Day Care Love

I love, love, love Conor's daycare. Thank goodness, because it makes my life a whole lot easier. I'd hate to be uncomfortable about where my child was spending a chunk of his day each day. I only work 20 hours per week -- 5 hours, 4 afternoons per week. Nevertheless, it's still very important to us that whoever is caring for Conor during this time gives him the same attention, care, and love that we would give him. I chose a home daycare very close to my work. There are 3 full time and 1 part time staff and up to 10 kids at any one time (though I don't think there have ever actually been 10 since Conor's been there).

Conor's daycare closes for the summer. They just reopened last week, and I think every single afternoon since last Tuesday, I've come home saying, "I love them!" They clearly pay so much attention to Conor and are attuned to all of his needs. They notice when he's tired, even if it doesn't align with my perfect schedule. I know that may not seem like a big deal, but believe it or not, many people do not correctly interpret a baby's signals and end up thinking they're hungry when they're really tired or that they're tired when they're really bored. Every morning when I drop him off, they ask all the right questions to make sure they have all the information they need to take the best care of him for the rest of the afternoon. They have all the greatest toys and are more than happy to share them with us. Late last week, they noticed that Conor loves their music table. He's trying very hard to pull himself up on it, as it's just the right height. I mentioned that the only thing we have at home that is the right height for him to try to pull up to standing is the bathtub. One of the women immediately said that she has the same music table in her basement collecting dust. (Her son is 3 and no longer uses it.) She is brining it in for us to bring home, so that Conor has one to play with in both places. And we still have the exersaucer that the sent home with us months ago! In addition, they take Conor outside every day that it's nice enough, so he gets lots of fresh air. And of course, he gets to interact with all the big kids, who he absolutely adores. Naturally, they adore him in return.

Since they've opened back up this year, they've started giving out "report cards" at the end of each day. Our daily report tells us what Conor ate and when, when he napped, and what activities he did during the day. We love getting all this detail on his day! It's especially nice for Mike, who isn't there at pick-up to hear the narrative report from them through conversation. It helps him feel like he still has some connection to Conor's day.

Today, my moment of love came when they asked me if I would mind if they moved Conor's crib into the guest bedroom. They've noticed that he's easily awakened. If the younger babies cry, the phone rings, the doorbell sounds, you name it -- he wakes up and can't get back to sleep. They feel bad on the days when something interrupts his sleep, and he ends up cranky and exhausted by the time I pick him up. Therefore, they thought it might help him if they let him nap in a room upstairs by himself with the shades drawn. I just about kissed them when they asked if I would mind. Would I mind?! Would I mind him being well rested? Would I mind him having the perfect napping conditions? Does the sun rise every morning? I love that they're willing to do absolutely anything to give Conor the very best.

So, let me shout it from the mountain tops -- I'm in love!!