First Day of School

I realized, in my absence, how much I depend on my stepmom bloggy friends already. I have felt lost these past few weeks and it wasn’t a good feeling. As I mentioned in my previous post, the month of September just killed me with the start of school and all of my girl’s activities and just work in general for me. On top of all that, Big Papa and I decided that I would stop taking birth control and we would not actively try to get pregnant but see what happens….Yikes! Exciting and stressful and overwhelming all at the same time.

My girl’s first day of school is always a momentous occasion. We joke that she has the biggest fan club wherever she goes, whatever sport or activity she does because she has 3 sets of families - grandparents and aunts and uncles plus the parents. And everyone wants to be involved and capture all these exciting events on camera.
This first day of second grade we had the 2 biological grandmas, Big Papa and I, 2 dogs and Gollum to see her off on the bus. The bus stop is literally on the corner of Gollum’s property so we all gathered out front and chatted until the bus came. At one point Gollum went in and hauled Bilbo out to say hello to everyone. It was different than past years when he would’ve been outside from the beginning. Hmmm…..

The morning went smoothly and we took pictures galore and waved as she pulled away to start her adventure in second grade. I always shed a few tears on the first day…always hard for me to believe she is growing up so quickly.
At the end of the day I went to pick up my girl from the bus stop. Big Papa had to work but it was our night with her so I drove to Gollum’s house a few minutes early, thinking that one of the grandma’s would also be there. Surprise. It’s just ME and GOLLUM. FOR 10 MINUTES. While we wait for her bus. We each had a dog and her puppy was jumping on me because mine had somehow climbed onto my shoulder in terror of the situation.

My girl gets off the bus and is excited to see the 4 of us but then another girl got off with her. She had missed her stop. Gollum knew her mother so she called and offered to keep the girl at her house until the mother arrived. Gollum was headed to her job as a waitress so I offered to stay with the kids outside until the mother came.

But no such luck….

I waited in Gollum’s house, while holding my dog, for a good half hour until this other mom showed up. I don’t think I moved from my spot by the door in her living room. Meanwhile, her dog is scratching my legs trying to get to my dog. We both said something occasionally to each other but mostly talked to the kids.
FINALLY the other mom shows up and thanks Gollum up and down for staying with her kid. Horrors of all horrors, this mom comes in (I have met her at church on one occasion while I had my girl with me) and she can’t remember how she knows me so she says to Gollum,

“Who’s this? Is this your SISTER?”

My mouth literally fell open and I could not make words come out. Thankfully, Gollum stepped in and said, “This is my girl’s stepmom, Big Mama.” I would’ve thanked her but my mouth was still hanging wide open. Is it enough to say that we look nothing alike? I don't know what else to say besides that.

After we finally got to leave, I took my girl for some ice cream and a visit my in-laws. I was still traumatized from spending so much time in Gollumville but held it together to be excited for my girl on her first day of school.

Now let me say that I’m thankful we are civil enough with Gollum where we can share in the excitement of the actual first day of school. I know a lot of stepmoms and dads don’t get to do this. I’ll never forget my girl’s first day of kindergarten, her first year riding the bus - it was on a Wednesday and a morning where she should’ve been with us. Gollum pulled a fast one and said that she had asked us “a while ago” if my girl could have her first day of school at her house. I guess she felt bad after the fact because she invited us in for coffee and donuts that morning. Thanks but no thanks, sweetie.

Did anyone else experience a first day of school like this??