First day jitters

I don't have any pictures.  We were running late this morning and I didn't get to post.  So, I'm stealing a few minutes to drop out a few thoughts about the day.

You know about our wonderful day on Friday; just me and the kid.  We ended with our favorite Mexican restaurant for dinner...like I said, after the girl day we had, I was not cooking.  Saturday, Rob took us on an antiquing trip.  This is one of our favorite passtimes for special days.  Unfortunately, Rob and I must not have been holding our mouths right because we didn't find anything we wanted.  But, Sydney made out like a bandit and had stuff all over the table that evening that she had picked up.  Things that she thought were cute and she had a little coin in her pocket, so she picked them up.  A couple of vases, a cup and saucer (which I hope turns into a collection), a leaf shaped plate, just some little things that she liked.  Nothing with a tiger, leopard, or wolf on it.  That was very unusual, her being the one with the bags.  I was very disappointed that at my favorite quilt shop, I spent all of $3, but the lady said it had been that way all week, so I guess it wasn't just me.

Yesterday, we did our regular Sunday grocery run and then we needed....the backpack.  Who knew that this accessory would be so hard to find.  Of course, we've seen a hundred of them, when we didn't need them.  But, when you need one, and when it's the day before school starts, backpacks are hard to come by.  We went to Penney's to get one she had seen and liked and I approved of, but no luck. 

But, while we were there, we got the dress.  Can't wait to show you a pic of her in the dress.  Remember that she didn't get it when we were there on Friday because she just didn't know where she would wear it.  My thought; when you find a dress that great, you buy it because it's better to have the dress and no where to go than to have somewhere to go and can't find a dress. 

Like I know anything about that.  But, that's my instinctive feeling about it.

We finally found the backpack and we spent the rest of the day relaxing and preparing for the first day of school.  She and Rob were both very nervous about the day and I had to remind them that everyone was feeling nervous and everyone should cut one another some slack and things seemed to get better after that. 

Rob even wrote a song for her and posted it on facebook.  This excited her beyond belief.  Cute little ditty about being a freshman.

She complained about having to surrender her electronics last night.  I had the talk about it on Friday, when it was just she and I, and I took a bunch of her attitude about it "you're treating me like a child", "I don't even use them at night, I just read my book", "you're acting like you don't trust me."  Rob took some more last night.  But, at the end, even she knew it was what it was and it wasn't going to change and we acknowledged her feelings, without giving in.  It was the absolute best we could do to give her space to be upset and still do something that we feel is important.  Parents that I've told about it today have looked at me like my head suddenly turned purple and shaken their heads in disbelief.  They can do it their way.  We're doing it ours. 

She had me wake her up at 6am so she'd have plenty of time to do her hair and makeup...and do it again in case she messed it up.  She looked cute, but a bit too dressy for the first day of school.  No problem.  Gym class should take care of that.  No need to spend an hour on your hair if gym is the first class of the day. 

I teased her and took several pictures.  She wore red.  Red and blue were considered gang colors at the middle school and they were the only two colors she couldn't wear, so it's her first time to wear red to school in three years.  And, she was determined to wear it. 

I don't know who was more nervous; her or Rob.  I reminded her twice not to get her phone confiscated.  If she does, they keep it two days and a parent has to go get it and pay a $15 fine.  I told her if she got it confiscated, she had to pay the fine.  She said "but you have to go pick it up."  I assured her that she wouldn't enjoy me picking it up any more than she'd enjoy paying the fine. 

Her makeup was perfect.  Her nails looked great.  Her new clothes were cute.  She had her new dayplanner and her new backpack and her new sandals.  Everything she needed to have a perfect first day of high school. 

I can hardly wait to get home and see how the day went. 

As her parents, we spent a lot of time trying to make sure it was the perfect day.  Trying to celebrate the specialness because we all know it's going to be a hard year of transition and accepting responsibility and growing up.  I like that we try to think like that.  She is lucky. 

But, so are we.

Hope you are well.  Hope all our silliness has prompted a memory of what it was like when you were a teen or a happy memory of raising a teen or a happy memory about a first day at a new school.  Sydney was nervous as a cat all morning and kept getting the little girl giggles.  It was cute; her grown up hair and clothes and giggling with her hand over her mouth.

Lane