It�s finally here: the first day of kindergarten. I was fully expecting to be sad, but AJ was so excited and sleepy and happy and crabby and generally bipolar this morning, that, to be perfectly honest, I was happy to have a little time to myself. But still, part of me was feeling weepy, although I managed to hold it together while at the school at least.

The celebration started yesterday when I took AJ out for a special back-to-school lunch, just the two of us, at our local diner. AJ was already excited, as you can tell:

Last night, as we�d planned for several months, we read the first page in Rosemary Wells� My Kindergarten, a book that follows a year in the life of a kindergarten full of cute fuzzy animals. It begins on the night before the first day of kindergarten. We will read a page a week or so to follow along with AJ�s own kindergarten year. AJ loves this book. Even though he�s read it many times, he�s excited to finally be going to kindergarten with the children in the story.

I think this morning may have been the longest morning in AJ�s life. It was drizzly and damp, so we were stuck indoors. AJ spent much of his time plastered to the window, wondering when the rain would stop, and staring at the clock, wondering when it would be 12:15. He did take some time out to copy out some pages from his newest Calvin and Hobbes book. There is a piece of paper on my kitchen counter that reads: �How much board did the Mongols hoard if the Mongol hordes got bored?� Somehow, I don�t think this is exactly what his teacher had in mind when she suggested at last night�s meeting that he practice handwriting at home. Still, he did an excellent job, even without lined paper, and only substituted a capital for a lowercase �n� once.

Finally, after torturing him with pancakes for lunch, which he could barely eat, we walked to school. Like a good omen, the sun came out just as we were leaving. AJ agreed to pose for a few pictures on the front porch:

Then we set out on our first walk to school:

AJ talked nonstop all the way to school. �What a beautiful day, Mommy. Hey, the sky looks just like that picture� (by which he means Georgia O�Keefe�s Sky Above Clouds (it�s the second painting down at the link) that we saw at the Art Institute a few months ago). �Look at the horse rolling in the mud. Now he�s eating grass. I love walking by the horses. Let�s take this street. That way I can walk by the police station. I love this walk. I�m so lucky.� He then proceeded to identify all the numbers on the police cars parked in the lot with assorted White Sox players. �There�s Paul Konerko (14). That one�s almostJuan Uribe, but not quite (it was 4; Uribe�s 5). Finally! It�s John Garland (20).�

By the time we passed the police cars, we could hear the kids on the playground at his school. Then we heard a whistle blow. �Was that the police?� AJ asked. But no, it was a teacher. Recess was over and the bigger kids filed back inside. When we got to the playground, it was deserted except for an abandoned jump rope and a slightly deflated red ball. AJ wasn�t even tempted to play, however, because he caught sight of some kids about his size heading for the front door of the building. He was a man on a mission. He was in kindergarten.

When we arrived, several other kids were there, all of whom we knew. In fact, nearly a third of the two afternoon kindergarten classes are from our neighborhood. AJ was thrilled to see that The Girl Next Door was already there. The two followed each other around. When it was time to stand in line, they stood next to each other. They waited in line for what seemed like an eternity � the busses from the area day care centers were late. When everyone had arrived, the children waved goodbye to the parents. A last round of flashbulbs went off, and suddenly I found myself alone, walking through a silent playground.

School has begun.

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