"If you ever want to make God laugh, just tell Him your plans." In case you haven't figured it out, I am a creature of habit, at least when it comes to parenting. My children are scheduled throughout the week and on weekends as much as possible. We know our routine and it drives us a little bit nuts sometimes, but it's a part of our lifestyle now.
When the phone rang this morning at 8:15 and the caller ID registered as my in-laws, I knew something had to be going on. Of course, I always imagine the worst case scenario, and in this case, it was close. My poor mother in-law has injured her left arm. Have I mentioned that she is a lefty? What the extent of the injury is, we do not know, but as I write, her arm is in a sling, she has undergone x-rays and she is seeing the doctor on Monday. None of the above are in any way conducive to being Peter's primary caregiver, since no matter what the degree of injury is, her arm needs to heal. Call me crazy, but toting around my 26-pound 1 year-old is not going to be the fastest avenue to complete rehabilitation.
Given the imminent scenario, I immediately called people I know would help me as best they could -- my sisters. In the course of sharing my predicament with them, I realized that, DUH, they have families of their own and even though they were both willing and able to help, perhaps the best thing to do was go the known route. This route would not be nearly so hard on a week day, but on a Saturday morning at 9am, a bit tougher...
It required some advanced stalking skills to manage to track down the cell phone number of the Kindercare center director. All in all, it took about three phone calls and two voice mails, but within 30 minutes, I was speaking live with her and arranging Peter's entry on Monday morning. Considering that none of my sons have ever gone into child care outside of family until he was almost 2 years old, I found myself a bit overwhelmed with everything I had to pull together for Peter's entry. Diapers and wipes are par for the course, as are changes of clothes. But I forgot how babies need a lot of other stuff. Like baby food, sippy cups, spoons, pacifiers... Of course, this is no different than what I would bring with me when I drop things at the in-laws' house, except in that case, I don't have to label every item with a Sharpie. To be honest, I think I might be a little high on the fumes.
Once I arrived home with all of the stuff, I realized that I needed to write up Peter's schedule. For entertainment value, I will copy and paste some of it. I realize that in some areas, it reads as if I am leaving a note for the neighbor who is watching the dog while I'm on vacation. I didn't intend for it to read that way, but I do think it's the perfect example of what parents do every day that we don't even realize we do...
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I expect that Peter will fare well and transition pretty easily. He is familiar with the facility, and he sees his brothers coming and going, so if he is having a rough go of it, Blythe suggests a visit from one of his brothers this week. I really believe that Peter is going to be happy to be part of a tribe here. He is quite snuggly, and once he’s used to you, he might get clingy! Initially, he does have some “stranger” anxiety, though, to the point that at his first birthday party he would not be held by anyone other than me...
...Peter has learned a lot from his two older brothers in the first year of life, and he is very good at getting your attention when he needs it. Sometimes I feel like I can actually watch his face frown in slow motion, that’s how well he has learned it from his brothers. Since he has two older bros, he takes his share of abuse and is pretty sturdy as a result. Even though he is not walking yet, he is actively engaged in everything going on around him. He pulls to standing, “crab walks” along the couch and furniture, etc. He ABSOLUTELY loves “The Itsy Bitsy Spider” and the ABC Music and Me “Gonna Get Me a Hammer” song. Peter is also familiar with the baby signs for “more” and “eat.” I also use “play,” “milk,” and “drink.” He has actually used the signs for “more” and “eat.”
Here is Peter’s “schedule.” He has a definite meal and sleeping routine that he follows on weekdays, but lately his napping times have been varied. The most he will nap at a stretch is 3 hours. That will be what I call a “one nap day.” If that is the case, as it is on weekends for the most part, that three hour stretch will fall somewhere between 10am and 1pm. If he has a “two nap day,” he gets tired earlier (quite possible here with all of the other little ones to engage him). If that’s the case, he will sleep as early as 8:30 or 9am for about an hour to ninety minutes, then a quick nap in the afternoon a little after lunch time, 30 minutes to an hour maximum. Peter gets a pacifier only at nap time, and he does like to sleep “heinie up” or on his side with some rubs on the back as he goes down, but for the most part he is compliant with napping. We will see!
In terms of feeding, clearly Peter is eating well. I give him an 8 ounce cup of whole milk when he wakes up (5:30 or 6 am), and then he gets his breakfast around 7:30 or 8am. Breakfast is cereal mixed directly with fruit – usually about ¼ cup dry cereal mixed in with one container of fruit. I don’t bother to mix the cereal with milk, since he is getting plenty out of his sippy cup throughout the day. While I mix the cereal and fruit, I usually throw down some corn chex or rice chex on his tray for him to self-feed. I find that keeping his hands busy keeps him from grasping at the spoon. I have also just given him another spoon to hold while I am feeding him just to keep his hands busy. If he does get thirsty between breakfast and lunch, he can have some water or milk.
Lunch can be as early as 11am or as late as 1pm, depending on Peter’s napping schedule. He gets a yogurt and a veggie. You can sprinkle in some dry cereal to thicken the veggies up. I like to put the Gerber puffs on his tray as I am preparing his lunch, and he gobbles them up pretty quickly. In terms of finger foods, I have tried Peter successfully on the following very tiny pieces of: string cheese, meatball, macaroni shells, chicken cutlet, hot dog, banana, peaches, pears, pancakes, waffles. If the menu for the day has options that might appeal to him, feel free to try him on anything!
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Given all of the above, one can only imagine the gratitude that I have for someone like my mother in-law. And I am trying to imagine what it is like for people who have to leave little babies with someone other than family. Peter is older now. It's going to be okay. Of course I felt teary tonight in the Shop Rite, and I am sure I will tear up when I leave him there on Monday, but for the most part, let's get real. Day care is a guaranteed play group. The kid is going to have a blast. He has access to every sort of toy imaginable. If I cry on Monday, it will be more about this rite of passage than it is actually about my toddler.
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