First Day

Why is it that the Tuesday after Labor Day feels so distinct? It smacks of 'new beginning' more than any other Tuesday-after-a-Monday holiday. Perhaps because my subconscious is dredging up all of the first day of school memories, with a new back pack on my back, a carefully chosen outfit, and a bleary-eyed snapshot of me by our mailbox on Merion Drive. First day jitters would always bubble beneath the surface, caused by a new routine in a new classroom, with a new teacher and classmates...funny how it usually only took a day or two for those jitters to completely disappear. There's just something for me about having a bit of structure, and once I've made sense of it and found my place within it...I'm off to the races!

This Tuesday there's also a slight sense of mourning, as we say goodbye to summer and welcome that cool bite of Fall in the morning air. This summer was the most incredibly life changing one I've ever had. It was also the most unstructured...waking and sleeping with our sweet babe, pushing laundry loads through the cycle on demand, and coaxing smiles and laughs out of the little one with no concept of time.

I'm starting back to werk full time today, and I am incredibly thankful for the past three months, but also kind of sad that our blissful little world of uninterrupted bonding time is having some boundaries placed upon it. I have so much peace of mind knowing that Jake is providing care and love for her, as I'm confident my heart would break in half if I had to place her in daycare. This mama's just not cut out for that.

So, here goes nothing. As many head back to school today, I head back to werk. Maybe if I had actually changed out of my Pj's, I could've taken a picture by the mailbox for old time's sake. Sorry, Mom! :)

slightly wrong season...but this is my childhood home. From my first day of preschool through the day I left for college, this is the backdrop of many-a-first-day-of-school pictures!