Caroline had an EXCELLENT first day back at Fairlington Preschool! She is going three days a week (in the Lilac Room) and her teachers seem super sweet (and also no-nonsense, which I love). She is with nine other kids, a few of whom she knows from the Yellow Room last year. She goes from nine to noon, which means our mornings have a bit more hustle than we are used to! It is a great setting though and I know she will have a great year!

Here is how Caroline felt about going to school:

The morning of the big day, I woke her up and told her she had a special dress to wear to school. She really wanted to wear her lobster shorts underneath and wasn’t having no for an answer. Two M&Ms later, we had the lobster shorts tucked neatly back in the drawer with a promise that they could come back out for the following day. Caroline proceeded to put on her sandals herself and insisted they were on the correct feet. They of course were not, but that was not the hill I was going to die on that day and decided the teachers could fix them if they were so inclined.

I was worried she would he a little homesick, so at breakfast I whispered to her, “Caroline…if you get sad during the day, just remember these two giraffes on your dress are your friends and will be with you all day until Mommy comes to get you.” She put her hands on my cheeks and leaned in close, then whispered, “Mommy…those giraffes are not real.”

Well there you go. A few more quick snaps on the front porch with her preschool-issued bag, then we were off!

When we arrived at school, she headed right to the hook with her Caroline-Cookie tag and hung up her bag like a seasoned pro.

The super-smart teachers whisked her into the classroom and even covered up the window so helicopter parents like me couldn’t spy on their kids. This clearly is not their first rodeo! Feeling a little empty, I headed home, receiving an email from the teachers at 9:10 am with the subject line: NO TEARS! ALL IS WELL!

After school I asked her how it was and she answered, “it was soooo good. It was perfect. I played with Iris.” Later I learned Iris is known in the class as Iris Ice Cream so obviously this is who Caroline sought out–ice cream is her love language.

Speaking of which, we picked up a carton of Cookies and Cream on the way home from school to have a little celebration that night for our big preschooler.

Cheers to a great year, Caroline Cookie!