Yup.  First day.   He was…well.  I want to quantify his excitement into one of two categories, A – excited or B – not, but he’s so like his dad sometimes that this very well may be his excited face:

Who am I kidding?  The kid was nervous. We had gone the day before for only an hour.  Raines’ school does an orientation session the day before kindergarten actually starts.  You drop the kids off in their classroom for an hour, listen to the principal, then go back and pick them up.  Easy.

But of course we were late (of course we were) and I was flustered and grouchy so I shooed Mike into the room where the principal was talking and speed-walked Raines down to his class myself.  He was wearing a dirty shirt and ripped up shorts.  As we turned the corner to his class, some kid comes screaming out of there, chased by his Dad and then promptly hauled away somewhere.  Raines shoots me a nervous glance.  I shrug.  And then we walk in.  All the kids are sitting on the rug.  Raines turns to me with fear in his eyes, “sit by me the WHOLE TIME” he hisses.  “Shit, babe.  I can’t!” I whisper back.  At this point, his smiling, loving and awesome teacher (aren’t they all?) comes over to reassure him.  He walks away, flashing me a nervous grin over his shoulder.  “I LOVE YOU!!” I cry out.  All the kids turn to stare at me.  R gives me a wave and nods.  It’s OK.  I leave, then choke out a sob.  By the time I get back upstairs I appear calm.

In summary:   We were late.  R was dirty.  I said ‘shit’ in front of a room full of kindergartners.  Awesome.

Thank god that wasn’t the “real” first day.  Clearly, we needed a do-over.  We needed another first day, one where Raines carefully picks out his outfit, and we have a happy (and on-time) walk to school, and I drop him off and blow kisses and do not swear in front of the children.

Luckily, we walked over with our neighbors.  Raines’ BFF Dorien is in the other kindergarten class, and is super-excited about the whole thing.  This is their ‘awesome pose’.

We had a happy, on-time arrival….

….and then the teachers showed up to take him away.

My guy.  My baby.

“Raines!! How was school??”

“Totally NOT good, Mom.”

“What?  Why?”

“Cause I thought we would play all day and instead we just sat there all day.”

Well…shit.