Little girl in a big world and a lost bear

Lisa my sweetheart, my angel, the littlest girl from day one, has broken our hearts and made us burst with pride all at the same time by successfully starting big school this week. Big is the theme, the uniform is big, the bag is big and the learning curve is big... for her and for mum.

Yesterday she made me super-proud coming home with a merit award for a "happy attitude to learning" and later I found scrunched in her pocket a little bit of paper saying she was a learning star... long may it continue! Now I'm a pragmatist and I'm sure all the little newlings will come home with a merit award for this and stamps and stickers on their hands for that... such is the positive reinforcement vibe of modern education.

Our littlest girl, her sister Paige seems to be an old hand already after Lisa's previous 2 years at the local pre-school, but nonetheless I think she miss her more this year... even if it only takes 5 minutes for the squabbling to start once she gets home!

Paige has a worn out old bear that she took to within days of her birth that tags along everywhere and has nearly been lost a thousand times... I cannot recall the amount of times I have had shop assistants and kindly elderly folk and other mums run after me with a plaintive... "excuse me, but I think you left... " and they tail off unable to give a name or definition to this lumpen, mis-shapen, tatty and mostly dirty knitted creature that was unceremoniously dumped in favour of a more attractive offering..

But I digress, such was mum and dads fixation on our eldest daughter's big day, with big grins plastered on our unashamedly proud faces, that we forgot to bid Paige to leave beloved "Bear Bear" in the car, and yet again he bore witness to one of our family occasions... or so we thought... In the middle of finding our buddy, depositing new school bag in new school locker, saying hello to familiar faces from pre-school, Paige disappeared... we exchanged hurried "I thought she was with yous" and hubby was dispatched to search the grounds. It was a momentary worry as she was retrieved soon after but without Bear! However unaware of his missing in action status we carried on our day... I had a sneaking feeling that he was not in the home and realising not in the car I vowed to check at the school office on day two.

I feel very lucky to live in a small community where through the children I have been able to get to know other families quite quickly and thoroughly cherish new friendships through neighbours, playgroup, pre-school and now school... and such is the closeness of the friendships two mums hurried up to me with news of "Bear bear's" discovery. He was handed in from being found in the playground and spent the first night of the school year in the school office!! Not only was he collected and looked after safely his notoriety is such that he was identified and picked up by a friend who held him at their house till he was collected and taken home. Thank you Liss. Thankfully he was not missed, thanks in part to my mum's provision of "Blue Bear" a substitute for such occasions that was made during our visit home to the UK in 2009.

Both girls have formed attachments to objects in their early lives... Lisa's was to "Blankie" a much loved and now tatty yellow polar fleece thing. Now that she is a "Big Girl going to school" she has nearly weened herself off "him" (for they are attributed genders) but he must attend for bedtime. I am happy to provide this link to her babyhood, as she ventures out into the big world of big school, she still needs cuddles and her mummy and she is still and will be forever my special first baby, who taught me how to be mum and still teaches me everyday... I love you sweetheart.