escuela.

Starting school again this fall semester has me thrown back into a place I knew very well as a girl without a child. So, naturally, I am constantly thinking about how things have changed now that I am a Mommy. And it's a little weird. It's cool... and weird.

I have a class right now in a classroom in Peck that I also had a class in last semester. In fact, it was the last classroom I was in on campus the day my water broke, literally the last class I took before I became a legit Mom. Patrick teases me because he clearly doesn't get the significance of this, haha. He likes to tell me, "It's not like your water broke IN that classroom." But it's all very symbolic to me. The last time I sat in that seat I wasn't a Mommy. Today, I am.

It's funny because I am such a nerd when it comes to school. I live for school supplies. Ask anyone. The stationery aisle is by far my favorite. I drool in a Staples. I plan my First-Day-of-School-Outfit for weeks. The night before, I lovingly and oh, so carefully pack my backpack with all my shiny new supplies. I make my lunch. I set out my carefully selected outfit. The morning of I am a nervous ball of anticipation. Who will my teachers be? Who will be in my classes? What kinds of books will we read?

This year there was none of that. I can't even remember what I wore. It possible was jeans and an MTSU t-shirt. Granted, I was still stoked about the school supply aisle but I just grabbed one 5-subject notebook since I am going to be on campus all day and have classes back to back. I didn't want to be lugging around a bunch of junk. I didn't take any pictures of myself. I didn't really care who I sat next to in my classes. All I could think about was 1] how damn tired I was and 2] how much I missed my baby girl and Patrick.

I admit it; I was the annoying Mom. I took any chance I could to tell people about my girl. I mean, obviously they wanted to see pictures, right? In my first class we had to play this lame get-to-know-you game. Gosh, how I loathe get-to-know-you games. This one was a sheet of statements like "I have a pet" or "I can speak more than one language" and you had to go around the room and find people who those statements were true about and get them to sign their name. I was just beside myself with pride when I got to sign my name next to "I have a child" on people's papers.

By the way, I won the game.

I was proud of myself though. I didn't cry when I left and I didn't shed a tear the whole day, not even when I called Patrick to see how things were going and I could hear her talking in the background. Ok, ok, I admit it. I melted when I came home and saw her for the first time that day. Yeah, I cried. It was the longest I had been away from my baby since right after she was born and they took her away for three hours.

And I was proud of my Patrick. Not much of what we are doing is easy right now. We have crammed all our classes into 2 or 3 days and staggered it so one of us is always home with the baby. We were really trying our best to avoid daycare because I just don't think we could swing it financially. But really, how many 20-year old guys are willing to be stay-at-home daddies 2 days a week? And not only willing, but good at it?

Not just good... great.

Whenever I tell people about our little plan for this semester and that she's home with him all day while I'm at school, they always kinda stop suddenly and get real serious and ask, "Oh, is he a good Dad?" which I find remarkably hilarious.

"No, he's really terrible with her. Sometimes he forgets her places and doesn't feed her. But I still leave her with him."

Obviously he's a good Daddy!

But our first week went well, without a hitch really and I am hoping this week goes well too. I just wish I was a coffee drinker because, man, I can't keep drinking all these Pepsi's for the caffeine or I will start to look like I am pregnant again very soon...