First Day of Preschool

Today was Mackenzie's first day at preschool. I finally made the decision to go ahead and register her. I'm so glad I did. She was really excited to go. She picked out a new backpack(which is almost as big as her small body.) Her preschool is near our house so I was able to push the girls in the stroller instead of driving. I dropped Macky off, gave her a hug and she was gone. Brooklyn takes a nap during Macky's school so I have almost 3 hours of "me" time. I haven't decided what kind of fun projects I'm going to start doing during this time. Maybe, I'll actually finish a couple of cross-stitching crafts that I started years ago. Maybe, I'll just take a nap. Or maybe, I'll finally have a spotless house--at least until Brooklyn wakes up and Mackenzie comes home. In reality, as excited I am for Mackenzie to get away and learn with new friends, I miss her just as much. In almost 4 years, we've never really been apart on a regular basis. Now, I'm not going to be with her for 6 hours a week. I guess, I've always been really protective of her. She's my first born. Everything had to be perfectly safe. I had to have the baby gate always up, the outlets covered, food chopped to almost puree, no stuffed animals/heavy blankets in the crib, the special baby laundry detergent to wash her clothes and of course, I woke up often at night to make sure she was okay. On her 2nd birthday, I even got her a helmet and knee pads to go along with a little tricycle. Most people thought I was beyond crazy. But, I had my reasons. My little girl has always been very inquisitive and daring. She has always wanted to do bigger things than her little body should be capable of doing. For example, running. She never really started walking. After a few steps, she was like lightning. That was at 10 months old. Now, she is almost 4. I don't put up the baby gate anymore, no more special detergent, the food isn't chopped super small and I even let Brooklyn play with many "not for children under 3" toys. I know, I'm living on the wild side. I guess, there's a time when children grow up and parents have to let them go. I'm just glad that I only have to let mine go for a mere 6 hours a week.