// Lessons in Parenting v.1

Toby - Kaelah Bee
Yesterday was Toby's first day of pre-K! I know I just sound like a broken record here, but we were all so excited. School has been all he could talk about ever since we went to enroll him back in April. Each day started with an excited question: "Is today the day I go to school, Mom?" Sure, it was a bit exhausting sometimes (the whole "time stamp" mindset is still a little bit lost on him. I mean, he is only 4 afterall) but I think we were all ready to pack up his bag and send him on his merry way. This morning came so quickly. 6:30am and we were all rolling out of bed. Yow! I guess those days are officially here... Sign me up for the Early Risers (Against My Will) Club. He had a full on case of bedhead but that didn't stop him from shimmying on his shoes and tossing on his backpack to head out. We had to snap a few "first day" photos like every other parent in the world. Once we walked him to his classroom and signed him in, he was totally unattached. He barely took a second to give us hugs goodbye! He was so enchanted by his class' "Morning Boxes" and the other children running around the room. We kissed his head and said our goodbyes. There it was... he was at school!

Toby - Kaelah Bee
On more than one occasion I've thought about what life would be like once my kiddos' first day of school came. Would I be that parent that couldn't let go? Would I cry in front of everyone? Would my kid be equally as attached? Would (s)he scream and cry and miss me all day? It couldn't have been more different. Sure, it was a little bittersweet to see him feel so "grown up," but at the same time it was so rewarding. Kind of like a figurative pat on the back. "You're doing something right!" Ya know what I mean? I know we're raising an independent little dude, and I love that about him. But sometimes those random "I love you, Dad (/Mom)" hugs and snuggles when they're feeling under the weather sort of give your life purpose in a weird way. I think everyone likes to feel needed... it doesn't matter who. Now I'm rambling, but whatever.
Toby - Kaelah Bee
Toby - Kaelah Bee
Mike and I pulled back into the driveway at 7:45am. Seven forty-five! In the morning! I was dressed. I had on (a very tiny bit of) makeup. I was awake! (That was the real doozy!) We sat down in the living room and just looked around. I think after a few minutes we just looked at each other and said "Well, no what?" (Actually, that's not entirely true. Mike spilled an entire mug of coffee on my Xterra's radio on our way home, so I actually sulked into the house without saying anything as to allow myself time to "get over it" ha - It's all good though! He took out a fuse, let it dry out, and now it's good as new. Phew! I didn't stay mad long.) 8:30 came around. Then 9:30. Then 10:30. Then we decided we wanted breakfast, so we ate. Then 11:30. And so and so on. We did nothing! Like, literally nothing all day. We were just so... confused? Maybe that's the wrong word to use, but after 18 months of having him at home with us all day long, it felt so weird to sit in silence. We didn't have to formulate ways to channel his energy when we had things to do. We didn't have to ask him to shut his door because he was playing loudly. It was just quiet. I think we needed yesterday so we could just start to process it all.
Toby - Kaelah Bee
Anyone who doesn't have kids might just side-eye me and think I'm being overdramatic and waxing poetic about his first day. And maybe I am. But it's such a special time for our little family. Knowing that we're able to keep a kid alive (ha!) and teach him enough to make him feel confident and comfortable in a school environment. We've managed to mold him into someone who doesn't believe in strangers (they're just friends he hasn't met yet). I think a childlike approach to life (love, learning, friends, etc) is what we all need. Sometimes I think making friends as an adult is too hard... but maybe we're just overcomplicating things. That's a conversation for another time.
Toby - Kaelah Bee

We picked him up from school just a few minutes after 2:30 yesterday. He was waking up from his nap, except he didn't sleep at all... Instead of spending the hour of naptime napping, he chatted up a little girl on the mat next to him. We walked to the car, talked about all of his new friends and what he did at recess. He told us about his breakfast and lunch, and showed us his raccoon puppet that he made out of a brown sandwich bag and construction paper. We made sure to write the date on the back of his puppet because I know I want to have that little memento forever. Before we know it he's going to be graduating high school and moving on to bigger and better things. Well, last night he said that he never wants to move away. He wants to live with us in our house forever because if he moves away he won't be our son anymore. We quickly explained to him differently, but he wasn't having it. I'll just let him think he'll live with us forever (for now)... but we all know he'll be fighting to get out before we're ready. One day at a time...

Today's lesson in parenting: time flies.

PS; Isn't his shark backpack the most adorable ever? (It was the one I used when I lived in NYC) He says he had the coolest backpack in his class, and all of his "friends thought it was a real shark and it was going to eat them." How precious are 4 year olds?! (You can get this backpack online, btw!)

PPS; Maybe this will be a new series/feature every once in a while. Maybe it won't. I never know what will stick. But I like talking about Toby here... even if we're the only ones who read it. I know I'll cherish these moments down the road.

42 comments:

  1. Awww this is such a cute post. He looks like such a cutie in his bow-tie and shark bag. You sound like such a proud mama. :)

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  2. Absolutely LOVE the shark backpack and how you wrote about his first day. My daughter's going to be two in just over two weeks and I'm already wondering about school.

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  3. i guess first days of school are always harder for the parents than the kiddos. the kid is missing in the house and suddenly everything is so quiet when they are out of the house. but for the kids it is a new adventure. they get to meet new friends, learn new things, have a new routine.

    you will get used to it and appreciate the productive times while he is gone.

    toby looks so handsome in his plaid shirt and bowtie. so cute.

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  4. Awe! We just came into a very similar situation as yours in March (we got custody of our two year old niece)and I really enjoy hearing about Toby and parenting. You are awesome!

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  5. Awww they must have read The Kissing Hand if they made raccoon puppets! I for one always enjoy reading posts about Toby and if you enjoy writing them I say " keep em' coming!" Thanks for sharing!

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  6. Awww they must have read The Kissing Hand if they made raccoon puppets! I for one always enjoy reading posts about Toby and if you enjoy writing them I say " keep em' coming!" Thanks for sharing!

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  7. THAT BACKPACK! Almost makes me miss school. ALMOST haha And your reaction is totally normal: when I left for university, my Mom told me she & my Dad were up all night just talking and looking at photos.. I guess some changes are more difficult than others, but definitely cherish every moment you get with Toby! :)
    xx Johanna
    Dear Life, We Need To Talk

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  8. This whole post is just adorable, if I were you i'd be just as sentimental!
    A
    X

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  9. Thank you for sharing about Toby's first day! As a childless 20 something I am telling you that I loved reading about Toby and don't mind one bit :-) I'm not sure how you do it, but you sound so much different than other ~mommy blogs that have me so bored to tears and I just end up skipping them on my feed 80% of the time. You know how to keep it real and mention all the real moments that make life, life. (no perfect sparkly rainbows with pretty bunting, ack).

    I love this part so much: "We've managed to mold him into someone who doesn't believe in strangers (they're just friends he hasn't met yet)"! I think the last 20-30 years America has spent teaching children to never talk to strangers, and while of course that is so extremely important, I think something went missing or there wasn't enough explanation because strangers = everyone in the world. And no wonder it's so hard to make friends as an adult! We're all so damn isolated and anytime I smile at someone and say hello, that looked at me as if I stabbed a kitten right in front of them. So, you go girlfriend! It's so awesome that you're teaching Toby that and I hope I do the same with my future kid.

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  10. It's lovely that he settled in right away. I used to teach 4 year olds (I now teach 6-9 year olds) and first days come with a lot of mixed emotions for parents. It always amazes me how quickly most children settle. Even the ones that find it hard to see their parents go are usually happy an hour into the day. Oh and his shark bag is cool!

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  11. I love reading about Toby, I want to start my family so bad but right now is just not the right time so I love being able to read about your little family. That sounded creapier than I meant for it too, basically I hope my family will be as precious as yours and I would love to learn more about how you keep your house running.

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  12. THAT BACKPACK.

    THAT BOW TIE.

    THAT SHIRT.

    Kaelah, you don't even know what this entry is doing to me. I think I actually FELT my biological clock speed up! I could kind of live without the infancy timeline, but the part of having kids I look forward to the most is just this age! Ugh. I need to get on with having babies so they can be preschoolers faster.

    I think having him up here occasionally is perfectly awesome. He's an awesome little kid, and a huge part of your life. You are a badass mama.

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  13. I love this post!! His outfit is so adorable and I love his little bow tie!! And that backpack!! HOW AMAZING!!! I remember how much I hated nap time too!! I think all jobs should have a nap time! Adults need it just as much as kids!! :) I love reading about your family and Toby is just so darling!! I'm glad that he had a great first day!! xoxo

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  14. Don't stop posting about Toby! You have an awesome family. Can't wait to meet you IRL at DeSano's!

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  15. That last comment of his reminds me of myself. I still want to go home and live with my parents sometimes (as much as I love my boyfriend). I think that's a good thing, though. If he keeps up that attitude, I think it really reflects on having a strong, appreciative relationship.

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  16. My mom told me when she dropped me off on my first day of school she asked if I wanted her to stay and I was like "Um, no." and just walked away into the classroom, so she went outside and watched the class through the window, crying the entire time. hahahahahaha imagine? That backpack is awesome.

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  17. Congratulations on Toby's first day! His whole outfit is killing me! SO cute! That shark backpack is cracking me up- it's almost as big ad he is!

    -Becca
    Ladyface Blog

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  18. First of all, Toby is such a little model! Those pictures are precious. I love that he's using your awesome backpack, too. This was a very sweet post, and though I don't have kids, I felt like I totally 'got' your quiet confusion while he was gone for the first time.

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  19. just wanted to say, as someone who doesn't have children of their own, I do enjoy reading posts like this. (I'll be a mom at someday) so it would be cool if you did a series. :)

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  20. This post really struck a chord with me. I'm at that weird age where I can just feel myself creeping into adulthood and so the memories of this sort of age are just so precious. I just want to say that by being such great parents and treating Toby with the respect that you guys so obviously treat him with, you're just doing the perfect thing because these are the memories he will never forget.

    Sure, I treasure uni memories, and meeting my boyfriend and all the rest but they're just not as vivid and toned as the first days of school and the memory of telling my mum I wanted to live with her forever. Toby aged 20 will thank you so much for being so lovely but for now I will thank you because you seem to be doing everything right where others don't seem to manage it.

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  21. What a sweet post, look at little Toby! He is getting so big! I don't have kids but this post made me tear up thinking about how they grow up so fast... :)

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  22. Tell me he wore the bow tie to school! You're doing a great job, Kaelah! He's going to grow up to be a wonderful man.

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  23. I love this post so much! I just got done writing one on my blog about my daughter's first day of kindergarten next week and I felt a bit silly being as nervous about her first day as I was. First days are so hard on the parents, I can't help but seem to worry about everything. It's crazy how fast kids grow up!

    Congratulations on a successful first day, and your little man looked adorable! That backpack is freaking adorable!

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  24. Those POSES. Oh, what a precious little lad!

    This really hummed with me today. I have an (almost) one year old daughter. You guys are seriously respectful and wonderful with that little boy. He's going to grow up well. <3

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  25. I love this post
    You're such a good mum x

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  26. You should definitely make this a new feature! My boyfriend has two daughters and I'm trying to figure all this kid stuff out. I'd love to hear about when Toby first came to live with you - might be headed in that direction and it's more than a little terrifying haha

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  27. Aw, as a teacher, this is good for me to read. We teachers sometimes forget how emotional those first days can be for parents. But it sounds like your kid will do really well in school, it sounds like he's really ready to start his educational journey.
    Right. That sounded way too sappy, but I don't know how else to put it, haha.

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  28. He is a doll. You are going to have a ladies man on your hands. LOL I love to read about children and their advantages. I have 3 GrandChildren starting to school on the 19th. Grades 8, 5, 3. Then the next grand child is 2 yrs old and the next due in feb 4 2014. So I miss the early years.

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  29. I love reading all of your posts about your little family and the life you experience day by day. I hope you post more about Toby and his schoolventures. He is such a sweetheart. I hope one day i'll be gifted with a wonderful child like you and Mike have.

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  30. Sounds like you're figuring it out just fine. What a darling family you have. :)

    xx
    Rachael of THE PARADERS

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  31. i look forward to reading your blog post every single day because they are soooooooo relevant to my own life. my son is almost 2 and a half and we decided to put him in "school" so he could learn to be around other children. the same thing happend to me. he just ran in his class and didn't even say goodbye. that first day after i dropped him off i had no idea what i was going to do with the 6 and half hours of free time that i now had. your son is super cute.

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  32. We had the same experience with our son as well! He was so ready and excited to start Pre-K!! And he has made some of the same comments about never wanting to move to another house when he's older (thank you, "I'll Love You Forever") Ha! Kids are the greatest!

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  33. His bow tie and backpack!!! <3_<3 I'm a senior in college and jealous of that shark backpack! Haha! So cute.

    x Sara from tinysugarbee.blogspot.com

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  34. I don't have kids nor I plan to have one (or ten!) in the near future but your story made me smile. You are doing a great job for him, he is blessed with such amazing parents like both of you! It is good to have glimpses of your real life, keep writing them.

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  35. I loved reading about Toby's first day of school! It's such a precious moment for any family, and I'm such a sentimental person, I just gobble these sorts of posts up! xx

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  36. I LOVE this kind of posts... I really like it when you talk about your personal life and let us know what you think about certain daily life things! Btw, I am about to buy that backpack riiight now!!!!

    Georgina_mosquito from Instagram

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  37. I just adore his back to school look with the bow tie!! Talk about cutest pre-schooler!!!
    -Kellie

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  38. I needed to read this post today. Made me feel a lot better, this was my twins first week of real school. They were supposed to start private school last year but I opted for private tutoring as they are both deaf. I have been terrified to let them go off to school but this week I finally did it. Nice to hear someone else was confused by the silence. lol They have been loving school.
    ps- I love reading your family posts. We are around the same age so I enjoy getting perspective from another young twenties mom. None of my friends have children yet.
    -Lav

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  39. This will be AWESOME for one of your series feature. I'm sure I'm not the only one who wants to hear about Toby learning and growing, especially in his elementary years!

    P.S. This makes me excited for Zak to start school next year. As much as I love him to be home with us, I want him to be able to learn and grow with other kids his age.

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  40. It sounds like you're raising an adventurous and independant little fella!
    And that shark back pack is AMAZING! He's gotta be the coolest kid in school with that back pack.

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HEY! Thanks for dropping by. xo KB