The only thing constant is change

Uriah came home a couple of weeks ago after picking up Finn and told me that his day care was closing.

Not just for the day. 
Forever. 
I threw up a bit in my mouth.

Oh, and we only had a month to figure out new care. 
I threw up a lot in my mouth.

Apparently, I did not get the memo about procuring childcare before your baby has entered the world, because I didn't start looking for daycare for Finn until after he was born.  I was laughed off the phone by a couple of centers, which, by the way, is really inappropriate to do to a new mom who's sleep deprived and hormonal already.  I called Uriah crying a couple of times, convinced that we would never find any place worthy of our sainted son.  For two weeks straight, Finn and I toured the crap out of daycare centers in our neighborhood (this was the extent of my adventures outside of my comfort zone of home, couch and yoga pants in those first few weeks of Finn.).  I talked to home daycares on the phone (for the record, if the first impression people have of you and your home business is how you answer the phone, probably it would be best not to allow your teenaged son to answer the phone with: "What you want?").  I toured a bunch of centers - some good (with a wait-list to prove it), some not so good (please do not advertise that you have a playground when what you really have is some gated asphalt with a small container of dried grass and a couple of hula-hoops.  Thanks.).

We finally settled on a nice church daycare; of course, I had to make sure that we could bring our Catholic son to a Baptist church daycare (I didn't know if there were rules about being members to go there.  They assured me we could stay Catholic.).  This place was a Godsend - no pun intened...no wait, pun intended!  Finn loved it there.  His teachers loved him.  He was in a small classroom with 3 other babies so he got lots of love and snuggle time.  They went outside for walks when it was nice and I got a run-down every day of every single thing that he did...I loved that place and after looking high and low, I knew I was sending my son somewhere that was going to be almost as good and loving as being with me all day.

Today, after touring a couple of places and making a decision, Finn started his new daycare.


{First day of New School | 03.07.11}

I didn't sleep well last night. I felt like it was going to be my first day of school, and in a way, it was. I felt as though Finn was going to feel like I was abandoning him with people that he didn't know. My stomach was all knotty this morning as I got ready. I am such a creature of habit that it's almost detrimental. For the past 6 months, my rountine has been the same every morning. I get up, get myself ready, get the baby ready, drive 10 minutes to school and chat with his teachers, whom I've chatted with every morning for the past 6 months and then kiss my baby good-bye and head off to bring home some bacon. But this morning my drive was 2 minutes - just around the block - and the teachers welcomed him with open arms and they listened to me babble on about what he does during the day and what his moods are and how he naps and what he eats and that sometimes he likes a pacifier and sometimes he likes to suck his thumb and all the while Finn was looking around at the new toys and the new friends and the new faces and he didn't seem the least bit traumatized or unhappy. And then they assured me that Finn was going to be okay and that they would love on him all day for me.

Finn did have kind of a tough day. He didn't really want to nap, and I don't blame him; getting used to a new place is hard, so I played with him and I kissed and squeezed him from the minute I got home from work tonight until we had baby bath time and a bedtime bottle. And I held him a few extra minutes before I put him into bed (you're right, it was more than a few.  I probably would have held him all night if I didn't think it would make for a very, very hard day tomorrow!).

But when I finally laid him down, even though I knew he was sleeping, I told him I would be there when he wakes up. No matter what changes, I will be his constant.