Little Man started at his new daycare this week. I spent Sunday night organizing and making sure everything was ready to go. Diapers? Check. Wipes? Check. Change of clothes? Check. Paci? Check. Sheet & blanket? Check. Sunscreen? Check.
I stopped myself from packing up every possible comfort toy I could think of. New place, new faces – that’s very scary for a toddler. Hell it is scary for most adults.
5:30 AM: Alarm goes off. I hit snooze once.
6:00 AM: Dressed and ready to go. Walk in to wake up Little Man. I could have had Metallica do a live set in his room and he still wouldn’t have budged. I was just about to pick him up and dress him in his sleep when he sat up and greeted me with half-closed eyes and a big smile.
7:00 AM: Arrive at daycare. Anxiety is kicking in. He clings to daddy for a few minutes but then realizes there is a little boy playing with a ball and down he goes. In no time they are playing catch. A hug and kiss for daddy when he says goodbye. I hang out for a few more minutes to make sure he is ok but I need to leave if I want to be only a little late for work. I call to him to say goodbye. He ignores me. I call again. He glances quickly my way, misses the ball and runs after it giggling. I am an impediment to his fun. I call again and say good-bye. He waves; at the ball. Impediment.
I walk out slowly, listening. No cries. No wails. Less than 5 minutes at a new place and he already has a friend. The anxiety was all for naught even though I did fight the urge to call the center about 100 times to check on him.
When I picked him up he ran to me with a huge smile and a bigger hug and then it was back to the ball. He was happy. Happy to see me but also happy to play. He didn’t want to go home. He actually started to cry when we walked out the door.
One mommy milestone down; one to go. Now I have to spend the next 3 nights out of town. I feel the anxiety rising again…
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