A School Change

Yesterday was Norah and Macy's last day at their current school. Last spring I received a call from the school we toured when I was 6 months pregnant with Norah saying that they had space for both girls. When we initially toured we were put on a long waiting list - it was pretty obvious we were not going to get in.

With Macy, they knew I was pregnant before anyone (but Seth). I had taken a home pregnancy test, but hadn't even been to the doctor yet. I was determined to get her in, even if it meant having kids at different places. But even though I was looking for care for more than a year out we were once again put on a lengthy list.

Having totally dismissed the possibility I was very surprised to receive a the phone call. We toured again since it had been so long, and decided to make the change. The two main reasons were that it is close to home (only about a mile away) and we feel that the educational component is stronger.

We have always felt good about their current school in terms of meeting very basic needs: a lot of love (especially as babies) and a safe and clean environment. But as Norah got older we didn't feel awesome about the educational side of things. We definitely feel that is a strength of the new school.

And in terms of location, not only will it be great to eliminate the commute for them, but it will provide a lot more flexibility in terms of sharing drop off and pick up duties. Since they will now be located close to our house Seth can take them in or pick them up and still go into his office up North if he needs to. We haven't decided how to work it yet, but I hope to get into a regular schedule and share the duties much more going forward.

I was a bit nervous about the transition for Norah until we found out that Chloe (her best friend from school) and her younger sister who is Macy's age got a spot at the new school as well. We already know Chloe and Norah will be in the same class, though unfortunately the wee ones will be separated.

So my nervousness about the transition has shifted from Norah to Macy. Obviously I can't explain to Macy what is going to happen, and without her little friend in her class everything will be new. I have a feeling it is going to be a tough drop off the first day.

We have talked a lot with Norah about her feelings regarding the change, and one of the things she is sad about is leaving her teachers. One night when we were laying in bed she excitedly said, "Hey Mommy maybe Ms. Peaches and Ms. T can come to my new school too?!" I didn't want to get her hopes up at all, so I told her that they have to stay at her current school. She immediately started crying. I suggested that we make something special to give them on her last day and that seemed to do the trick. 

Here is Norah with Ms. T. Unfortunately Ms. Peaches wasn't there yesterday so Norah didn't get to say good-bye. 

This is how I typically find Norah and Chloe at the end of the day.

This is Macy with Ms. Wanda, who got teary eyed when she was saying good-bye. She kept hugging Macy and told her she loved her several times. She commented that Macy is so affectionate, and told me to tell her new teachers that they better give her lots of love or she's going to come rescue her. Ms. Tanya is Macy's other teacher, but she was off yesterday so they said good-bye the day before. As I tell Seth, Macy "loves her some" Ms. Tanya. It makes me sort of sad that she doesn't really understand what is happening. These two teachers have been in the same classroom for several years, and Norah was in their room when she was Macy's age.

So Tuesday it is! It feels like a big transition for this family, but a welcome one.

Twinkle, Twinkle

Here is the video of Norah's class "singing" Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star as part of their holiday program.

A Little of This and a Little of That

So it's been a little while. I'll chalk it up to the general business of the holidays. More evening events = less evening computer time. And limited computer time is spent online shopping instead of blogging. But I'll get a quick one in tonight. 

First, I am so excited to have finally completed my blog book from Norah's first year. I used www.blurb.com, which "slurps" blog entries into book format. From there I spent hours (lots of hours) choosing fonts, colors, adding photos and adjusting text. I am really happy with the way it turned out and am quite impressed with the print quality. My plan is to do one for each year. I got much more efficient once I got familiar with the software and I'm sure subsequent books won't require as much time. I've started on year two with the hopes of getting caught up so I can do it more along the way. 

On Wednesday we attended Norah's Christmas program. Her class sang "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star." (Some of the words were slightly modified to reference Christmas.) I don't think one kid sang one word, but they sure did look cute standing there "twinkling" their stars above their heads!

Norah recently got in on some cookie decorating and really seemed to enjoy it. She didn't discover that the frosting was sweet and yummy right away, so there wasn't even much licking. She learned to hold her little finger on the edge and spread frosting with the other hand.

Her cookies were piled with decorating balls, which were carefully placed one-by-one.

Overall we are doing great. I had a 24-hour flu or virus of some sort over the weekend, but was fully recovered by Tuesday. We shipped Norah off to my parent's as quickly as we could and so far neither she nor Seth are showing any signs of catching the bug. My being sick caused us to miss a few holiday events that I was really looking forward to, but I was in no shape to participate.

Hopefully the next entry will come sooner rather than later.

Transition time!

Norah has been in her current room, the 18-24 month room, since before she was 18 months old. When she moved into that room, I remember feeling like it was definitely time.

It's time again. She is barely over 2, but I think she is very ready to move into the next room. She seems to be ready for a new routine and new things to learn. And perhaps the biggest thing? Potty training!

So as of next week she will be moving to room J and will stand in line with everyone else when it is potty time. I have been waiting for this to happen because she is definitely showing signs of being ready. She tells us all the time when she is "pee pee wet" and does not like to stay in a wet diaper.

But now I'm totally dreading the public toilet thing. Nasty! For the past several months we have been putting her on the potty whenever she asks (she "dribbled" into the potty a few times, but nothing more). We have been teaching her from the very beginning to put her hands on her knees. Hopefully that will stick.

So the transition starts next week. She has traditionally transitioned with extreme ease, so hopefully that will be the case again this time.

Time to do some reading on potty training...

Relief

It has been two full weeks since Norah has been in her new room at daycare and I am very happy. I'm trying to be cautiously optimistic, but truthfully I'm just feeling plain optimistic.

Daycare and Sleep Update

After just three days I feel very good about Norah's new room. For one thing, it seems to be more appropriate for her stage. Her previous room was an infant room that was transformed into a "transition" room (between infants and the next stage). This one, on the other hand, is designed for her current stage. Her new room, for example, seems to have toys that are more appropriate for her age. Also, her previous room had bouncy seats in which the kids often slept. In her new room, 10 cribs are lined up across one wall and everyone sleeps in a crib - there are no other options.

Her new room has 9-10 kids between the ages of 7 and 11 months, so it is a bit crazier. But despite this craziness, however, it still feels much, much better than a room full of crying babies. I mentioned in a previous post that one of the teachers in this room used to be her teacher when we first started at this daycare. The other day I was holding her in the room and she reached out for this teacher. After a minute or so she reached out for me again, so it was sort of the best of both worlds - she obviously likes her teacher, but was ready to come back to me.

One day when I picked Norah up her teacher said, "Do you know what Norah had the nerve to do today? After napping for a while she started crying, woke up three other kids, then turned over and went back to sleep." They also told me that she is going to learn how to share (8-9 other mobile kids is an entirely different situation than her previous room). They said she already has some favorite toys, but she doesn't like when anyone else plays with them.

So overall I feel much better about our new situation. I think this is a good example of how my positive approach to life is not the strength that I often consider it to be. I wanted everything to be okay, so I was constantly trying to pick out the positives. Looking back, I realize that I wasn't completely happy with the teacher (in addition to the crying babies). I was focused on the positives (mainly that I didn't fear for her care), and hadn't considered what her situation could be. But after three days in this room, I feel like it is better suited for both her and me. Of course maybe that is my optimistic side coming out again, and I will continue to be on the lookout. (In my defense, the crying baby situation had only been going on for 2 weeks before I took steps to make a change.)

On to the sleep issues. Ever since Denver we have had some rough nights. In fact, most nights have included night wakings that required our involvement to get Norah back to sleep. All of a sudden a few nights ago we re-evaluated and realized we had contributed to the problem and that Norah could no longer self soothe herself back to sleep. Yikes. Our methods of getting her back to sleep varied from simply putting her pacifier in and giving her snuggly to (just twice) rocking her back to sleep. I'm sure other parents can relate to this - it was very hard to make good decisions in the middle of the night when we were sleep deprived and wanted nothing more than to get back to sleep ourselves. The morning after I had rocked her back to sleep I woke up thinking, "Crap - why did I do that. It was the wrong thing to do."

Anyway, I feel like we are now aware of the situation and are working to correct it. Wednesday night we went in with a plan - let her cry it out. Sure enough, she woke up around 1:30. After 30 minutes of what I would consider minor fussing, her cries escalated. We tried a tactic that I had read about online - we stood outside of her room (without opening the door) and talked to her telling her that we were there, but it was time to go back to sleep. We each did it once within 30 minutes. It didn't work. As soon as we stopped talking she was back to crying. Finally, after an hour, I went in, put in her paci and gave her snuggly. She rolled over, went to sleep and that was it for the night.

Last night she slept through the night. I heard some soft moans at one point, but she fell back alseep and slept until 7AM. We're pulling for another simliar night tonight. I'm almost dreading finishing this post and starting the night, but I'll have to eventually and I need to get in bed considering her early wake up times.

Ultimately, we know this can be fixed and we can over come the situation. We just have to figure out how to make it happen. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Room B

So Norah is officially in Room B starting today. I am very disappointed, however, in our experience this morning.

When I left on Monday the Educational Coordinator told me they would have all of Norah's stuff moved down and get her all set up to start in Room B today (Norah was with my sister yesterday so this gave them a day to do it). I showed up this morning, went to Room B and the teacher obviously was not expecting Norah. Red flag number 1. I found the Director and asked whether Norah should be in Room B and she said, "How old is she?" Red flag number 2 (we had discussed all of this on Monday). I told her 8 months, and she said, "Yes, let's go ahead and put her in Room B," as if she was making the decision on the spot. Red flag number 3. I thought that decision had been made on Monday.

This is how I think it should have gone: Tuesday, while Norah wasn't there, Rochelle and Mattie talk to teachers in both rooms to inform them of the change. Teachers from her old room educate her new teachers about her schedule, habits, etc. Norah's stuff is moved to her new room. They set up an in-box and out-box with her name on it. They put her diapers and wipes on the shelf. They make a place in the fridge for her food. We show up Wednesday morning, everyone is informed, and Norah and I feel welcome in her new room.

Am I being unreasonable? I just don't feel like my expectations are out of line, but please give me a reality check if you disagree.

Another sigh (and more tears)...

A Change for the Better...Hopefully

I haven't really blogged about some of our recent struggles at daycare, so I guess I'll start with the background before getting into the changes the are going to take place.

A few weeks ago they changed Norah's room to an older age (roughly 6-12 months, but more based on mobility). About the same time, a handful of new kids started and were all put into Norah's class. It just so happens that a couple of them are criers. I found it increasingly difficult to drop Norah off in the morning because several kids were always crying. I couldn't wait to get out of the environment myself, yet I had to leave Norah there. I dreaded it every day and left in tears more mornings than not. My game plan last week (the second week after the change) was to drop in at other times of the day to see what the environment was like. I've done that several times, including today, and every time kids are crying. The teachers even commented that they cry all day.

I had also noticed that Norah's main teacher seemed to be frustrated (who wouldn't be in that environment?) and she wasn't always handling the situation in ways that I felt were appropriate, even with me in the room. She also told me one day that she preferred the newborns, which I thought was a little inappropriate considering Norah is in her room , which was no longer a newborn room. (Not exactly what a parent wants to hear.) As I sat there today over lunch feeding Norah, listening to the crying I decided something had to be done. We are paying way too much money for Norah to be in that environment all day long.

I caught the Director on the way out and was quickly in tears. I told her I wasn't comfortable with the environment and that I felt the teacher was becoming worn down or frustrated. She immediately said they would take care of it by moving Norah to another room. We discussed a few options and when I went back tonight they had made a decision. Norah will be at my sister's tomorrow, but on Wednesday she will be all set up in her new room.

The people pleaser, conflict avoider side of me (which can get me into trouble sometimes) feels sort of bad for her current teacher. I think she really does just have some tough babies right now. But at the same time I know it is her responsibity to realize when she is getting overwhelmed and needs help. And another thing - none of that is my problem. My only concern is Norah and that I feel good about the environment in which I am leaving her for 9 hours every day.

So, on Wednesday she will start in classroom B. It just so happens that one of the teachers she started with is in this room, so that will be nice. One thing I am relieved about is that I still feel good about the daycare overall. And, I think they have delt with my situation well so far. I just think they happen to have some tough kids right now, and they all seem to be in Norah's room.

Sigh. My sister warned me that they had completely underestimated the ongoing stress involved with daycare/school. I see what she means. Just when you feel comfortable things change. New kids, a new teacher, a new director - whatever. Hopefully our new room will be better.

A Smooth Transition

Last week was our first week at the new daycare, and I feel very good about the switch so far. When I drop her off in the morning I am at the office in less than 10 minutes. And I went in to feed her over lunch on Friday.

There are 8 kids in her class and 2 full-time teachers. One teacher is a mother of 5, grandmother of 9, and great-grandmother of 1 (although I would never have guessed she old enough for that). The other is quite a bit younger, but also a mother. Not that that necessarily means anything, but I guess it at least feels like a good starting point.

The facility seems extremely clean. I didn't feel that the last daycare was dirty, but the cleanliness at this one sort of jumps out at you. I noticed one of the teachers wiping down some toys that hang from an arch above a swing when she put a baby in it. This daycare also makes an effort to sleep the kids in the cribs, which I have mentioned previously is something I really like. Norah isn't regularly sleeping in her crib yet, but they will continue to try her in it. They said from their experience it often takes kids some time to adjust to the noise and light. The teachers also describe Norah as "sensitive." Evidently they have discovered that she doesn't like when they talk to her when they are feeding her. And they also think she likes to be "in on the action." Hmmm...wonder where she gets that (no further comment)...

It turns out that my friend Lisa works with someone whose son is in the same class as Norah. She helped make the connection, so now we can share observations and take note of each others child as we are in and out of the room. It feels good to just know someone else is watching.

I had plans with the same friend Lisa on Friday evening, so Seth picked Norah up and did the whole evening routine solo. He is usually home for it and almost always does her bath and gets her all ready for me to feed and put down. But this time he had to do the feeding as well. We were a little nervous about her taking a bottle because the last time we tried she refused. She was sick at the time, however, and I was nearby, so one of those things must have made the difference. I think we both feel good that it all went well.

A New Record

We set a new record today, but it's not a great one. It wasn't that Norah smiled a certain number of times, or that she held her head up or stood on her legs for 15 minutes. No, the record I'm referring to is that tonight it took me one hour and 10 minutes to get from work to the daycare to home. Note that that is almost twice as long as Seth's commute, but his is more than 30 miles, while mine is less than 15.

During that hour and 10 minutes (with a lot time to think) I pretty much decided that I don't think this is sustainable. As my sister pointed out, we basically both have a commute, which simply doesn't make sense. Combined, we are spending close to 3 hours on the road everyday for a grand total of 15 per week. That's 15 fewer hours we have with Norah. I don't even want to do the math for a month or a year.

I also had a lot of time to think about our options, and as a result I have assigned myself two action items. First, I am going to call the first daycare we ever visited (and loved) that had a really long waiting list. When I called during maternity leave they still had 14 on the list ahead of us, but it is worth a try. Second, I am going to visit the other daycare we were considering when we chose our current one. It is located less than a mile from my office, which sounds like a dream. A the time, we felt very good about it as well, so I think it could be a good option.

As for an update on Norah, she is definitely recovering and was back at daycare today. We never filled the prescription the doctor gave us, so it seems as though he correctly predicted that she would be able to get over the RSV on her own. We're not out of the woods yet, but she is headed in the right direction. We were the lucky recipients of many smiles tonight (huge grins that make it appear as though she has her mother's cheeks) and even a few chuckles. One of her teachers said she was full of smiles all day.

Sigh...I hate to think about starting all over again with new teachers, but let's consider the positives:

- less time on the road = more time with Norah
- possibility of being able to visit over lunch
- corporate vacation schedule (meaning they are closed for fewer days throughout the year)
- better security system

One negative is that it doesn't go down as much in cost at 1 year, but hey - when you're paying as much as a mortgage payment what's a few more dollars.

All of a sudden this is going to be a huge focus for me. We just paid for February, and have to give 2 weeks notice, so we potentially need to make a decision by next week. I can't believe I am already considering a change...

It's Finally Over

Well, it's over. It's finally over. Today was our first day of daycare. Overall it was fine, but wow - this is going to be an adjustment.

I have to start with our night to give the full story. After very consistently sleeping for 6-8 hour stretches, Norah decided that last night (of all nights) she needed to get up every 3 hours to eat. Literally. So I got maybe 7 hours total, and no more than 2 1/2 at a time.

The morning felt a little rushed, but we got out the door at 7:50. I honestly can't remember what time I got to the daycare because I was trying so hard to focus on NPR to get my mind off of what I was actually doing. I know I got to work at 8:40, which actually surprised me.

We were told they were going to be opening a second infant room, but evidently that didn't happen. I was somewhat relieved, however, because Norah's teacher looks younger than me (which is a bit disappointing seeing as how one of the things we liked about this particular daycare is the experienced teachers in the infant room). Right now there are 3-4 teachers in the room at any given point tag teaming all of the infants (maybe 8 total?), so it doesn't matter all that much anyway who her particular teacher is. We'll see what happens when they actually open the second room.

I made my time at the daycare as quick as possible, handed Norah off, and got out of there because I knew it was going ot be so hard. I cried most of the way to work, and am crying again now just thinking about it. Thank goodness she goes to my sister's tomorrow.

I was definitely more distracted today than last week when she was with Seth and my mom. I called around noon and they told me she had slept and was eating (not sure what else I expected). I left my office at 4:45 and we didn't get home until 6. I didn't even spend much time at the daycare - most of the time came from traffic. Norah cried most of the way home, and I thought it might be because she was still a little hungry (unfortunately they were just finishing a feeding when I arrived), but I think she was also really tired. They only noted a one hour nap, but I wonder if they forgot to write others down. I can't imagine that is all she slept all day. Unfortunately I didn't notice that while I was there to ask.

We got home at 6:00, played a little, and ate a little. She was fussy enough that I figured she was tired, so I started her bath at about 6:30. Seth came home during her bath, so he then finished her up, but she was uncharacteristically fussy during the process. I tried to feed her, but she wouldn't eat - she was plain tired. So we took her downstairs, bundled her up and calmed her down enough that she ate while Seth read a few stories. She was in bed by 7 and we haven't heard a peep since. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we have a better night tonight!

So, I have seen my daughter for less then 2 hours today (not including drive time), and Seth even less. This hardly seems doable, but I also know we need to give it some time and see how things work out. To be quite honest, this was one of the toughest days I've had in a very long time.

On a lighter note, our new SLR digital camera came in the mail today, so you should be seeing some more pictures soon.

And speaking of pictures, here are a few random ones.

Norah in her tight pants and Uggs:

Norah in her big girl crib:

Reading to Norah:

Norah's old man hair and flat head: