Kali started daycare her 3rd week home with us. The original plan was for me to stay home with her for a month, but after we decided to host our three teenagers, the plan had to change. That was our first week with Aschalo, Genet and Yesalemush and it would have been much too difficult to try to entertain them AND have two toddlers in tow.
Day 1 - Kali waltzed into her new room at daycare without a care in the world. After all, she had been coming with me to drop off Carson, so what would be different this time? When it became apparent that I was going to be leaving her, that worried look appeared on her face. When the time came for me to actually leave, she wrapped both arms around my neck very tightly and pressed her open, screaming mouth to my cheek like she was trying to suck herself to me. It was heart-wrenching, to say the least! We kept waiting for that ominous phone call from the daycare asking us to come and pick her up, but luckily, this IS a daycare ... they are quite accustomed to children who don't want their mommies to leave. When I picked her up, she was a happy little camper having fun with the other kids and they told me that she had stopped crying before I even left the parking lot.
Day 2 - Kali again went happily into her room, unaware that this was day 2 of daycare. We had the same experience as day 1, but without the sucking action on my cheek. Again, happy as can be when I picked her up.
Day 3 - This time, she wasn't quite so happy about going to school. She recognized the building when we pulled up and started shaking her head 'no'. But today saw a great improvement ... she cried when I was handing her over to the teacher, but she went to the teacher willingly!
(No day 4 or 5 this week ... July 4th fell in the middle of the week and we kept both kids out on Friday to go to the soccer tournament as a family.)
Week 2 - Amazing! Kali still gets the pouty look on her face when taking her to her room ... a few wimpers here and there, but mostly she goes in and immediately begins to play.
Week 3 - Incredible! Kali has absolutely no problem going to daycare now. She heads on into her room and gives me a hug and kiss before I leave. She especially likes the mornings when we get there and the kids have not yet been broken off into their respective rooms. On these mornings, she gets to sit with Carson and watch a few minutes of a cartoon with him.
The teachers and the director keep telling us what a little love she is (like we don't already know that!), that she has not had any trouble adjusting at all. She plays with the kids, she eats her lunch, and she takes her nap just like the other kids in her class. And picking her up in the evenings now is the funniest ... she has a habit of hanging out and playing near the window when she sees that it is time for the mommies and daddies to pick up their kids. She plays, but always with an eye out that window. When she sees whichever of us is picking her up, she lets out this loud scream and runs into our arms, almost as if to say, "I can't believe it ... you came for me again!" But if we get her brother from his class first and he comes in with us, well, he is the recipient of that hug!
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