Tough Decisions...

When I was pregnant and working in public schools I asked a lot of the teachers I worked with for recommendations on daycares. Throughout a 2 month period, one name kept coming up Learn-N-Fun Home Daycare. So, well before Evelyn was born Scott and I went and met Claudia and Noe. I remember walking into their home and thinking that the playroom was SOOO clean, organized, and designed for babies and toddlers. Many features included:

•  A low rise bar on the wall with a mirror that toddlers could stand at 
• A velcro wall space they used during circle time
• See through rubbermaid totes organized (possibly in more ways than I would have thought of)
• A theme every week with words in English and in Spanish
• Individual bins for each child's clothing, diapers, etc. 
• Multiple areas for babies and toddlers to do activities 

After talking with them, learning about their structured learning environment and their broad experience since 2003 with perfect state inspections I was SOLD! Plus, it was right around the corner from several of my schools in CFB ISD.  When we left she gave me her "parent handbook" and I must have read it from front to back that night.

I'm pretty sure the next day I called her and reserved our spot and pretty quickly went by and paid our deposit. I never went to another daycare. I just felt and knew it was the place for us! Claudia added me to her facebook page and I began to see pictures of the kids and watch videos. I was even more impressed. Beginning at 4 months of age babies begin sitting in circle time with the older babies/toddlers. They integrate them into the environment as much as possible at an early age so they learn the routine, but they still individualize for the infants feeding/sleep schedule.

Then when Evelyn was born they posted multiple times to the other families to pray for our baby girl. So, before Evelyn ever went to Learn N Fun at 2 months of age I felt a connection from all of the pictures, videos, and posts.

I still remember the first day she went and being so thankful for all of the pictures on facebook so I could see what she all of the kiddos were doing. Then, during the afternoon nap time I got an email daily with her individual schedule with activity time, feedings, and any more important information. I was super impressed...yet again!

As time has gone on I've learned that that Claudia and Noe spend a lot of time outside of the workday changing the decor of the playroom monthly, planning birthday parties for each child, and making newsletters. In addition, they pay close attention to details and needs of every single baby in their care and communicate daily about things they notice. I've always enjoyed Claudia's suggestions and recommendations she gives me for how I care for Evelyn. After all, I'm a first time parent and she has taken care of many, many babies!!!

All of the above is to say that now we have come to a crossroads and have made a very tough decision. This summer while I was on maternity leave I accepted my position at SMU, which was 7 minutes from our duplex in Lakewood. Scott made the commitment to drive Evelyn over to Carrollton and pick her up every day. It was a 45 minute drive to daycare, an additional 20-30 minutes to get to work and then he would do the same thing in the afternoon, except with traffic it was sometimes 1 hour to get home. On occasion, Scott would have to work late and I would pick Evelyn up and I would spend 45 minutes to drive and go get her and about 45 minutes - 1 hour to drive home. Not to mention that for the first 3 weeks Evelyn would cry on the way home 3/4 of the way home which made the drive more exhausting.

The idea of "switching" daycares came up a few times but we never acted on it because we are so happy and attached to where she was.  However, as time has gone on I have been picking her up more and neither Scott nor I have put our efforts towards going to the gym. We both feel less healthy and my baby weight loosing has been at a stand still for at least 3 months.

For the past month we have been trying to come up with an adapted schedule that would allow us both to get back to the gym, but it all boils down to time and their just aren't enough hours in the day. So, we were looking forward to moving to Richardson thinking that we would be on the road less to go get Evelyn...unfortunately our drive time has remained the same.

Scott called a couple of home daycares in Richardson that actually checked out on the state website with no violations and their were no openings. We went and looked at a Montessori School...yeah ummm....80 kids in one daycare and 20 in one room with 6 different teachers throughout the day...that doesn't work for me! So, we convinced ourselves that we were going to push through this and that I would leave work at 3:30 every day, go to the gym, and then pickup Evelyn so that Scott could go to the gym too. This also meant that I was going to have to work an hour at home each night to be able to get my hours in at work. Afterall, we are a team and we can do anything for our family together and it is just 17 more months.

This weekend we got a call from Mrs Donna who has a home daycare 5 minutes from our home. She keeps 6 kids and one of them only part time. We interviewed her, checked her references, and feel comfortable with her. She doesn't have as much structure as Learn N Fun, but we know she will love and care for Evelyn and her 13 years of experience seems to fit right along with Claudia and Noe's. Her home is also very clean and she sends pictures of babies too :)

All of this to say, I have cried, I have prayed, I have cried some more in the last three days (and I'm crying now) because I feel like I'm not only letting Claudia and Noe down and impacting their life, but I'm letting Evelyn down. She loves them so much. You can see it in her face in the morning when she gets excited when we tell her "it's time to go to school!" You can see it in the afternoon when Claudia hugs her and tells her "I love you! I'll see you tomorrow!"
This afternoon when I had to tell Claudia and Noe the news I cried so hard. I know they understand and I know that the decision I'm making has to be right. I truly believe that God opened the door for them to be a part of our lives and that the attention and support Evelyn has received over the last 4 months is a major component as to why she isn't behind developmentally after being a premature. Plus, I have learned so much about feeding plans, clothes to wear (cover your baby...lol!) and activities that I can do with Evelyn from all of the pictures they post. I also know that God never gives us more than we can bare and opens doors at the right time. Just when Scott and I were really  feeling the impact of being on the road so much in our family he opened a spot at Mrs Donna's home daycare just 5 minutes from our home.

Thank you lord for providing for our family. Please continue to bless Claudia and Noe through the work they do with babies and toddlers and provide for them financially as we leave in a few weeks. I praise you for giving Evelyn a strong foundation developmentally and pray that you would help this transition to the new daycare be seamless. Let her know she is safe and loved. Thank you for providing a way for Scott and I to free up some time so that we can spend more time as a family and be healthier physically. Amen