The Answer to “Where Did You Go?”

Well, hi there.  I just saw a very sweet, possibly blog-saving email from a reader who asked me where I had gone? Let me try and recap my (gulp) month.  After the initial daycare-hating experience, Maybelle has modified her position slightly to more of an “I will tolerate this situation but you will pay for it” stance towards daycare.  A.P.’s initial love of it has waned some, but he just rolls with things so he’s still OK.  On the school front, Maybelle adores her preschool class as I thought she would.  I just had A.P.’s first Kindergarten conference and he is doing really well on all levels. 

It took me about two weeks to adjust to my new schedule.  I was on edge the whole time, and I think I said the phrase “This SUCKS” about 500 times.  I was afraid I’d forget to pick someone up from school (didn’t happen) or to pack everything I needed (happened twice). Just about the time I got it together, I got a call from daycare.  A.P. was in the office with a 103 degree fever, and a severe headache.  His pediatrician wanted to see him, so down we went, with him vomiting in the car on the way.  She decided he might have menengitis and sent us to the ER for a spinal tap.  On the two minute walk from pediatrician’s office to the emergency room he threw up twice; meanwhile I was thinking, “Wait, did she say menengitis? Did she say SPINAL TAP?”

The ER was startling.  I’ll sum it up by saing that people were barfing in buckets everywhere.  Maybelle was with me, because my husband was in class and I couldn’t get ahold of him. I threw a mask on Maybelle, grabbed a jug of hand sanitizer and gave her as much of a bath as I could.  Then I sat her in a chair and told her not to TOUCH ANYTHING while I helped A.P. lift his own mask, and barf in a bucket.  We finally got in to see a doctor and thankfully, he did not end up with a spinal tap.  He ended up with anti-nausea medicine and we finally made it home around midnight. 

Phew! I was glad that was over.  I knew when my kids started daycare, they would get sick.  I knew this because every single person I know told me it would happen.  We resumed our (newly) normal schedule late last week.  I thought about BigBinder alot.  Two weeks ago, I went to a conference for stay at home moms called Hearts At Home.  I came away very rejuvenated and confident that I had done well, for the most part, in the past 6 years as a stay at home mom.  I also realized that while I’m working, a few things have to give.  Those things include 1) line-drying laundry 2) making home-made bread and 3) blogging.  The first two were easy.  The third wouldn’t quite go away, so when I got the email asking me where I had gone, I started looking for another thing to give up.  I haven’t quite found it, but I just can’t quit you, BigBinder.

As it turns out, I do have a little extra time on my hands this week.  Yesterday, I got a call from A.P.’s school.  He was in the office, barking like a seal and shivering.  We must be the most lucrative customers of the daycare center because we have been gone as much as we’ve been there.  Those of you who have daycare experience know that you still have to pay even when your kids aren’t there. Maybelle is not sick.  She’s had a few sniffles along the way, but mainly she is just thrilled she doesn’t have to go to daycare.  Today, my husband came home from work with what looks like the flu.  I’m trying not to be overcome with guilt.  If I hadn’t put my kids in a daycare center, would A.P. have gotten sick? Will Maybelle do OK once she has to go back?

I’ll be blogging as much as I can, I love to write.  I love to write more than I love to talk.  I need this as an outlet, but I probably won’t have nearly as much ‘stuff to do with kids’ information as usual.  I hope you’ll join me as I drag you along on my riveting stay-at-home-mom to working-mom and back journey.  It might not be what you’re used to as far as content, but it’s me and you know I’ll keep it real.  I am genuinely thankful for my readers – if anyone is left out there