It began well enough. Ava was excited to go to her new school, and her mom went to the extra effort in the morning to put braids in Ava’s hair, complete with tiny bows at the end. The day seemed full of hope and promise.
And to hear Ava tell of the morning, everything did go swimmingly. Right up until second recess. This is when Ava took a spill on the playground and ended up hitting the asphalt, mouth first. What the school secretary described to me over the phone at noon as a “little bump” on the lip ended up being something a bit more, at least to my untrained eye. You be the judge:
Ava was a real sport through the whole thing, and we pampered her when we got her home. Lots of popsicles. I’m surprised by how nonchalant she’s been about the big lump on her lip, especially with all the new faces at school and first impressions, etc. But she looked in the mirror for a bit this morning and came away with only a question about how long the swelling would last.
The very highest point of the day, though, was when Ava exclaimed to me — unprompted! — through her swollen mouth how great her new school is, and how much she loves it. That was a big relief. I figure if she can come away from a day like that with such a positive outlook, we stand a good chance of making it through the year.