Rise-ing to the Occasion - Baker's First Day

In this post, I shared our leap of faith.

Our decision to quit our jobs, sell our house,

and move to Tuscaloosa in hopes that Baker

would be accepted to The Johnny Stallings Center,
RISE, 

a world famous preschool designed to meet the needs of all students.

God was faithful.

And today, that prayer, those many prayers, were answered in a mighty way.

It's a pretty neat feeling to know that you are living out an answered prayer.
And that is kind of how I walked through today.
Knowing our actions today had been perfectly orchestrated by the works of our Father.

The bags were packed on the night before with care,
in hopes that tardiness, today, would be spared.

Inordinate amounts of coffee were consumed this morning.
By yours truly, not Baker.
Although he thinks he is big stuff drinking mommy's coffee.

And after bathing, breakfasting, and doing all of the things we do before finally making it to the car,

we were off.

We sang and prayed all the way there, so very excited today was the day!

Honestly, I was a wee bit terrified.

Baker does not like to leave his mommy.

And, quite truthfully, I'm not too terribly fond of the idea of leaving him either.

I warned the teachers that there might be a throw down.

Baker has been known to pitch quite the fit during departures.

I cautioned the teachers that they would have to pry him off of me and then pick me up off the floor, dry my tears, and usher me outside.

Well, as I predicted, there were tears.

But not a single one shed from Baker.

In the words of my most handsome husband, "Darlin, this ain't their first rodeo."

They had bubble machines and toys galore.

They even had a bus that sings, get this, "Wheels on the Bus."

Yep, definitely not their first rodeo. 

It really wasn't even a fair fight.

He was giddy.

And even though I was snubbed, I was elated to see him so comfortable in his new environment.

Before too long, he was handing me my keys and wishing me a good day.

And it was.

A really good day.

Baker has vocabulary words, and signs to practice at home this week.

We celebrated a wonderful first day with a quick dinner date to Iguana Grill.

Baker was different tonight.

A really good different.

A little more independent.

A little more assertive.

A little more confident.

A little more verbal.

A little more playful.

And as I type these words, I cannot help but get emotional.

Not in a bad way.

In the best way.

I want to go back and talk to the me of May 13, 2012, 

two days after Baker was born.

And tell her God is truly faithful. 

That all of this would be okay.

That God would hold our hands and guide our hearts, our steps, our actions. 

That there would be more celebration than heartache.

That there would be more laughter than tears.

That Baker Bell is a gift in every sense of the word and our lives are better because he is in them.

I'd love for her to see one of these pictures from today.

But I guess that's what faith is - trusting that God sees the future, and has a perfect plan, even we cannot.

You can visit the RISE website here. 

It is really an incredible place. 

I have a friend who says that she thinks the pearly gates will likely resemble that of the RISE School. 

I cannot say I much disagree.