Wow, as I sat down to write this post, I came to the realization that I have now been a stay-at-home dad for over 1,100 days! At this point, allow me to reiterate that the official #DaddyWrite countdown only reflects days in which I am alone with the kids. Weekends, holidays, and maternity leaves DO NOT count!
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| MINIONS!!! |
It really is kind of an accomplishment if you ask me and I'm actually pretty proud of that number. It's crazy to think back at how much things have changed over the past five years and how much things will continue to change. I mean, Ellie starts kindergarten in a mere six days if you're going by the official #DaddyWrite countdown. However, I'm constantly reminded that even though things may change, there will always be ways in which they stay the same.
One of those big changes I'm talking about was on display yesterday as Ellie and I headed to Fox Hill Elementary for Kindergarten Roundup. I wanted that experience to be all about Ellie so I even found a sitter to hang out with Ethan for the duration of our time at Fox Hill!
Even though we arrived at Fox Hill right at 4:30, we still found ourselves having to wait outside the building for a little bit. Finally though, our time came to head inside. Once we made it through the doors, we were immediately introduced to Ellie's new principal, Dr. Bradley. Nice guy if you're wondering although I do kind of miss the folding knee walker he was sporting over the summer due to injury.
After meeting Dr. Bradley, we were guided down a hallway to the library where pre-Kindergarten screening was taking place. After a short wait, Ellie was accompanied into the room by a teacher while I took up residence sitting on a little wall near a window on the side of the library. There I watched, not creepily, as Ellie went through a variety of little tests. Per Ellie, the tests included counting to 100, naming shapes and colors, writing her name, identifying letters, and reading a few words. When Bethany asked her later how she did on her screening, Ellie replied, "Good, except the teacher said I missed number 39." I'm sure it was a soul-crushing disappointment to her...not really. After Ellie finished the screening phase, we headed down to the classrooms for a quick meet-and-greet with the Kindergarten teachers before heading home.
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| True story: moments after this shot was taken, Ellie pointed at me and she and the teacher waved in unison. |
While Ellie starting Kindergarten is certainly going to change things in our household, today was a reminder that some things likely will never change. I'm not going to go into much detail but today was likely one of the worst days of Bethany's entire career due to some unfortunate office tragedies. Needless to say, she was upset and really sad about. When I mentioned the situation to the kids at lunch time, Ellie immediately knew something had to be done. Therefore, during her quiet time, Ellie got right to work.
When she later emerged from our guest bedroom, she had a piece of paper in tow. On it, she had drawn a giant rainbow and a self-portrait of herself which inexplicably included pig ears. However, the real prize on the drawing was a note she had written to Bethany. The note said, and I quote Ellie, "Mom I am soree yor sad." While the spelling left a little to be desired, the sentiment was indisputable. Even though Ellie makes little love drawings daily for Bethany, I would bet this one will go into the keeper pile.
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| For the record, don't talk about Ellie's "cute, little mouse". |
Overall, the last two days just served to remind that things will undoubtedly change around our home into the not-too-distant future. However, no matter how much things change, it currently looks like our little girl is going to stay the same sweet girl that she's always been...95% percent of the time. That's still an 'A' if we're talking in school terms!
#DaddyWrite
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