lula and albie - 7
dulcinea - 4
in which it's lula and albie's first day at their primary school since moving from l.a to england but it doesn't exactly go as planned.
i wrote this very quickly christmas day so apologies if it's shit lol
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Edora
There are tears in my eyes as Lula and Albie stand proudly in the kitchen, holding hands, dressed in their new school uniforms. Lula's hair has been neatly combed back into a ponytail, a bow wrapped around the hair tie. Albie's blonder hair has been combed back out of his face, a thin layer of gel applied to keep it back, his natural curls remaining in tact. Both of them have their lunch boxes and bookbags in their hands, bouncing at the knees, ready to get going.
It's been a month since we've moved to England and we're settling in really well - the house is all set up, boxes all unpacked, bedrooms all painted and decorated.
The transition for Lula and Albie has gone beautifully - they're happy here, love exploring both the city and the countryside, have enjoyed being around family and listening to 'all the funny accents' (although their own accents have always been closer to British than American.). If they ask about 'home' in L.A, we continue to tell them that England is our new home and will talk about L.A as much as they'd like as long as it gives them the comfort they need to move on. I think the most difficult thing about the move for the twins is that their favourite sweet treats aren't available here so we're having to introduce them to new treats. They're stubborn to let their favourites go but they're getting there. School is the last transition they need to face.
The transition for Dulcinea hasn't gone as smoothly but that was to be expected. Her routine was thrown off completely due to the jet lag and no matter how much we tried to keep it on track, it didn't work. Her routine being thrown off also meant she was getting thrown off - she was crying a lot of the time, never wanted to be held or interacted with, had very violent outbursts because she was feeling too much for her little body to handle. Watching her how she was made me feel incredibly guilty and on many occasions I considered packing up and moving back to L.A. so she could have her comforts back but she slowly adapted.
We started to make our own routines in England, her body adapted to the time change and she's gradually getting back on track. Dulcie is starting pre-school today and although I'm hesitant to throw this in, I know that if we leave it any later and interrupt her routine when it's set in stone, it'll be worse for her than it is now. She's only doing an hour today and we'll gradually build time over the next few weeks.
"I've never worn a pretty dress to school before." Lula tells us, holding the hems of her red and white checked summer dress and giving us a spin. "It's fun."
"You look very pretty, Bug." Harry compliments her from where he stands in the kitchen, admiring his eldest children, holding back tears at the realisation of just how big they're getting. "You too, Little love. You both look so grown up."
Harry had actually cried to me about all of the children starting school here, his heart aching from the time that has slipped through his fingers and his mind worrying about their wellbeing and how they're going to fit in here. As much as I tried to convince him that they'll be fine, I don't think he slept too much.
"But I'll always be your little girl." Lula proudly says, reciting the same phrase that Harry has always said to her.
'No matter how big you get, you'll always be my little girl.'
