The new “school year” at Soren’s daycare started this week. Today, we entered the building and did our usual walk down the hallway to Soren’s classroom. When we got there, it looked different. There were different people! There was different stuff! And shoes were left outside the door (that means there are babies in there). I hung back, waiting to see how he reacted. He looked at me and then followed when I walked to the next room — his new classroom.

He put on his best “input” face as one of his teachers showed him around the new room. (Thankfully, his teachers and most of his friends from the old classroom came with him to the new one.) I have to tell you — moving from a classroom symbolized by echinoderms belonging to the class Asteroidea to one symbolized by a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals is a pretty big deal in a young boy’s life. The changes include but are not limited to the following:

• meals will be consumed while sitting on actual chairs at an actual table (instead of at a table with built-in chairs)
• plates and utensils will be used
• hands will be washed in a teeny tiny sink, which is located in a little bathroom with a teeny tiny toilet and a toddler-height paper towel dispenser
• naps will be taken on little toddler-sized cots instead of in cribs.

I mean, cots! It’s like he’s going away to college. Next week, we’ll have to get him a beer fridge for his dorm room.

So today I’m back in the office (which kind of feels like being on vacation after a full week of round-the-clock Soren time, not to say that round-the-clock Soren time is bad — it’s just kind of exhausting) feeling all mushy when I think about how my baby is growing up so fast. I mean, cots! And plates! I don’t know that I’m ready for this!