My view, at 1705.
Waiting with a surprise egg.
For this little trooper.
First day of school in 2018, first time taking the school bus home.
I'd have preferred to start her on school bus service only when I return to work, but it's odd (for the provider) to start in the middle of nowhere.
It's for practical reasons. It would be easier for the helper to carry Meimei and wait for Clarissa downstairs, as compared to taking Ah-gong's car with Meimei to go to the school.
It might be just a 20-minute trip but it's too much of a hassle.
I haven't figured out how our helper can handle the 6pm chaos with two girls, but one step at a time.
My office is more than an hour away by train, and at least 30-40 minutes by car if I leave by 5pm AND traffic is smooth.
Waiting for the hubs to knock off and take the car back together like we used to is probably not an option.
He works late almost everyday and on average reaches home around 830pm.
I think our helper would have quit by the time we get home. π π
Taking the cab home everyday would be super expensive, and more importantly it's quite impossible to reach home before 6pm everyday.
It might be too early to panick now, but four months would fly by before I know it.
Maybe by then both of them can entertain themselves while helper prepares dinner. And Clarissa can eat dinner on her own while helper attends to Meimei. Or Meimei can play on her own while helper gives Clarissa her dinner. π
Anyway, the school bus.
The school bus auntie told me over the phone that they'd collect payment with the bus card, and I thought it is some high tech cash card. π
I've never taken a school bus before but the hubs says it's the same card he used during his school days?
I feel quite bad about having to let her take the school bus, because she's so young.
It's like.. I can't imagine a 3-year-old me taking a school bus home on my own but my daughter has to do that?
So we prepped her for it since last week, and I bought two surprise eggs for her as a form of encouragement.
Gave her one in the morning and told her the other one is waiting for her after she takes the school bus home.
I know I always underestimate her; this time too.
She was all smiles getting off the bus and told me how the auntie buckled her seat belt for her.
Back to Jiejie duties when she got home. π
She showed her two new surprise eggs to her little sister and even asked her which one she wanted, while her little sister kept smiling at her. ππ
So cute and so endearing I kept clicking.
Notice how she's put Suzy Sheep beside Meimei.
She started by putting both eggs beside Meimei, and then she said, "Come I open for you!" before opening each egg and showing her what was inside.
"See? You can squeeze it like that," she said to Meimei who only kept smiling at her. π
Shared the photo with the hubs and he said, "Look at her thigh!"
πππ
The other thing that struck me this morning (now that Clarissa is asleep and I can write more) was how she carefully packed the little toy pony from the first surprise egg back into the egg, put it on the table, and told me and her Yaya not to touch it.
And then she happily left for school with her Daddy.
I was fully prepared for her to ask if she could bring it to school, and I'd have let her do so, because I thought she would need to hold on to a security toy to take the school home?
But she left it at home without even asking to bring it.
I guess it's because we don't allow her to bring small toys to school.
It might seem like a small thing, but I'm still pleasantly surprised.