Back to work it is...sigh. I started back at work on January 19th, so about 1.5 weeks in, I have some thoughts. To begin, working isn't the hard part. The hard parts are arranging daycare, planning in advance for things like dinner, clothes, bags, etc, making sure Avery is enjoying daycare (or at the very least, is not miserable), and trying to get everything done on time. Don't even get me started on the hardest part - getting out of bed every morning. 5:30am is just inhumane - especially for a now reformed night owl!
Anyway, enough complaining. All in all, things are going fairly well (the sound you don't hear is me knocking wood, on my head). Avery is doing pretty well at daycare, Greg and I are getting out of the house on time, and my new job is pretty cool so far. Hopefully that will continue, but at the very least, I am working with some really nice people. Greg has always managed to pick Avery up on time or early, so hopefully the impending snow won't throw a wrench into those works.
A little funny...my last week of mat leave we all came down with a vicious stomach bug. Avery got it first, then I did two days later, and then Greg two days later. Needless to say, this threw a wrench into all my plans for getting stuff done before I went back to work. On the upside, I did lose 5 pounds in about 3 days. Anyhoo, Avery had diarrhea and then became constipated. It seemed like she was in some pain at night when trying to sleep because she hadn't pooped in a while, so I gave her a little prunes for two mornings in a row. Well. Prunes work wonders on my kid. She had blowouts every day at daycare except for Friday, and kept coming home in totally different clothes than I had dressed her in in the morning. One day she had to have an impromptu bath in the sink there - apparently no one was impressed with that situation. I kept telling the daycare workers that this wasn't normal, and they kept grumbling at me. The ironic part of it was that I didn't have to change a poopy diaper for a week. Have to look at life's little pluses, right?
Our current dilemma is trying to decide whether we are going to switch Avery from the daycare centre she is currently in, to the home daycare where we have a spot in April if we want it. Greg and I are having real trouble making this decision. On the one hand, Avery seems to be doing pretty well at the centre and why should we rock the boat. On the other hand, the centre is a little chaotic, with lots of kids and several different teachers, and I worry she isn't getting a lot of individual attention. All things being equal, if we had had a spot available to us in each place in the beginning, I would have chosen the home daycare. I just had a really good feel about it when we visited. But now I don't know if the upheaval would really be worth it. Thoughts?
3 comments:
I hear you on the getting up early! Ahh..I long for the days when I can sleep again!
One of the benefits of having 3 kids, we don't have to worry about getting them out the door in the morning!
Daycare/Homecare that is hard. Staying at home would be the best option! :)
It's good to hear Miss Avery is doing well at daycare. Here's my perspective: home daycares are great for babies. I really had hoped to find a good one for Nicholas and if everything worked out perfectly, start sending him to a center when he's about 18 months or so. I think babies need more one-one time with caregivers, knowing that it's always the same ones looking after them and building that trust and relationship. The smaller groups, I think are also better for younger children as are more "homey" places to nap.
On the other hand, centers are great for other things: when your daycare provider has an appointment or is sick, you don't have to take a vacation day - they are replaced!
Actually, just this morning, I thought to myself that a center would be the better place to put a baby as they get used to that from the start. Christine has been giving us a terrible time at drop off and really fights being there. But once she's there, she has a blast...This morning, she was saying she wanted to go to Maryse's (her daycare provider in BRK). So for the first time this morning, I regretted starting at a home daycare! :)
I didn't want to add to your confusion and decision making, but really, what works for you is what you should do. If Avery's happy, then I wouldn't necessarily mess with it. If you're not feeling great about having her there and your gut is telling you she'd be better off at the home daycare, then listen to your gut. She won't remember either location, so go with what's safest and gives you the warmest and happiest feeling.
I think that given the choice, I'd prefer a home daycare - just seems more personable. We've never used a centre before though, so what do I know?!
Good luck with the back to work thing, you'll have your schedules worked out in no time. Oh and if you happen to hear of any jobs, let me know. ;)
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