Back to School

Today is the first day of school of 2011.

   

I remember trying to get the boys moving on school days. It was not an easy task. The first day back after vacation was nearly impossible. There was cajoling, and pleading coming from me and sloth-like grunts coming from them. I used my cheeriest (and most annoying) voice to wake them while turning on the light and singing a song. If a pillow wasn’t thrown at me, it was pulled over their tousled heads. When they did come downstairs, it was generally with about two minutes to spare.  They would eat a banana or a piece of toast as they left the house. Communication from either of them was rare. My singsong “have a nice day guys” was generally met with a tilt of the head or a single eyebrow raise.  

 Not Maggie; she was chomping at the bit to get going.

After two weeks of partying, and hanging out together every morning, we had to get up, face the morning routine and be outside for the bus at 7:10. Getting up at that hour is not a huge change, it’s not like we slept in during vacation. The nurse leaves at 7AM every morning so I was always up. Maggie was awake almost every morning, but not ready for her day.  Being “up” and being “ready” are two very different things. During vacation I got up at 6:55 and padded downstairs half asleep. In order to actually be ready, I have to be up around 6:15, load up the chair with the equipment and get Maggie downstairs.  When that alarm went off earlier than it has for the past two weeks, I really felt it.

 When I came into Maggie’s room this morning she was already in her chair waiting to go. Lucy had done almost all of the preparation and we actually had a few minutes. Maggie was jumping around in her chair, anxious to start down in the elevator. I had to laugh, even thought I wasn’t surprised. Last night Maggie kept using her talker to say, “Mom. Tomorrow is Monday I go to school.” When I said, “that’s right, are you excited to go back to school?” Maggie would waive her arm as though someone had plugged her in.

Now Maggie is at school. The house is quiet, there is not pop music playing. I can put away the Christmas decorations and get some work done. Or, for the first time in two weeks, do nothing at all.

(raises one eyebrow) That actually sounds good. I think there's a newspaper around here somewhere.