First week finished

I was surprised at how easy it was to return to work this time and can't believe my first week back is already over. Tom and I were sad to have Stasa leave Gigi's and knew she'd have a hard time with the transition, especially since she's been with the same person for so long. But it is nice having both girls in the same place - makes for a more convenient drop off and pick-up for us among other things. At the end of each day we're given a daily communications sheet for each girl. Lexi's includes when and how many ounces she ate, her exact nap times, and a log of all of her diaper changes. Stasa's tells us what she ate for lunch (and how much), how well she napped, and what she did that day. Both sheets also have a section that notes what supplies each girl needs.


Day one:
Tom came with me for the first day to make it easier on all of us. Both girls were a mess. It didn't help that we were the first ones there because there were no other kids to distract/entertain Stasa, but I prefer to drop off early so I can pick up early. As we left, both girls were crying. Well, Lexi was crying. Stasa was in a ball on the floor, crying her heart out. Once we were in the car, I only cried for a moment and then was fine, which was somewhat surprising since I cried for the entire ride every day for a week when I went back to work last time.
That day I called 2 or 3 times to check on the girls and was told they were doing great, but Lexi was struggling with the bottle. At the end of the day we learned that Lexi hardly slept at all and refused the bottle until she was starving and even then she cried through all of her feedings.
Day two:
The night before we talked to Stasa about her new school and reminded her that she and Lexi would be going again in the morning and talked about all of the fun things she would get to do. I prepared everything the night before to make things easier on us in the morning and decided to pack one of our Swaddle Pods for Lexi to make swaddling easier in the hopes she would sleep longer during the day.
I did drop off alone and talked to Stasa on the ride there about what she would do at school. She was fine until we walked in the door. Then she lost it. I left again with both girls crying and I felt awful leaving, but me lingering would have just made it harder for everyone.
I called again a couple of times throughout the day to check on the girls and both times I was told they were doing great. Lexi's teachers said she slept so much better with the Swaddle Pod and had a pretty good day, but that she needed to be held most of the time. I had also left a pacifier there and they said that helped calm her and put her to sleep, too.
Day three:
We started the day off great - Stasa woke up, asked to sit on the potty and actually went. Drop off went pretty much the same as the day before, but Lexi stopped crying before I left. Poor Stasa walked in as if she was walking to her death. She was crying, but walking willingly to the infant room (where the little kids combine in the morning). When I left the teacher had to close the door to keep Stasa from following me out. Once I was at work, I only called daycare once to check on the girls and was told they were fine and happy.
The girls' rooms are right next to each other and Stasa's class was inside when I came for pick-up, but I managed to sneak into Lexi's room first so I could get her settled in the car seat. Then Stasa saw me through the window, came running over with a huge smile and her daily communications sheet and told me she tried sitting on the potty.
Day four:
Lexi was a gem at drop off. She was smiling, cooing and just all around happy. I put her in her crib and focused on loving on Stasa before I left for work. I left with Stasa pressed against the glass partition, crying out for me.
Somehow I made it through the day without calling daycare at all. I figured if anything went wrong, they would call me. Pick-up was fantastic. I was told that Lexi didn't cry at all the entire day and is happy to take a bottle now. After getting Lexi strapped in her car seat, we went outside to get Stasa. She was happily riding around on a toy car. When she saw me she ran as fast as she could and gave me a great big bear hug. It was the first day she said bye to the kids and the teachers and when we came inside she showed me her artwork (a colored cat) that was hanging on the wall.
Day five:
Drop off wasn't nearly as traumatic as it has been, Stasa walked in and started crying, but mostly because I wouldn't let her have her chew blanket. We usually only let her have it at nap and bed time, but have made an exception this week since it was a big transition for her. By the time I left the room, she had stopped crying and was helping the morning teacher. Apparently they have their own special routine since we're usually the first ones there.
Stas and Lexi were both in a great mood when I arrived for pick-up. Once we were in the car, Stasa told me her version of her day and then as we were pulling away she said, "bye Stasa's skuuul. I love you, Stasa's skuuul. See ya." LOL I think she likes it, what do you think?


The happy 3 month old