January 9

We experienced another family milestone today as Isaac drove himself to school solo for the first time.

(Incidentally, I found the entry from 2021 that detailed Abby's first drive to school and discovered that I was significantly more verbose back then.)

He was up on time and ready to go well ahead of when he needed to be ready, which was a hugely pleasant surprise. He's always been the one who took his time, marched to the beat of his own drummer, et cetera, so I'm hopeful that maybe this new bit of freedom will compel him to strive to be more timely. 

Anyway, I followed him down to the garage and out to the Explorer. I watched as he gathered his baseball equipment and put it --and his backpack-- in the backseat. I watched as he placed his plated English muffin sandwich --which he promised not to eat until the walk from the car to the school-- on the front seat. He gave me the obligatory half-smile and wave, backed out of the driveway --lightly grazing an errantly placed trash can as he pulled into the street-- and then he was off. I watched him drive off and then turned back to the garage, where the other two stooges were in my car waiting to depart. (Brady had his official orthodontic consultation this morning and to say that Abby --who tagged along-- enjoyed the experience would be an understatement Their relationship is quite amusing these days. So many embarrassing photos. But I digress.)

It's a new era for Isaac for sure. He's yearned for the ability to take himself places for some time now, so I'm happy that he's able to exercise this new gift of increased freedom. He's a good kiddo, and it's a gift to me to be able to see him continue to grow and mature.