first again

I sent my baby off to her first day of preschool for the second time this morning. It was a little easier than this time last year. She was certainly more ready to go even if I wasn't quite "ready." I know she's in good hands, but it's still hard. I think to some extent it always will be even though it gets easier each year.

She had to take her beloved Lucy today. I convinced her that today would be the only day that she would get to take Lucy. I remember last year we managed to convince her to take Elmo since we were worried that Lucy may get lost or too dirty to return home. Now it seems that she might be OK without Lucy so I was willing to let her take her just this one day. She didn't cry or resist going in the classroom at all today like I expected her to. In some ways that made it a little harder.

Yesterday, at the orientation meeting she was VERY bashful and clingy. She said, "Mommy, I don't want you to leave." I told her, "I won't leave you today, Sweetie, " to which she replied, "I don't want you to leave another day, Mommy."

And she almost never calls me Mommy.

So yeah. Today was not so bad. At least not nearly as bad as it could have been. And I get to go pick her up again in just 2 short hours.

<img src="http://www.aisforbeautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/preschool-copy.jpg" alt="first day of preschool 2008" />