I am now taking the girls to an in-home daycare (as if you didn't know), and what I have realized is that they are SO tird and fussy at the end of the day. In fact, ...
THIS is all they want to do. Don't get me wrong. I love having my girls love on me. But again, don't get me wrong... I CAN DO NOTHING ELSE!
If I walk, they walk behind me, crying for me to pick them up. It just seems to go smoother if I just sit down and succomb!
I am still wanting someone back in my house. Nighttime baths, mandatory, are not fun. I prefer to wait til the morning IF I or they want to. With early daycare, there is no getting up earlier to do that.
ANd lastly, I want them to sleep in if they so desire. Haven't I already mentioned all of this? I am pretty sure this is a REPEAT post! I just worry about my girls and want them in the home. We can pre-K and such next year. (Maybe). And, to add to my UGH factor. I am READY to move into my house! We had a picnic tonight on the kitchen floor. Not to be clever and fun, but because I have moved my kitchen table to my new house, so we don't have one!
Just venting tonight.
But HAPPY to have babies who love me. And who are capable of showing me their love!
Mo
Oh. and one more thing, while I'm griping and all.... Gabbi Girl has FEVER today! She was snotty over the weekend. My kids are NEVER sick! I mean, NEVER! We went in for a two and three year old well visit last week, and Dr. Bimle said, "It's been a YEAR since I last saw y'all". And after ONE week of daycare, FEVER! Not cool!
16 comments:
Hang in there, Mo. With every season in life, there's an adjustment period.
One thing that really helped my boys when they were young was a routine. We stuck to our schedule (which was way more challenging for hubby and me than the kids) and it made all the difference in the world. We even kept our schedule on the weekends. Bedtime was the same every night. Sleep patterns developed for the boys, they knew what to expect when we got home each day, and it really worked. It wasn't always easy...it took lots of prep on my part (hubby's too), but it was totally worth it.
I hope you and your littles adjust quickly to your new season in life!
Mo,
I know that I haven't commented in a LONG time! But if you really want home care for your girls, try looking on care.com or sittercity.com I have used both for looking for a nanny job here in DFW, and I have found some really awesome families, and I assume you could find someone who great for your girls! I promise to comment more, now that my life will hopefully be slowing down a little!
These pics of you & the girls are so cute!
I hope your daycare situation works itself out...for me, I think that was one of the most heartwrenching aspects of parenting.
I'm thinking for fun, you should've had a picnic on your counter, not the floor!!! :)
Blessings and prayers for smooth adjustments...
aww Mo... don't like this type of post. Hope everything works out well!
I'd love to move to Monroe and take care of your girls :)
Hi Mo ~ Oh I remember that feeling well.......a million things to do & babies that only want to be held. I used to put the girls on their daddy, but they always wanted ME!
Somehow, everything gets done....very late at night, but it gets done.
The three of you look so cute cuddled up on the chair - precious.
Have a wonderful day,
Diana from Colorado
Hi Mo - -
It sounds as though everything is hitting at once. New daycare thing, moving, busy at work.
Hope all settles down soon!!
If they don't get sick at daycare now and build up some immunities, they will be sick when they start pre-K. Might as well get it over with.
Daycare- preschool - kindergarten kids are going to get sick and build their immunity.
When Nick was one and two he wanted to be cuddled after we got home from his daycare day too. He needed to learn that it's okay for him to miss me when I am at work and he is at "school". Now that he ia bout to be three he comes in for a quick hug, eats dinner and plays with his toys. This is a new phase for the girls, they will adjust! Sit down, hug them back and enjoy the kisses becasue THESE ARE THE BEST YEARS OF YOUR LIFE! You will not be able to get the toddler years back and teenage years are a comming sooner than later in this world!
Hang in there Mo!
i totally understand. i was at home with fox for 8 months when i went back to work. 3 days into working & him being in daycare, he got sick & i had to take off of work. and he honestly stayed sick for the first 3 months in daycare. i so wish i stayed home with him. i wish i was there to help you with the girls!
Welcome to the world of daycare/school!... Nothing but sickness in the beginning!So frustrating!. I hope you find a sitter for during the day. Like I said..if I lived there I'd volunteeer! Can't Miss Jean do it?
I agree with the other commenters! The girls are just experiencing a "change" in their routine. They are a little clingy and dependent on you! It's normal!! Hang in there! The "sickness" goes along w/the daycare. It does build up their immunities! I know...not easy to hear! It's gonna take some adjustments on your part as well as the girls! I agree with Beth, stick to routine and pretty soon, they will adjust and you will be amazed at how differently things fall into place! Nothing is worse than a tired, exhausted toddler(s) and an overly tired exhausted mommy!! NOTHING!!
It's okay to have post like this, it lets us know you really don't have a cape on your back!! LOL!!! Even superMOm gets tired!
I have an in-home daycare and I will tell you, when you start daycare your kids will be sick. They haven't been exposed to all the germs and bugs like the other kids have and they will get EVERYTHING. It will seem like they have a snotty nose for months! None of the other kids will be sick, but yours will be. It isn't that the daycare is dirty, germy, or anything like that...it is just that the kids have not been exposed. Trust me, you would rather they had it now than when school starts. If you think daycare is bad, wait for school! The best thing to do is to be on a schedule. If daycare does naps from 1-3, keep it up on the weekend. I can always tell when kids have been on vacation or with grandparents and come back and they are crazy the first few days because of no schedule. I have even had grandparents call me and ask me what time do I feed them lunch, what time is nap time, etc. so they stay close to the same schedule. Otherwise, you are really going to throw yourself into a tailspin. Try and think of it as therapy you do for your patients....if they left you for a week, you would want them to continue the same routine with the new person for that week so when they came back to you they weren't all messed up. Same thing. Oh another thing...if daycare potty trains or takes off bottles, do it at home as well. I had a mom say to me the other day that she wants her son to not be on a bottle any more because all he wants is a bottle all night long. I told her he hasn't had a bottle at my house in 2 months! The pacifier is the same thing....once you hit 2 years, you don't need to any more. A little girl comes into my house with it in her mouth and literally takes it out of her mouth and puts it into her bag. As soon as mom shows up, she pulls it out and puts it back in. Then mom wonders why she can't get her to not want it at home! Trust me, it is an adjustment, but in the end the kids will enjoy it, and I think you will too!
I agree with everything everyone else has said here about your daycare situation. It is a tough thing to get through but like I have always used for a measuring stick is give it six months unless something terrible happens before then - but six months is a good amount of time to adjust to any new situation - it usually happens much quicker than that for all involved. Hang in there, Mama - it is so hard juggling everything you have in the air right now - once you get moved in to that new house and settled a bit, I bet a lot of these issues will resolve themselves. Never hestitate to write out your fears on this blog if you feel you want to. Your are like many other moms with youngsters and older kids, we are all just worried about our babies, no matter what age, and we worry we are not making the right decisions. What a gift to have the advice from all these wise moms and daycare providers. Wish there would have been this kind of communication when I was raising my girls - well there was, it was the telephone and the parking lot at school and the coffee shop after you dropped off your kids or the park bench - not as convenient but we found the wisdom we were searching for. Mo, you are a great mom and your girls are darling and they will be fine - hug them as long as they want because one day, they will live in another state or not want you in the same room - here is part of a poem that my mom always lived by and told me to memorize when I was frantic with little ones and housework and a job and a remodeling project, etc., etc....
"The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,
for children grow up, as I've learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust go to sleep.
I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep."
Having toddlers, moving, being a working mom (and running multiple locations!), starting daycare -- every one of these is difficult for a mom, but oh my goodness, when you combine them it is crazy! You are such a good momma and this time will pass. As everyone has said before me, the kids will be snotty and congested (at best) for a while as well as being super-clingy to you in the evenings.
My three grandsons live with us (the twins are about Ellie's age and the youngest is Gabbi Girl's age; they're 13 months apart) and I can really relate to what you're going through. Our little guys have now been in daycare for a year; the first 6-8 months were awful with one or more of them constantly sick! But that finally passed and now I can't remember a day that one of them has been sick in several months. You'll be there before you know it!
Also, I wholeheartedly agree with Beth and Cheri about keeping to a schedule. Our guys do so much better on those days when we follow a routine. Another suggestion I highly recommend is to give them dinner (or at least a snack) right after you get home. Nothing worse than a whiny, clingy, HUNGRY kiddo. We plop the boys at the table within 10-15 of walking in the door and give them dinner right away, even if it's only 5:30. It's amazing how much difference that makes in their demeanor, and the plus side is that they aren't clinging to you during that time. It seems to help the daily transition from daycare to home much easier.
We bathe the boys right after dinner and then play until bedtime, which at our house is very early, 7:30. We're not always successful in getting them down that early but at the latest it's 8:00.
Since they have to get up early (6:30) on weekdays, the earlier we get them in bed the better they act and feel the next day. Toddlers are on the go all the time and don't want to stop but they still need lots of sleep. In fact, they need between 11 and 14 hours of sleep. (I wish I got that much!)
Since our 3 year old twins don't nap consistently anymore, putting them to bed at 7:30 and hoping they'll settle down by 8:00 means they're only getting 10.5 hours of sleep at best, and goodness knows, it shows! They are cranky as all get out by Friday afternoon. But, alas, it comes with the territory. :(
I really hate that we only see the boys for a couple of hours on weeknights, that's where the guilt sets in. "Momma Guilt", or in my case, "Grandma Guilt" ... there's just nothin' quite like it.
My, my I've carried on way too long. Just wanted to try and reassure you and let you know that many of us are struggling with the same issues (although probably not all at once, lol) and we are rooting for you as you navigate this phase of parenthood!
Many blessings to you!
Kathy
I imagine this is hard on you. What is boils down to (from where I am sitting) is you are more comfortable with the girls being at your house. It gives you more flexibility when you are there with them. I can certainly understand your desire to let them start the day later so they can have more evening time with you. You have to make choices that work for you, but I agree you might want to give it some time. When things are more settled with the rest of your life, it might be easier all around.
For the record my 3 year old is in preschool 3 mornings a week and loves it. If you do have someone in the house I would encourage you to find a little school. They can get all those immunity building germs from their friends. Of course, my daughter seems to always get sick at the doctors office so maybe you can blame that this time!
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