first day of school

The short story is that Joshua freaked out this morning but ended up having a great day at school. The long story, for those who like details, is that Joshua woke excited and ready to go. We took pictures and walked to school without difficulty. When he entered the auditorium and saw so many kids, he looked like he was going to melt down. I sat with him while the principal talked, and he calmed down. We talked for the 200th time about how much fun he was going to have. I explained that when the teachers called them to go to their classes, all the mommies and daddies would say goodbye. He actually got in line with his teacher and walked out of the cafeteria. We were thrilled! Then he stopped in the doorway, and it turned bad. He had a full meltdown with his Liberian wail. The guidance counselor carried him down the hall kicking and screaming, literally. We left concerned that we might get a call from a bruised woman asking us to come back. It was a long, stress-filled day for Mommy, but at 3:25 we learned that Joshua had settled down almost immediately after they reached the classroom and had a great day. He was super affectionate this afternoon and evening but seemed totally normal other than that. He did mention a couple times how he had cried this morning. At one point he said he would cry again tomorrow and later claimed that he didn't want to go. We'll see what tomorrow brings. Here are a few pictures from the day.