Movin' up

Edith and I shared first day of school pictures today:



We each were returning to the same place we'd been attending just a week ago, but in a different capacity. Same stomping grounds, same faces, slightly different status. Even though she and her classmates spent time with Ms. Chrissy and the "big kids" this summer, practicing being big, for Edith it was the first official day in the preschool class. Even though I moved into an office this summer and attended teacher training, pretending to be big, today was the first day I flashed a faculty ID and answered a student email addressed to "Dr. Boger."

Despite the familiar environs, Edith cried when we left (probably because we'd spent the morning playing up her reunion with fellow princess-lover Sarah, only to find out that Sarah isn't returning until next week). But she did decidedly better than I did at dressing up to match her newly elevated status.

Edith spent last week with Mor-mor during the days off between summer and fall sessions of school, while I attended the aforementioned teacher training. I should invite Mor-mor to write a guest post about that experience, lest I misrepresent it. From our perspective, it was an absolute lifesaver, and we more than took advantage of Mor-mor's generosity and patience.

Cooking, preschool style

On Friday afternoon Mom-mom and Pop-pop filled in as babysitters for a few hours, while the rest of us attended my dissertation defense. Then a team of relatives and friends, Tom in the lead, concocted a lovely little celebration in our backyard. Our pictures of the occasion are terrible, but just to give a flavor, here is Edith toasting "Dr. Mommy" and a bunch of eager volunteers helping me blow out the candles on the cake (one candle for each chapter, according to Tom). Desi judged the cake a success.