Cora's First Day of School [and the day before]

We decided to have a little back to school celebration the night before Cora's first day. She wanted to ride a boat, so we headed on down to Bricktown to take a ride on the canal.
After the boat ride, we had dinner at Bolero, a tapas restaurant in Lower Bricktown. It was delicious. Cora's favorite was the mushroom tapas, and Jake and I liked the artichoke and tomatillos tapas the best.

After Bolero, we walked along the canal to Peach Wave. We partook in some delightful dairy-free pineapple frozen yogurt complete with sprinkles.

We made our way home, the girls took a bath, and we got all tucked in for the big day.

Cora is in the afternoon class, so we [I] had plenty of time to think [fret] about everything. I spent the early morning at the DMV taking the written exam for my motorcycle lisence. It was a great distraction. When I got home, Magnolia was still sleeping, and Jake and Cora were making pancakes in the kitchen, as per her request.

She was ready by ten, school doesn't start until 12:15. On our way out, we took some pictures. Cora is not the biggest fan of pictures. The following are an equal representation of the lot. It doesn't matter, she's cute no matter what she's doing.


She'd just eaten an apple, hence the water on her dress. Don't worry, it was a million degrees outside. I'm pretty sure it dried by the time she got to the car. When we got to school, we made the walk through the parking lot. I held her hand [really tight].


We took a picture at the front entrance, on the red line that toes have to wait at for carpool. When we went inside, we saw two other kids in her class waiting. She made right up with Lillian, and according to her teacher, they were good friends for the rest of the day.

Things I'll never forget about this day:

- When I walked her up to the door of her classroom, her teacher said, "Can you say goodbye to your mommy now?" Cora stopped, squeezed my hand really tight, and looked up with hesitation. I smiled, and she smiled back, gave her head a nod, let go of my hand and made her way through the door.

- How heavy my chest was when we were walking back to our car without her.

- Watching her make her way through the doors at the end of the day. They have really specific rules for carpool, and they were learning each step. She had to wait in different spots for a few seconds, and when she finally came out the doors to the "car teacher" with her bag on her shoulder, she was so proud and confident. The car teacher opened the door, and she climbed in.

- We pull forward before buckling, and when I got out to buckle her in, I asked her a quick question about her day, and she said it was "great" and then her little chin quivered as she said "but I missed my mama at the end." I gave a big kiss and told her I would always come back.

- We were unwinding for a little while, just Cora and I. Jake had a rehearsal and Magnolia was taking a much needed nap. We were coloring the box that Grandma and Grandpa sent their back to school present in, and she said, "Mama, I love you now." I was glad.

- Cora picked a sock with a blue stripe and one with a yellow stripe, as well as her pink bow.

And finally, more random facts about the day.

When Cora went into her classroom, we went to a one hour orientation. We dropped Magnolia off with our friend Leslie. After we picked Magnolia up, Jake had to go print off some music at OCU, but I was STARVING! We went to Taco Mayo, and I got a bean burrito. After a failed attempt and music printing, Jake decided he was hungry, so we went to Samurai and had some sushi. I was being an emotional eater, no doubt. We picked Cora up, had the afore mentioned downtime, and then Cora and I made some beans and rice for dinner. And then...we dropped both girls off with Ashleigh and Andrew and Jack while we went to one more orientation/parent meeting. It was wonderful. Cora's teachers, Mrs. Laws and Mrs. McNeil talked about what our student's day is like, and they showed us some of the lessons they do with the children. It was mesmerizing. (The curriculum is Montessori based.) I LOVE CORA'S SCHOOL more every time I am there.

When that was done, I dropped Jake off at OCU for OCUreads. I visited with Ashleigh and Andrew for a while until Magnolia was officially at the end of her rope. We picked Jake up and went home. HOME! HOME! HOME! It was such a long, out of the ordinary day. I'm looking forward to next week when our routine starts to get into full swing. I am so happy my girl has a great place to learn and grow.

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