As a sequel to my previous post about choosing a daycare, I thought I'd share with ya'll about how the first day went! I don't actually return to work until Monday, March 1st however Mason is attending 'gradual entry' at daycare so Miss Ivy can observe how he behaves, eats and plays (while in my presence). After signing the contract, filling out all of the post dated cheques and receiving a copy of the Childcare guidelines all that was left to do was prepare Mason for daycare. No, not emotionally! In the guidebook, a checklist was provided of all the things Mason would need:
- Fitted crib sheet
- Small blanky
- Shirt
- Pants
- Socks
- Slippers (no slip)
- Muddy Buddy rain suit
- Boots
- Hat / gloves
- Toothbrush
- Swim suit
- Towel
- Sunscreen
- Diapers & Wipes
- Sippy cup & spoons
I packed it all up in re-usable bags (there was a lot!) and we were ready to go! The gradual entry program was set up in three (3) days.
1st day - arrive at 10am. Mason plays, interacts with other children and has a snack. Total hours there - one. With Mommy present.
2nd day - arrive at 10am. Mommy drops Mason off and returns at noon with lunch. Mason eats with his playmates. Total hours there - two. Without Mommy present. We leave after lunch.
3rd day - arrive at 10am. Mommy drops Mason off and returns at 3:30pm. Mason plays, interacts with playmates, eats snack, has lunch and a nap. Total hours there - 5.5. Without Mommy present.
Seems pretty straightforward!
So day one came fast! And so did my anxiety of returning to work! My last week (tear). I was up early and made sure I had everything on Mason's check list and started applying all of my labels (thanks to Mabel!) to Mason's belongings. Rhema Daycare is only five minutes from our house so I didn't have much of a commute. We arrived on time and Miss Ivy greeted us at the door and immediately took Mason into her arms. The only child there was little "S" who we met when we first visited the daycare. Little "S" is almost two and was running and jumping all over the place. We went into the playroom and Mason sat pretty quiet for the first 10 minutes, taking in his surroundings. Miss Ivy had nursery songs playing at a low level. The main room has two sections; the play area and the eating area. The walls are decorated with pictures, drawings, a calendar to show what day it is, pictures of the kids with their names and bdays. At least 8 highchairs sat together at the end of the room.
For a daycare, it was very clean. When the children played with toys for about 10 minutes, they'd do a cleanup before moving onto different toys. Ivy sang a 'clean up song' while they did it and Little "S" helped her put away toys. She said he knows exactly where they go! Soon after it was snack time, so Mason and his little buddy were placed in the highchairs but Mason wasn't too interested in eating or drinking so Miss Ivy and I just chatted.
Mason's snack consisted of a few green grapes (peeled and quartered), a few yogurt melts, an orange section in his feeder and a small bottle of formula.
About 15 mins later, another little boy showed up, Little "P" a blondie with long hair. He also was close to 2 years old and had a ton of energy. Little "S" fed off the energy and they bounced and ran together (and screamed) all over the room. Eventually Miss Ivy put them in highchairs to calm them down. She focused on singing a few songs which Little "S" sang too! I was shocked, this kid wasn't 2 until April and he knew all his colors, days of the week and what month it was. Wow! I really attribute this to Ivy's care.
Back to playing! Mason didn't pay much attention to me the whole time I was there. A fourth child showed up, a little girl. Little "A" who was 11 months but fully walking, she was a cutie! She was a bit more on Mason's level and they played well together. Mason shared at times and seemed content. Little "A"s Mom and I chatted and joined Miss Ivy on the floor to play with the children.
Mason playing with his first 'dolly'. He'd never seen one of these before, however the interest didn't last. Maybe a minute and his 'baby' was abandoned on the floor.
Mason playing with the foam puzzle. I was assembling five of these together to make a 'hat' and as soon as the older boys put it on their head it would come apart so they'd say to me, "Fix it!" I was the official Fix It Lady.
I had lost all track of time and wasn't sure how long we'd been there for. Miss Ivy announced it was lunch time and whoa, two hours had gone by. Wow. Since Mason was only supposed to be there for an hour, I didn't bring a lunch for him so we got ready to leave. I went over the things in Mason's bag for his 'cubby' and Miss Ivy took Mason back into the playroom where the children were in their highchairs awaiting food and said goodbye to them one by one.
A pretty successful first day I'd say!
Day #2 - I drop Mason off at 10am and I don't stay long. I only have about an hour before I have to pick him up so I head out and leave him with Miss Ivy. I drive away reassuring myself he's in good hands but I can't help but let a tear stream down my face. I no longer am going to be with him all day and I'm going to miss all those special moments.
I return at 11:30 with a lunch packed. All the kids are in a circle in their highchair. A few new kids have joined Mason. Little "A" and Little "L" (girl and boy). Some of the Mom's are there too. Mason gets sight of me and a giant smile comes onto his face. He reaches out so I kiss his hand. He's struggling to get out of his highchair, he wants me to pick him up. I tell him it's lunchtime and he has to stay there. He gets upset but no tantrum. It brought tears to my eyes. I was so happy he was happy to see me. This is the first strong reaction I've ever got from him after returning to him. I try to feed him lunch but he just doesn't seem interested in eating. I look around to see what the other Mom's are feeding their toddlers and they all have giant tupperware dishes of vegetables and rice (mashed, pureed) I feel like I should have brought him that too instead of his Sweet Potato puree which doesn't have any chunks in it. I haven't really fed him rice yet. Guess I'll try that tonight. I did notice that I was the only Mom who brought fruit with his meal. Points for me I guess.
Day #3 -It takes quite a bit of prep work to get this kid ready for his third day. I need to write up a 'cheat sheet' for the daycare ladies to know what to expect. (Here is what I gave them) and had to pack his meals for the day. I made three (morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack) and then I realized that they have their morning snack at 9 and today I am dropping him off at 10. So he ate his snack and had a small bottle before I took him. I put all of his food in those cute little Nuby containers (I love how the bowls and lids are different colors) and realized that I didn't label any of them. Oh no! I'm out of labels. Wow, I only had 15 I think. I need to order more from Mabel's Labels! They are totally handy. So food all packed! Mason's all bathed and dressed! Camera in bag for pictures. Off we go!
We arrive and say hello to the kids and meet one of the new assistants (Yuki I think her name is). I sign Mason in (mandatory procedure) and also fill in his daily journal sheet. The questions are: when did Mason wake up, when did he last eat? Has he been changed recently. I am told to come back and pick him up at 3:30pm. Wow almost a full day by myself! Whatever shall I do?? I ask to take a picture of Miss Ivy and Mason
I give Mason a kiss and tell him I love him and off I go. He waves back (so cute) and starts to follow me out the door. Ivy scoops him out and takes him to the window. As I walk down the driveway, I look at the window and all these little kids are there (including Mason who is in Ivy's arms) are waving me goodbye. How cute is that?
I have mixed feelings as I walk away. I know he's in good hands, I keep reminding myself. I drive away trying not to cry. I hope I don't have a meltdown on my first day back to work!