Last week my baby girl, who is getting closer to the monumental fifth birthday every day, reached one of those milestones in life–she entered school. Sure, it’s still only Pre-K, not Kindergarten, and she did go to a private preschool a couple days per week last year. But to Joellen this is big school, big stuff, big changes.

For this working mom who unfortunately has been saying goodbye to my first born most mornings during the past 56 months, I didn’t really think this milestone would get to me. It was just another building, another door, another step for which Joellen seem prepared. Then the night before the big day I suddenly found myself to be a bit weepy. I guess it was getting to me after all.

I got out some photos of her as a baby, most particularly the first day I returned to work and took her to a babysitter. Did I ever cry that day! The self portrait of my girl and me right before we went out the door to embark on that new adventure is a bit on the dark side, but not dark enough to conceal my red, puffy face swollen from tears and sobs.

I wasn’t quite that emotional this time around, but I did get out the camera to document the special day. I took a photo of her backpack, her bus tag, and of course her getting on the bus that also shows her bus driver –her Uncle Danny. Then there was one more photo my girl required me to take–one of her to put on the computer (Facebook) to make sure her babysitter would know what she looked like when she got off the bus that afternoon. Evidently this school thing is going to change her–more than she can even realize!