Well as we figured, but didn't want to believe, Isabelle's first day at her new preschool went better than we thought it would. As usual, and as I mentioned before, it is harder on the parents than it is on the child. Here is a re-cap of yesterday...
To Michael's chagrin, it was decided that he would drop Isabelle off at school and I would be picking her up (yes, I get to be the "savior") just like we did when she was at Lisa's. Although everything in me wanted to be there for my baby's first day at her new preschool, I felt very strongly about keeping things consistent and again, since Michael had been the one dropping off Isabelle at her other daycare for the past year, I felt that we should continue it that way. She was never dropped off by both of us and with a new school and environment I didn't want her to think that both Mom and Dad were abandoning her. So I sat in my office crying on and off from 7:30am (knowing that Michael's alarm was going off to get her up and ready) until 8:45am when I got the call from Michael that he just left her. However, that phone call from him turned on the waterworks full blast. Here is how the conversation went: I picked up the phone and Michael was silent on the other end and I asked how did she do...still silence. Then he said between teary sobs, "It's not fair...I don't ever want to do that again. You are dropping her off on Thursday." Trying to keep myself composed, I asked what happened? Did she cry? How was everything? Did they have a cubby ready for her? Plus about 10 million other questions. He told me that she walked in fine, started to look around and play a little bit then when he said, "OK, its time for Papa to go. Come give me a hug good-bye.". As he was saying that tears came streaming down her face and she clung to him like glue! He held her tight, not wanting to let her go either. Finally, with tears in his eyes and her bawling, one of her teachers (Ms. Holly) pried HIS arms off of her and took her from him. He said he left and went and sat in the car trying to get it together and watching her through the 2 year old room window where he could see her run off to play with another child. That was it...forgotten in 2 minutes.
To Michael's chagrin, it was decided that he would drop Isabelle off at school and I would be picking her up (yes, I get to be the "savior") just like we did when she was at Lisa's. Although everything in me wanted to be there for my baby's first day at her new preschool, I felt very strongly about keeping things consistent and again, since Michael had been the one dropping off Isabelle at her other daycare for the past year, I felt that we should continue it that way. She was never dropped off by both of us and with a new school and environment I didn't want her to think that both Mom and Dad were abandoning her. So I sat in my office crying on and off from 7:30am (knowing that Michael's alarm was going off to get her up and ready) until 8:45am when I got the call from Michael that he just left her. However, that phone call from him turned on the waterworks full blast. Here is how the conversation went: I picked up the phone and Michael was silent on the other end and I asked how did she do...still silence. Then he said between teary sobs, "It's not fair...I don't ever want to do that again. You are dropping her off on Thursday." Trying to keep myself composed, I asked what happened? Did she cry? How was everything? Did they have a cubby ready for her? Plus about 10 million other questions. He told me that she walked in fine, started to look around and play a little bit then when he said, "OK, its time for Papa to go. Come give me a hug good-bye.". As he was saying that tears came streaming down her face and she clung to him like glue! He held her tight, not wanting to let her go either. Finally, with tears in his eyes and her bawling, one of her teachers (Ms. Holly) pried HIS arms off of her and took her from him. He said he left and went and sat in the car trying to get it together and watching her through the 2 year old room window where he could see her run off to play with another child. That was it...forgotten in 2 minutes.
Monster's last day at Lisa's
I called around 10, being "that parent" to see how she was doing and the director said that she actually just went in to check on her and was about to call us, especially after the "rocky good-bye". She said Isabelle is doing fine and hasn't cried since Dad left. That instantly put a huge smile on my face and Michael's after I called to tell him. However not an hour after that phone call, and I think it was on purpose :), Michael had forgotten the check and went back to drop it off. The "two's" were out on the playground and he watched Isabelle outside playing on the slide, smiling. He was careful not to let her see him and called me as he left to tell me the news. He also noticed that she is the youngest/smallest one in that room-which she is but that was by our choice. Another point we made when putting her in this preschool was that although she is not 2 until March 28, we didn't want her to start in the Toddler room only to have her make another transition to the Two-year old room a month later. They were fine with it and so were we. She does have 2 other kids in her class that are "freshly" two so she shouldn't be that far off.
Isabelle's "Letter Art"...she had glue stuck in her eyebrows! LOL!
Isabelle's "Letter Art"...she had glue stuck in her eyebrows! LOL!
We both went about our day trying not to think about it but I will have to say, 4:00 couldn't come around any slower!!! At 3:30 I said forget it and left work with Grandmama to go and get her. Michael was going to meet us over there so he wouldn't be portrayed as the "bad guy" who dropped her off and left her at this new place. Mom and I were sitting in the office waiting for Michael and talking to my friend Gretchen, who also happens to be the assistant director, when all of a sudden we hear a crying kid and the door opens with Ms. Amanda (Izzy's other teacher) holding our little one, apologizing to us and Gretchen as she grabs some tissue and not realizing it was me sitting there, saying that when she went to leave the room for a second, Isabelle started crying so she went ahead and just took her with her. Although I wanted Michael to be the one that she would first see coming to get her and even though in her frenzy of tears she didn't realize it was Mom and I sitting there, I couldn't let her cry so I said, "Monkey? What is wrong?". Instantly her eyes lit up, her arms stretched out to me as she tearfully said, "Mom!". I took her from Ms. Amanda and held her tight. It was funny, I had the same exact feeling as I did when she was just born and the nurse handed her to me to hold for the first time...I was in love all over again! I teared up (again) and then started talking to her and Ms. Amanda about her day. Not 2 minutes after that, Michael walked in. Isabelle saw him and went over to give him a big hug hi and I caught a glimpse of tears in the eyes of our "solid as a rock" Dad. We all went to her room and heard more about her day. She didn't nap but ate all of her lunch (spaghetti, salad and milk) and even pee-pee'd on the potty! YAY!
Phewwww! What an emotional day but hopefully Thursday will be better :)
As some of you may have read on my Facebook page, we are going to be transitioning to a new daycare sooner than we had planned. On Tuesday when I went to pick up Isabelle from daycare, Lisa opened the door her normal, happy, cheerful self (I swear she never has a bad day-I am jealous!) but as I walked into the kitchen I see Mark, little Riley's Dad, sitting on the couch and then Lisa proceeded to say, "I have something to tell you guys. We have some news...". Now the statement "we have some news" to me over the past 3 years, and especially knowing that Lisa is married and has been trying to get pregnant for a year, means "Hey, guess what...we have a bun in the oven!". And even looking at Lisa's Mom, Barbie, who said, "I am not going to cry" made me get butterflies in my stomach from the sheer excitement for them . Well, that was not the case this time around. Lisa then proceeds to tell Mark and I that Jeff (her hubby) got a new job and there is going to be a commute. So still thinking, OK a little adjustment but nothing big... it will still work. She continues to say, "We are moving to Florida on February 2oth for Jeff's new job". As I am standing their trying to process what she just said, Lisa then proceeds to tell us about what happened that past weekend; how they were in Ft. Lauderdale for the interview, Jeff was offered the job right then and there and that she won't have to work. At first I didn't know whether to jump up and down with excitement for them since she won't have to work, can concentrate on starting their own family and the fact that Jeff has been looking for a job for months now and finally has one, or to cry because Isabelle is losing her "Yeesah". One look at Barbie and I lost it. So now the search begins. All we know is that no one is going to replace Lisa.
Earlier this week, we have taken tours of several local "in home day cares" and actual preschools and have pretty much narrowed it down to Tutor Time in Stevenson Ranch. We felt so welcome and comfortable there...unlike one preschool we visited who's director left a child in the office (who was brought in as a punishment while we were there) while she took us for a tour of the school...RED FLAGS thrown right then and there! And their teachers who would have Isabelle within a few months, as Michael so eloquently put it, look and talk like they frequent an old SCV dive bar called Doc's Inn, every night. At Tutor Time, although licensed for a 1 to 12 teacher to child ratio, have a maximum of 1 to 8 with an aide. When we stopped in, besides the room being HUGE, there were 2 teachers and an aide and 15 kids...we really liked that. We have one more preschool to visit that is 2 streets down from my work (and is $40 a week cheaper than Tutor Time) and then its decision making time since February 20th is going to come sooner than we think!
