Atta Boy

Milestones, Progression and Sunshine have been the themes of our week.

On Wednesday, Max and I went to Kindergarten Orientation to meet his upcoming teachers and schoolmates. The highlight, of course, was that Max rode a school bus for the first time. A big, yellow, "real" school bus from which he might see deer sometime and on which he has to sit on his bottom the WHOLE time.

Clearly, the perspective of viewing the world from the inside of a yellow bus has changed things for Max in ways that I can't really comprehend. I have bittersweet feelings about seeing his little head bopping up the aisle and grabbing a seat, pulling his backpack off and inspecting his lunch before the bus even eases back into motion, driving him down the road and into a world that is his own. I lose my breath for a minute trying to imagine how this can be happening when I remember the tender days in which he'd gleefully scream "SCHOOBUS!" "GAR-BAAAAGE TRUCK!" BACKHOE LOADER!" from his tiny car seat. It never, ever occurred to me that on those buses were someone else's babies who'd been unable to say "Firetruck" without making it sound obscene. Now, it will be our little one taking this new journey.

Max also started swimming lessons this week from the Jedi Swim-Whisperer Magic Swim Coach who has molded the spastic and distracted Max into a focused and hard-working "Super Scooper" in just four short hours. Although we've tried lessons in the past and he has loved them, he never really got the hang of swimming on his own and was terrified to jump into a pool.

This swimming gig has boosted his confidence exponentially and we're delighting in seeing its manifestations throughout the day. He's cooperative, eager and secure; and that makes for a kid whose ready to dive into anything.

Including Kindergarten. Even if he needs a friendly push now and then. Watch how he keeps plugging on...I think he'll make it just fine wherever he needs to go.