We Survived

Well Day 1 is over and I'm happy to report that Grayson and I both made it through without too much emotional damage.

When I dropped him off this morning, there was another infant starting daycare for the first time and it reassured me to see how crazy that mom was compared to me. Both the mom and dad were there with their 10 month old son and I could tell the father did not get what the big deal was. She was slightly over the top, which gave me some perspective and actually calmed me down a bit.

There are currently two teachers in the infant room and six kids -- all boys and one girl. All are between 2-6 months except for the other new boy who is already walking and probably ready to move up to the next room soon.

When I left, Grayson was sleeping like a log in one of the teacher's arms and didn't seemed bothered by any of the other baby cries or noises. I totally held it together until I got in the car and called Michael. Once I started talking about Grayson waking up without me there the tears came and I had to cut the conversation short so I wouldn't become a road hazard.

Before I dropped Grayson off, I set a personal goal to only call and check in one time and try to not pick him up until 3 p.m. Surprisingly, I was able to accomplish this in large part because I power shopped at the mall as a distraction. I knew if I stayed at home I wouldn't last very long before I broke down and went back to pick him up.

Shopping may have proven to be a bad choice though because I think I single-handedly boosted national retail sales for the fourth quarter. I'm not joking. People were gawking at all the bags I was carrying by the time I left. Here is just part of my loot to show you the ridiculousness:

On a positive note, I'm about halfway done with my Christmas shopping and that's saying a lot since we have about 40 people to buy for just family alone. (Yes, I know this is crazy but Mike and I have six sides of family combined and most of those even draw names!)

When I picked Grayson up his teachers told me all about his day. He seemed to do well overall. His feeding and napping schedule are a little off from our normal routine at home, but only by about an hour which I honestly thought would be worse.

He didn't seem to nap as well as usual due to the new environment and flurry of activity from the other infants. It sounds like he spent a majority of the day looking around in amazement, taking in the new people and surroundings.

When we got home Grayson and I sat and talked to each other for a while. He was really smiling and chatting like he wanted to tell me all about his day. He is holding his head and neck up for a really long time now with a good deal of control and seems like such a big boy now that he's been to "school."

I think he's glad to be home though, because as I laid him down to take a nap his eyes closed before I could even get him tucked in his crib.

As difficult as it is to let someone else care for him, I realize that doing so makes me really appreciate and value the time we have together instead of it feeling like a job. While I was at the mall I passed by the children's play area and took notice of the moms who were sitting and watching their kids. Some seemed so worn out and just thankful to get a break that it reaffirmed that this decision is right for me.

The interaction and educational activities Grayson will participate in at daycare will also be great in the long run as well, particularly since he's an only child.

All-in-all this roller coaster of a day has gone well which helps me mentally prepare for going back to work. Thanks to all of you who called, texted or sent positive thoughts our way. It helped us survive!