Off to School

The past week has brought a lot of change. I have always found change to be a little scary; I much prefer a set routine, consistency, and nothing unknown. I'm quickly learning that, as a mom, this season in life brings a lot of change. In the blink of an eye, a new skill is learned, clothing is outgrown, and a routine one day is gone the next. Our little family of three is doing our best to embrace the changes that are coming in this next stage: daycare. It has always been part of the plan that Emmy would go to daycare once she was around 9-months old (which is Thursday!) While my mom would love to continue to watch Emmy full-time, there are other demands on her time (mainly two other adorable kiddos -- my nephews, Zander and Maddox.) Also, Boomer and I want her to enjoy her retirement as Grammy, without the full-time commitment that comes with a Monday through Friday 8-to-5 schedule. There were tears from both Mommy and Grammy on Thursday when we realized that it was the last day of this very precious time we've had together. While we have been so blessed to delay daycare until this point, we have all grown attached to the easy routine of pick-up in the morning, picture-texts throughout the day, and lunch visits during the workday. I know that Emmy and Grammy have developed such a sweet relationship over the past six months. I, too, have enjoyed the extra time with my mom in the morning and then with both of my parents in the evening. My dad may be more quiet with his emotions, but I know he, too, will miss his little Emmy sitting with him in his recliner and tugging on his beard. It will be an adjustment for all of us as we will have to be more intentional about scheduling time together. 

I think we did our best to maximize the last week of Grammy Daycare. The week included one last field trip to the Science Center and to Mommy's office. On that day, we dressed Em up in tennis shoes, optimistic that she would be able to wear them. Unfortunately they were still a little big and didn't even make it out of the house. This summer girl will go barefoot a few weeks longer!

At the end of the week, I bravely got ready for a 'trial run' at daycare. The daycare director recommended a half-day to ease in to the following full week, and I'm so glad that we took her advice. Because it was a Friday, Boomer was able to go with me, and it was so helpful to have him there for support...and for an extra set of hands! There was so much to bring!  

On Thursday night, it took quite some time to label everything. Since Emmy can't eat solid foods yet, she is not able to eat the breakfast/lunch/snack provided by the center. For now, in addition to diapers, wipes, two changes of clothes, diaper rash cream, sunscreen, and a sippie cup, I also have to send baby food, milk, and rice cereal. Whew! Luckily I won't be carrying this stuff back and forth everyday. The only daily items that I will take are her milk (labelled with her name and date) and her sippie cup. I plan to do as much as I can the night before, so that the morning can be as smooth as possible with getting myself and Emmy ready. Friday was certainly hard. Again and again, I was so thankful Boomer could be there. As timing would have it, it was his last Friday off this summer. Like with everything else in parenthood so far, it just really seemed like we were tackling this as a team. He's never made me feel like I am doing something alone. Plus, he can always be counted on for some comedic relief. Even though he may hide it with jokes and casual remarks, I know it is hard for him to see me emotional. I tried my best to keep the tears in check, but even on Thursday night, I couldn't hold them in as I assembled everything together.

On Friday, we arrived at the daycare around 7AM, and it seemed to be just before the hustle-and bustle of most drop-offs. There was one teacher in the room already, Tia, and only one other baby. Tia helped me familiarize myself with the organization of the room, the cubbie for Emmy's things, and the check-in and check-out procedures. Emmy is in the older infant room, and there are 8 babies and 3 teachers. Emmy started 'playing' with the other little girl while we were taking care of the administrative things; it was really sweet to see her 'making friends.' I try to focus on these positives: being social, learning to share, listening to adults...and then some of the things she will do when she is older: standing in a line, learning songs, and creating artwork. Since the daycare is at a church, some of the 'curriculum' is Bible-based, and the children will learn Bible stories and songs in the older classrooms. There are definitely some growing pains with this transition, but God has been so great to provide a place for Emmy to learn and grow. I pray that we will adjust to this new routine quickly. I am most nervous about Emmy's napping. The daycare only has one designated naptime from around 11AM to 1PM. Right now, Emmy is still taking two naps a day (around 8:30AM and 1:30PM), so I know she is going to be pretty tired in the next few days/weeks. She is such a curious little girl, so napping in a new environment is hard for her. We already experience this every Sunday when we put her in the church nursery. After Friday's trial run with my mom picking her up midday, she was pretty wiped out. We had to skip our evening walk in favor of an earlier bedtime, around 6:45PM. It seemed like we didn't have hardly any time together. I realize I need to be intentional with that time and put off any household chores for when she is in bed. Hopefully I can turn off that habit of putting things in their place and tidying up. I tell myself, too, that things will get quicker as I become more used to this new routine. 

Here are some pictures from Emmy's first day!   

It makes my heart happy to see her smiling in these pictures! This morning's drop-off was a little harder than Friday. I was solo, and Emmy did seem to realize that I was leaving her. She crawled to me as I was putting her milk in the refrigerator and stayed close to my feet while I was in the room. She started to cry as Tia picked her up, and I had to walk out quickly to keep my own tears in. The workday passed pretty slowly; I just couldn't wait to go pick her up! I was out the door right at 5PM and was able to get to Emmy's daycare around 5:30PM. She only napped for a short amount of time during the day, and it seemed to show on her sweet little face. I could tell right away that she was tired, even though she tried her hardest to smile when she saw me. We went straight home and started our bedtime routine; she was in bed around 6:45PM, just like on Friday, and again we had to skip our evening walk. I hope that she will start to nap at daycare and that we can both adjust to this new routine. I have to remember that kids are so resilient and are often more open to change than their parents.