Update on Day 1 at Tutor Time

It was a rough day yesterday. For Abby and mommy. (Daddy seemed to be okay, but sometimes he's tough and doesn't let on that he's upset...) Abby did pretty well at daycare yesterday. As I mentioned in yesterday's post, Natalie called me mid-morning to let me know how Abby was doing and to reconfirm her feeding schedule. When I stopped by at lunchtime, my poor little munchkin was crying. Apparently, her morning nap was very short. At home, this is usually her longest nap of the day (1.5 - 2 hours), so the fact that she only slept 20 minutes in the morning put her off schedule. (Funny enough, Natalie said that when she woke up from her morning catnap, she was fine. It wasn't until closer to 11 am that she started to get really upset.)

I stood at the window of the classroom, just crying. It was so hard to see my baby crying and not run inside to pick her up. But, I saw Jennifer hugging and soothing Abby, and then Norma took her and walked around with her. Before I knew it, Abby had fallen asleep in Norma's arms. I stood there and watched as Norma settled Abby into her crib, and then Abby took a nice long nap (over an hour). When I went to pick her up at 4:45, Jennifer said that after Abby woke up from that lunchtime nap, she was great. She played and laughed with the other babies, ate like a champ, and even took another hour-long nap in the afternoon. So, after a bit of a bumpy morning, Abby had a great afternoon.

Natalie told me that it will take Abby a few days to get used to daycare. The crib is new, the lights and sounds are new, the toys and other babies are new, and the daycare providers are new. It is also an adjustment for Natalie, Norma, and Jennifer; they will get used to Abby's cues and then it will allow them to give her better care. (Luckily, at Tutor Time, babies who are in the Shrimp Room are not put on a schedule. The caregivers watch for Abby's cues and allow her to eat, sleep, and play on demand, instead of trying to force her onto their schedule. Once Abby is older, her time will be a bit more structured, but for now, I'm glad that she's getting what she needs when she needs it.)

I can't thank everyone enough for the prayers, emails, and telephone calls that I've received over the past few days. My heart has been hurting for days as we prepared to leave Abby at daycare for the first time, and it was all I could do to walk out of Tutor Time yesterday and get into my car. (That's why I didn't go into the room to pick up Abby when she was crying at lunchtime. Natalie said that I could go in and hold her if it would make me feel better, but I knew if I picked her up that I'd walk right out the door with her!) But, when I picked her up in the afternoon, she was sitting on the floor with Jennifer, and she was smiling and happy. So, while I know that it will take some adjustment on everyone's part, I feel good about our decision to enroll Abby at Tutor Time. (Or, at least as good as I can feel about putting my munchkin in daycare. If Carey and I win the lottery, Abby will be back in the best care: her mommy and daddy's!) It was also comforting that, when I was standing outside looking into the Shrimp Room, everyone who walked by me stopped to see if I was okay and offer words of encouragement and kindness. Other parents who were dropping off their children were hugging me and offering advice and comfort. (I must have looked a mess since everyone who saw me offered me tissues!)

Carey just texted me a picture of Abby at daycare this morning. She's sitting in a Bumbo and playing with an activity center. She's happy and cute; so while my heart is still sore, it doesn't hurt quite so bad, knowing that Abby is well-cared for and having fun during the day.