Preschool

As of last week, Penelope is officially a preschooler. I was expecting to spend the day with her last Tuesday, but she settled in well and after an hour, I thought I could try to leave for a little while. When I told her I was going to go, she asked where I was going. I told her I was going to get groceries and sign some papers. She thought for just a moment, then said, "Okay," and returned to the puzzle she was working on. I asked if I could have a kiss goodbye and she leaned over and gave me a little kiss, then carried on with her puzzle. So I left! The teacher had been standing there waiting to intervene if she got upset, I had fully expected she would have a harder time, but she was completely fine! And I got to spend a quiet day by myself. I did a little cleaning, I did a fair amount of party prep, just taking stock of what I needed to do.

It's amazing how kids grow. At each stage it seems like we expect that we know how they're going to react and they surprise us every time. Penelope has become so calm, so understanding, so mature. I miss having a baby, I miss having someone who will just bend to my will and follow me wherever I go, but watching her become an independent little person is pretty incredible.