THOSE DAYCARE DAYS

It's official. Hannah is a daycare baby. We were lucky to get in since we were on a waiting list for such a long time. She did three days of orientation last week and then started full-time on Thursday. The daycare seems to take good notes and record the times she eats, what she eats, her diaper changes, and her naptimes. She has her own private corner crib in the darkened nursery and every weekend, we take her blankets and stuffed animals home to wash. They rotate the food menu on a weekly basis and each day the food is different. They provide a variety of foods incorporating all the food groups. Should we have a problem, we can substitute our own food or an infant item. Having daycare take care of her breakfast, lunch, and snack certainly helps me out. I don't miss cooking fresh veggies or popping frozen pureed cubes!

We're waiting to see if the daycare has a significant impact on Hannah's social skills. She sometimes plays by herself and sometimes interacts with other babies by touching their heads. The only good thing so far is that she hasn't hurt anyone nor has she been too upset when being dropped off. When she's picked up, she's really happy and excited to see us.

The daycare instructors seem caring and willing to answer questions and exchange notes when necessary. I hope to meet the other parents soon and attend some daycare events. It's crazy to think that just a couple of months ago, Hannah was just learning to sit on her own and starting to crawl. Now she's cruising and making new friends, hopefully learning through play and going for morning strolls with nine other babies her age. It's certainly another meaningful milestone.

This daycare takes daily pictures and creates a scrapbook page so that parents can see what went on during the day (much like what I do for my students except I do it in DVD format). It's great because even though I'm not with Hannah, I want to read about it and experience it as if I was there. It's comforting to know that if she's not in my capable hands, she is in someone else's.