Her First Day

Last week went by in a blur. Of course it is because I was home enjoying being sick because it meant I could be with my baby. Before I knew it, it was Friday. Time for me to go back to work, and for Baby Bean to go to her first day of daycare. I am still not sure how or why I handled it the way I did, but it didn't go down the way I imagined it would at all. Before she was even born I would sob at the idea of her going to daycare. I cried more on the day my husband got a job than on her first day. In fact, I didn't shed one single tear that morning.

I woke up Friday morning at my normally scheduled time from before daylight savings (it used to be 7:15, but now it is 6:15), got ready for work, then went in and got Baby Bean up for the day. She was already awake and standing up in her crib when I walked in, which I was glad for. I got her dressed, fed her, made sure we had everything we needed for the daycare center, and out the door we headed.

Hubs went with us to get Baby Bean situated, and I am sure as a support to me. Surprising, I didn't need the latter. We took her to her classroom, filled out the daily paperwork, got her settled, and then it was time to go. I gave her a big kiss and told her I would see her later. I told her to be a good girl. She gave me a big smile and then crawled away to play with some toys. Hubs and I didn't even need to sneak out of the room because she didn't notice we had left.

I didn't feel anything that morning. I didn't feel sad. It wasn't hard. My heart didn't break. I felt fine. I was amazingly at ease with the whole thing. I didn't worry about her during the day, or feel the need to call and check in.

Lunch time rolled around and my teammates were getting ready to go to our usual Friday team lunch. The place they all wanted to go didn't appeal to me, and one of my teammates protested my going because he was afraid I would get him sick. It made me smile when one of our other teammates told me to come anyway immediately after that comment, as if to say, "We'd rather have you than him!" It was very sweet. I told them to go ahead and I would go have lunch with my daughter.

When I got to the daycare, my Baby Bean was sitting in a high chair eating pineapple. She had green peas squashed all over her whole face. From chin to forehead and from ear to ear. I hoped that she would give me the same big smile she usually gives me when I get home from work. Instead she just looked at me like, "Oh, hey mom," and kept right on eating her pineapple.

While I fed her, the teachers all gloated over what a good girl she was and how well she was getting on with the whole situation and other kids. They were amazed she had never been to daycare before because she just took it all in stride. She did skip her morning nap, and she let me know all about it.

Hubs and I were a little upset to find out how much they had let her eat during the day. They overfed her with snacks and at lunch time. We're going to address that on Monday. She came home smelling of daycare, and was a little cranky because she had hardly slept. The child usually sleeps anywhere from 1-2 hours during two separate nap times during the day (up to 4 hours total). She slept for an hour at daycare all day.

All in all, I think it was a great experience for her. I think she will adjust well to being there every day. I am still amazed at how well I am handling it. It just isn't as big of a deal as I thought it would be.