First Day at Dermers

Prepare for a long post...


Well...it was inevitable... Jenna has started daycare. She went for the first time yesterday sort of as a trial run. Really it was a trial run for us. Sunday night was very emotional for me. I cried quite a bit and I'm not really sure why. It's not like I've never left her before. I returned to work at the beginning of March and I had returned to school in January, so we've definitely been separated before. I think I was just worried that she would feel sad and lonely and abandoned. Even typing this makes me emotional. Anyways, yesterday morning Pat and I packed her up and took her to daycare.

She has one primary care giver Stephanye, though there are probably 3-4 other teachers in the room. The center believes that it is important for infants to have a primary care giver so that they can develop a bond with that person. So each teacher has 2-3 infants to care for. Jenna is one of the youngest in the class and is Stephanye's youngest.

So anyways, we got there and they were expecting Jenna, and they had a little cubby labeled for her. They showed us the daily routine and how they log all of her activities. We handed Jenna over to Stephanye, gave her a kiss, and left. I walked straight out and Pat stood there for a second and watched Jenna through the window. He reassured me that she was smiling at some of the other babies. We went out to breakfast, and as soon as we sat down, my tears started again. I made it until noon before I called to check on her (which they told me I could do). They were honest with me and let me know that Jenna cried a bit and wanted to be held a lot. Stephanye told me this was normal behavior, especially in the beginning. I could hardly wait to pick her up and so I went at 3:30. When I walked in and Jenna saw me, she smiled, and then burst into tears. Totally ripped my heart out. She passed out in the car on the way home and I could tell she was completely exhausted.

We went back today and pretty much got the same report from her teachers. However, when she saw us, she just smiled a lot and didn't cry at all. We got home and played, and Jenna was in bed by 6:45 and we haven't heard from her since. I know she will be fine and will likely thrive in daycare, and I can tell all the teachers really love what they do and love all the babies, but it's still going to take me some time to adjust.