LIONS:
and BEARS, oh my!
In other news, today Jason and I took Rachel to a farm up in Noblesville to do the Pumpkin Patch thing. For years I've watched on facebook as people have posted pictures of them going to get their pumpkins for the year with their kids and I've never truly understood what exactly happens at a "Pumpkin Patch". When I was growing up, there was a small house with an even smaller garden where mom would take us sometimes to let us pick our pumpkin out. When they stopped selling them, we'd just head to the local grocery store. We lived out in the country enough and grew up around enough "Farm" stuff that going to a Pumpkin Patch was just not something that was even though about. Heck, those types of "farms" didn't probably exist back when I was a kid. So I looked up a few that were somewhat nearby and had Jason choose which one he thought looked best. It wasn't that expensive, it wasn't anything fancy, but it was a good time. Rachel even had a good time as she went running all over the place looking at animals, walking through the pumpkin patch (we just picked up a pumpkin at the store on our way out), had a hay ride, and played with some of the toys they had there. Here are some snaps from our day:
All in all, an exhausting but fun morning for us!
I'd also like to give an update on Rachel's adjustment into her new day care. I'm stunned. Her first morning was Wednesday and I was SOOOOO nervous and jittery. It's a big change and even though I knew she would be fine, I was more worried about me. I'd gotten used to the routine and the people and what if they weren't nice to her or what if some other kid pulls her hair and I have to go yell at his parents? *sigh* I'm ridiculous and I know it. None of those things would ever happen. But the sudden upset in our routine and comfort that we'd established left me unnerved. Tuesday evening I skipped my trip to Anderson so we could walk through the day care with Rachel. Jason had had a tour, I had not. She seemed excited, but I didn't want to get my hopes up. I did have a little bit of relief when we walked in the next morning knowing that it wasn't a completely strange place, she had seen it the night before.
I met the director (or owner? Not sure who she was) and they were all very welcoming. Rachel gave me a big hug and with very little coaxing took the hand of her new teacher and walked away. I was in tears before I even got back to my car. Logically: this change makes sense and she's fine! I still don't know what made me blubber so much.
I left work as early as I could and ran straight for the day care anxious to see how her first day was. I honestly want to use the word "Magical" to describe it. She fit right in with no problems. No tears. No confusion. No tantrums. Matter of fact, when I picked her up we were leaving and she wriggled out of my hands and started running (no kidding) through the halls and went the entire perimeter of the day care. She tried to go for another round then cried when I walked out the door. I'm thinking she likes it there.
By Thursday afternoon, her second day, Jason and I had noticed a drastic change in her. Which leads me to wonder if we shouldn't have acted sooner. Bah, I won't let myself dwell on that. Anyway, we noticed she seemed so much more happier and excited. She's interacting with us more and talking more. How on Earth does 2 days of a new day care make this much of a difference? I find that remarkable and am so thankful we have made the switch we have. Her teachers give us a really detailed report every day. I have MISSED having a constant teacher that can relay when Rachel's doing well or isn't. I got there late on Friday to pick her up and managed to catch the teacher on her way out. The kids were already next door so she talked with me for a long time, uninterrupted and I greatly appreciated it. I mentioned that Rachel's showing some signs of being interested in using the potty and I would like to try to see how she does. They are going to try a few things to get her started on that track and at least get her turned on to the idea. She's starting to express annoyance with her diaper and excitement about sitting on a potty. She just has no idea what to do when she does sit on one. So I'm anxious to see if they can get that started for her in that environment.
A girl at work told me the other day that if you're having uncomfortable feelings regarding anything that comes to your kid, you should listen to your instinct. Because chances are your subconscious is picking up things your consciousness isn't getting. I have wondered if we would have waited out the other day care if things would have improved. But I didn't realize how much of a weight and worry I had taken on until I felt the huge relief of moving her somewhere else. And it's true. It's hard to put into words what I've been feeling over the past 2 - 3 months (perhaps 4 - 5?) with my level of discomfort with the day care she was in. We loved it and I'm so sad that this is the way it is. But I am so grateful there was an opening where she is, it's closer to home (I can run more errands now before getting her than I could for the past year!) so I'm glad that she is thriving and so excited!
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