Vanakam

Vanakam
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Monday, August 25, 2008

First Day of first Grade

It is finally here. I was kind of sad and anxious and nervous. Pravan seemed a little excited. I felt like my heart was heavy and sad. We had a wonderful pancake breakfast and got ready for the school bus to show up at 8:15 am. Pravan usually does not ride the bus on the first day but we always greet the bus driver and let her know. This year we had the same traditions. I gave Pravan the red hearts I always give him. They are little red patch hearts for sewing. he has to keep it in his pocket and if he missed me , he can pull it out and remember that I love him. We also do the kissing hand. He kisses my hand and I kiss his. He also does this with his sister. This tradition is from the book " The kissing hand " It is something we learned on the first day of kindergarten. There are some pictures of Todd walking him into the school and also of him kissing his sister goodbye. They have a whole routine of their own. It is so cute. Pravan waited for the bus this morning but he did not ride the bus to school. He said good morning to Ms Charleene and told her that he would ride the bus tomorrow. I took some pictures of him and the bus though. He is a typical kid and had concerns about leaving his toys behind. He also learned that Priyasha was supposed to have a friend over. He decided to barricade his room with everything he could find including his sister. He used her toys though. He said that she could play with her toys as long as she put the stuff where he placed it. He did say that she was allowed to move from her chair , luck her ahh! You can see the pictures to get a better idea. I respected his wishes and we did not move anything out from the front of his room door. His toys were protected. Pravan always make a poster saying "' First Day of ... " This he made one and I took lots and lots of pictures. I am so proud of him. I was very emotional today. I cried for most of the day. I left the school after we met the teacher but went back to help him at recess. I was there early so I stayed and helped a little. I had a hard time leaving the school. It was almost 1pm when I got home. I also planned on picking Pravan up at the school so in total I was at the school at four different times. I really missed the kid all day. I think Pravan had a great first day. His biggest accomplishment was doing the monkey bars at recess. He has never been able to do it but now as he watched the other kids he decided to give it a try. Todd and I watched his determination. The bell rang and it was time to go back to the class but he stayed behind and finished the monkey bars. I asked him what made him finally do it and he said " I did not want to be embarrassed for not being able to do it " We were proud of him. I guess peer pressure can sometimes be a good thing. I can see Pravan really growing this year, not just physically but emotionally and other ways as well. He will learn what he wants to when he is ready. I may not like it but it is what it is. Pravan had a banana dog for lunch today. It is a hotdog bun with peanut butter and you then add a banana instead of a hotdog. He really liked it. Even though he has none of the kindergarten kids in his class he immediately made friends with a little boy John Chaney. He lives in our neighborhood and they had met briefly at several get togethers. I guess this will be his first grade buddy and I am glad he can make friends so easily. At recess he did get to see his buddies from last year. He also saw his girlfriend Jaisyn and gave her a huge hug. I was there to capture the moment. I cannot believe how long Pravan is away from me. I felt like a part of me was missing when he was gone. I wanted to kill the kid all summer but now I can't hold back these tears. What's wrong with me. I am sure I will get used to it and enjoy my time with Priyasha. Well it was a long draining day for me and I am exhausted. My not so little boy is in First Grade now. Tomorrow should be a better day.