Daycare-shmaycare

Today was the third time I left Emmeline at her new school and it was the hardest day so far. Last Monday Paul and Emmeline went for an hour together to play.  Afterwards he told me that I needed to be prepared when I was to go with her on Wednesday.  He said that it was incredibly chaotic and Emmeline didn't stray far from him.  On Wednesday I stayed with her and played for about an hour and a half.  I helped with lunch and after the other toddlers were starting to lay down for their naps, I felt like I should leave.  I knew that if I didn't at least attempt to leave her, Paul would be looking down his nose at me later that night.  One of the teachers (Bev) was finally able to take Emmeline by the hand when the others toddlers were napping and she lead her around the school.  Emmeline took her hand and when they were around a corner I dashed out.  I came back and half an hour later and she was napping on Bev.  I could see that tissues were strew about around them and knew that she must have gotten a bit upset.  Bev laid her down in a pack-n-play and she stayed sleeping so I decided to go.  I came home, ate lunch and went back after about an hour.  She was still sleeping so I played with the other toddlers and read books to them. When she woke up we stayed to play for a while and had fun on the playground.  I took it as a good sign that she didn't want to leave when I told her it was time to go.  On Friday, I dropped her off at around 11 but stayed until about 12:20 when she was eating lunch.  She whimpered a bit when I left but when I called around 1:15, they told me that she fell asleep and did just fine (later I found out she only slept for 15 minuets). I had a meeting on campus so Paul picked her up around 3:30 that day. Paul said that when she saw him she barely gave him a glance and went back to playing.

I was glad that she didn't seem mad at us or emotionally traumatized but there are definitely things that I don't like about her school.  One major thing is that there are three teachers to upwards of 14 toddlers and they are all in the same room.  I wish that there were less kids per teacher but most centers and home day-cares have a six or seven to one ratio.  Also, there is one teacher there who is particularly gruff with the toddlers.  She really is a crabby old lady.  I have talked to the director about this teacher because I didn't like the things that she was saying to the toddlers or the way that she was saying them.  She certainly did not seem to be in compliance with the school's positive reinforcement policy.  I told her that I think Emmeline is too little to be talked to like that; she wouldn't understand much of what this teacher expects them to do.  And as a rule, I believe that being gentle and understanding go a lot further than harsh scolding.  The director said she also had noticed this teacher getting gruff with the kids and planned to talk to her. Well, today I didn't notice a difference...and it was a rough day.

Today I brought Emmeline at about 8:30 as I had a meeting on campus at 9:15.  She was crying when I left and I was devastated leaving her but I had to make it to the meeting.  Plus I start teaching tomorrow and she and I have to try to get used to this whole thing.  When I picked her up, the teachers assured me that she had a fine day and that she *just* started to cry when I pulled up.  I am sure they are telling me the truth but I just wish I knew more about her day today.  When I arrived they were transitioning from lunch to naps and it is incredibly chaotic. Plus the kids are fussy because they are all very tired.  I wanted to ask more questions about her day, but they were so busy trying to sooth several toddlers, wiping noses and changing diapers.  And there were three teachers today plus the owner in the toddler room.

Paul and I have done plenty of research, sent out emails, scoured craig's list, toured three centers and interviewed two women who were interested in watching Emmeline part time out of their homes.  The school that we picked seemed like the best option because, among other things, it is the closest to our house and less costly.  Most centers and home daycares will not take kids part-time so that ruled out quite a few. One of the women we interviewed seemed really nice but taking Emmeline to her would mean an hour-and-a-half drive to drop her off and then to get to campus.  I just can't afford the time.  I feel like it is more important to spend more time with Emmeline even if it means if she is going to daycare center closer to home.

But my feeling right now is that this school cannot be our best option (and this is probably because the day seemed to be so rough for her).  I feel like she needs more one-on-one attention.  I do like that she is getting more interaction with other kids and that she is learning things, singing songs, and doing art projects, but ideally I want her to be cared for by someone only watching one or two other kids.  Is that to much to ask?  Oh, and it has to be affordable and close to home, too.  There needs to be better, affordable options for families out there.  I just feel sick thinking about tomorrow.

P.S. New camera has been ordered and is on its way...hooray!

Iconography at 14 Months

Whoops! Yesterday I forgot that Emmeline turned 14 months so this post is a day late.  Right now Emmeline is exhausted from a long day at White Clay Creek State Park.  Her friend Estella turned two on Friday and her birthday party was today.  Emmeline had a great time on the playground, running through the grass, playing with the other kids, and squatting in the dirt. She ate a bit of cake and a hefty amount of watermelon.  I would share some pictures but our digital camera no longer works as I spilled water on it on Thursday. As you could probably tell from pictures on our blog, it was not the highest quality camera anyway.  So, we are now accepting donations for a new camera. We've got our eye on a beauty!

This past month Emmeline has been a regular monkey.  She climbs up and onto whatever she can. She has even learned how to pile things and stand on top of them.  My mom likes to tell stories about how I used to push kitchen chairs up to the counters so I could climb up to steal treats from the cupboards.  I used to do this when she was busy nursing my little sister Kelsey (we are about 21 months apart).  I wonder if Emmeline has a little bit of her mamma in her?!

Emmeline has also recently discovered Elmo.  It sounds like she is saying "Oh no" when she calls him by name.  She also sings "La la la la" (for the Elmo's World song) when she sees him. This is her first recognizable icon.  And she absolutely adores him.  What is it about him that kids love so much?  That he is easily recognizable?  He is cute and funny?  He is repetitive?  I don't know but Sesame Street sure did stumble upon something with that little red monster.

The most significant thing that has happened in our household is that we have decided to send Emmeline to part-time daycare.  This fall I will be teaching during the day at UD three times a week.  We have been trying to decide what is best for Emmeline and mesh that with what we could afford.  So we found a day school that we like that will take her part time (about 12-15 hours a week).  It is really close to our house and the school is very flexible with hours.  I am not thrilled about leaving her but I know that she and I will eventually adjust. Everybody keeps telling me that school "will be good" for her and for me and that it will be harder on me than on her.  I know cognitively that this is probably true but I am still having a hard time feeling like I am definitely doing the right thing.  I am comforted, however, in the fact that Emmeline is a very brave, adventurous and interactive toddler.  She genuinely enjoys playing and interacting with other kids and gets excited to explore new environments.  I can only hope that she will flourish there and that her teachers/care providers will treat her with tenderness, compassion and understanding.  I will keep you all posted...

Gs for all!

My mom told me that gdiapers were on Rachel Ray today.  I missed the story but I am glad to hear that more people now know about gdiapers.  It is nice to see things like cloth diapers, gdiapers, organic baby foods, natural baby products, and baby carriers/slings become more mainstream.  Now if those darned formula companies would stop pushing their product onto new mothers in the hospital we would really have something to celebrate!

Happy Anniversary to Us!

Today (well, yesterday, by the time I get around to posting this) is our seventh wedding anniversary.  We decided to do something that the three of us could do together so we ended up at the the Philadelphia Zoo.  Emmeline is now old enough to recognize animals and mimic their sounds so she had a great time.  It is so much fun to watch her face as she sees the animals and listen to her little voice make animal sounds ("oo-oo ah-ah!", "roar!", "meow" and even "waddle waddle" for the penguins!).  The weather was beautiful; mid-80s without perceptible humidity.  Emmeline still has a runny nose but seems to be feeling fine.  She is finally eating more solids again and had a pretty substantial breakfast today (other than breast milk) for the first time in over a week.  This evening when we got home from our outing, she was in her prime running around, giggling, and sabotaging my laundry folding. Her burst of energy could have been from the exciting day at the zoo, her late nap in the car on the way home or the sugar from the strawberry ice cream we gave her hoping it would make her teeth feel better (we are such naughty parents sometimes!).

We had a lovely day and are so thankful that our partnership has created such an amazing little person:

Just the three of us

"Turr-tle!"

And just to balance the sappy sentiments above, here is Paul playing poker with some buddies yesterday tottering Emmeline on one knee.  The good news is that he doubled his money.  The bad new is that, well...you can see for yourself.

Pretty Baby!

I am always amazed when Emmeline repeats something that we say or mimics one of our actions for the first time.   Yesterday she got into my handbag and pulled out some lip gloss.  She raised it up to her mouth and I though she was just going to chew on it.  Before I could snatch it away from her, she held it up to her lips and pretended she was putting some on.  Either I put lip gloss on entirely too often or Emmeline has an amazing memory.  It is probably a little bit of both :)

One other cute thing she has been doing lately is pulling out the old discarded mardi gras beads from the cat toy box and wearing them around her neck.  She walks around the house saying, "prip! prip!", which is her attempt at saying "pretty!".

Feeling Better

Emmeline and I have been sick since Saturday with summer colds.  After watching the Olympic opening ceremonies on Friday night with our friends Kate and Mike, we went to bed with our windows open and a fan blowing.  I woke up the next morning with that dreaded little tickle in the back of my throat.  That morning Emmeline was sneezing and had a runny nose. Since then the two of us have been trading symptoms and nobody in this house has been sleeping well. On Monday Emmeline and I walked to Brandywine park to play at the playground. She had been cooped up all weekend and I figured that a walk, some fresh air and outdoor playtime would be good medicine. On our way there we saw evidence of the strong storms that passed this way last weekend:

A large tree ripped out at the roots by

strong winds in Brandywine Park

Branches littering "Monkey Hill" in the Park

Emmeline was chewing on her fingers (which is not atypical) while in the stroller. On this day I found her seventh tooth poking through in the back left of her mouth. The other three large teeth back there are bulging but not yet poking out.  I wonder if her cold symptoms have something to do with her teething?  It is hard to tell what is the result of germs and what is the result of teething.

Daddy met us at the Park and smelled flowers

with Emmeline in the rose garden.

Tuesday: Emmeline's very first barrette.  Paul thinks

it look silly.  And it is silly, I suppose.  She

wore it for about 20 minutes and then pulled

it out. But isn't it sweet?

"You talkin' to me?!"

A classic Emmeline look

Helping daddy organize his new fifth grade

classroom today

Already moving on to complicated scientific

text books

Recently Emmeline discovered the crusty

 old broom in our kitchen.  She has learned how

 to sweep her toys around the kitchen and 

shoo the cats.  

Apparently housework can be fun!

Clearly she was feeling better this

evening...

...how nice to see her being her old

self again.

Fun with Jacy!

Emmeline had a lovely time with Auntie Jacy while she was visiting.  She can say Jacy's name now (it sounds kind of like "gee gee") and as we looked through some pictures this morning of Jacy's visit, she was calling out her name.  It was so sweet.  They were so cute together:

The four of us had all sorts of fun while Jacy was in DE.  Fun at the playground:

Fun at the beach:

Fun kidding around:

"Nice Jacy!"-my mom taught Emmeline

to be gentle when we were in ND in July; 

she is still getting the hang of it.

And fun in New York City!:

Enjoying Baird's toys

Jacy and I dressed up for Wicked

Eating an authentic Gray's Papaya hotdog 

in her sparkly dress

Central park with daddy

Watching Shakespeare's As You Like It in

Central Park (I was bribing her with ice cream)

Enchanted and

 amazed at F.A.O Schwartz

Hanging out with Lego H.P. and the gang

Jacy and me at Alice's Tea Cup

Jacy standing in one of Juilliard's theaters; she

plans to audition in a few years!

Sharing a nectarine with Auntie Jacy

Yum!