his first solo ride

On the first day of kindergarten there were always those moms who just couldn't quite leave their baby behind. They would linger next to their child's desk helping them get everything ready that they might need for the day. Most of the parents would be gone and I would gently walk over to the one or two hovering moms that were left and gently assure them that their child would be just fine without them. They would reluctantly head for the door with tears in their eyes as they watched their baby venture out "on their own". Of course, I thought that I understood what an emotional day the first day of kindergarten must be for a parent, but after being in the teacher's shoes, I promised myself that I would never be one of "those parents". 

Let's just hope that the emotions I felt on the day I dropped Levi off for his first solo ride in the tractor were just a result of crazy pregnancy hormones and not a pattern for the rest of my life as a parent. Otherwise, I may be needing someone to drag me out of the classroom on Levi's first day of kindergarten. I just might end up being one of "those parents".

The day Levi and I brought Joel a lunch, he asked if I wanted to try to leave Levi by himself to ride in the tractor. He only had about an hour of work left and he was pretty close to our house if I needed to run back and pick him up. So we decided to give it a shot not knowing how Levi would do. He has only ridden in my lap so far.

 We buckled him in next to his daddy...he wasn't sure what to think at first.

 And then he realized that he was getting to stay ALL BY HIMSELF. So exciting.

He blew me a kiss and that is when I had to leave my baby behind. I know it is ridiculous, but I felt like it was his first day of kindergarten. He is not supposed to be big enough to ride in a tractor by himself!

As I was climbing down the ladder I peeked back to see these two smiling at each other. Talk about melting a mama's heart. I was pretty sure Levi wasn't going to miss his mama one bit.

I drove home and wondered if he would make it on his own or if Joel would be calling me in a few minutes. About an hour later Joel drove the tractor right up to our front door to drop Levi off. He of course had done great and loved every minute of his ride. And I was so glad to have my baby home.

Levi was one happy little boy. If it wouldn't have been nap time, I'm pretty sure he could have ridden all day. He sure loves his daddy.

He had Cheetos and chocolate all over his face. Joel said he was falling asleep in the tractor and he had to feed him to keep him awake. So we headed inside, cleaned him up, and off to bed he went.

So, I made it through Levi's first solo ride in one piece...trying to ignore the fact that my baby boy is turning into such a big boy. A bit over dramatic...I know. Like I said, let's just pray that I can blame the crazy emotions on the pregnancy hormones!