<p>Launch in progress. Wished we had checked some items. When trying to assemble a closet extender, found it was defective. Also, the doors were too thick for the over door hooks. So far, all else going smoothly. More when I have access to a lap top. Leaving tomorrow, spending another might at the hotel. DD asked me not to cry tomorrow!! Ima wear sunglasses.</p>
<p>Son’s packing done, car loading in progress. Clothes are in black rolling duffels. Unfortunately it is hard to make name tags stick to these so used gobs of strapping tape. So far things have gone very smoothly. I made a list of the bags/boxes we took so we could check that they all make it to the room. The minivan will be stuffed by the time we fit in my son’s TV.</p>
<p>Now we have to pack our clothes :)</p>
<p>Just a suggestion… multiple travel size of Purell or other hand sanitizer…one for the desk, one for the back pack, one for the shower caddy…and some good old Lysol spray and Lysol wipes. </p>
<p>Infections seem to travel like wildfire in dorms and classrooms.</p>
<p>When S1 was a freshman, mono went crazy throughout his dorm. Even a handwashing campaign didn’t seem to help. As the RA noted, </p>
<p>“Student is coming down with a cold. Student goes into the bathroom, touching the bathroom door on his way in. He touches the toilet stall door when he goes in, and the lock. He touches the seat, and the toilet handle. He touches the handles on the sink, and the soap dispenser. He washes his hands thoroughly. He touches the bathroom door on his way out. He touches the door knob to his room. He touches the elevator buttons…”</p>
<p>You get the picture…</p>
<p>So many contaminated surfaces…</p>
<p>My sons learned the hard way…but they are pretty good about spraying/wiping things down if someone they know is infected, and they often use some hand sanitizer if stuff is going around.</p>
<p>W is hoping 2nd child going to college is much easier than first, much as second labor/delivery was. Sunday is due date.</p>
<p>Did Launch Part 1 today (move in and conservatory orientation). Return for Launch Part 2 tomorrow (ceremonial stuff and faculty/family BBQ on all the other frosh’'s move in day).</p>
<p>Today went REALLY well, I will post more later, exhausted!</p>
<p>But as I left (early! I was superfluous!) S was sitting with his roommate (who he totally hit it off with) and another kid, and they were leaning towards each other intently watching him air chord what appeared to be a bass line of some sort. I will sleep well tonight - S has found his people :)</p>
<p>Launched DD today – everything went very well. Received serious kudos from the suitemates’ Moms for bringing rubber doorstops. I heart CC!</p>
<p>Ohiobassmom,</p>
<p>I used to live just 2 blocks from your son’s college.</p>
<p>It’s known for really nice students. And such a nice, fun, convenient, safe neighborhood.</p>
<p>i am glad your son is off to such a good start.</p>
<p>fly out tomorrow, most bags are packed but not totally done…she’s watching tv, again and says later. The nerves, the excitement, the fears, the dreams are all coming together this week. She luckily had a girl from her studio contact her to have coffee this week and the moms were invited. This girl was wonderful, loves it and helped relieve the fears of sending a 18 year old off to NYC on her own (OK, her older sister and my older sister are both there). Move in day is Sunday and we are taking two days in the city ourselves. Wow. Its really here.</p>
<p>Well, S1 survived the 10 hour car trip (barely). Poor guy - the nausea subsided around hour 4, but was followed by chills, fever, and headache. He dozed off and on most of the last 3 hours, then went straigh tup to his hotel room and fell asleep. H and I drove the car full of S2’s stuff over to his dorm, where he was after completing his pre orientation hiking trip. It was really good to see him! The three of us got all of his stuff carried up to his room in no time and unpacked. Then he said, “Well, great! Thanks! OK! Great! Um…thanks!” until we figured out he wanted us to leave so he could hang out with the kids gathered in a room down the hall. 
He seems really happy, so I’m happy too. I can’t believe how big his room is! Eyemamom - I scouted your S’s room. It’s just where it should be! Tomorrow we will make a liesurely trip to Target/Office Max for little stuff. Hopefully that will be after a loooong night’s sleep! I’m way past exhausted after being up all night with a sick almost-21 year old and then driving all day! And didnt’ take time to pack sandwiches so had to eat fast food all day - yuk. </p>
<p>We’ll be in town until Saturday morning because that’s the earliest S1 can move in. it’s so convenient having them at the same school!</p>
<p>Glad to hear everyone’s day went pretty well. Except poor momsings - please bounce back soon! Best of luck to all launchers tomorrow!</p>
<p>I hope it is ok to post this. I’m not familiar with the etiquette but I ran across this blog post by TJ Sullivan, a professional speaker for Campus Speak. He speaks on many campuses, primarily to fraternities and sororities on a number of topics including rush and hazing. He is launching his oldest son this week and everything he wrote in this blog matches what I’ve been feeling all week as we prepare to launch my daughter.</p>
<p>[Be</a> nice to the parents T.J. Sullivan](<a href=“http://tjsullivan.com/be-nice-to-the-parents/1905/]Be”>http://tjsullivan.com/be-nice-to-the-parents/1905/)</p>
<p>Thanks for sharing Barnardmom! It is a little delayed, but I am feeling the emptiness even though we have one more at home.</p>
<p>It’s 4am and I am now waiting on D to finish getting ready so we can start our 5.5 hour car ride to her school. For once I am not annoyed that she is running late. OK, well maybe I am a little annoyed but at least her lateness puts off the inevitable. I am already crying…at least I get Krispy Kreme along the way. Nothing like a few hundred calories to soothe a mother’s pain.</p>
<p>Post launch - now I can’t sleep. I guess that’s what happens when you suppress the anxiety and emotion of launching your kid. Many of my friends IRL commented on how calm and collected I was before and during. :p</p>
<p>Momof3stars - have a safe drive!</p>
<p>Safe travels to you, momof3stars! Enjoy those KK donuts.</p>
<p>Hanging out at the hotel now. So glad PNs son is feeling better. Launch stories are oddly comforting to me. We pick up the bbb stuff this am. Ds forgot ethernet cable and some other thing, he also wants a desk chair. Hubby and I will figure it out after we see the room. I was happy and weepy to see how excited s is to get there and make friends. I’m not unaware he’s leaving, it’s just so real now!</p>
<p>Our flight is early tomorrow. No clothes have made it into the waiting suitcases. BUT…all his clothes are in piles on the guest room queen bed, sorted (by me of course) into neat stacks. All he has to do is is pick which and how many and load the cases. </p>
<p>How many weeks of clothing did the BOYS here take? He will be in Atlanta. How many cargo shorts and how many jeans? They don’t do Greek rush until second semester and freshman formal isn’t until november so we aren’t packing any dressy clothes ( other than one pair of black and khaki chinos each). We preshipped the extra pair of sneakers (they can take up half a suitcase!) and the fleece and middle weight jackets. He will take the hoodie on the plane and not bring the down jacket until spring semester in January.</p>
<p>I just don’t know how much he will actually need and how much will fit into the four or five drawer dresser. Help!</p>
<p>Also, please send a few prayers that TS Isaac disapates and DH and I can get home on Sunday!</p>
<p>I haven’t posted in a while but have tried to keep up - congrats to all the successful launchers!</p>
<p>We are off today - I told my son I would get him up in time to hit the road by 9 am for the 6 hour drive. He is SO excited, which makes me feel a little better although I have a huge pit in my stomach. Although this is my second son to send-off to college, he is my baby and the empty nest thing is scary. I have been home with the boys for 20+ years and now I have to figure out what I am going to do with myself!</p>
<p>Clothes for boys subject- he packed a huge amount of them and I hope it all fits. He does have 3 of those plastic stacking drawers (he will loft his bed and store them under the bed) that he filled with all his khakis. He also has tons of button down oxfords, ties, blue blazer, polos and khaki shorts in a variety of colors! He is very much a prepster and is going to a school where they dress-up for football games, so he packed accordingly. He also thinks the more he brings, the less laundry he will need to do! He should be ok for at least a month BUT that laundry pile will he daunting!!!</p>
<p>Hope Issac holds off for everyone traveling in his path!!!</p>
<p>Off I go…</p>
<p>DS started classes yesterday and is just having a great time. Apparently the dorm and the marine science students are all bonding. Bonding as in up till 4am and then being ready by 9am for some orientation activity. I didn’t ask what he was doing up till 4 am. Does that make me a good mom or a bad mom? He did say things were “settling” down now that classes had started. He’s got an Israeli IDF student on his floor. At first, I thought, great! Now I’m thinking, wait, he’s old enough to buy the beer! </p>
<p>After launching DS, I took DD13 on a college road trip where we stopped at U Rochester. We were there on Tuesday, before all the new students. PN and eyemamon, my daughter might be joining your sons next year! It is her number one choice school and we both loved it! We shall see how the merit aid/financial aid comes about. I’m hoping she can go!</p>
<p>PN - hope your son feels better.</p>
<p>OK, so Pinot and eyemamom…how do you play it cool around your sons when you "casually’ run into each other? I would love to be a fly on that wall.</p>
<p>I got my first laundry call last night; “Mom! Where did you put the laundry detergent?” “It’s in the bottom of your laundry basket.” Followed by, What temperature? Can my workout clothes go all together even though they are different colors? What’s a dryer sheet? And to have this conversation, he had to keep running in and out of the laundry room because there was no reception in there. His rugby work outs have been 2 to 3 times a day so he is going through clothes fast. He also said he hasn’t had time to empty the boxes he brought. I’m a little concerned that this might extend to not making the bed yet either but we will find out when we drop off his forgotten stuff on Sunday night. The rest of his dorm arrives tomorrow so he will have some company at last.</p>