It’s been a difficult and exhausting week and a half.
I used to always be ready for school to start, getting bored of summer (which is hard to believe), ready to get back into a routine, excited to get back to work, anxious to meet the students, but this year, I was completely dreading it. Going back to work meant leaving Ivy behind. (Read more about that here). Leaving her behind to someone else. Leaving her behind to unfamiliar faces. Leaving her behind to catch who knows what kind of sickness. Leaving her behind to start a whole new routine. Leaving her behind. I didn’t like that. I liked the routine we were in. I liked being with her everyday. I liked raising my own child. I liked keeping her safe. I liked everything about staying home with her.
I wanted to stay home with her. So bad.
But. Now I am at work.
And she’s at daycare part-time (3 days a week) and with John’s Mom the other 2 days (which I don’t complain about at all, thank GOD for Betsy). She’s in someone else’s arms, she’s in someone else’s care, she’s somewhere else. All hard to swallow. I am really struggling.
Last Wednesday was my first day back to work. I walk in the doors to her daycare and read a sign to her room that says, “There has been 1 case of pink eye in this room since August 11.” I die. Not an inviting sign to see on her first day of daycare. This is n o t happening. Can’t we just go home and ride the bike trail and swing on swings like we did all summer? I want to turn around. I start crying, already. Before I even open the door. This is bad. This is so bad. I quickly review to the staff what a day is like for Ivy to give them some guidance and sort of keep the control to hope that they follow it, but I’m crying. Trying to talk. Trying to blink and wake up. Finally it’s over. And I pass her off. She just looks at me, and I can’t look back. I turn around and head out the door. Still crying.
Thinking, are all Mom’s like this? Did I just make the most pathetic scene in there? Is this normal? (What’s really normal in parenting, anyways.) So embarrassed and so sad at the same time.
Throughout the day, I cry here and there, when someone asks me about her. I cry when I think about her. I try to focus at work, but it’s impossible, when I want to be somewhere else. My head is not here, but I need to get focused and accept my new so called life. I need to not think about her (impossible). I have students to think about now. I’m looking after someone elses children.
I make it through the day (barely) and race out of there to pick her up. The second she sees me in the door she starts crying. And I start crying. I pick her up and hug and kiss her so much. I feel so bad. SO bad. I’m sorry baby, I’m sorry.
They give me a brief summary of her day which included 2 naps of 15 minutes (ugh), not taking any of her bottle (ugh), music, games, and playtime. But, I pretty much only heard the barely naps and no bottle. I will admit, I did not give her a bottle all summer. She only nursed, and I know I should have given her a bottle, but I didn’t want to. And now, well, now we are both paying for it. Crap.
The next two days, Ivy had half days there (hallelujah!), which made it a little easier, but I still cry when I drop her off, and still cry all day. She cries too when she sees me at the door to pick her up. That’s the worst feeling ever. I’m REALLY feeling pathetic now. But I can’t help it. And I didn’t care. I was depressed.
This week was different. People kept telling me, she will start to love it, you will start to love it, it will get easier. But it wasn’t. And I could tell she was starting to hate it. Each of the 3 days I would drop her off this week, she started crying just walking into the room and she would cry when she would see me to pick her up. Ivy, don’t do this to me, this makes me feel so bad. So guilty.
She still isn’t taking her bottle. They have tried each day, my Mom tried when she had her 2 days this week, and we even tried to put it in a sippy cup. She won’t take it any way. Screwed. But the good thing is, she’s eating breakfast, lunch, and snack there. This is where I am SO happy I did baby-led weaning. (Read about that here). She’s really good at eating now and is able to easily eat all of the food they are giving her there. I am so glad we did that. She’s getting to eat all sorts of new things there. I try to see the positives, and at least I still get to nurse 3 times a day, so she should be good. Right?
Otherwise, I still cry most the time. Well now, it’s more like tearing up, but there are still tears. Like, WHEN does it get easier? I’m still waiting for that. Because so far, each day, one or both of us has cried going to daycare. I question this daycare thing so much. I have looked in to nannies, we have discussed me staying home, we have discussed job-sharing, we have discussed grandparents full-time, we’ve discussed and discussed. And not discussed. I can barely talk about it anymore because I am just depressed about it.
I never saw myself as a stay at home Mom, especially with being a teacher and the perfect-for-raising-a-family schedule we have and also having summers off. But now that I’m back at work, I feel differently, I feel like that’s all that will make my mental state ok again. But there is fear in that also, fear of what people will think, fear of losing recognition of being a career person, fear of molding into a crazy obsessed parent who can’t be away from their kids, fear of losing adult interaction, fear, period. Indeed it’s a struggle both ways, however, I picture myself differently now, I picture myself as a Mom. And a wife. And that’s where my heart and mind are now. I guess what they say is true, children really do change you. They steal your heart and mind. They love and need you. And you love and need them.
My so called life is just pretty pathetic right now. I’m almost unrecognizable to myself. These feelings I have are so overwhelming that I can’t even think straight. But people were right, it is getting better. Slowly, very slowly. Too slowly.
I’m anxious about the day that neither of us cry when I drop her off or when I pick her up. But, that means we are both ok with our new lives now. And that will probably make me cry. (Sigh)
Great post Kaylee! Daycare really is a bummer. Is there any way John can drop off? That is what we do since Paul goes to work later than I do… I get the easy job, pick-up. We go to a home daycare that only takes teacher’s kiddos. I know almost every family and for me, that helps to get me through. Knowing that he is w/ kiddos that he will go to school with and who have parents who have similar schedules and parenting styles. Good luck mama, when she is dine nursing it will get easier… But you still question working everyday. Have a good 2nd week of school. Hang in there.
Thank you Amy! John is usually out the door before she even wakes up! Some of my friends told me to do that too. But, he’s either in his truck, his work van, or some other vehicle that he doesn’t have a car seat in. So that doesn’t work. Ugh. We thought about a home daycare, I just always figured to do a center because I like that they’re with other kids their age and I felt like they had more opportunities at a center (maybe I’m wrong). But you have it good! I would like to know more of the kids, families, and even the daycare staff, but I really don’t. Either way, the daycare we are now is temporary until we get into the one we REALLY wanted to be at in October. Then we know about 5 different families, whereas right now we don’t know any. I’m hoping I’ll feel better about it then! Oh and don’t worry, already emailed Becky Dorman to ask about job-sharing or not working for next year :) I cannot do full-time again! Especially by then we will probably have 2 kids and I would have double the anxiety! Ha. Hope your new job is going well! Librarian would be AWESOME. And thanks for reading! :)
Daycare gets easier when you trust the providers will take the same type of care that you provide for your child. This is why I love our in home center. It is like taking our daughter to her grandmas house and they love each other. Our daughter is 14 months and there are two two year olds and a three year old in our providers care. The kids play together, eat together but sleep in their own cribs in their own rooms. I don’t think the blue mat sounds like a safe environment and would be illegal in the state I live in. I can’t imagine how any child could sleep there. And at 14 months my daughter still takes two 1.5 to 2 hour naps. I hope your little one and you are doing ok. I found your blog on instagram and love it! It breaks my heart to see another mama and bay so sad.
Mary – First, THANK YOU FOR READING! Second, I am looking into home daycares as we speak! Person after person has suggested that, and I think that would be much more fitting to my desires for my child AND my own state of mind. The blue mat is just nuts, isn’t it! Ivy still takes 2 1-3 hour naps and she’s only getting 2 less than 30 minute naps right now, so I’m dying. I’ve gotten a lot of recommendations so I’m going to ride that wave and head into an in-home SOON hopefully. Daycare can’t be THIS miserable for us all!
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