Nikolai on the Bus

May 30

I'm sitting on our steep stone steps in the sun. The best part, though, is that I'm our here waiting for Niko to come home ON THE BUS. I drove him in and out for about a week. Then one day I left my car at his school and rode home on the bus with him. He held onto me with both hands and screamed for about ten minutes. That night a neighbor drove me back to pick up my car. The next day we did it again. He held on with one hand and screamed for about two minutes. Next time, my Dad was here. I hid and watched, and Dad rode with Niko. We did that a few more times, and then we both hid and watched the teachers put Niko on the bus alone. (Well, except for Cookie Monster, of course!) As soon as the bus took off, Dad and I zipped home in the car and greeted Niko at his triumphant return! Now Niko does it all by himself without any problems, and I'm happy and proud of him. It gives me 40 more minutes that I'm not driving him in and out to his school, which agreed to keep him until the end of the summer. What a relief.