Today's Headline News

FIRST TIME IN DAYCARE: BOTH MOTHER AND SON SURVIVE

Yesterday was a big day for us! Owen went to daycare for the first time by himself!

Some of you may recall that Rob’s firm has a fabulous daycare/preschool facility, called The Children’s Campus.






It is a beautiful, happy place with lots of competent and caring people. We've toured several times and have been impressed each time we've been there. So, I finally decided to fill out the paperwork and enroll him for backup care. We went last week to meet his teacher and I hung out in the classroom for a couple of hours with him. Yesterday, he was flying solo.

The ride to school was happy and cheerful. I felt ready to do this and Owen was just singing along to his Music Class cd.



















When we walked in the door, Owen made himself right at home. He ran to the fish tank in the lobby, began his narration of everything in sight, and happily greeted the security guard and ladies at the front desk. I thought "this is going to be a piece of cake." We went to his classroom and greeted his new friends and teachers. He immediately started playing with the toys. Wow, easy! I did a quick review of procedures with the lead teacher, "Miss CiCi", and prepared myself to leave. Suddendly, it hit me what was happening. Owen caught on too and started to cry. Heartache.

I made my exit quick and final...like tearing off a bandaid. I really wasn't sure I could do it...especially when I heard his cries as I was walking out the door. The director caught me in the lobby and I tried to maintain my composure as she assured me that he would do "great!" I smiled and nodded like a confident mom, and hoped my watery eyes wouldn't betray me. However, the poor security guard witnessed my breakdown as I hit the building's exit door. I won't lie...I cried off and on for the next hour. It was tough to leave, for sure.

I had planned to leave him for about 2 hours only. But when I called to check on him, they said he was doing well, despite a rocky start, and that perhaps I should try to leave him a bit longer. Apparently, time on the playground outside turned everything around and he had perked up considerably and was playing at his usual full-tilt pace. We agreed that I would leave him through lunch and would likely pick him up at naptime. The nap situation was going to be the most challenging and was anticipated to be a bad scene. I would be called to come and get him as soon as it was clear that the attempt at napping was unsuccessful. So, I drove to the facility and waited in the parking lot for my call.

About 15 or 20 minutes into naptime, my cell rings. Miss CiCi informs me that she rocked him to sleep, he fell asleep on her chest and she transferred him to his mat where he was sleeping peacefully. Huh? My child? Best news I'd heard in a long time. So, Rob and I had an impromptu lunch date...sans child!!! (I found out later that the nap was brief--only 50 minutes--and he woke ready to play and trying to wake the other children. But, he napped nonetheless!)

When I returned to pick him up in the afternoon , he was sitting quietly at the table, finishing his snack. Didn't even notice me walk in. I was able to snap these photos.


































However, as I bent down to put my camera away, he must have caught a glimpse of me. I heard a woeful, but VERY clear "Mommy!", and stood to find him bursting into tears...lip quivering and all. Perhaps seeing me reminded him that we had actually been apart all. day. long.

Yes, when it was all said and done, our plan of a brief trial stay in daycare turned into an all-day affair. He stayed from 9:30-3:30! He ate all of his lunch AND snack…unbelievable. In fact, he ate 3 snacks!

As we prepared to leave, Miss CiCi was doing a group activity with some of the children. They were all wearing cowboy hats and pretending to ride horses. Owen kept saying and signing "Hat! Hat!" So, as a souvenir of his first day with them, Miss CiCi gave him a hat of his very own to take home. She told him that it would remind him of all his new friends and how much fun he would have when he came back. Here he is in the parking lot, getting ready to go home. Looks like a happy kid to me.














For now, he is enrolled in backup care, so he will likely only go a few times a month. BUT, it is a break for me and I know that he is in extremely good hands. I also know that he can do okay without me...and I without him.

We're growing up.