Hailey goes to Kindergarten!

So before I start, I have pictures that still need to be uploaded of Hailey's first day! So hopefully that will come in a post tonight! (PS: Yes I also remember that I am supposed to upload Birthday pictures too!)

So let's rewind to last Monday August 20th.

Monday was open house. We had to be there at 9am. This was a whole school event so they split it up by last names, so we were in the first session. This is the day we went to meet Hailey's teacher and drop off all her supplies. She was super excited and proudly carried her bag of school stuff into the school. We found the classroom and both her and I were very excited to see it was decorated with frogs! Yay, another frog lover! Her teacher's name is Mrs. Durham. She's a middle aged/ slightly older lady, but she seemed very nice. There was about ten other kids in the room. We got to peak around and Hailey was told to find her cubby box to put her supplies in and then go find here seat. At her table there was special surprise of a new froggie pencil and a mini thing of M&Ms. My surprise was her daily folder with some stuff to fill out and read. I honestly love reading all the stuff and filling it out. We then headed out and looked around at some of the displays in the cafeteria. Then headed out.

Tuesday morning I woke Hailey up at 7:10am to get ready. She quickly ate her breakfast and then got dressed. She didn't want me to do her hair, but I told her that I hardly ever get the chance to be off when she goes to school, so I wanted to do it for her. She can wear her hair down for the rest of the school year since Kenny doesn't like doing hair (guys! sheesh!). So she decided on two pig tails! So then I packed her hello kitty lunch box and her hello kitty book bag. Then of course I wanted to take pictures! Lot's of pictures! Then we headed out to the bus! The bus came at 8:20 and Hailey excitedly got on and waved to both Kenny and I from the window! I couldn't wait to hear about her day!

So since I was off all week, I scheduled as many appointments as I could! I had an appointment in Waldorf, so after she left I headed off to that. Then I went to spend some time with Heather and catch each other up on our lives! I left there around 4. I decide that since Hailey will be int he YMCA aftercare at the school each day, I would let her go even though I was home. I didn't want to confuse the whole bus ride home thing with her while I was off. So it was easier to just have her go for like an hour and pick her up each day like she will do the rest of the year. Now I am driving, jamming to the music on the way home, and my cell phone rings. It's a 540 area code which I knew was a Virginia one in the area we live in. So I answered and it was the lady in the front office from Hailey's school. It is now 4:20pm and she introduces herself and then tells me that Hailey's name is on the roster for the YMCA aftercare program, and then she goes on and asks if this is correct. This is not a good sign! So I confirm that is where she should be, then she was like "well we put her on her bus to go home".................. this wouldn't be a huge problem IF I WAS HOME! So I tell her that I am not there, that I am still over an hour away and Hailey is supposed to be dropped off at the afternoon stop at 4:02. So where is she?!? So the lady said she would "try to locate her" and that she didn't think that the driver would let her off if no one was there and asked if I could have a neighbor check just to be sure.....I guess this wouldn't be an issue, but we don't know any neighbors! So I tell her that, and she tells me that she would try to get ahold of transportation and try to locate the bus and see if she had been dropped off. Now is when I start to panic. My nice drive made a 180 fast, now the music is silenced and I am speeding to try to get home faster. So about 15 minutes go by and I get a phone call back. The lady is now relieved and tells me that the driver didn't let Hailey off and is finishing up her route and would be bringing her back to school. The whole time my heart was aching thinking of poor Hailey crying on the bus, scared that I had left her or forgotten her.

So I finally get to school and pick her up and she was perfectly fine! She didn't even seemed phased at all by it. She was excited to tell me about her day! She had a good day, decided she wasn't going to be shy and she made new friends! She said she cried a few times because she wanted me, but she had had a really good day! I was glad to hear that!

Wednesday- We got up, got ready, she got on the bus, then around 5:30 I went and picked her up. Apparently she had a harder day and cried almost the whole time in aftercare. Again she told me that it was because she missed me and wanted me.

Thursday- Same thing as yesterday but she cried when she was getting on the bus, but the big change was when I get to pick her up at aftercare she was crying. Apparently she cried the whole day and the whole time in aftercare. Again she told me that she just really wanted me and needed me. This is unusual because Hailey is 100% a daddy's girl! I am usually pushed to the side. So we go home and talk about the day. Her whole tone is different and she asks if she has to go back to school anymore. I asked her if anyone was mean to her and she said no. I asked her if the teacher yells or is mean, and she said she liked the teacher a lot and she is really nice. I just don't get it. Then I go to grab her daily folder and there is a note from the teacher in there. She said Hailey had a very rough day and cried the whole day because she wanted her mommy. She took her out of the class and walked her around the halls a bit, then went to the nurse to get some ice water. The teacher said she allowed her to sit in her lap and gave her lots of hugs and it seemed to help a little. My poor tootsie roll! Then when bedtime came, it got way worse. Hailey is the type of kid who once you put her in bed and turn the light off, she doesn't cry, yell or come out of her room. Occasionally I hear her singing in there, but she almost always goes right to sleep. This time she was hysterical. She came and sat with me and begged me not to send her to school anymore. She literally sobbed herself to sleep as I rocked her, something that hadn't happened since she was like 2.

Friday- At 6:30am I was awoken by a tiny visitor. It was Hailey, and she was crying and climbing into my bed. Again something that never happens! She was begging me, and I mean BEGGING me not to send her to school. She just wanted to stay home with me today and that she needs me so bad. It was heart wrenching. Of course I told her she had to go. She cried while we were getting ready. She cried while she was getting on the bus, and again when I picked her up from aftercare she had been crying. The YMCA teacher said that today was better, that she hadn't cried in class, but she cried as soon as she got to the YMCA room. I had promised I would pick her up at 4:30 this time so she was on the playground when I got there. She was excited to see me and excited for the weekend.

As for the weekend I didn't hear anything out of her until 6am Sunday morning when she again was climbing in my bed begging me not to send her to school on Monday. She doesn't understand why she can't just stay with me and I explained that I had to work and had taken off just the first week of school. Sunday night she cried herself asleep again.......

Monday I went back to work. It broke my heart thinking of her being so upset and knowing I was not even close to her. Kenny doesn't have the patience or empathy when dealing with her when she is upset so that worried me even more. I called him later in the morning and he said she had cried while she was getting on the bus. I was so anxious on the drive home to pick her up. She was playing with the other kids when I got there.  The teacher said she had cried some when she first got in there, but pulled herself together and had been playing. It was an improvement, BUT the teacher said she had cried the whole bus ride and ALL day again. She said the same thing that it was because she really wanted me.

Later that evening at dinner, she asked me why I couldn't stay at home like one of her friend's mom. She said she wanted me to get her off the bus every day and to have dinner waiting for her when she got home. I told her that it just couldn't work that way. Again that wrenched my heart. I wish more then anything I could be there when she got home. I wish I could get her on the bus every morning. It is just something that is out of the question, we could never make it work on just one income.

So this brings me to yesterday. I thought about her the whole day and the 2 hour ride home seemed to take forever while I thought about her. So I went in there to sign her out and prepare for the worse and the YMCA teacher told me that she had had a good day! Mrs. Durham said there was no tears in class and she hadn't cried in aftercare! I was ecstatic! My whole mood changed!!! And last night was immediately declared a Bruster's ice cream night!

So I hope that this will be the start of a much happier experience for Hailey! Kindergarten is supposed to be fun!!! I have never had problems with letting her go. Everyone kept asking me if I was okay Tuesday morning, and I was perfectly fine. Maybe it's because I have always worked, even when she was a tiny baby. So I was used to her going places. But once I saw home upset she was about school and the fact she was crying all day, then it became hard. There is nothing worse then watching your child leave while she is crying and then finding out she had cried all day! I love that she needs me and wants me, but it makes me feel horrible at the same time. I just really wanted her to love it and to be so excited, not begging me to never send her back. But again, hopefully that is all behind us now and this will be a turn for some much happier times!