Cry me a river

So Polynesian Princess starts prep tomorrow.  This is it.  Entering the education system.  No big deal, right?  I’ve been sailing along, totally oblivious to it.  Yes, I bought the uniforms and went to all the info days/nights.  But I was too busy chasing after Little Warrior for any of it to sink in.  I’ve been cool as a cucumber.  Lots of friends have been asking “how are you going to be on her first day?” and I shrug “don’t know”.

See?  Cool as a cucumber.  Until approximately three days ago.  All coolness has since disintegrated into near hysteria.  Think Kleenex tissue ads.  Think Halle Berry ugly cry. Oh yeah.  THAT kind of crying...

Anytime The Architect mentions the words “school” and "soon", I start weeping.  Anytime.  It’s ridiculous.  And it came out of nowhere.  I did not see this coming.  Those that know me well are no doubt rolling their eyes right now saying "blind Freddy could've seen this coming".  They know that I mourn the end of anything.  And this is the end of an era for me.  The end of my baby truly being my baby.

The past (almost) five years has flown by.  How did we get from this:

to this:

 in the blink of an eye?

It was only yesterday that I was demand feeding, co-sleeping (oh yes I did) and smiling tightly as I listened to all sorts of unrequested advice.  And here we are.  Almost five, starting school and riding without training wheels.

Soon she’ll be standing in front of me (or behind a recently slammed door) screaming “BUT I LOVE HIM MUM!!!” and I’ll be in a heap on the other side of the door.

Yay.  I can't wait.

In the meantime, good wishes are going out to all Prep-Parents out there for tomorrow!  I will be working my way through a box of tissues (after I drop her off, of course) at my "Tea & Tissues" morning tea with other first-timers.  And trust me.  If the past few days are anything to go by.  I will be crying a river.