Thankful for Chocolate-Covered Joe's O's
Just a little humor for this gloomy, rainy Friday before Thanksgiving week.
Baby K is almost 14 months now and seems less like an infant and more like a little boy. He just started walking last week, just in time for his transition to the toddler room at daycare. I kind of felt like crying on Thursday (his last day in the infant room) because he's no longer an "infant." I guess my transition did not go as smoothly as his since he seemed to take to the new teachers and room like he always belonged there. I hope Baby K does not inherit my tendency to have a hard time moving on. I just get so attached to people and to the way things are. When the situation changes, I feel a lot of emotion. I mean, the logical side of me knows I'm not saying goodbye forever (the toddler room is next to the infant room. you can hear the babies faintly when they're crying on either side) but the emotional side of me is a little sad that Baby K is growing up so fast and a little fearful that we're not enjoying him enough or savoring the moment enough. Obviously as I write this, it sounds ridiculous. His development is exciting. I wanted him to start walking relatively soon so that he would be able to keep up with his peers in the toddler room. I didn't want him to get trampled on or miss out on any activities (although, rest assured, I was told that my fears would not happen.). Now he's walking and I'm a little sad that it's happening so quickly. Geez! If only I could only make up my mind! In my head, I think I'm good at change but the reality is that I'm really not so good at it. But, I am not afraid of change; I have the willpower to do what needs to be done. I'll cry about it, snap at the hubs (which I know is not fair to him), but in the end, I will get it done and I will survive. I do hope Baby K gets willpower from me.
The good things about the toddler room is that I no longer need to provide food for him. His last month in the infant room consisted of me cooking and packing 6 4-ounce containers of nutritious food (sometimes, I'd include a banana) the night before, packing the cooler in the morning, lugging it into the city with my gigantic purse, and 20-pound baby, and then depositing it into the fridge at daycare. At the end of the day, I'd have to pack up the 6 empty 4-ounce containers along with his clothes from the morning (that were covered in baby food), bring them home, soak them in a tub of soapy, hot water for an hour, then scrub them, dry them, and repack his food for the next day. Repeat Monday-Thursday (and Friday, if I went into the office instead of working from home). Man oh man, I am glad that I don't have to that. The Kitchen Manager makes such good food for the older children; I wish I had someone cooking me two meals and two snacks.
Baby K's day is much more structured now. But it's a relatively loose routine since they are all still so young. The teachers seem nice and friendly and most important, good with the babies. It'll be a good move for Baby K and me. I'll miss the infant room though. They made him a portfolio of his 9 months in the room and it was so sweet and cute, plus a CD of all the photos and videos they've taken of him. It reaffirms my decision that putting him in this center was the right one.
Do I have any advice for moms out there for the transition from infant to toddler? Keep your camera trained on your baby waiting for those first steps. But don't stress, every baby truly is different. Baby K took his first steps at almost 14 months. Two 11 month old babies have already started walking in the infant room. Babies who develop fast in one area are slow in others; it's nothing to worry about.
Remember, it's not a problem until it's a problem
Baby K is almost 14 months now and seems less like an infant and more like a little boy. He just started walking last week, just in time for his transition to the toddler room at daycare. I kind of felt like crying on Thursday (his last day in the infant room) because he's no longer an "infant." I guess my transition did not go as smoothly as his since he seemed to take to the new teachers and room like he always belonged there. I hope Baby K does not inherit my tendency to have a hard time moving on. I just get so attached to people and to the way things are. When the situation changes, I feel a lot of emotion. I mean, the logical side of me knows I'm not saying goodbye forever (the toddler room is next to the infant room. you can hear the babies faintly when they're crying on either side) but the emotional side of me is a little sad that Baby K is growing up so fast and a little fearful that we're not enjoying him enough or savoring the moment enough. Obviously as I write this, it sounds ridiculous. His development is exciting. I wanted him to start walking relatively soon so that he would be able to keep up with his peers in the toddler room. I didn't want him to get trampled on or miss out on any activities (although, rest assured, I was told that my fears would not happen.). Now he's walking and I'm a little sad that it's happening so quickly. Geez! If only I could only make up my mind! In my head, I think I'm good at change but the reality is that I'm really not so good at it. But, I am not afraid of change; I have the willpower to do what needs to be done. I'll cry about it, snap at the hubs (which I know is not fair to him), but in the end, I will get it done and I will survive. I do hope Baby K gets willpower from me.
The good things about the toddler room is that I no longer need to provide food for him. His last month in the infant room consisted of me cooking and packing 6 4-ounce containers of nutritious food (sometimes, I'd include a banana) the night before, packing the cooler in the morning, lugging it into the city with my gigantic purse, and 20-pound baby, and then depositing it into the fridge at daycare. At the end of the day, I'd have to pack up the 6 empty 4-ounce containers along with his clothes from the morning (that were covered in baby food), bring them home, soak them in a tub of soapy, hot water for an hour, then scrub them, dry them, and repack his food for the next day. Repeat Monday-Thursday (and Friday, if I went into the office instead of working from home). Man oh man, I am glad that I don't have to that. The Kitchen Manager makes such good food for the older children; I wish I had someone cooking me two meals and two snacks.
Baby K's day is much more structured now. But it's a relatively loose routine since they are all still so young. The teachers seem nice and friendly and most important, good with the babies. It'll be a good move for Baby K and me. I'll miss the infant room though. They made him a portfolio of his 9 months in the room and it was so sweet and cute, plus a CD of all the photos and videos they've taken of him. It reaffirms my decision that putting him in this center was the right one.
Do I have any advice for moms out there for the transition from infant to toddler? Keep your camera trained on your baby waiting for those first steps. But don't stress, every baby truly is different. Baby K took his first steps at almost 14 months. Two 11 month old babies have already started walking in the infant room. Babies who develop fast in one area are slow in others; it's nothing to worry about.
Remember, it's not a problem until it's a problem
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