It is official that my little princess is able to communicate with us! It's been a few weeks that Ava's has been putting her hands together and saying "more?" which is great and all but sometimes we're left wondering MORE WHAT? Well, now she's been pointing and "saying" more--Yay! She's been having a little bit of a rough week; waking up at least once around midnight. She's been drinking a ton of formula (not doing so well transitioning to milk) so her diaper has leaked a few nights and other times I think she's had a bit of a tummy ache. I'm having the same tummy bug so I know how she feels :( Well, a couple times after changing her she clearly pointed to her bottle and "said" More! Sure enough she finished a 6 oz bottle each time...LOVE IT!!
In other news, Momma's got a J-O-B. I applied at Royal Staffing with Joe Cummings and he set me up with an interview at Euler Hermes selling credit insurance. I think I'll be getting the official offer letter next week but seems as though everything is set! I'm really nervous, especially since I'll have to travel to Baltimore for 2 weeks for training. I don't know how on earth I'm going to be away from my family for that long! John has said that if he's still out of work he'll bring Ava out to me for about a week of it which would be awesome!!! He does have a couple good opportunities though coming up so he may not be able to do it-and I really want him to do well so I'll deal either way.
Knowing that employment was inevitable I began looking into day cares a couple weeks ago....Sorry Davis! The 1st one we went to visit was Miss Beas which seemed a little bit cold and the lady seems a little unorganized and disheveled. No good. Then we went to KinderCare in T.O. which was pretty much a preschool. Safe and organized but very institutional and again kind of cold...especially for my child. No good. After searching ALL over the internet and asking every mom with no luck, I found the Conejo Valley Daycare Association-Thank God! I called over and they provided me with a list of every daycare with infant openings. Wow, did I speak with some awkward people! The third place I went to visit was an elderly lady that set up the daycare with her husband (a vietnam vet) to basically bring in some extra cash. When I asked about TV she said that she has it on the news a lot, but just for her! Well great, glad to hear that YOU and your news would be more important than spending quality time with my daughter!!
I'm of course calling during peak holiday season which doesn't help, but it seemed impossible! I spoke to many men which I was uncomfortable with. Many of the moms spent a portion of the day driving with the kids---ummm no!!! Not only is my child a terror in the car but that brings with it soooo many safety issues! Others were far away, many didn't have any infant opening and a number of them haven't even bothered calling me back.
Then comes Candace. After a thirty minute conversation with her about child care I got off the phone and told John this was the place for our daughter. I put stars all around the name on my list and eagerly waited for our meeting with her yesterday. I was so anxious that we drove by the place on our way home-btw, the it'ssuper convenient! It was quite adorable! They have a white picket fence with several candy cane decorations!!! Yay! So yesterday we went for our meeting with Candace and right away I was very pleased. As we walked up through the cute candy cane front yard I was immediately pleased to see that they had a glass front door!!! (I don't plan on spying on my child but it gives me the sense that they don't have anything to hide) Then I read the notice on the door that was titled "Kandylane Daycare"-sweet and I think it has something to do with her name, maybe it's spelled Kandace?!?!? Anyways, I hesitate on knocking while a watch the children playing freeze dance in the family room, she sees me and quickly welcomes us in. The backpacks are all places strategically in the entry and as we enter the updated kitchen the air is filled with maple syrup and I notice the tiny table with 6 chairs around it. The children all seem very happy and friendly. The boys are rough housing a little and the girls are skipping around. The other lady Kathy is attentive to all the children as she holds the youngest boy in her arms. They explain that both their daughters are 4 years old and are part of the program. Kandace takes John and I back into the Daycare room which is clean, warm and full of toys. We allow Ava to play and without hesitating she crawls over and starts playing with the make believe house toy. Kandace seems warm, knowledgable and motherly but is young enough to also relate well to me and be open to new ideas.
John and I walked out thrilled! We both agree that Ava will fit in perfectly. It's exactly what we were looking for. And strangely enough, after leaving I think that Ava is better off in that environment then she would be home with John or I. I think it's important for her to learn how to be part of a group of peers and gain independence. She is of course my little baby and always will be but this will give her a great transition into preschool and kindergarden. I really want her to LOVE learning and being with other children.
