First Day of "School" (Daycare)

Monday, January 9th was a big day for Audrey and me.  The time had come... My maternity leave had ended and I had to go back to work.  I wouldn't say I had been dreading this day, but it made me sad that this special time I was able to spend with Audrey was over.  I was looking forward to getting back to work and seeing all my friends and co-workers.  And I knew Audrey was going to do well at daycare... well, I could only hope.

Sunday night (Jan 8th), I got bottles ready, diaper bag packed, breast pump packed/ready, made my lunch, laid out my clothes, and laid out Audrey's clothes.  I wanted us to be ready so there were no surprises in the morning with our new routine.  I can only hope that this continues and I'm this organized from here on out.  *Fingers crossed*

Audrey and I were up earlier than we had been in a long time!  Try... 12 weeks.  Here is Audrey's "First Day of School" picture.  I tried to get her to stand on the doorstep outside, but we're just not there yet.  JK!  :)

Isn't she cute and happy?  She was so excited about her first day of "school".  I was overall just nervous about the day.  About dropping her off for the whole day and about starting at work again.  But it went better than I expected.  I approached the day like a band-aid... just rip it off and not think about it... just drop her off and not think about it.  It's something that needs to happen, and I know she's in good hands.

Audrey is attending Mary Sears Children's Academy on Rt 30 in New Lenox.  There are a couple different teachers in her room, Ms. Andresson and Ms. Craig.  They both are so nice and so sweet and love Audrey.  I feel good about them taking care of my baby during the day.

Carl came with me on Monday so we could drop Audrey off together.  He knew it was going to be tough on me, and it was so good to have his support and to have him there with me.  Driving to the daycare with Audrey in the car, I started to get a little teary, but I just turned on Eric & Kathy (the morning radio show that Carl loves, just ask him about it.  He can't stand Eric & Kathy, but I enjoy it most days and haven't listened for 12 weeks!).  Anyway, I just tried not to think about what was happening and that I was about to drop off my baby for the day.  But everything went just fine.  The Director, Miss Kathleen, commented on how I "was doing well" and that most mom's are crying as they're leaving.  I replied, "I feel like I'm going to throw up... let's just get out of here."  Anyone that knows me well knows that I get nauseous when there's a big change or when I'm anxious or nervous, so this was not alarming.

I called to check on Audrey around lunchtime on Monday and they reported that she was doing well.  She was eating well (she was on her 2nd bottle) and she was really happy and having fun listening to music and reading stories.  That made me feel so good hearing that.

When I went to pick Audrey up on Monday night, she was playing on the activity mat and having fun.  I picked her up and held her... so excited to see her.  In fact, I was so excited, I forgot to bring in the carrier from the car!  She started crying when I put her in the carrier.  And it continued on the way home.  I stopped in a bank parking lot and tried all 3 types of pacifiers I had in the diaper bag, but nothing would console her.  I felt terrible.  She finally fell asleep after a few minutes of driving, but then woke up when we got home.  I was convinced she hated me for dropping her off at daycare and that she had forgotten who I was.  Turns out, Audrey only slept for about 30 minutes during the day on Monday, so she was overly tired.  We gave her a bath and Carl put her to bed in her crib.  And, guess what?  She slept all the way from 9pm to 5am!  Whoa!  And on Tuesday morning, she was super smiley again and our normal, happy and fun baby.  What a relief!

And Tuesday went really well.  Carl got off work a little early, so he picked up Audrey from daycare.  When I got home, she was happy and our normal baby.  She got up once during the night on Tuesday.  Wednesday, she slept a lot during the day, and then she slept through the night again that night.  In fact, she slept from about 9:30ish until 6:15am.  I couldn't believe it!  She is tuckered out from all the fun they're having at daycare.  Thursday, she slept a ton during the day again.  They are impressed with how good of a sleeper she is.  Thursday afternoon, when I picked her up, she was playing with another baby who is about 9 months old. Audrey was just smiling at her.  So cute.  And when she saw me, she gave me a huge smile.  Melt my heart!  All afternoon/night, she was just so precious and happy.  I hope I never forget that face and that toothless smile.

We get a report at the end of the day that documents when and how much she ate, when her diaper was changed and if she pooped, when she napped, and what activities they did that day.  They also put a comment on the sheet, and each day they've commented on how much they enjoy Audrey and that she's had a great day.  I love it!  She's going to make so many friends there and learn so many things.  They asked us to bring in family pictures, so I brought in pictures of Audrey with both sets of her grandparents, her mom & dad, and all 3 of her aunts.  I saw yesterday that they put them up on the wall.  They really care about my Audrey and our family.  I love it!

Today is Friday, and I am working from home today.  It snowed 6 inches starting yesterday afternoon, so the VPs of our department encouraged us to just work from home.  I decided to keep Audrey home with me, so we didn't have to mess with the snow.  We actually got to sleep in a little bit, which I needed.  I don't know about Audrey, but I needed it.  :)  As I look back on this week, it really exceeded my expectations.  We all did so well adjusting to our new routine.  Audrey is so flexible and such a good baby.  She made it so easy for me.

I just love her so!