( I had a picture but it's not going to load right. So sorry)
Alexis is going to a learning center while I am at work. It's daycare with a curriculum :). I was very, very, concerned and worried about how she would handle being away from not only me, but someone besides family. In her whole two years she has never stayed with anyone except family. We've never even had a friend watch her. So, I knew there would be tears, screaming, kicking, and worst of all those horrible words...."Mommy don't leave me!" I was dreading it, but I didn't let her know that....
Before we even registered her we went to the daycare several times at different parts of the day, unannounced. We took a tour. I grilled her teachers. I grilled the secretary. Then we visited the daycare with Daddy. We had a family talk, and decided that this was the place for us. Two days before we left I started making a big deal about her going to daycare naming all the pros. You'll get to play with new toys, you're going to make friends, yada yada. I talked it up big! We went to JCPenney and picked out a new outfit for her first day of day care, we laid out her blanket and pillow for nap time,we packed her bag, and we talked about how much fun she would have the next day.
So the next day came and I reluctantly woke her up. She woke up very happy! I asked her if she was ready to get ready to go to daycare, and she said "YES!". She ate "purple cereal" (blueberry frosted mini wheats), and got dressed quickly.We took pictures, and made a big deal, and kissed Daddy bye bye. Once we got to the daycare I gave her a big hug and a kiss outside, so I could tell her goodbye before she got upset. We walked into the daycare and she started to tear up. I told her that I was going to go to work, and I would be back to pick her up after she woke up from her nap. She started to cry, and said "okay mommy". Then the teacher asked her if she wanted to go put her milk in the fridge, and she stopped crying immediately. I told her bye and she said "bye bye Mommy!" No crying, kicking, screaming, and best of all not those horrible words that I feared. I couldn't believe it, and I was so proud of my big girl! I called at lunch to check on her, and they said she cried for a little bit in the morning, and she was fine the rest of the day! When I went to pick her up she said, "MOMMY! YOU CAME BACK!!" I said, "Of course I came back silly!" She laughed, and we left. And she hasn't had any problems since. What a relief! My big girl grew up just a little bit more this week, and has started some wonderful things! It was much harder for me than her, and I'm so thrilled that we only have to do this for a year and then she will be in preschool at the same school I'm at. It will just make me feel better having her close, and we get to sleep in a little later :)!!
