thanks, everyone, for the well-wishes and happiness about adella's first day of school! it means a lot to us to have folks rooting for us. i'm thrilled to report that adella LOVES school! she has come home happy each day this week. she is confident, proud, and excited, and we couldn't be more pleased. her teachers have all remarked about her enthusiasm, and boy does it show. she is so happy, and that makes me so incredibly happy.
i've gotten a few emails asking about
the heart necklace she is wearing in the 'first day' photos.... the night before her first day, i decided she needed a little something more, to send her on her way. i thought about several different ideas that didn't seem quite right (stuffed toy/backpack charm, brooch/pin) before this one sprang to mind and immediately clicked. just a simple fabric heart with some handstitching, a button, and a cotton cord. i stuffed it with wool yarn ends, many of them snipped from the woven ends of sweaters and hats i've made her before.
the next morning she saw it and immediately loved it. yay! i told her it was a reminder to take with her, to remember how much mama loves her. (*sniff, sniff*)
after that first day, she told me later that, though she had "a super-great day at school," she really really missed me, and at rest-time she cried because she missed me so much. i wasn't anticipating that (i don't think she was either)... so i reminded her about the heart necklace and told her a little secret:
when i made it, i stuffed it FULL of love and kisses, so she could take them with her when i wasn't there! well, she loved that. ever since i told her that, she's been holding that heart, squeezing it, and just loving it so much more. she's been saying the sweetest stuff like:
"i'm going to hold my necklace right here on my chest so i can feel your love...
i can feel it draining into my heart!
it's like 106 buckets of love and kisses!
i can feel it! i feel the love dripping into my heart!"
and this:
"and, if you turn it this way, the love comes to everyone else!"
i swear i am not making this up, people. it's the sweetest thing ever. i never anticipated how much this little heart would mean to her. i hoped it would, but i wasn't really expecting
so much sweetness. she's been wearing the heart each day, and each day i refill it with lots of kisses, and then send her off. rest-time has been no big deal, since that first day. and i can see how much this little love token helps her. it's a big step she's taken, going out into the world without me there to guide her. it's been a big step for me too, and it helps to know she's armed with lots of love and sweetness to help her on her way.