This week was Avery’s first at daycare!  Yes, it’s already been 3 months and my maternity leave is up and I’m back to work.  I loved being at home with Avery, but all good things must come to an end.  So, with both Vinay and I at work during the day, we needed a great place to leave Avery.  We decided on a home family daycare near my work.  It was affordable.  We love the daycare provider – she’s very energetic and friendly, and Avery is nearby so I can get to him fast if something is wrong.  She has a few other little ones (toddlers) with her during the day, but right now, Avery is their littlest star.

So, when Tuesday came around, it was an early start for Avery and I.  I need to be in the office by 7:15am (I know, crazy!) so, I get up at 4:45, get myself ready and have all our bags and lunch packed the night before, and Avery wakes up by 5:30, he has a bottle and gets dressed for the day.  Then at 6:15 we are out the door.  We always arrive to daycare a little early – if I left any later though, we’d get caught in morning traffic.  So, I park and with Avery snoozing in the back, I listen to the radio and then at 7, I drop Avery off.

I didn’t think leaving him on the first day would be hard, but when I left the house, I had to fight back the tears.  I had left Avery with family and friends for hours at a time, but nothing like this.  I got through the day though – without calling, once!  I missed him and just looked forward to picking him up at the end of the day.  What helps during those 8 hours in the office, the daycare posts pictures for parents to see what the little kiddos are doing every day.

On Avery’s first week, he was bright-eyed…

And being the flirt that he is, he made a (girl) friend!

And in time, he got comfy and enjoyed laying around…

And sitting up…

And just lounging around…

And snoozin’…

And every day, Avery gets a Report Card.  He doesn’t get As or Bs, but he does get Ws (wet diaper) – his feeding, napping, and changing is recorded and a little note is left for anything else.  So far, Avery has been doing great and seems to enjoy daycare.  We’re getting into a routine and now that it’s the weekend, we are excited to spend two whole days with Avery before going back to work on Monday.