to these first days of school. Addie has been the one in the know, filling Sam in on all the secrets of preschool. I've caught they having a few variations of the following conversation.
S: "Addie, I will miss you while you are at school."
A: "It's ok, Sam, because I will only be gone a few hours, and on some days you'll be at preschool, and then I'll come home and we'll play together."
S: "But I will still miss you."
A: " I will miss you, too, but we will play again soon."
They've become best friends lately, and although they have plenty of fights, they really have come to rely on each other and enjoy being their best playmates. Some of the things I've complained about like their shared room or the lack of neighbor kids really have had some positive outcomes in cementing these two together. I love the pictures of them together on their first days of school, supporting each other.

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Several months ago when my dad seemed to still be improving and we were hoping for some sort of finish line to cross in taking care of him, I started to think that it would be perfect if we could just get things in order for him to be on his own again by the time school started. I really wanted to be able to make this transition with my kids and to focus on them more than I've had the luxury to with everything else going on in my life. Then I started praying that things would work out with my dad so that I could focus on my kids when school started. I had given up hope of that prayer being answered with the latest events- realizations that his cognitive abilities don't seem safe enough for independence, a few falls, and progress coming to a screeching halt. Then last Friday Pat and I were getting ready to go out and celebrate his birthday when my dad took a fall into a picture frame, and our Friday night date turned into a night spent at the ER with my dad and his head full of glass. He ended up being admitted, and then they discovered his blood pressure was dropping 30 to 60 points every time he went from laying down to standing up. He remained in the hospital for several days while they pinpointed the problem. On Tuesday he was released from the hospital to a skilled nursing facility where he's expected to stay for about a week. Then the hope is that he'll come home and have home health. This experience has been a blessing- the first time we'll finally have access to a social worker, home health, and some of the resources we've been needing since he came to live with us over 7 months ago. It's the first time I've really had a break, as awful as that may sound. I feel at home in my own home again, and it feels nice. And although it was unexpectedly, my prayers to focus on my kids at the start of school were most definitely answered. But answered prayers are most definitely, and gratefully, not a first.