{The One About Daycare}

Until an hour ago, I had this post planned word for word.   Then, there was the car ride from hell. 

Rowan started daycare yesterday.  A wonderful little in home babysitter with just a handful of kids.  It's great.  Seriously, Row loves it there.  In fact, last week the hubs and I took him to visit/ meet the other kids and both times we walked through the door and he took off, ignoring us and loving them.  He cried hysterically when we left.  The second time he leaped from our arms to his teacher and hung on to her neck.  He hasn't cried once the past two days when being dropped off.  He eats his whole lunch AND snacks!  He takes a two hour afternoon nap. In a crib. Without being rocked. Jiminy frickin Christmas, he isn't my kid.  He's a better kid.  He's a better man for being at daycare.  Enter me, the brokenhearted momma.  Of course, I want my son to be happy.  Of course, I want him to socialize and love the people who care for him.  I WANTED to get back to work.  But, I mean, couldn't he at least miss me a little.  I'm like last weeks news.  I'm chopped liver.  I'm Michelle after Kelley and Beyonce went solo. 

Part II:  The Car Ride From Hell

So, then, tonight happened.  We had dinner with friends in Indy (Indianapolis for the Indiana cornfield illiterate of you) to meet their sweet baby and catch up.  Every time I went near the baby Row screamed.  He gave my girlfriend and the little nugget the meanest, analytical looks all night.  He refused to sit in his highchair and would only stop crying if he was sitting in my lap, or on the floor clinging to my feet.  He was a piece of work. Clingy, clingy work.  The kind of work that makes you sweat from someone else trying to exist in the space you are taking up in the universe.  CLINGY.  But that was the good part of the night.  On the way home he threw a tantrum for 45 minutes straight.  It was so intense he projectile vomited, TWICE.  The whole time he just held his arms out to me screaming mamamamama.  Again, enter me, heartbroken.  I finally got him to sleep by basically sitting on the arm of his car seat, both arms wrapped around him, kissing his forehead, and shushing in his ear.  Although it hurt me to see him so sad.  It was nice to be the only one in the world he wanted, to be needed and loved. 

I'm glad he loves his day home away from home.  I'm really, really glad he still loves me most.  This parenting rollercoaster never ceases to amaze me.