Yes, this is another daycare-related post. Yes, I'm sorry in advance as you're probably bored to tears with my daycare drama. But at least this time I'm not whining...
We have been with our new daycare provider for almost a month now - started with a few weeks of full days, but just 3 days a week. Then, as of last week, we switched over to half days. This is supposed to be a pre-school program... I suppose we'll see just how much Maddie actually learns, but at least she's crafting on a regular basis (instead of learning new shows to watch on the Family channel - woot).
So... the half day thing. It's set up like this - Maddie attends from 8am until 12:30pm. Which means she gets lunch at daycare, but doesn't go down for a nap. Instead, I pick her up and she comes straight home and down for a nap immediately.
As IF this is going as well as it is! I didn't want to say (brag) anything last week, in case of jinxing it - but yeah, no fighting, no tears - she comes home and heads straight upstairs to her room for one (yes, really, just one) story and then nap.
Clearly she's getting nice and tired out and this is one of the reasons it's working so well. And perhaps the fact that I'm hardcore not giving in even just once on watching a show before she heads for nap. I just tell her that it's very late and we have to nap now so we can get up and play before dinner.
And so she does.
Sounds deceivingly easy, doesn't it?
And so, this is the new rhythm of our lives. Hubs does daycare drop off, I spend the morning alone with Katie either doing things around the house or running errands, pick up Maddie from daycare and (cross fingers) most days get both girls down for a nap at the same time while I eat lunch and finish whatever task I attempted to get done earlier in the day. Usually? Laundry. Man there's a lot of laundry these days.
A bit anti-climatic after all my posturing and worrying about daycare drama and what we were going to do and nail-biting over the expense and yadda yadda yadda. It all worked out in the end - better than we could have expected.
Doesn't that always seem to be the way?
xxoo.S
Showing posts with label daycare. Show all posts
Showing posts with label daycare. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Sunday, August 22, 2010
The Babysitter
She came. She sat. She conquered.
We had been preparing Maddie all day on Saturday for the fact that Gabrielle was coming to hang out at dinner time. That Mommy and Daddy were going out and taking Baby Katie with us. And therefore, it would be Gabrielle who did bath-time, story-time + bed-time with her.
I had no hopes that all of this prep-work would stick. In fact, I fully expected to have a nightmarish, leg-clinging toddler on my hands when it actually came time to go.
Oh how wrong I was! She (meaning Maddie) was awesome - totally took it in stride and informed Gabrielle of all the above facts. "You gonna give me a bath, then read me books, and then put me to bed!"
So it would seem we have found a babysitter. Woot.
xxoo.S
PS - our night out was fabulous - thank you R&V for the great dinner invite!
We had been preparing Maddie all day on Saturday for the fact that Gabrielle was coming to hang out at dinner time. That Mommy and Daddy were going out and taking Baby Katie with us. And therefore, it would be Gabrielle who did bath-time, story-time + bed-time with her.
I had no hopes that all of this prep-work would stick. In fact, I fully expected to have a nightmarish, leg-clinging toddler on my hands when it actually came time to go.
Oh how wrong I was! She (meaning Maddie) was awesome - totally took it in stride and informed Gabrielle of all the above facts. "You gonna give me a bath, then read me books, and then put me to bed!"
So it would seem we have found a babysitter. Woot.
xxoo.S
PS - our night out was fabulous - thank you R&V for the great dinner invite!
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Kijiji blind date
We interviewed our first teenage babysitter today. I have (for the past year or so) been trying to find someone through a "neighbour referral" - to no avail. I supposed it doesn't help that we don't actually know that many people in the neighbourhood, and those that we have met, only seem to have 12 year olds (a little young to be babysitting until 11pm).
So to Kijiji I went... (and can I just for probably the eleventy-millionth time tell you how much I HEART Kijiji? Especially since I've been selling all my old maternity clothes through it lately and making a nice little cache of spending $$ on items that would have otherwise just found their way into the Goodwill bin)... but finding a babysitter through Kijiji? I felt a little sketchy. Especially as I studiously ignored all the "I'm 30-something and just love kids and want to make some extra money on the side" ads ... not that I don't think that it's all possible, but there's just something more legit about a teenage kid wanting to do some occasional babysitting, you know?
And so the first "normal" looking ad I responded to, asking if she'd be willing to come for an interview first so we could meet each other, Maddie could meet her etc etc etc.
She showed up with her mom in tow (which I found to be somewhat reassuring - they were just as nervous about our "kijiji meet up" as I was) (and also? I'll totally be that over-protective mother). Things to note about future babysitting interviews:
- Perhaps I should at least attempt to prepare some questions beforehand. I'm anal and love my lists, but didn't think to actually write down any of the questions or things I wanted to go over ahead of time - which meant I missed about 5 things I wanted to cover. Dumbass.
- Setting a time of 5pm for anything (especially an interview with a complete stranger) borders on the demented as Maddie is a) whiny and annoying at that time of day, b) hungry and demanding a snack before dinner, and c) only interested in parking her bottom in front of the tv to watch DORA on repeat until dinner is served.
- 5pm also happens to be Katie's clusterfeeding / fussy time. Again - not all that conducive to trying to get to know a complete stranger.
Needless to say - it was a LONG 30 minutes. Filled (luckily) with the babysitter's mom's anecdotes about having babies + toddlers and the chaos that goes with this stage. But in the end? I think we may have found our teenage occasional sitter - she is a sweet, unassuming girl who is going for her lifeguard certification this fall, who enjoys playing intramural soccer, who attends a private French school and therefore is completely bilingual, and who volunteers on the weekends to teach art to children.
Holy shiznay, right? She really does seem like a perfect child - don't expect she'll be inviting boys over for a snog after Maddie goes to bed.
So we are covered and free to attend a friend's housewarming party this weekend + numerous "date nights" in the near future. Woot to Kijiji!
xxoo.S
PS - No, I'm not leaving baby Kate with her as well - she will be tagging along with us. Babies that don't speak and don't run around and (hopefully) don't cry are welcomed at this non-kid affair. We'll just tuck her in the corner somewhere so she can sleep through it... (who are we kidding, she'll be in the sling worn by me all night)
PPS - Funny embarrassing story of the day? In the middle of the interview, Maddie randomly began demanding to be nursed. DEMANDING it. Like "Mommy! Mommy! MOMMY! I want boobie milk!" all while feeling me up with the obnoxiousness of a 15 year old boy. I told my audience that I wasn't sure why she was doing this, as she is no longer being nursed and never asks for it. The mother's response? "Oh they just know the right buttons to press to get the attention they want in these situations." Touché Wise Woman, touché.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Snippets
- Remember the neighbour girl that I told you about? Maddie's new BFF? She came over for a playdate last weekend. It was adorable to watch Maddie's eager anticipation for it to begin - and even though the little girl didn't want to do much more than craft the whole time (she even brought her own supplies!), and Maddie's interest in crafting went to zero within about 10 minutes in, she still had a fabulous time. Isn't it amazing how the most influential voice to our kids is other kids? I sat and watched as Maddie mimicked and repeated almost everything this other girl said. Possibly the most agreeable I have ever seen her...
- My magical sleeping baby has disappeared and been replaced with the magical gassy baby. I cannot pin down what the hell I am eating that is making her so gassy - but all sorts of memories of Maddie as a baby have come back and slapped me in the face. And how I had limited my diet down to essentially toast, crackers and a little bit of jam - and yeah. I'm not sure I can do that again. I wish there was a diet you could follow that would ensure your baby didn't have gas. But according to Google, that's impossible. Screw you Google...
- I love the shorthand-speak that old, really old, friends have. This past Saturday I hosted some old highschool (and one uni) friends for lunch and I'm not sure any of us ever finished a sentence. We don't get to see each other very often (even less so, now that I moved out of the city), but when we do the lazy, easy, comfortable rhythm just picks up where we left off. I feel blessed to still have such old (and good) friends still in my life.
- I'm finally doing something about trying to line up some longer-term daycare for Madds. We have daycare for August figured out (well, the last 2 weeks, and it`s only part-time - and yes, I could rant on and on about this) - and potentially something with the same provider for the fall. And yet, I still have a bit of a pit in my stomach about it. And so I'm (finally) getting off my ass and trying to actively line something else up for her. And have I mentioned how effing terrified I am to have her home with me and the bebe even just part-time? I love her to bits, but omg to the terrible twos and the toddler energy and the potty training and the demands for More!Dora!Mommy! and I just want to sleep so badly....z.z.z.z..z..zzz.....
- Remember when I told you about planting my berry bushes (it was a berry exciting post, I'm surprised if you don't recall it)... well, we (the Hubs) ate our very first raspberry this weekend. And after having my head buried in life after newborn, I actually pulled it out from underneath the covers enough to check out the rest of the garden, and holy shit there's a zucchini out there the size of my inner thigh (meaty!)... I guess I have to start harvesting and making shit. Zucchini recipes anyone?
- I'm so bored with TV already - I have no idea how I did this before. As much as I relish the freedom of having Maddie in full-time daycare right now, and am enjoying this newborn veg-out stage that I know needs to end very soon - the actual TV-watching-portion is effing boring. I know it's summer and all - but I've actually resorted to watching Jersey Shore on Rogers On Demand. I've sunk to a new low. Must get out and start renting some of those shows that I always wanted to get into but never did... Dexter and I definitely have a date before July is over.
xxoo.S
Monday, May 10, 2010
So that's what hindsight is...
I arrived at my daycare provider's house on Thursday of last week, to find that her house had been burglarized. Or not so much burgled, but emptied.
Okay that sounds far more dramatic that it should - but all the pictures were taken down, the curtains at her front door were missing and there seemed to be an empty room where the tv room/kids play room was before.
As I stood and goggled thinking, w.t.f., she told me she had "news".
I asked if her news involved being burgled.
Apparently not.
Instead, her news was that they were moving and that she was going to be shutting down. At the end of July. She had been accepted to Teacher's College and was going to be attending in September. She was sorry for the unceremonious drop of the announcement, but it had all happened so quickly and she never expected to get in from a late admission, and yada-yada-yada-shutupcakes.
In the rush of these explanations, my head just kept looking back behind me - as if trying to see where the hell the 'for sale' sign was on the lawn, how I didn't see this coming, and why the hell had she packed up her playroom already.
I mean - she runs a daycare.
Again, with the w.t.f.
So it doesn't take a fancy-smart-person to realize that I'm pissed.
I'm annoyed that she's closing at all. I'm annoyed that she's closing just a month after I'm due to give birth to our 2nd child. I'm puzzled (and also annoyed - perhaps because that's the feeling of the moment) as to the early packing when she says she'll still be around until end of July - especially when all I see that is packed are some wall hangings and all the toys from the playroom.
And to top it all off, I'm annoyed that I was annoyed enough with her back in January, to go and search out other daycare options, only to decide, in the end, that it would be too much upheaval in Maddie's life when so much was going to be changed. And if she liked going there, who should I judge. Isn't that one of the more important points, if your kid likes your daycare solution, don't eff with it?
So I didn't. At the time I thought I was perhaps being too picky about menu options, about the insane bratty-ness of the daycare provider's 5 year old son. Who judges a 5 year old? Me, apparently. I figured since we'd be cutting down to part-time by the end of the summer, it wasn't such a big deal. And I could always move Maddie to the local nursery school instead of doing the part-time thing ... but for now let's not rock the boat. Let's not make changes.
Only to have change foisted upon me.
And so... I'm pissed.
And I'd love to be all philosophical and funny and witty about the whole thing. But I can't be. I'm irritated that I had a plan in my head that Madds would be in daycare full-time for the first couple of months of my impending mat leave. So that I would have one-on-one time with Sproggy #2. Sleepy time. Nap time. Non-insane-toddler-demanding-time. And that would make me a better mother. For baby and for toddler. I'd be refreshed at the end of the day - looking forward to my Maddie-Time. Baby and I would do the walk to the daycare pick up everyday and I would magically lose all my baby weight and everyone would be happy.
See how effing perfect it was going to be?
Now I have a month to figure out if I'm going to just uproot Maddie into a new option asap. Or try to find a part-time stop-gap apres the July 31st deadline. Or (shudder) have a toddler home with me full-time while I navigate the ways of a newborn.
And if this sounds whiny and irritating and you've already stopped reading? Well, I don't blame you. Because I would be reading this, thinking, wow. Poor you. Probably shoulda listened to your gut in the first place. That'll learn ya. Moving on...
Have I mentioned that I'm annoyed?
xxoo.S
Okay that sounds far more dramatic that it should - but all the pictures were taken down, the curtains at her front door were missing and there seemed to be an empty room where the tv room/kids play room was before.
As I stood and goggled thinking, w.t.f., she told me she had "news".
I asked if her news involved being burgled.
Apparently not.
Instead, her news was that they were moving and that she was going to be shutting down. At the end of July. She had been accepted to Teacher's College and was going to be attending in September. She was sorry for the unceremonious drop of the announcement, but it had all happened so quickly and she never expected to get in from a late admission, and yada-yada-yada-shutupcakes.
In the rush of these explanations, my head just kept looking back behind me - as if trying to see where the hell the 'for sale' sign was on the lawn, how I didn't see this coming, and why the hell had she packed up her playroom already.
I mean - she runs a daycare.
Again, with the w.t.f.
So it doesn't take a fancy-smart-person to realize that I'm pissed.
I'm annoyed that she's closing at all. I'm annoyed that she's closing just a month after I'm due to give birth to our 2nd child. I'm puzzled (and also annoyed - perhaps because that's the feeling of the moment) as to the early packing when she says she'll still be around until end of July - especially when all I see that is packed are some wall hangings and all the toys from the playroom.
And to top it all off, I'm annoyed that I was annoyed enough with her back in January, to go and search out other daycare options, only to decide, in the end, that it would be too much upheaval in Maddie's life when so much was going to be changed. And if she liked going there, who should I judge. Isn't that one of the more important points, if your kid likes your daycare solution, don't eff with it?
So I didn't. At the time I thought I was perhaps being too picky about menu options, about the insane bratty-ness of the daycare provider's 5 year old son. Who judges a 5 year old? Me, apparently. I figured since we'd be cutting down to part-time by the end of the summer, it wasn't such a big deal. And I could always move Maddie to the local nursery school instead of doing the part-time thing ... but for now let's not rock the boat. Let's not make changes.
Only to have change foisted upon me.
And so... I'm pissed.
And I'd love to be all philosophical and funny and witty about the whole thing. But I can't be. I'm irritated that I had a plan in my head that Madds would be in daycare full-time for the first couple of months of my impending mat leave. So that I would have one-on-one time with Sproggy #2. Sleepy time. Nap time. Non-insane-toddler-demanding-time. And that would make me a better mother. For baby and for toddler. I'd be refreshed at the end of the day - looking forward to my Maddie-Time. Baby and I would do the walk to the daycare pick up everyday and I would magically lose all my baby weight and everyone would be happy.
See how effing perfect it was going to be?
Now I have a month to figure out if I'm going to just uproot Maddie into a new option asap. Or try to find a part-time stop-gap apres the July 31st deadline. Or (shudder) have a toddler home with me full-time while I navigate the ways of a newborn.
And if this sounds whiny and irritating and you've already stopped reading? Well, I don't blame you. Because I would be reading this, thinking, wow. Poor you. Probably shoulda listened to your gut in the first place. That'll learn ya. Moving on...
Have I mentioned that I'm annoyed?
xxoo.S
Thursday, August 27, 2009
I haven't researched this yet
Maddie hit a milestone yesterday. She went pee in the potty at daycare.
In fact, it was during a diaper change, that she asked to go to the potty. Then waited until Annette left the bathroom. And then she went. Like it ain't no thang...
They called me yesterday to tell me. Which was cute and adorable. But sidebar? Whenever I see the daycare number on my phone my heart jumps into my throat a little bit. Good thing Annette is super awesome and starts every conversation with "Don't worry - everything is fine - I'm just calling to tell you..."
So Maddie told me that "Maddie pee-peed potty Mommy".
That just about broke my heart with adorableness.
So when I picked her up from daycare yesterday I had a chat with Annette about next steps. Should we start training like immediately? Let Maddie just hop on the potty when she feels like it?
Dammit - I was planning on doing this over Christmas vacation!
I have books to read. And websites to research. And training pants to buy. And...and...and...
If you haven't guessed. I'm a bit of a boyscout. And I like to be prepared. Especially when I'm hitting uncharted territory. Oh, and I'm not the most easy-going person in the world either. You mean you haven't noticed?
So yeah. Big Maddie milestone moment.
And I'm a little bit terrified.
xxoo.S
Friday, May 15, 2009
Back to old routines
Maddie's reluctance to attend daycare has vanished. This morning there was no fighting, no screaming, no "Noooooooooooooo" as I put on her jacket.
This morning made me feel a lot less guilty. Thankgod. And I found out when I dropped her off, that they were planning on going to the zoo. Which, cool. I think Maddie will enjoy it. It's a gorgeous day, and to be honest, I'm a little jealous...
The weekend weather forecast looks to be shitty. What a shocker. Long weekend = shitty weather. Thanks Mother Nature. Love you too...
Regardless - we have a list of to-do's to get done. The in-laws will be up visiting, so we should be able to be pretty productive. And if we actually get around to planting our veggie garden I'll take pics and let you know how beauuuuuuutiful it looks.
Have a great weekend - enjoy
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
World's Worst Parents
A bit dramatic, but I'm still mortified about this...
And because who DOESN'T want to memorialize mortifying parenting moments, let's just post it here, shall we?
Tuesday afternoon - I'm still at work, at the office, downtown Toronto. It's 5:27pm. There is no way I am leaving for at least another hour. So I call the hubby to let him know I won't be home in time for dinner - go ahead and eat without me.
Because he's doing the pick up, right?
"Ummm - I'm at Martin Grove (that's Etobicoke hood for you non-GTA-ers - REALLY far away from where we live). Where are you?" he asks.
My answer was a whole lot of @$%#&* because I realized in that split second that it took him to utter those words, we were both really, really, REALLY far away from our daughter, in daycare, in Brooklin.
So yeah, we screwed up. He thought I was doing the pickup. I thought he was. Maddie's sitting at daycare (in my guilty imagination), lonely and wondering where her deadbeat parents are.
It's now 5:33pm. We're already 3 minutes late.
"You need to FIGURE THIS OUT." and I hang up. Because you know, I'm calm, cool and collected like that.
As I'm calling the daycare to out myself as possibly the worst parent on the planet...and throw myself at their feet to beg their forgiveness...Hubby calls me back.
"BFF is going to do the pick up. Maddie can fit in their infant car seat for the ride home."
Side note: this actually wasn't as illegal it sounds - she's REALLY tiny, and they have one of those massive infant seats that is made for Swedish people (haha - that's my own private joke, as Ikea makes some oversized furniture and I always think it must be because Swedes are larger... and not so funny as I type it out...).
So I call the daycare and let them know the plans. And still beg their forgiveness. In case they want to judge me. Or think badly of me. Or just wonder what kind of airhead parents we are, anyways, that we forget our kid at daycare.
Maddie was home and happy and all was safe and sound within 15 minutes.
Thanks BFF! And um, sorry Maddie. We won't forget you again...
xxoo.S
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
No means yes?
We had a blissful couple of months where Maddie said "yesh" to just about anything you'd ask her. Blissful.
I don't know if it's a developmental change, or influences at this new daycare, but we've joined the rest of the world (at least from what I'm told) and now have a toddler who's favourite word is "nawwww" (that's NO with a full-on drawl because apparently my daughter is also from Kentucky)...
And for a while it was exasperating, because seriously dude? A little too much negativity coming at you when every question, every statement, every loving little cuddle gets you a "nawww".
Now I've found my sense of humour, and am just finding it amusing.
"Maddie, do you want strawberries?" (her very favourite food in-the-whole-wide-world)
"Nawww."
"Maddie, do you want to watch your show?" (either Sesame or Big Comfy Couch - don't ask)
"Nawww."
But she clearly does. She wants the damn strawberries. She wants to watch her shows. She wants the juice she just asked for 2 minutes ago. And so and so forth.
My question is - what the hell are you supposed to do here? I feel like giving her what I know she actually wants, even thought she's saying no, makes zero sense and is just confusing the issue with her.
Does she "get" that no means no? Or is no just the word du jour and means absolutely nothing? Because just a few weeks ago she understood the concept of yes and no. So why not now? What's her issue dammit!?!?!?
and breathe
So perhaps I haven't totally found my sense of humour about it. But it's frustrating. And I don't really know how to act. Because if I do the opposite of the above (by listening to her "no" and not giving her what I know she wants), I then get to experience her newly-honed toddler meltdown skillz to the nth degree.
So yeah. I have no idea. For now I'm just ignoring her "naw" and doing what I want anyway.
Does that mean I'm a real grown up now?
xxoo.S
I don't know if it's a developmental change, or influences at this new daycare, but we've joined the rest of the world (at least from what I'm told) and now have a toddler who's favourite word is "nawwww" (that's NO with a full-on drawl because apparently my daughter is also from Kentucky)...
And for a while it was exasperating, because seriously dude? A little too much negativity coming at you when every question, every statement, every loving little cuddle gets you a "nawww".
Now I've found my sense of humour, and am just finding it amusing.
"Maddie, do you want strawberries?" (her very favourite food in-the-whole-wide-world)
"Nawww."
"Maddie, do you want to watch your show?" (either Sesame or Big Comfy Couch - don't ask)
"Nawww."
But she clearly does. She wants the damn strawberries. She wants to watch her shows. She wants the juice she just asked for 2 minutes ago. And so and so forth.
My question is - what the hell are you supposed to do here? I feel like giving her what I know she actually wants, even thought she's saying no, makes zero sense and is just confusing the issue with her.
Does she "get" that no means no? Or is no just the word du jour and means absolutely nothing? Because just a few weeks ago she understood the concept of yes and no. So why not now? What's her issue dammit!?!?!?
and breathe
So perhaps I haven't totally found my sense of humour about it. But it's frustrating. And I don't really know how to act. Because if I do the opposite of the above (by listening to her "no" and not giving her what I know she wants), I then get to experience her newly-honed toddler meltdown skillz to the nth degree.
So yeah. I have no idea. For now I'm just ignoring her "naw" and doing what I want anyway.
Does that mean I'm a real grown up now?
xxoo.S
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Daycare drama
It's been a whirlwind week, both Seth and I being busy with insane work schedules (as always it seems - what happened to my supposed 20-30hr work week?). Add to that the stress of ending daycare with our current provider, and gearing up to starting with a new provider (Alexise, our current provider, is going on maternity leave) next week.
Good thing I know that I was neurotic and crazy before ever becoming a mom - so really, nothings changed for me...
Except, now we're not.
So here's the story...
We had been interviewing frantically starting in December, trying to line up a new daycare provider before Alexise went on mat leave. We found a provider that seemed okay, and she was the same price as what we were currently paying for 4 days. So, bonus, right?
Except I never really felt all that comfortable with this new provider. Why was she so much cheaper than all the other daycares we had called? And why didn't her children, that were home with her, integrate with the other kids in the daycare (they stayed upstairs all day apparently)? And why didn't she have any paint or pictures on her walls? (yes, I realize I'm a weirdo - but it made the "home" seem really sterile. Like "just-moved-in" sterile).
But her hours worked, and like I said - there wasn't anything "technically" wrong with her. So we sent her an email and said we were signing on, and that we'd like to start Jan 26th.
And then Christmas came and went. And January started flying by. And the closer we got to the 26th, the more I started to stress about this new daycare. Until I finally just started combing through any new ads that had been posted, and calling those daycares.
Then, Thursday of this past week, I interviewed a lady. Who. Was. Fantastic. She teaches sign language (meaning, she'll continue our efforts - awesome!). She has 4 other little ones in her care, a bunch of pre-school and after-school kids. Her home is set up like a "daycare". And she was just warm. Nice and friendly. Business-like, but clearly loved kids. And asked to hold Maddie (do you know how often providers DON'T do this when you're interviewing? Seems so odd to me)...
And of course, she's FAR more expensive than what we're currently (or were planning on) paying. Of course she is.
And of course she needed an answer from us by Friday, because she had someone else lined up for the spot, but because we could start right away, she'd be willing to go with us.
So on Friday, during the busiest of all days this work week, I also had to sort this out in my (our) mind. Which did we go with? Was I being unreasonable and weird with my "instinct" choice? But did we really want to make our decision on daycare based on $$$?
In the end, we went with the fantastic provider. Maddie starts on Feb 2nd. I emailed the other provider and apologized profusely about cancelling at such short notice (don't feel that bad for her - she still had her ad posted, which was another weirdo thing to me).
And now she's back with Alexise for one more week. Haha. I expect everyone thinks I am a neurotic crazy mom.
Good thing I know that I was neurotic and crazy before ever becoming a mom - so really, nothings changed for me...
xxoo.S
Thursday, September 4, 2008
First day of daycare...
...and it went not so well. As I had posted earlier, Maddie's been sick (and therefore sleeping even less than she usually does) and just not herself lately. But we had to do the 'first day' at daycare at some point - can't wait for the right time, because like most things, if you waited for that, you'd be waiting forever.
So off she went - 8am to noon was all she was going to be going for, and even though she hadn't slept well, and wouldn't eat breakfast, I still had my hopes up that it would be okay. Because Maddie loves other children. So much so, that I was hoping it may help keep her happy, occupied, interested and not-grumpy for the 4 hours she was there.
Ummmm, not so much. I dropped her off - she was in a great mood - wanted down on the floor to chase after the kitties (itttt-thay!), gave the daycare provider a big smile, and seemed not bothered in the slightest when Mommy gave her a big hug and kiss goodbye.
So I headed out, ran some errands, picked up some groceries, feeling good. Feeling like, hey, this isn't so bad after all. (Especially after a nightmare night with a baby that wouldn't sleep)
And then I go to pick her up, right at noon. I'm happy - I missed her, but not terribly - and am very interested to see how her morning went. I walk up to the door. And see my daughter crawling down the hall... crying.
Ummmm - shhiiiiiitt.
So apparently she didn't have a great morning. Apparently she wouldn't let the daycare provider put her down - ever. Apparently she was exhausted, but wouldn't sleep - fought the closing lids so badly (like she does - that didn't really surprise me). Apparently she freaked out about ... toys that made noise, the other kids, the outside, the swing, getting sprayed with water (don't blame her on that one), being inside, not being held constantly, having to sit on the floor. Yeah, just about anything. Superfreakoutattacks.
So the daycare provider asks me - does she need to be held all the time? I'm like - uh, no. She usually doesn't want to be held - she wants to be down on the floor, go-go-going. She asks, does she not like to be rocked to sleep? That one - harder to answer, as she sometimes does, sometimes doesn't - and does like to fight sleep. She asks, does she often not drink her milk? Um - yup.
I couldn't get a read on whether the daycare lady was upset with Maddie. I know she was sad that her first day wasn't better, but I got this feeling like she thinks Maddie will be more effort than she originally thought. Which is a bummer, because I know just how easy Maddie can be. And happy. And fun. And joyful.
All of which she was not, this morning.
Poor little bugger.
I am so not looking forward to Monday - our next 'half-day' in the daycare orientation plan.
xxoo.S
PS - one thing that did make me feel better, was that at least she felt solace in the daycare providers arms. I mean - that's something right? That she felt comfortable enough with her to want her to comfort her?
So off she went - 8am to noon was all she was going to be going for, and even though she hadn't slept well, and wouldn't eat breakfast, I still had my hopes up that it would be okay. Because Maddie loves other children. So much so, that I was hoping it may help keep her happy, occupied, interested and not-grumpy for the 4 hours she was there.
Ummmm, not so much. I dropped her off - she was in a great mood - wanted down on the floor to chase after the kitties (itttt-thay!), gave the daycare provider a big smile, and seemed not bothered in the slightest when Mommy gave her a big hug and kiss goodbye.
So I headed out, ran some errands, picked up some groceries, feeling good. Feeling like, hey, this isn't so bad after all. (Especially after a nightmare night with a baby that wouldn't sleep)
And then I go to pick her up, right at noon. I'm happy - I missed her, but not terribly - and am very interested to see how her morning went. I walk up to the door. And see my daughter crawling down the hall... crying.
Ummmm - shhiiiiiitt.
So apparently she didn't have a great morning. Apparently she wouldn't let the daycare provider put her down - ever. Apparently she was exhausted, but wouldn't sleep - fought the closing lids so badly (like she does - that didn't really surprise me). Apparently she freaked out about ... toys that made noise, the other kids, the outside, the swing, getting sprayed with water (don't blame her on that one), being inside, not being held constantly, having to sit on the floor. Yeah, just about anything. Superfreakoutattacks.
So the daycare provider asks me - does she need to be held all the time? I'm like - uh, no. She usually doesn't want to be held - she wants to be down on the floor, go-go-going. She asks, does she not like to be rocked to sleep? That one - harder to answer, as she sometimes does, sometimes doesn't - and does like to fight sleep. She asks, does she often not drink her milk? Um - yup.
I couldn't get a read on whether the daycare lady was upset with Maddie. I know she was sad that her first day wasn't better, but I got this feeling like she thinks Maddie will be more effort than she originally thought. Which is a bummer, because I know just how easy Maddie can be. And happy. And fun. And joyful.
All of which she was not, this morning.
Poor little bugger.
I am so not looking forward to Monday - our next 'half-day' in the daycare orientation plan.
xxoo.S
PS - one thing that did make me feel better, was that at least she felt solace in the daycare providers arms. I mean - that's something right? That she felt comfortable enough with her to want her to comfort her?
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Another first
Although not a first that I was looking forward to - Miss Madds has a fever. She woke up on Monday morning with a bad case of thrush in her mouth, but as it was a holiday, we could get her to the doctor until yesterday. Poor thing must have also caught some viral thing at some point over the weekend, as she's now running a low grade fever, has a runny nose, cough and has thrown up a few times the past couple of days.
We're sticking close to home today and hopefully with some Tylenol and the medicine the doctor prescribed for her thrush, will be feeling a lot better by tomorrow. Because tomorrow is another milestone day - her first "trial" at daycare. She's supposed to be spending a half day with our daycare provider tomorrow morning - to ease her (and me!) into the routine.
But I guess that will depend on whether she's sick or not...
xxoo.S
We're sticking close to home today and hopefully with some Tylenol and the medicine the doctor prescribed for her thrush, will be feeling a lot better by tomorrow. Because tomorrow is another milestone day - her first "trial" at daycare. She's supposed to be spending a half day with our daycare provider tomorrow morning - to ease her (and me!) into the routine.
But I guess that will depend on whether she's sick or not...
xxoo.S
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Daycare nightmare
This week has not been fun so far. I think I'm only starting to realize what kind of nightmare trying to find daycare is going to be. Yes, I know that I should have added our names to lists, like, 6 months ago. Yes, I realize that this should have been a priority of mine, back in January. Yes, I realize I'm an idiot for leaving it for so long.
I actually did contact a number of daycares back when I was six months pregnant, (while working in the office and had all the time in the world to research places online and take care of errands). But contrary to popular opinion, daycares don't really want to hear from you quite that early.
So I've gone on 2 interviews. Neither really seem like a good fit. And everyone else I call on the lists I've found are full. Um, nightmare.
And I don't think I really appreciated just how hard it was going to be to find someone to keep her until 6pm - which is honestly the earliest I can expect to be home from work. Most of the home daycares close at 5pm. Who the heck is done work that early?? And can I have a job??
I know we'll end up finding someone/somewhere that is suitable - even if it's only temporary until we find a *fantastic* place. But it still sucks. And it's making me so sad, thinking that I only have a few short months left with my little girl. As much as I like the idea of her hanging around other kids and having structure to her day, it still just makes me so sad.
So not only am I stressing about finding a spot for her that I can approve of, I'm also feeling sad/guilty/sorryformyself in the process.
Everyone said that the year would go by in the blink of an eye, but I just didn't realize how quickly. And trust me, I never thought I would be saying this, but I'm gutted at the idea of returning to work.
Sorry, a bit of a downer post. And really, I know it will all work out. It always does, right?
xxoo.S
I actually did contact a number of daycares back when I was six months pregnant, (while working in the office and had all the time in the world to research places online and take care of errands). But contrary to popular opinion, daycares don't really want to hear from you quite that early.
So I've gone on 2 interviews. Neither really seem like a good fit. And everyone else I call on the lists I've found are full. Um, nightmare.
And I don't think I really appreciated just how hard it was going to be to find someone to keep her until 6pm - which is honestly the earliest I can expect to be home from work. Most of the home daycares close at 5pm. Who the heck is done work that early?? And can I have a job??
I know we'll end up finding someone/somewhere that is suitable - even if it's only temporary until we find a *fantastic* place. But it still sucks. And it's making me so sad, thinking that I only have a few short months left with my little girl. As much as I like the idea of her hanging around other kids and having structure to her day, it still just makes me so sad.
So not only am I stressing about finding a spot for her that I can approve of, I'm also feeling sad/guilty/sorryformyself in the process.
Everyone said that the year would go by in the blink of an eye, but I just didn't realize how quickly. And trust me, I never thought I would be saying this, but I'm gutted at the idea of returning to work.
Sorry, a bit of a downer post. And really, I know it will all work out. It always does, right?
xxoo.S
Friday, April 11, 2008
Adventures at the gym
Yesterday was a tough day for us. The couple of days of (relative) relief from teething pain seemed to be revisited ten-fold on Maddie yesterday. She was just a grump all day pretty much. She cried her way through the breastfeeding group (fun!), and then promptly passed out like a drunken sailor in her stroller while I waited in line at the Passport Office to get her forms filed.
We got home and she (of course) woke up the minute I turned the car off in the garage. So we played some more (my thinking: tire the little monkey out so she'll take her late-afternoon nap earlier and maybe sleep longer so she won't be a nightmare at the gym)...
Yep, it was our first attempt at the gym daycare. And I almost chickened out of going a few times, because I was so worried that Maddie would just cry her way through the entire hour. I brought her toys, and her 'sitting up pillow', and some water in a sippy cup, and her "makeseverythingallbetter" glow worm. I filled out the forms, paid my $5 to the gym and looked around the daycare area in horror as 2 toddlers toddled about, 2 babies crawled around, and one little boy was running around on a clear sugar high. I was leaving my little monkey in the jungle without any defenses. She can't crawl, she doesn't know what's going on. She's groggy and grumpy and by 7:30 when the class ends, she'll be STARVING.
Luckily Liz was there laughing at my reticence to leave her, and I think it was mostly pride that made me mumble out some last minute instructions to the daycare girl, give Maddie a million good-bye-mommy-will-be-back-soon kisses, and walk out of there.
I was actually able to take my mind off of it for the majority of the class - but when 7:30 came I couldn't get packed up and back to the daycare area fast enough.
And there was Maddie - sitting in the daycare ladies arms. Eyes a little red-rimmed from some cries earlier, but acting pretty mellow - and VERY happy to see me (yay!). Apparently she spent the first half hour or so just watching the kids running around (doesn't surprise me - she loves people-watching - nosy parker like her mom). And then started to get cranky... yeah, that didn't surprise me either.
Overall, neither of us were worse for wear. Not something that I'd like to do every time I went to the gym, but at least I now know she will survive if I leave her with (qualified) strangers for a short period of time...
Oh and the workout? Brutal! But at least I can walk today - so hopefully I actually will be able to make it to the gym on Saturday morning this week.
Happy Friday everyone! It's a rainy, stay inside and cuddle day for us - hope your day is just as good.
xxoo.S
We got home and she (of course) woke up the minute I turned the car off in the garage. So we played some more (my thinking: tire the little monkey out so she'll take her late-afternoon nap earlier and maybe sleep longer so she won't be a nightmare at the gym)...
Yep, it was our first attempt at the gym daycare. And I almost chickened out of going a few times, because I was so worried that Maddie would just cry her way through the entire hour. I brought her toys, and her 'sitting up pillow', and some water in a sippy cup, and her "makeseverythingallbetter" glow worm. I filled out the forms, paid my $5 to the gym and looked around the daycare area in horror as 2 toddlers toddled about, 2 babies crawled around, and one little boy was running around on a clear sugar high. I was leaving my little monkey in the jungle without any defenses. She can't crawl, she doesn't know what's going on. She's groggy and grumpy and by 7:30 when the class ends, she'll be STARVING.
Luckily Liz was there laughing at my reticence to leave her, and I think it was mostly pride that made me mumble out some last minute instructions to the daycare girl, give Maddie a million good-bye-mommy-will-be-back-soon kisses, and walk out of there.
I was actually able to take my mind off of it for the majority of the class - but when 7:30 came I couldn't get packed up and back to the daycare area fast enough.
And there was Maddie - sitting in the daycare ladies arms. Eyes a little red-rimmed from some cries earlier, but acting pretty mellow - and VERY happy to see me (yay!). Apparently she spent the first half hour or so just watching the kids running around (doesn't surprise me - she loves people-watching - nosy parker like her mom). And then started to get cranky... yeah, that didn't surprise me either.
Overall, neither of us were worse for wear. Not something that I'd like to do every time I went to the gym, but at least I now know she will survive if I leave her with (qualified) strangers for a short period of time...
Oh and the workout? Brutal! But at least I can walk today - so hopefully I actually will be able to make it to the gym on Saturday morning this week.
Happy Friday everyone! It's a rainy, stay inside and cuddle day for us - hope your day is just as good.
xxoo.S
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
What we've been up to
I know the past few (dozen?) posts have centered around Maddie's sleep/teething/sleep habits ... sorry if I've sounded like a bit of a broken record. And in the heart of making sure this continues to be a family journal, I decided we were probably due for an update post. So - here's what we've been up to...
xxoo.S
- Seth has just started his 2nd week of his new job - he's liking it more and more everyday as he gets to know his accounts, gets an idea of how to schedule each day and in general just gets to know his job more. He's definitely happier when he comes home from work - which is great to see!
- Maddie and I joined a Babyville group that just started last week. It's a new mom-group hosted by Durham Public Health and is based in Brooklin, so it's a pretty small group (like 7 moms in total) - but everyone seems really nice and friendly. So that's where we'll be for next 8 Tuesdays between 1:30 and 3pm.
- The nicer weather means we've been trying to get out for walks more often - I can't wait for it to get even warmer as Maddie has been loving the outdoors time we've had so far.
- Speaking of the nicer weather - Seth's BBQ'd the past 2 nights for dinner already - we're both enjoying that aspect of home-ownership!
- I've discovered a spot for guilt-free shopping - it's called "Once Upon a Child" and they sell gently used children's clothing, toys, books etc. I bought Maddie 6 outfits yesterday, all Baby Gap or Old Navy - some with the original tags still on - for less than $40. I don't think I'll buy another 'brand-new' article of clothing for her for a while....
- Maddie's really enjoying watching the Baby Einstein videos we got from Aunt Marlene. They're like crack for her - she stares at the screen while sitting in her exersaucer like a little cracked out zombie baby. I don't really get what the appeal is - but it provides her with 15-30 minutes of enjoyment (and me with time to get stuff done in the kitchen), so we're going with it...
- I'm make a list of all the 'things' I want to accomplish this spring - yikes, it's long. But with her sleeping better during the day (knock on wood!) and playing on her own a bit, I should be able to start tackling some of those projects that have been bugging me for a while.
- Speaking of things 'to do' - I've got to start looking into daycare options this week. Yikes - I can't believe I have to go back to work in less than 6 months. Scary...
- What else? My friend is trying to convince me to go visit her in Ireland. It would be a trip without Seth, which I'm a little nervous about - but she had a great point when she said it was a great opportunity - Maddie is still pretty portable traveling-wise, and when will I have the time off again? Now we just have to see to getting her a passport...
xxoo.S
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