3 days deep

So, it has begun!  My new job and my baby girl going to day care!  HOLY COW!  Emotions are running high in my household.  We'll go from youngest to oldest...


My daughter has spent her first 14 months of life with me by her side almost 24/7.  Now, SURPRISE...mommy's leaving her with people she's met once (or twice) before!  Poor kid.  Her classroom is right across the hall from mine, which is good and bad.  The good...I'm right there if things get too bad, her teachers keep me informed on how she's doing throughout the day, I can catch a glimpse of her on my way to and from the bathroom, and occasionally while she's on the playground.  The bad...I can hear her scream when I leave her in the morning, if she sees me when I'm walking by her room the screaming resumes, and when she's on the playground, I have to duck or hide while helping my students with their potty training endeavors.  Days 1 and 2, she had a rough time in the mornings (except outside time...she LOVES the playground).  I believe all of her crying was the reason behind her not eating any lunch those days.  Today, she only cried when I left her until morning snack, she ate lunch, transitioned well, and took an almost 2 1/2 hour nap!  We're getting there...it's only a matter of time, right?

My husband (yes, I'm older than him) is on another level of emotions.  Before he was comfortable because he knew our daughter was with me all day.  He knew I would never let anything, or anyone, hurt her.  Now, she's not only being left with someone who isn't me, she's with people he has only met once.  It's cute though...I loves having us visit him at his office when we leave school.  He's such a  mush when it comes to his baby girl.

Okay, I bet you want to know how I'm holding up.  My students' parents keep asking how I'm doing with the transitions and I tell them all the same thing, "Getting back into teaching has been a breeze.  Leaving my daughter with someone else has been a lot more difficult than I expected."  I miss my daughter!  I love when I have my lunch break and I can go into her classroom and watch her sleeping with her puppy.

About the job:
My old co-workers may have some jealousy here...I get an hour long lunch break!  I can sit in the lounge and with TV, I can go off campus if I want, I can do some planning, run errands, go out to lunch!  SO NICE!  The school's security is great.  I don't have to worry about who's coming into my daughter's school.  Parents and teachers get their own digital keys that are registered to them.  Every time I go into the school, there's a log of it.  The classrooms all of security cameras in them.  There's a full-time cook of staff.  He prepares all snacks and a well balanced lunch for the kids every day.  One less thing for me, as a parent, to worry about.

Any way...that's how things are going so far.  I'm exhausted at night, so I'm going to go curl up and attempt to watch my Wednesday night TV.  If it's like last night, I'll pass out before it's over!