Milestones

One year ago I blogged about Sam's first day of kindergarten. I think it was as hard on him as it was on me. And here we are, one year later, and today was his first day of first grade.

We prepared for this one a little less. I kind of assumed it wouldn't be too hard for him - same school, many of the same classmates, familiar faces, routines, hallways. But he admitted he was nervous today, and I did all I could to keep him from stepping into the abyss he was teetering on all morning.

When I wiped off his face (I'll never understand how a kid can have a chunk of egg the size of a quarter on his face and not be compelled to wipe it off), I touched his canker sore and he started to cry. Somewhere between the breakfast table and the bathroom he lost his two new Star Wars toys and he started to cry. I was able to snap a few pictures before he left with Dad. Here things don't look so bad. This is how I hope we both remember it.

I would have liked to include a picture of Jake since he transitioned to a new classroom today too. But that would've been hard to do since he ran from me this morning. He refused to get into my car and while I was buckling Abby in, he ran down the street in an incident quite similar to when Sam gave chase in 2005. I can chuckle about it now, but it was a horrendous, sweaty 45 minutes that could be in the Romine Meltdown Hall of Fame. A near perfect decathlon that combined running, hitting, scratching, crying, gagging, insults, apologies, snot and clenched teeth. I'll let you imagine who did what.

I have to give it to him. In all my hurrying and downplaying the significance of first grade, Jake managed to make the day all too memorable.