And so it begins...

He's all ready for preschool. Edison got his gentleman's haircut with Mr. Lee the other day and now Jim is tucking him into bed as I write this.

Tomorrow is his first day of preschool. Trying to get the tears out tonight so I can "be brave" and not cry in front of Edison when we drop him off. I've told Edison many times to "be brave" like when I need to peroxide a skinned knee or when he is learning to do something new and he tells me he can't do it. By writing to myself to "be brave," I hope I can hold back the tears in the morning.

The preschool offers a "Coffee and Kleenex" in the gym after drop off. Edison already knows a few kids in his class and we've had playdates with them. I really like all the parents I've met too. The staff is great and friendly, the classrooms are vibrant and I feel good about our decision to put Edison in this school.

Jim and I went to the Parent Orientation tonight to hear more about the daily logistics of the school. We are both looking forward to volunteering, attending recitals and galas, and most of all, seeing Edison learn Mandarin and experience a fun learning environment. He is just gonna thrive.

I packed Edison's lunchbox with healthy power foods to keep him energized and he practiced opening up the containers so he could do it without help from his teacher. I also packed up the first day of school supplies we need to bring. The school provides crayons, scissors and all that, but they ask him to bring things like a family photo, blanket and stuffed animal for nap and a change of clothing.

Edison picked out his first day of school clothes. He is going vintage in an old 70s shirt, some brown shorts, and sandals. I scoped out today at his school where I'm going to take his photo. I hope to take a photo of the kids on their first day of school each year. My goodness, I just love Edison!

Now all I have to do is set out his zuckertute and wake up early enough to prepare some scones, eggs and bacon for breakfast, as per his request.

I've been real lucky to have been a stay at home mom with Edison. Now that preschool is starting up, I won't be there to protect him from kids that hit and pinch, to spot him on playground equipment, to cheer him on when he does things well, to help protect him from negative words like "stupid" and "dumb" so that they don't become a frequent part of his vocabulary and so he understands what they mean, and so on... I know Edison isn't perfect, but he isn't mean spirited and I've taught him to use his words if someone is doing something to him and he doesn't like it. I guess I've done my part and now he gets to go out in the world of preschool and practice his skills.

Be brave, Alisha.