Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Noooooooo!
Yesterday, when I went to pick Alex up from day care, his teacher told me that when the babies went for a ride in the Bye Bye Buggy, Alex was holding a little girl's hand!
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
First Day of School Jitters
I knew putting Alex in day care would be difficult, but I had no idea just how difficult. I have always heard that putting your kid in day care is hard; I just thought it was so because you're away from your kid and you miss him. Well, I've been back at work since February 1, so I'm used to not seeing my son nine hours a day. But putting him in day care was about more than not seeing him. I have no doubt in my mind that he is going to a place that is safe and he is being looked after by people who will give him the best care. My concern - and the reason I could not concentrate at work at all on his first day - is whether he is happy. How aware is Alex of the situation? Do 7 month olds have the capacity to feel emotions like abandonment? I don't know. I wasn't at all worried about putting him in day care until Sunday, the day before his first day. We went to church and put him in the nursery. There they give you a buzzer (like the kind popular restaurants give you while you're waiting for a table) and only seconds into the sermon, the thing went off. And quite loudly, I might add. As if to scream "This lady's kid won't stop crying!!!" to the whole congregation.
So, understandably, that made me concerned about how Alex would handle a whole day without mommy and daddy. I stopped by on my lunch break to peek in the window. There was Alex passed out on the carpet next to one of the teachers (who must have been sitting there patting his back the whole time) and with a full bottle beside him. I called the day care about 2:30 to check on him. His primary caregiver said she couldn't get him to take his bottle, but he had no problem devouring the sweet potatoes I had brought for breakfast (what can I say, the kid's a true Southerner).
I left work at 4 p.m. and excitedly rushed across town to the day care to pick up my son. I could not wait to see his face transform from sad and forlorn to exquisite happiness at the sight of his beloved mother. I went into his room and at first couldn't even find him. Then I looked down to my right and there he was, passed out, again. His teacher picked him up and he did not budge. I took him from her and rubbed his back to try to wake him up and get my long-awaited smile. He just rubbed his eyes and looked at me expressionless. I stood and talked to the teacher for a few minutes as we looked for his pacifier (note to self: bring pacifier strap). A few minutes go by and one of the other teachers walks by (a pretty, young one) and Alex flashes her his million-dollar grin. Huh? Where's my smile?!? Oh well. I guess that means he doesn't hate school.
So, understandably, that made me concerned about how Alex would handle a whole day without mommy and daddy. I stopped by on my lunch break to peek in the window. There was Alex passed out on the carpet next to one of the teachers (who must have been sitting there patting his back the whole time) and with a full bottle beside him. I called the day care about 2:30 to check on him. His primary caregiver said she couldn't get him to take his bottle, but he had no problem devouring the sweet potatoes I had brought for breakfast (what can I say, the kid's a true Southerner).
I left work at 4 p.m. and excitedly rushed across town to the day care to pick up my son. I could not wait to see his face transform from sad and forlorn to exquisite happiness at the sight of his beloved mother. I went into his room and at first couldn't even find him. Then I looked down to my right and there he was, passed out, again. His teacher picked him up and he did not budge. I took him from her and rubbed his back to try to wake him up and get my long-awaited smile. He just rubbed his eyes and looked at me expressionless. I stood and talked to the teacher for a few minutes as we looked for his pacifier (note to self: bring pacifier strap). A few minutes go by and one of the other teachers walks by (a pretty, young one) and Alex flashes her his million-dollar grin. Huh? Where's my smile?!? Oh well. I guess that means he doesn't hate school.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Quick Update
Like mother ...
Alex doesn't like peas. He's not really a picky eater (so far, anyway), but he really doesn't like peas. We've tried sweet peas alone, and a country vegetable mix with peas. Like his mama, he just doesn't like peas. If you really want to know how much I hated peas as a kid, ask my dad about the time I sat at the dinner table for hours and was only released from that prison cell after I regurgitated peas onto my white t-shirt. Well, that's pretty much the whole story, but, trust me, if a kid is willing to make herself puke, it's probably just easier to give up. I promise, though, I will not force brussel sprouts on the poor kid.
Daddy
Daddy will no longer be a stay-at-home daddy. While Andy has thoroughly enjoyed hanging out with Alex, he's looking forward to embarking on a new career path. On Monday he starts work as a recruiter for Hyundai's manufacturing plant in Montgomery. Which leads us to ...
School
Alex starts school on Monday! We got Alex into our #1 pick for day care (it only took us calling three days in a row). He begins his learnin' on July 7 at Growing Room. Yeah, it's one of the pricier ones, but we believe it will be well worth it. While I'm not looking forward to leaving him with strangers, I'm (selfishly) looking forward to seeing the happy (I hope!) expression on his face at the end of each day when his mama comes to get him!
Rollin', rollin', rollin'
Alex has figured out that wherever he wants to go, he can get there by rolling. That's bad news for us. In the last week, we have found he has rolled off his mat and doing the following: pushing his pacifier beneath the couch, pulling on the dog's butt hair, knocking the fireplace tools off their stand, and smacking the heck out of Andy's PlayStation 3. He's not supposed to be so mobile yet! Aack - we need to baby-proof the house quick!
Alex doesn't like peas. He's not really a picky eater (so far, anyway), but he really doesn't like peas. We've tried sweet peas alone, and a country vegetable mix with peas. Like his mama, he just doesn't like peas. If you really want to know how much I hated peas as a kid, ask my dad about the time I sat at the dinner table for hours and was only released from that prison cell after I regurgitated peas onto my white t-shirt. Well, that's pretty much the whole story, but, trust me, if a kid is willing to make herself puke, it's probably just easier to give up. I promise, though, I will not force brussel sprouts on the poor kid.
Daddy
Daddy will no longer be a stay-at-home daddy. While Andy has thoroughly enjoyed hanging out with Alex, he's looking forward to embarking on a new career path. On Monday he starts work as a recruiter for Hyundai's manufacturing plant in Montgomery. Which leads us to ...
School
Alex starts school on Monday! We got Alex into our #1 pick for day care (it only took us calling three days in a row). He begins his learnin' on July 7 at Growing Room. Yeah, it's one of the pricier ones, but we believe it will be well worth it. While I'm not looking forward to leaving him with strangers, I'm (selfishly) looking forward to seeing the happy (I hope!) expression on his face at the end of each day when his mama comes to get him!
Rollin', rollin', rollin'
Alex has figured out that wherever he wants to go, he can get there by rolling. That's bad news for us. In the last week, we have found he has rolled off his mat and doing the following: pushing his pacifier beneath the couch, pulling on the dog's butt hair, knocking the fireplace tools off their stand, and smacking the heck out of Andy's PlayStation 3. He's not supposed to be so mobile yet! Aack - we need to baby-proof the house quick!
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