Changes....

This week, every soul in the Larsen house has had to endure some changes in routine. My going back to school marked the end of a summer full of trips to the park, playing in the sprinkler, snuggling on the couch, and the realization that maybe I would like to be a stay-at-home mom if I could.

My last blog post was about how nervous I was about sending Connor to daycare. It has been easier than I anticipated (which is the way it always is--that child constantly surprises me with his adaptability). The very first two-hour trial run, he cried for the first half hour, but then had so much fun chasing their dog around the backyard that I had trouble getting him to leave! The second trial-run, he only cried for five minutes. Yesterday, Daddy had to start dropping him off, and it was difficult. It is so hard when your child is crying and saying "NO NO, Dada!!", but Mikey followed my instructions and left right away anyway. Connor recovered much more quickly than Daddy :) Today, his second full day, Connor barely acknowledged me when I walked in to pick him up, and I once again had to convince him to leave. By George, I think he likes it!!

I of course had all kinds of expectations and fears going into this change, but there is one feeling I have experienced that I wasn't expecting. Even though I have always worked, I really feel like a working mother for the first time. In the past, I have just driven straight home from work, where Connor and my sister-in-law were waiting for me. Now, I have to actually stop and pick him up. It is a minor thing, but the feeling is really different and has caught me off guard.

I opened this post by saying EVERY soul in the house has experienced change, so we can't forget about Bauer! The poor dog has been used to having someone home during the day for most of his life. In fact, the last time he was regularly home alone all day was fall of 2009, when he was not even a year old and confined to a kennel. One of many perks of having Jackie here during the day was that Bauer wouldn't be alone. Today was only day two of Bauer's "confinement", and I came home to find some things out of place. In fact, a towel made it all the way from the basement to the third level of the house. Naughty puppy! Hopefully he will adjust as well, and we will just have to be better about getting him out to walk/play in the evening.

Even though this quote doesn't have much to do with the topic of daycare, I came across this in a book I was reading and found it to be very true:
"Is this parenting? Longing for your children to grow and then feeling aching sadness when they do?"
This puts in to words exactly what I have felt many times throughout Connor's life. Especially with him being a preemie, I have always worried that he isn't doing what he's "supposed" to be doing. I couldn't wait for him to reach all his milestones....but once he did, I would mourn the loss of the stage that just ended. I know there will be many more moments like this in his life. Why can't time just slow down????

Well, we made it through the hardest days of our transition with only one casualty...the napkin Bauer ripped up. I think we're doing okay. Thanks for reading! Take care!

xoxo, Julie