Saying Goodbye Is Hard

The hardest part of moving hasn't been the physical and mental exhaustion......it's been the emotional aspect of it all.  Leaving our first home was sad but what's been the hardest is changing William's daycare.  On November 1st Gordon and I picked William up at Big Little School for the last time.  When we got out of the car I broke down.  This was the place William had been going to since he was just 4 months old.  Every single person that worked at BLS loved our baby.

I had gotten to know many of the parents, William had made so many great friends and I trusted them 110% to take care of our baby boy.  After pulling myself together we walked to the playground to find William.  As always, Ms. Dayana was loving on him, giving him hugs and kisses.  When she saw us walking up tears starting running down her face.  I started crying again.  As we walked away other teachers were running up to us with tears in their eyes to give William a goodbye hug.  To say we will miss them is an understatement.  Each of them will hold a special placed in our hearts forever. 

From his sweet class! 

Everyone at BLS loved our baby boy so much!  It will be hard to find teachers with so much love and kindness.  His "old teachers" text us weekly to check on our little buddy.  I pray every night that we've made the right decision moving William closer to our new home and Texas Children's Hospital.  We picked a new school that my best friend went to as a child (25 years ago) and both of her children attended for the past 5 years.  I feel confident that they will take good care of him!  I'm the kind of mom that just wants others to love my child.  We have many years ahead of us for homework and science projects!  For now, at 18 months old, I'm just looking for a loving, happy environment that helps W with his social skills.

Room C was such a fun and happy place that is full of wonderful memories!

Week 1 at the new school went pretty well!  But unfortunately, baby boy is already sick with the "new" germs he's being exposed to.  (more on that later)  So, right now Gordon and I are just trying to keep our heads above the water.  The unpacking is a very slow process but it'll all get done eventually.  :)   We will try again next week to get into "the swing of things".  Since William is pretty sick he won't be going back to daycare the rest of the week.  My FABULOUS mother is flying down (as I type) to help us out.  She's going to watch baby boy Thursday and Friday so this momma can go back to work. 

Things are a little stressful right now but we are beyond blessed!  Blessed to have such supportive families and blessed to be as healthy as we are.  When I'm feeling defeated I remember how good God has been to us. 



Enjoying our new neighborhood!  It's so peaceful and quiet.  :)

Bye Bye Infant Room

How can it be that our baby boy is now in the TODDLER room at school?!?!  I'm pretty sure I'm going to ask myself this question for the rest of my life (just change the toddler to elementary/high school/college).  It's baffling how quickly the time flies by. 
Monday morning Gordon and I dropped baby boy off in Room C instead of good ol' Room 6.  I was a little nervous about how he'd do with the change up but he did fabulous.  As soon as Gordon set him down he immediately made his way to the new toys and started pointing and saying "this" to everything.  Then his friend Britton showed up!  She ran right over to him and gave him a soft pat on the head.  :)  So sweet. 

I tried to take a few pictures before school but he was a bit distracted.  He wanted to color on the chalkboard himself. 

The bottom two pictures were taken after school.  As you can see, he was still a bit obsessed with moving/holding the chalkboard. 

His teacher said he did great on his first day.  He even slept on a mat during nap time.  We were a little worried about how this would go over since he's only slept in a crib.  Apparently, they move the kids to mats once they are walking....since William only walks sporadically they hadn't moved him yet.  It sure does make a momma feel better to know her baby is happy and adjusting well!

Here are a few of William's new school things!

 We bought some shorter spoons to send to school.  William loves to feed himself and the longer spoons make it much harder.  They are by Tommee Tippee (Explora spoons).  The name labels are from the same company we used last year, Name Bubbles.  The labels hold up so well and are super cute. 

William's lunch goes in this cute lunch bag.  In my Toddler Lunch post here I talk about the new lunch container we are using.  It fits perfectly into his lunch bag.  We are able to put an ice pack, his lunch container, sippy cup, yogurt and a bag of frozen BM into this one bag!  And that ladies and gentleman makes me happy.  :)  It's the little things.  :)  You can find these lunch bags at lots of places.  We got ours from The Monogram Shop (thanks Aunt Emily and Uncle Grant). 

We also send a nap mat with him.  It's a mat with a built in pillow and blanket and will be easy to clean at the end of each week.  I didn't take a picture but here's something similar that can also be found at The Monogram Shop.

If there are any mommas out there reading this....what label company have you found that works great for you?  I'm always looking for convenient things to send to daycare!

Happy long weekend everyone!

End of School

As of yesterday afternoon, our little buddy is no longer in the infant room at daycare.  I can hardly believe our time with Ms. Melissa is over.  She has been such a blessing for our family.  Not only does William adore her but she has been so patient with him and taught him so much.  We couldn't have asked for a more loving caregiver.  I know his new teacher will be wonderful too but we are sad to say goodbye to room 6 and Ms. Melissa.
Gordon and I both dropped William off yesterday.  We stopped by Chick Fil A to get breakfast for his teacher and him!  As soon as William saw that mini chicken biscuit he picked it up and started chewing away.  TOO CUTE.  It's crazy to think that the first day we dropped William off (at 4 months old) he was only 10 lbs, he was just starting to smile and coo, he was still sleeping alot, and only drinking milk....now 12 months later he is feeding himself, talking up a storm and he knows that he loves Ms. Melissa and all his school friends.  Luckily, his school friends will all be in his new classroom and Ms. Melissa will be down the hall if we want to say hi (and he'll still get to see her when she babysits)! 
So, if you're preparing to send your little one to daycare, take comfort in the fact that there are great places out there.  Children can learn so much at daycare!  Not only do they build a stong immune system :) but they learn social skills and more.  We are happy, happy, happy with our decision to use daycare while we work.

• Walking like a big boy with his new shoes on!
• With mommy outside his school.
• I'd say his first experience with Chick-Fil-A was a success.

Working Mom = Daycare Fun

Well, I've been back to work for a year since baby boy was born.  Yep, my maternity leave ended exactly one year ago!  I'm still shocked at how fast time as flown by.  It really does seem like just yesterday I was bawling my eyes out while I drove to work.  The first few months were the hardest.  I cried every Monday.  Eventhough I was sad and saying goodbye to William in the morning broke my heart, going back to work was good for me...and him!  For me, having a meaningful career is important and very fulfilling.  Working full time helps me appreciate my time with William even more and while I'm working he's having a blast at daycare.  Even if Gordon and I had 10 billion dollars....I'd still work..  Not only do I feel like I'm making a difference in the children's life's that I care for every day but that William is benefiting from his time at school.  I know for a fact that I'd never be able to teach and do everything with William that they do at school.  The social skills he's gaining are priceless.  He's learning to be around other children his age, older and younger (without me around).  He's learning to share, take turns and he has to be patient at daycare since there is one teacher and four kids (at home he gets all the attention!).  William goes exploring outside while he's at school, they have splash day when it's warm, they read books, paint, color, go on walks, and do lots of art projects.  I love that there isn't a TV in sight.  AND, most importantly, William loves his teacher, Ms. Melissa.  It makes Gordon and me feel so happy that he loves her so much.  She even comes over on the weekend to babysit!  This definitely makes our days away from him easier/happier.  Knowing that he is happy and safe puts us both at ease.  I also love that he has formed bonds with other people besides his immediate family. 
So, as nervous as I was to go back to work and leave our sweet baby boy, I can honestly say we are all very happy.  It makes my heart happy to see him learn so much and to enjoy his friends (he even has a little girlfriend named Elle).  Being able to work and help provide things for our family and to be able to save for our future is a great feeling.  Only working 4 days a week is a huge blessing as well.  That one extra day at home with William is priceless.  I'm able to get lots of quality time with William, we see Gordon for lunch and I get lots of chores done at home which makes our weekends as a family more fun! 
 A year ago I felt scared and sad to head back to work.  Now, 365 days later, I feel like we have a nice routine.  I feel productive and happy and William is growing, learning and experiencing all kinds of new things every day.  So, if you're a new mom about to head back to work please know that it gets easier.  Every family is unique and has different needs.  At the end of the day we all have to do what's best for our family.  For some that means being a stay at home mom and for others it means working and finding child care for your little one.  I'm so thankful and glad that Gordon, William and I have found a healthy work-life balance. 

• Painting!
• Eating his first Popsicle at the 4th of July parade.
• Getting into trouble with Britton.
• Little stinker trying to get up on the table.
• Snack time (he's obsessed with puffs)!
• Group coloring....as you can see they're all future artists!
• William's sign above his crib.
• Art project by the most talented one year old around :)