Update on Daycare

A few weeks ago I posted about my anxiety of leaving Jordyn at daycare. Well, she's now been there 3 weeks and it's going much better than I ever imagined! All my prayers are answered! After I got over my separation anxiety and grew to trust the staff, I find myself thankful for Carpenter's Kids!
I've become a fan of bullet points, so here are my points of what I like about it so far:

• The staff in the Infant room - Bobbie and Julie - are WONDERFUL! They have good attitudes, seem to love their job and adore my daughter. That last part is all the matters to me. Just adore her and love her like you would your own daughter. They both have daughters of their own and know all about taking care of little girls....and the little girl parts. :)
• The other toddlers in the room are so sweet and greet us each morning with "Wook! Baba Jor-don is herah." or "It's baba Jor-don's mommy!" She's the only infant in her room and gets ALL the attention! It never fails that when I put her down on the ground to get her out of the car seat, there are usually 2-3 toddlers toddling around watching and staring at her. They try to kiss her, touch her face or hug her. While I am thankful for their love, I just can't bring myself to let them share their germs. There are three kids, in particular, that Jay and I enjoy watching - Caleb, Miles, and Isabella. They are Jordyn's biggest fans and are the cutest kids! Caleb has wild hair - like it's never, ever seen a brush. So funny!
• All the teachers in the daycare (a total of 8) all know and love our Jordyn. They only have about 30 kids that go to age 4. I love the intimate group and how they know each child's personality.
• Something the daycare director said to me one day during the first week of Jordyn's stay was how she was "such a blessing." I appreciate her viewing children as blessings and not rug rats, annoying small people, or snotty-nosed brats. She demonstrates this too by showing patience with the kids. I've witnessed her talking respectfully towards the older 3 and 4 year olds, even when she didn't realize I was in the building.
• They teach Jesus. 'Nuf said.
• They interact with the kids and are not just sitting in rocking chairs watching them from a distance. More importantly, they hold Jordyn and they hold her all the time! They rock her while they feed her! Yah! One of my fears was that she would be sitting in a crib or on a blanket in the floor all day crying for attention or food. Not the case...not at all!
• SECURITY! They have 2+ cameras set up in each room and someone watches them and relays any issues with the director. They watch the parking lot and alert of any unknown vehicles or wandering people. They keep all the doors locked and only allow parents/grandparents of the kids in the building. Part of the paperwork was giving copies of our driver's license. This also has to happen for each person that will possibly pick Jordyn up.

We are so thankful for them and would recommend them to anybody! I heard all these horror stories about day cares from parents before she started. Or I would get strange looks when I responded to their questions of where she was staying while we worked. I think this fueled my anxiety, but at the same time, I had to leave her somewhere. She can't go to work with me and certainly can't stay by herself. Her grandparents are occupied or work themselves, so that option was out too. I'm also not a fan of in-home daycare where there is only one adult with 5 kids (kids of all ages, with all different needs)... in their personal homes...with no security cameras...strange family members coming and going.

So, if you are a new parent and possibly putting your child in daycare, please know that there are places out there that are great! While there are bad facilities (trust me, we visited some!), not all daycare centers are bad. We prayed over where to put her and took that very seriously. We weren't concerned about money, as there is no price to put on the daily care of our little girl. I think we would have sold all our cars and biked to work each day in order to pay for the best daycare for her. Fortunately for us, Carpenter's Kids give law enforcement discounts. We get great service at a great price, which is just an added perk (I mean, I think I bragged enough already).

By the way, she's now starting to smile when she sees us each afternoon. THAT is all I need at the end of a long work day.

I'm Grateful for (part 2)

1) My sister-in-law - she is going to bring us dinner Monday night so that we can spend more time with Jordyn after returning to the work routine. How thoughtful! I love her! You are "da bomb" Amy!

2)  Having a healthy child.

3) Having the best husband a girl could ask for! I love you dearly Jay!

4) Drive-thru dry cleaners and pharmacies - I have never needed either of those until I became a mother of an infant. Soooo convenient!!

5) Health insurance - I had no idea that a well baby check up could cost so much! Thank you Blue Cross Blue Shield!

Daycare

You'll have to hear my heart on this one. Starting Monday, I have to leave Jordyn at her daycare for the first time. I am struggling with this on all sorts of levels, as I know many parents do. I know this place is a great place, have a great reputation, and will do their best to take care of her.

And I think that's just the problem.

While I want her cared for, TRUST ME, I also struggle with the day care taking my place as her mom. So far, for the past 8.5 weeks, I (along with Jay of course) have been her primary caretaker - we feed her each meal each day. We bathe her. We put her down for naps. We hold her. We talk to her. We change her diapers (don't even get me started on my thoughts of someone else changing her diapers and wiping her private area - that will cause me a meltdown if I let it). Starting Monday, she'll spent about 7 hours a day at this daycare center where another lady will do those things with/for her. What if I miss her first steps? Her first words? Her first roll from tummy to back? What if they don't hold her enough? What if they don't console her when she cries the way I do?

I want her to feel safe there and I want them to care for her like they would their own children. But I don't want to be replaced. I don't want this daycare center to make a bigger impact on her life than I do.

I have to catch myself and say a prayer of thanks quite often for the things I do have. I have already talked with my boss about cutting my work hours back to 30 hours a week and he allowed that! I still have my benefits and still earn money. It could be worse. I could have a 12 hour/day job. I could have to travel several days a week. I could have to work a full 40 hours a week.

I spent time with a dear friend today who gets to stay at home with her son each day and still pursues her photography business.  She has the best of both worlds - works, earns money, makes a difference in people's lives (gives them fantastic photos/memories that will last a lifetime!) and cares for her son each and every day. I'm so jealous of that (and I would love to be her secretary! Hehe...)!  Again, I have to be grateful for what I do have and not envy the other side of the pasture, so to speak.

I also make myself remember attending daycare when I was younger and having a good experience. I remember my mom coming to pick me up, wearing her white coat (she's a nurse practitioner), smelling like a doctor's office, and greeting me with a smile. I remember being so excited to see her and to go home. I remember my dad dropping us off each morning, after getting a Hardee's biscuit and gravy, and me being ok to stay there without him or mom. I survived and have no emotional scars. Jordyn will be ok.

JORDYN WILL BE OK.

Thanks for hearing my heart and allowing me to be transparent for a moment. Say a prayer for me around 8:00am Monday morning.