The title of this post means vomit x 2. That would be me. Yes, this past Sunday night I ended up getting baby's virus and throwing up at 9pm and 11pm (why I remember the times I have no idea), and major stomach/intestinal issues all day Mon into Tues and finally feeling better today. It was simply miserable. So, my much anticipated start date never happened! I had to call my boss Monday morning and let her know I wasn't moving. She was so amazing and supportive I couldn't have asked for more, but geez.
Since I haven't dealt w/ much sickness with baby, I haven't dealt w/ me getting sick and having to take care of a toddler who is still not feeling great and has had back-covering diarrhea for several days. I have never counted the minutes so much as to when she would take a nap, then go to bed. I was just miserable. I felt bad that all I could do was lay there and when she brought a book read it to her. But she wasn't feeling great either so she had a lot of downtime herself....she sat in my lap a lot and wasn't her usual self. In addition the weather was horrendous so her school was closed tue and wed anyway.
Monday was one of the hardest days I've had as a parent trying to take care of my still sick baby while totally sick myself. A major blessing was that I am staying at a friend's house since the apartment still isn't move-in ready yet. I've been able to commiserate and share some of the load. Although not on Monday since I wasn't the only one to catch the virus...my friend did too! the same night.....ugh...just nasty.
Suffice it to say the transition here has just plain sucked. I did spend a few days thinking how I could/should just say forget it and go back home. I would burn major bridges at my new/old company and burn some friendships as well....but my house is still there and I am sure I can find a job--in fact several head hunters have called since I moved over here (poor timing!). And, my gut has been screaming at me that it's not settled or at peace. I've done my best to logically calm my inner voice, and got a lot of advice from friends to just stay put, stay calm, and just give it a try.
So.....
I am going to give the transition to daycare a little while longer....I know it won't happen overnight and I appreciated the comments from last post. I wasn't prepared for how hard it would be on both of us, but I've learned. I will say though, that over time if we don't get into a groove and she doesn't seem to be happy, nanny it is.
I'm also planning to drive back home because I have my transfer this Friday. I started the proges.terone in oil shots and I forgot how much they hurt :( Since my house is empty I haven't figured out where I am going to stay...I think I will stay thurs night at my house on air mattress, then after transfer Friday check into hotel for a few days since I have no TV or internet, then drive back over here Sunday afternoon. I'm stressing about which hotel to stay in....why, I'm not sure. I just can't seem to book one and be done w/ it. I thought about staying w/ a couple friends but two of them are out of town this weekend and the others have full houses. I'll figure it out.
On a separate note, her 4 teeth are still coming in......lots and lots of fussies today.
Just a lot going on, for sure......sickness, tears, stress......on the bright side I am excited (and nervous/yes) about the transfer, but it is finally here. It's been a long haul on this one.
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Saturday, January 25, 2014
New School
New School = tears.....for baby and mama. It has been super hectic since moving out of our house Monday, driving over to new city Monday night, Tuesday doing prep stuff, Wednesday first day of school 1/2 day, Thursday movers bring stuff to apartment and 1/2 day school + nap, and Friday (today) closer to full day of school.
What I haven't mentioned is the transition....for both of us.....has been t-o-u-g-h. Oh Man. I wasn't prepared for how hard this was going to be. We've had lots of tears. And vomit.
Wednesday I was a nervous wreck taking her to school.....I was so nervous for her i.e. that she would be inconsolable and we'd have to go home. To my surprise when we got there she went into the playland right away and I thought wow.....this may be easier than I thought. I went in to talk to the teacher and she walked me through what parent normally do at drop off, etc. and the more she was talking the more I started to get anxious and sad. She looked at me and said 'you look like you are about to cry' and I totally did! I started crying right then and there. I was just soooo worried about her. Leaving her, her crying and me not being there to comfort her. I was so surprised at my reaction. I hadn't even thought that this would be hard for ME too! But, waterworks. She took my hands, prayed for me, and it was very nice. We got there around 8:30, I left at 9:00-ish....then called around 10:30 to check in. They said she had been crying on and off once they left playland, but at that moment she was better. Okay, we can do this......she actually ate lunch well and I picked her up right before naptime.
She seemed to be just fine...no worries.......I was pleased w/ how it went for the most part.
Yesterday we went for 1/2 day + nap time after lunch--and I prepared to pick her up at 2pm when she woke up from nap. I wasn't sure what to expect, and they weren't sure she would nap.....but we tried it and I called during naptime and she was asleep--without using a bottle even! So I show up and see the teacher doing her notes outside the room and I went to talk w/ her before picking baby up. She said baby had napped but that she did cry on/off more than yesterday. I had filled out a questionnaire they gave me the night before and the teacher followed up on a couple things I had asked about/and said. 1) hand washing--when do they do.....2) books--there are no books left out and baby loves books 3) I had put in her questionnaire that our house is pretty quiet and I suspect the music/noise/activity would be a lot for her and to help her if she gets overwhelmed.
They said they agree that it probably is a lot of the noise because they saw she had covered her ears at one point....also, when kids are coming in/out she got overwhelmed and just sat down. (cue breaking heart). Once they saw my note about the noise they agreed and understood it will be a transition for her. When I went to the room she had just woken up from a nap and was crying (cue breaking heart again). Once she saw me she reached out and wanted to be held so bad. Then she quieted down.
One thing I noticed is how loud they play the music during naptime. It is not soft background noise....it really is loud. I kept thinking to myself OMG do they play this through their whole nap? And they do. I personally couldn't sleep at all if there was that much loud music playing. It's the first thing I've noticed that I really don't like. However, it's not something they will change for one child, I suspect.....so she will have to get used to it--or not.
Once we were driving home to my friend's house (where we are staying until apartment unpacked more), she seemed to be okay and when we got home she was acting normally. So, I thought okay, it was rough, but we survived.
Day 3---not so much. Oh man today was terrible. Started this morning....I went in to see her and something smelled funny. I thought it was her bottle until I noticed she had stains all over her jammies and chunks in her bed. Yup, she had vomited during the night and I didn't even know it. Real vomit too, not just spit up. I felt terrible that she had to throw up by herself and then put herself back to sleep. Just terrible.....So I got her up and felt her head....she seemed a little warm, but not too much. I got her dressed to see how she would act and she seemed okay--she took a bottle and drank which was good. I took her temperature and it was slightly up, but not hardly at all. I talked to my friend and we both agreed we should try school and if she starts getting sick they will call.
When I took her over this morning I told them she had been sick and to keep close watch on her. The group was in tubes and tunnels so I dropped her off in there--no tears--and went to classroom to drop off her things. Unfortunately when I walked past tunnels on my way out she saw me and started wailing....I mean reaching for me, red-faced, crying her eyes out. I just couldn't leave her like that. I went in the room grabbed her up and started crying myself. I sat down w/ her, hugged her...tears streaming down my face. I just couldn't stop them. It was as if someone had turned on the faucet. After several minutes and her calming right down I said enough, she will get upset if I am upset, and she needs to stay. So I tried to see if she would go to one of the girls--she did, but when I got up to leave she started crying terribly again. I just left this time and was sooo hopeful she would calm down after I was gone.
She didn't.
I left at 9:00 and I called at 10:00. She was still wailing in the background and I could totally hear her through the phone. It broke my heart....seriously I felt my heart bursting and I wanted to rush over there and grab her up and never leave her again. I couldn't believe how hard it was hearing her cry like that and there was nothing I could do not being there. I get that there are lessons we have to learn as parents and things will be hard....but she's a baby and she obviously was upset.
The teacher said that they were going on the buggy ride and she likes that....so call after that around 10:30. If she hadn't calmed down then I should go pick her up i.e. she was inconsolable. Called back and she had calmed down so we agreed that she should try nap time.
Here's where I was worried about being 'that parent'. I wanted to call back and see if she had gone down for a nap. But, I hesitated because I had already called to check on her. But, then I told myself you know what? I don't care. I don't care what they think.....if my heart says check on my baby...that's exactly what I will do.
When I talked to the teacher again she said she was just about to go to sleep but she had not eaten any of her lunch. She threw it on the floor. What that said to me was she was still upset and was still not feeling well at all. She loves lunch normally.
So, we had bad weather here and I got a call school was closing early so I was there to pick her up at 3pm. They had just gotten back from another buggy ride and she was wailing again. (Cue heartbreak since I saw her wailing). She saw me and reached for me like noone's business. Once I held her she calmed down but I could just tell she wasn't feeling well at all.
On the ride home we talked and her behavior seemed okay, if not a little lack-luster. Since only had a bottle for lunch so I gave her another one....then later tried to feed her dinner. She ate some--mac/cheese. We did our nighttime routine dinner/bath/bottle......she drank almost the whole thing and we were just resting when all of a sudden she started crying terribly. I asked her what was wrong and SPEW! Vomit all over her/and the floor. I held her forward and she vomited again.....her lunch and some other stuff not recognizable---very large amounts.
OMG this poor baby.
We quickly went to bath and my friend cleaned up her vomit. I felt terrible for baby, me, my friend all at the same time. I finally ended up giving her a bottle w/ a little bit of water and putting her down. She actually went right to sleep she was so worn out.
To say this was a tough day is an understatement. My heart broke multiple times, I cried multiple times, baby cried multiple times and was sick and experienced some serious stomach flu. The first of many sicknesses she will get now that she is exposed to all those freakin germs at school. I've spent time second guessing my decision to put her in school i.e. should I have searched harder for a nanny. I've spent time wondering if she will now have abandonment issues, worried she gets way too overstimulated at school it makes her cry. The transition would have been so much less (I suspect) and she could have saved all this sickness until she's a bit older if perhaps I went nanny route instead.
I'm a wreck. It is past midnight and I should be in bed. We have a long day of unpacking tomorrow, pending how she feels and is acting. All I can do is worry she will get sick again in the night. Any noise I've gone in there to make sure she is okay. It's really the first time we've dealt w/ this kind of sickness and it is just plain hard.
Let's not forget I start my new job on Monday.
What I haven't mentioned is the transition....for both of us.....has been t-o-u-g-h. Oh Man. I wasn't prepared for how hard this was going to be. We've had lots of tears. And vomit.
Wednesday I was a nervous wreck taking her to school.....I was so nervous for her i.e. that she would be inconsolable and we'd have to go home. To my surprise when we got there she went into the playland right away and I thought wow.....this may be easier than I thought. I went in to talk to the teacher and she walked me through what parent normally do at drop off, etc. and the more she was talking the more I started to get anxious and sad. She looked at me and said 'you look like you are about to cry' and I totally did! I started crying right then and there. I was just soooo worried about her. Leaving her, her crying and me not being there to comfort her. I was so surprised at my reaction. I hadn't even thought that this would be hard for ME too! But, waterworks. She took my hands, prayed for me, and it was very nice. We got there around 8:30, I left at 9:00-ish....then called around 10:30 to check in. They said she had been crying on and off once they left playland, but at that moment she was better. Okay, we can do this......she actually ate lunch well and I picked her up right before naptime.
She seemed to be just fine...no worries.......I was pleased w/ how it went for the most part.
Yesterday we went for 1/2 day + nap time after lunch--and I prepared to pick her up at 2pm when she woke up from nap. I wasn't sure what to expect, and they weren't sure she would nap.....but we tried it and I called during naptime and she was asleep--without using a bottle even! So I show up and see the teacher doing her notes outside the room and I went to talk w/ her before picking baby up. She said baby had napped but that she did cry on/off more than yesterday. I had filled out a questionnaire they gave me the night before and the teacher followed up on a couple things I had asked about/and said. 1) hand washing--when do they do.....2) books--there are no books left out and baby loves books 3) I had put in her questionnaire that our house is pretty quiet and I suspect the music/noise/activity would be a lot for her and to help her if she gets overwhelmed.
They said they agree that it probably is a lot of the noise because they saw she had covered her ears at one point....also, when kids are coming in/out she got overwhelmed and just sat down. (cue breaking heart). Once they saw my note about the noise they agreed and understood it will be a transition for her. When I went to the room she had just woken up from a nap and was crying (cue breaking heart again). Once she saw me she reached out and wanted to be held so bad. Then she quieted down.
One thing I noticed is how loud they play the music during naptime. It is not soft background noise....it really is loud. I kept thinking to myself OMG do they play this through their whole nap? And they do. I personally couldn't sleep at all if there was that much loud music playing. It's the first thing I've noticed that I really don't like. However, it's not something they will change for one child, I suspect.....so she will have to get used to it--or not.
Once we were driving home to my friend's house (where we are staying until apartment unpacked more), she seemed to be okay and when we got home she was acting normally. So, I thought okay, it was rough, but we survived.
Day 3---not so much. Oh man today was terrible. Started this morning....I went in to see her and something smelled funny. I thought it was her bottle until I noticed she had stains all over her jammies and chunks in her bed. Yup, she had vomited during the night and I didn't even know it. Real vomit too, not just spit up. I felt terrible that she had to throw up by herself and then put herself back to sleep. Just terrible.....So I got her up and felt her head....she seemed a little warm, but not too much. I got her dressed to see how she would act and she seemed okay--she took a bottle and drank which was good. I took her temperature and it was slightly up, but not hardly at all. I talked to my friend and we both agreed we should try school and if she starts getting sick they will call.
When I took her over this morning I told them she had been sick and to keep close watch on her. The group was in tubes and tunnels so I dropped her off in there--no tears--and went to classroom to drop off her things. Unfortunately when I walked past tunnels on my way out she saw me and started wailing....I mean reaching for me, red-faced, crying her eyes out. I just couldn't leave her like that. I went in the room grabbed her up and started crying myself. I sat down w/ her, hugged her...tears streaming down my face. I just couldn't stop them. It was as if someone had turned on the faucet. After several minutes and her calming right down I said enough, she will get upset if I am upset, and she needs to stay. So I tried to see if she would go to one of the girls--she did, but when I got up to leave she started crying terribly again. I just left this time and was sooo hopeful she would calm down after I was gone.
She didn't.
I left at 9:00 and I called at 10:00. She was still wailing in the background and I could totally hear her through the phone. It broke my heart....seriously I felt my heart bursting and I wanted to rush over there and grab her up and never leave her again. I couldn't believe how hard it was hearing her cry like that and there was nothing I could do not being there. I get that there are lessons we have to learn as parents and things will be hard....but she's a baby and she obviously was upset.
The teacher said that they were going on the buggy ride and she likes that....so call after that around 10:30. If she hadn't calmed down then I should go pick her up i.e. she was inconsolable. Called back and she had calmed down so we agreed that she should try nap time.
Here's where I was worried about being 'that parent'. I wanted to call back and see if she had gone down for a nap. But, I hesitated because I had already called to check on her. But, then I told myself you know what? I don't care. I don't care what they think.....if my heart says check on my baby...that's exactly what I will do.
When I talked to the teacher again she said she was just about to go to sleep but she had not eaten any of her lunch. She threw it on the floor. What that said to me was she was still upset and was still not feeling well at all. She loves lunch normally.
So, we had bad weather here and I got a call school was closing early so I was there to pick her up at 3pm. They had just gotten back from another buggy ride and she was wailing again. (Cue heartbreak since I saw her wailing). She saw me and reached for me like noone's business. Once I held her she calmed down but I could just tell she wasn't feeling well at all.
On the ride home we talked and her behavior seemed okay, if not a little lack-luster. Since only had a bottle for lunch so I gave her another one....then later tried to feed her dinner. She ate some--mac/cheese. We did our nighttime routine dinner/bath/bottle......she drank almost the whole thing and we were just resting when all of a sudden she started crying terribly. I asked her what was wrong and SPEW! Vomit all over her/and the floor. I held her forward and she vomited again.....her lunch and some other stuff not recognizable---very large amounts.
OMG this poor baby.
We quickly went to bath and my friend cleaned up her vomit. I felt terrible for baby, me, my friend all at the same time. I finally ended up giving her a bottle w/ a little bit of water and putting her down. She actually went right to sleep she was so worn out.
To say this was a tough day is an understatement. My heart broke multiple times, I cried multiple times, baby cried multiple times and was sick and experienced some serious stomach flu. The first of many sicknesses she will get now that she is exposed to all those freakin germs at school. I've spent time second guessing my decision to put her in school i.e. should I have searched harder for a nanny. I've spent time wondering if she will now have abandonment issues, worried she gets way too overstimulated at school it makes her cry. The transition would have been so much less (I suspect) and she could have saved all this sickness until she's a bit older if perhaps I went nanny route instead.
I'm a wreck. It is past midnight and I should be in bed. We have a long day of unpacking tomorrow, pending how she feels and is acting. All I can do is worry she will get sick again in the night. Any noise I've gone in there to make sure she is okay. It's really the first time we've dealt w/ this kind of sickness and it is just plain hard.
Let's not forget I start my new job on Monday.
Saturday, January 18, 2014
Changes are a'comin'
First off, I can't believe my baby is cutting 4 TEETH at the same time. The last of the holes in her teeth set (think these are the canines, just looked them up). She already got her molars, so these are the last few to come in. I can't believe it!! She has done pretty well considering. She has been chewing on her fingers and drooling quite a bit when she chews.....and still puts every darn thing in her mouth, but don't think that's due to teething.
I haven't written in a few weeks because I've been...well, super busy. We went to the new city for a week to find housing and care, and also had to get movers set up for next week. Result=looked at 4 houses and 4 apartment complexes. No houses shook out so we are headed to an apartment. Really really not ideal, but I just didn't want to settle for something just okay....especially given the prices. Even though it's temporary I stressed quite a bit about which complex to choose.....the older, less expensive one, or the new more expensive one. End of the day I chose the new one because it is also a bit bigger.
The only thing I have to do now is decide whether to do a 3 month lease or 6 months. 3 months is quite optimistic considering how long I've been looking for housing and haven't really found the one yet. It is also 200/mo more expensive than a 6 month lease.......BUT, I have more flexibility should the right house pop up. Just not sure what to do here. Will see how it feels.
Finding care update:
Backup to the first day were were there....I had visited a church daycare at their satellite location as the director told me there was no openings at their primary location. It was a bummer because the other location was brand new as of last year and more centrally located. So, I went to the satellite location anyway and thought is was just....okay. It was a bit chaotic, lots and lots of kids.....the facility was just so-so, and didn't really feel like she would fit in w/ the age group they wanted to put her with. The kids looked much more "baby", were being fed out of a table w/ 6 holes in it...not a table/chairs where she eats now, some of them had pacifiers, etc..I wanted to keep an open mind but it didn't really feel 'right'.
The next day I visited another center that is tied to a private school. I liked this one a lot--the facility was brand new and the class size was nice and small. The setting was quite calm and the teachers seemed to be very involved, on the floor w/ them, etc.. The downside to this one is price and schedule. They were near as much as my nanny AND, they had major breaks because they followed the school calendar. Between now and May there would be 3 weeks of no care...in addition, the monthly rate did not flex because of these breaks.
On one of the days I also interviewed a nanny. Boy, this was a tough one. I found her through one of the care websites and I met her at Starbu.cks. She had been a nanny for a boy who's mother had passed and the father basically employed her to do everything. Now the boy was older and the father getting remarried. When I first approached her she seemed nice enough....then we went outside to talk more. Cut to the chase.....she didn't ask any questions about the baby.....she didn't ask any questions at all. I tried to pull out of her if there was anything she wanted to know...and it made me nervous so I kept rambling about our background, etc..I just assumed she wasn't interested, which was fine. However, I got an email afterwards saying how she was interested and asked question about salary! My gut was not too keen on her.
So, I was planning to sign her up at the private school because basically we were just running out of time. I had toyed w/ the nanny, but I just was not comfortable w/ her seemingly lack of interest. Yes, the private school was expensive and there was the breaks....but I liked the place and could see her going there.
My one last thought was why don't I just tour the church primary location to see if I wanted to put her in there after the semester was over at the private school. If there was a wait list I wanted to put her on it anyway. I called them this past Monday morning--we were leaving Monday night--and they graciously agreed to let us come and tour.
From the moment we went in, I liked the place. It is a brand new facility tied to the church and there is a great reception area. The assistant came out to get us and she walked us by the indoor playland--it looks like Mc.D.on.alds playland on steroids. It also has a nice wall of windows. Then the director came out and greeted us. I was expecting the 5 minute tour because I assumed no space anyway, but when I asked her what the wait list looked like she said, well, we may have a spot....Um WHAT?! The director over both church locations had told me there was no space.......I was wondering if she did that because they have trouble getting folks to go to satellite location? Anyway, I just played along. I assumed they wanted to check us out as much as we checked them out. Inside I was jumping for joy.
What was so great was she took us past all the classrooms---they are in one big circle hallway, they also have an outdoor play land that is really big and age appropriate. They also have a music/dance room. We even got to go into where her 'class' would be and meet the teacher. It was just the right time when the class was going on a walk so I could hear directly from her how she runs things.
What I liked overall:
Class size/ratio:--they have +1 helper from state ratios. So, for her class size (think 15) they have one main teacher and 2 helpers.
Classroom: decent sized and did not smell at all! I always am leery of the dirty diaper smells
Great facility--play areas inside/outside, music room, and the classrooms
They have 'lessons'-they pick certain colors/shapes/themes each week
They are open from 7am-6pm
price--it is half of what the private school tuition was
There is diversity in her classroom
'Feel' of the place seemed positive
Teacher mentioned her OCD about cleanliness and I can believe it based on the room.
Concerns:
Lunch not provided
Main teacher was somewhat 'stern', didn't smile a lot....but I'm okay w/ that because the helpers seemed quite the opposite. In fact, when I brought baby in the room, one came over and brushed her head w/ her hand and talked w/ us.
Also, not sure if there was anything I missed....?
So, after the tour was over I didn't hesitate and said I wanted to sign her up right then and there. I even ordered her backpack (required) and cot blanket for naptime. I don't normally make decisions like that so quickly, but I did have 2 other schools and a nanny to compare to and it just seemed like the right place for us. I''ll reserve the right to 'see how it goes' and see if any 'issues' come up.
I've learned over time that no place/person is perfect and you have to choose the best you can w/ what is available. What I do know is that she is ready for more interaction/stimulation. I suspect this will be WAY more than she will be prepared for.....so I just hope the transition goes well.
She starts Wed next week. She'll go 1/2 day wed, 1/2 day thurs, then 1/2 or all day Friday. Then all day starting the 27th when I start my new job.
It is such a load off to know where she will be spending her time. I even decided that I would try and see if couldn't change my morning ad to now say part-time caregiver in am. I would love love if someone could come from 7-9, get her ready, breakfast, get lunch, do dishes, etc... then take her at 8:30 for class at 9am. Then I would leave for work at 7:30 and get her at 5:30pm.
This solves a lot for me......so much less stress in the am, and less time for her in daycare as well. It's a perfect job for a college student and 2 have applied already. Will see how that goes. Plus, given the low tuition, I can afford to add this one too.
Now, for baby update......I've been to Dr. for monitoring Thursday and today. I am scheduled to go back in for another appointment on Monday. The labs are looking good, but may need an additional day or two before transfer. Will know more on Monday.
Oh yeah, my movers are coming on Monday too.
I haven't written in a few weeks because I've been...well, super busy. We went to the new city for a week to find housing and care, and also had to get movers set up for next week. Result=looked at 4 houses and 4 apartment complexes. No houses shook out so we are headed to an apartment. Really really not ideal, but I just didn't want to settle for something just okay....especially given the prices. Even though it's temporary I stressed quite a bit about which complex to choose.....the older, less expensive one, or the new more expensive one. End of the day I chose the new one because it is also a bit bigger.
The only thing I have to do now is decide whether to do a 3 month lease or 6 months. 3 months is quite optimistic considering how long I've been looking for housing and haven't really found the one yet. It is also 200/mo more expensive than a 6 month lease.......BUT, I have more flexibility should the right house pop up. Just not sure what to do here. Will see how it feels.
Finding care update:
Backup to the first day were were there....I had visited a church daycare at their satellite location as the director told me there was no openings at their primary location. It was a bummer because the other location was brand new as of last year and more centrally located. So, I went to the satellite location anyway and thought is was just....okay. It was a bit chaotic, lots and lots of kids.....the facility was just so-so, and didn't really feel like she would fit in w/ the age group they wanted to put her with. The kids looked much more "baby", were being fed out of a table w/ 6 holes in it...not a table/chairs where she eats now, some of them had pacifiers, etc..I wanted to keep an open mind but it didn't really feel 'right'.
The next day I visited another center that is tied to a private school. I liked this one a lot--the facility was brand new and the class size was nice and small. The setting was quite calm and the teachers seemed to be very involved, on the floor w/ them, etc.. The downside to this one is price and schedule. They were near as much as my nanny AND, they had major breaks because they followed the school calendar. Between now and May there would be 3 weeks of no care...in addition, the monthly rate did not flex because of these breaks.
On one of the days I also interviewed a nanny. Boy, this was a tough one. I found her through one of the care websites and I met her at Starbu.cks. She had been a nanny for a boy who's mother had passed and the father basically employed her to do everything. Now the boy was older and the father getting remarried. When I first approached her she seemed nice enough....then we went outside to talk more. Cut to the chase.....she didn't ask any questions about the baby.....she didn't ask any questions at all. I tried to pull out of her if there was anything she wanted to know...and it made me nervous so I kept rambling about our background, etc..I just assumed she wasn't interested, which was fine. However, I got an email afterwards saying how she was interested and asked question about salary! My gut was not too keen on her.
So, I was planning to sign her up at the private school because basically we were just running out of time. I had toyed w/ the nanny, but I just was not comfortable w/ her seemingly lack of interest. Yes, the private school was expensive and there was the breaks....but I liked the place and could see her going there.
My one last thought was why don't I just tour the church primary location to see if I wanted to put her in there after the semester was over at the private school. If there was a wait list I wanted to put her on it anyway. I called them this past Monday morning--we were leaving Monday night--and they graciously agreed to let us come and tour.
From the moment we went in, I liked the place. It is a brand new facility tied to the church and there is a great reception area. The assistant came out to get us and she walked us by the indoor playland--it looks like Mc.D.on.alds playland on steroids. It also has a nice wall of windows. Then the director came out and greeted us. I was expecting the 5 minute tour because I assumed no space anyway, but when I asked her what the wait list looked like she said, well, we may have a spot....Um WHAT?! The director over both church locations had told me there was no space.......I was wondering if she did that because they have trouble getting folks to go to satellite location? Anyway, I just played along. I assumed they wanted to check us out as much as we checked them out. Inside I was jumping for joy.
What was so great was she took us past all the classrooms---they are in one big circle hallway, they also have an outdoor play land that is really big and age appropriate. They also have a music/dance room. We even got to go into where her 'class' would be and meet the teacher. It was just the right time when the class was going on a walk so I could hear directly from her how she runs things.
What I liked overall:
Class size/ratio:--they have +1 helper from state ratios. So, for her class size (think 15) they have one main teacher and 2 helpers.
Classroom: decent sized and did not smell at all! I always am leery of the dirty diaper smells
Great facility--play areas inside/outside, music room, and the classrooms
They have 'lessons'-they pick certain colors/shapes/themes each week
They are open from 7am-6pm
price--it is half of what the private school tuition was
There is diversity in her classroom
'Feel' of the place seemed positive
Teacher mentioned her OCD about cleanliness and I can believe it based on the room.
Concerns:
Lunch not provided
Main teacher was somewhat 'stern', didn't smile a lot....but I'm okay w/ that because the helpers seemed quite the opposite. In fact, when I brought baby in the room, one came over and brushed her head w/ her hand and talked w/ us.
Also, not sure if there was anything I missed....?
So, after the tour was over I didn't hesitate and said I wanted to sign her up right then and there. I even ordered her backpack (required) and cot blanket for naptime. I don't normally make decisions like that so quickly, but I did have 2 other schools and a nanny to compare to and it just seemed like the right place for us. I''ll reserve the right to 'see how it goes' and see if any 'issues' come up.
I've learned over time that no place/person is perfect and you have to choose the best you can w/ what is available. What I do know is that she is ready for more interaction/stimulation. I suspect this will be WAY more than she will be prepared for.....so I just hope the transition goes well.
She starts Wed next week. She'll go 1/2 day wed, 1/2 day thurs, then 1/2 or all day Friday. Then all day starting the 27th when I start my new job.
It is such a load off to know where she will be spending her time. I even decided that I would try and see if couldn't change my morning ad to now say part-time caregiver in am. I would love love if someone could come from 7-9, get her ready, breakfast, get lunch, do dishes, etc... then take her at 8:30 for class at 9am. Then I would leave for work at 7:30 and get her at 5:30pm.
This solves a lot for me......so much less stress in the am, and less time for her in daycare as well. It's a perfect job for a college student and 2 have applied already. Will see how that goes. Plus, given the low tuition, I can afford to add this one too.
Now, for baby update......I've been to Dr. for monitoring Thursday and today. I am scheduled to go back in for another appointment on Monday. The labs are looking good, but may need an additional day or two before transfer. Will know more on Monday.
Oh yeah, my movers are coming on Monday too.
Friday, January 3, 2014
Oh Snap
Man.....Just when I thought we were moving forward in this whole FET process, SNAP. not so much.
So, this past Monday I had gone to the Dr. where they discovered my estrogen was elevated. They do not move forward w/ the es.trace part if this is not normal. So the Dr. figured I would have a cycle and that would be that. They told me to call them thurs/fri to update.
Well.....no cycle. And mind you, I am taking the dexa.meth.asone and baby aspirin and lu.pron every night...it's been almost 2 weeks now and it makes me tired and bloated and not feeling full hardly at all no matter how much I eat.
Anyway, they asked me to come back in today for updated estrogen test and to do an ultrasound to see what's going on. Guess what? 2 more cysts! Jeepers creepers, really?
So thus far in this IVF #2--
First round medication okay, but ultimately the trigger shot didn't work = no eggs.
Next month=cysts, benched
Next round medication okay, trigger shot worked = 10 eggs, 5 embryos
Wait until next cycle to get started on FET process
FET process started (a long one at that w/ daily injections and medication) = estrogen elevated, wait a few more days, calendar delayed (had a scratch biopsy in here as well)
after a few more days = more cysts.
I've been working on this since August/Sept of last year. Who would have thought that I would be here in beginning of january still not complete.
The nurse thought the Dr. could do the cyst aspiration in the office, but after consulting w/ him, he wanted to do it under general anesthesia......again! So this will be my FOURTH time w/ anesthesia--twice for first retrieval, then once for second retrieval, and now again for these cysts.....really?
I just feel like it has been a long haul compared to the first IVF where I had my baby. We did the protocol, got eggs, got embryos, fresh transfer, walah!!!
I'm just worried that my body is crapping out on me or something. This may be more normal and my first go round was great......or, this really is just a harder time around for whatever reason and I just had bad luck that the trigger shot didn't work. I just wasn't prepared for the ongoing, endless process this FET seems to be.
The Dr. is going to do the aspiration tomorrow and we retest estrogen on Monday. Should know more then.
And let's not forget I start my new job Jan 27th. Oh boy. I will also need to find someone to take care of baby for 2 days of bedrest....clearly my one friend I mentioned before isn't the one I need me around me right now.
Frankly, just done injecting myself.
So, this past Monday I had gone to the Dr. where they discovered my estrogen was elevated. They do not move forward w/ the es.trace part if this is not normal. So the Dr. figured I would have a cycle and that would be that. They told me to call them thurs/fri to update.
Well.....no cycle. And mind you, I am taking the dexa.meth.asone and baby aspirin and lu.pron every night...it's been almost 2 weeks now and it makes me tired and bloated and not feeling full hardly at all no matter how much I eat.
Anyway, they asked me to come back in today for updated estrogen test and to do an ultrasound to see what's going on. Guess what? 2 more cysts! Jeepers creepers, really?
So thus far in this IVF #2--
First round medication okay, but ultimately the trigger shot didn't work = no eggs.
Next month=cysts, benched
Next round medication okay, trigger shot worked = 10 eggs, 5 embryos
Wait until next cycle to get started on FET process
FET process started (a long one at that w/ daily injections and medication) = estrogen elevated, wait a few more days, calendar delayed (had a scratch biopsy in here as well)
after a few more days = more cysts.
I've been working on this since August/Sept of last year. Who would have thought that I would be here in beginning of january still not complete.
The nurse thought the Dr. could do the cyst aspiration in the office, but after consulting w/ him, he wanted to do it under general anesthesia......again! So this will be my FOURTH time w/ anesthesia--twice for first retrieval, then once for second retrieval, and now again for these cysts.....really?
I just feel like it has been a long haul compared to the first IVF where I had my baby. We did the protocol, got eggs, got embryos, fresh transfer, walah!!!
I'm just worried that my body is crapping out on me or something. This may be more normal and my first go round was great......or, this really is just a harder time around for whatever reason and I just had bad luck that the trigger shot didn't work. I just wasn't prepared for the ongoing, endless process this FET seems to be.
The Dr. is going to do the aspiration tomorrow and we retest estrogen on Monday. Should know more then.
And let's not forget I start my new job Jan 27th. Oh boy. I will also need to find someone to take care of baby for 2 days of bedrest....clearly my one friend I mentioned before isn't the one I need me around me right now.
Frankly, just done injecting myself.
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