my BAY-bee*

*to be said in that long, drawn-out, dramatic-fainting-southern-woman way

we did it.  we survived our first day of school.  not that i was really worried, about him anyway.  and honestly i wasnt worried about me - since hes been trapsing off to MDO for years now and i actually LOVE my four hours every tuesday and thursday to myself.

but today was different.
it might have been the way he was dressed.


or how his hair was combed {at one point...we all know "combed hair" on a two year old lasts about as long as snow in mobile}
or how excited he was

or him running out the back door with his {too big} backpack on yelling: "its time to go to school now mommy! hurry up and follow me!"

OR, it could be prenatal hormones running wild {my vote is this, combined with the question that hit me as we were driving to school this morning:  how did i get here?  when did he get so big?  my goodness hes not even three!  but hes still so big!  thank goodness for emory so i can still feel like a mother of babies, not kids! :)}

i dont know.  but when i pulled up to his little preschool i started crying.  me!  crying!  i dont do that over things like this.  {i really dont}  i quickly dried my tears and ran around to get a grinning, excited bennett out of the car.


and he and jack held hands and crossed over the "biiiiiig bridge through the forrest" {as described by bennett - it was actually just a few planks of wood over a low point in the grass between some skinny trees...} and entered into big boy land.


and he returned  

a man

HA jk - had to get a little overly-sappy/dramatic just to make sure you were still awake.

anyway i {and the rest of the moms of the preschool BOYS in his class...thats right NO girls... i thought there were going to be some but turns out his class is nine BOYS} were told that our sons need to learn how to pull up their own pants after going potty.  ugha.  bennett would just rather be naked.  we will see how that lesson goes...

aside from all the milestones and growing [pains], i am VERY glad its "school time" again.  i have been in a sort of rut recently...for no good reason.  just blah and busy-but-bored {if that makes any sense}.  and then a couple days ago i woke up and had a refreshing feeling wash over me:  the feeling you get when you know its cool outside and there is a good breeze and you are about to throw on your favorite pair of jeans, some boots, a fun scarf, and wear your hair DOWN for a change.  i could even SMELL the cool weather from the confines of my bedroom.  it was MARVELOUS. 

yes please.  

click photo for credit

and it was a complete lie of course as it is still heat-index-of-100 down here...but the feeling lifted my spirits and reminded me of what we have coming.  not to mention a sweet little lady who, as we found out last week, DOES seem to be following in her brothers rather large footsteps with her big ole 90th percentile head and 90th percentile tummy.  with no medical reason to have her three weeks early like we had to with bennett... so praises for that but SERIOUS PRAYERS required for the mommy who will be birthing this 90th percentile baby possibly three weeks later than her 8lb 5oz brother - leading us all to believe she might be near ten pounds.  {Hail Mary, full of grace...}

keep calm and carry on!