LOTS of questions last week about what we’re doing with Avery lately! Joey had shared a little photo on IG of a school art project Avery had done and my DMs were full of inquires about when she started school and what was it, etc.

SO here’s the update! About a month ago, (Jan 2022) Avery started a pre-school academy program out here in Orange County. We had applied to a specific program after not really liking like 4 others we toured and were on a waiting list that was about 6 months deep. We literally had no reason to believe we would ever get in. Work has been getting busier for me and Joey was given a deadline with his ability to work from home. SO when we knew the deadline was approaching, we started doing our research! Long story short, by the grace of God, the week before Joey was set to no longer work from home, the program director called us and said a kid had graduated from the class that Avery would be entering and asked if we would like to officially enroll Avery.

Without hesitation, we said yes. This is currently Avery’s 4th week and I won’t lie, the first 3 weeks were rough. Poor girl would cry every morning when I’d drop her off. This week we’ve had a few days sans tears, and that’s progress! I have a patient who’s a retired child development PhD instructor and program leader for programs similar to what Avery is in right now (she actually recommended the program to me). I’ve been talking to her a lot and what I’ve learned is that Avery cries because when I leave, she thinks that I’m gone and that I’m never coming back (that shit breaks my heart) but now, there are days where she doesn’t cry because now she’s realizing and learning to trust that I am in fact going to be back to pick her up. Which is HUGE for development, so that gives me comfort. I do believe that with COVID and Joey working from home the entire first year of her life, she’s developed a bit of separation anxiety and when she can’t see Joey or I, she’ll wine or cry out until one of us is in front of her again. So I know that going to school is definitely going to help her overcome that.

Since she started school, our routine has definitely been dramatically different than it used to be. Here’s what our week days look like now:

+ 6:00 am : Joey leaves the house around 6 am, right when I’m waking up. I get up, eat breakfast, and get myself ready for my day.

+ 7:00 am : I slowly wake Avery up by turning the sound machine off, opening the blinds, and rubbing her back. Once she’s up, I change her diaper, change her clothes, and feed her.

+ 7:30 am : Pack the car up and head to school!

+ 7:40 am : I drop Avery off at school (sometimes I have to wait in line, & nothing makes me feel like a mom more than waiting in the drop-off line).

+ 8:00 am : I get to work!!

**throughout the day, via an app, I get updates on what Avery’s eating, doing, when they’ve changed her diaper, etc. I also get videos and photos of her throughout the day too, which makes me super happy! I get to see her learning and interacting with different things, the teachers also type in descriptions of what they’re working on. For example, this week the theme was light vs dark and the kids got to play with flashlights, learn about the sun and moon through pictures and notecards, they learned the differences between day and night, etc. I honestly feel like I learn things through Avery now LOL.

+ 4:00 pm : Joey finishes work and heads to pick up Avery.

+ 4:30 pm : Joey has Avery and heads home!

+ 5:30/6:00 pm : I’m usually wrapping up at work and headed home. IF it’s closer to 5/5:30 pm when I finish, I’ll head to the gym to workout. If it’s not, I skip the workout or go after Avery’s asleep for the night.

** whenever I get home, Joey will jump in the shower while I read and play with Avery then we switch. Once I’ve showered, we all eat dinner together.

+ 6:30/7:00 pm : Bath time for Avery.

+7:30 pm : Avery’s bedtime.

Aaaaannnnddd that’s how it’s been going lately. On Tuesdays and Fridays, I actually finish work and leave at lunch time and pick Avery up myself and will take her to the park for a little bit before we go home. Then when Joey gets home, he’ll have some father/daughter time while I go to the gym for a longer workout day.

So far, other than the little hands, foot, mouth breakout we had (more on that later), everything has been going well with Avery and school. I’m happy she’s learning so much and is also being exposed to a lot of things that Joey and I wouldn’t of been able to do with her while also working from home- for example, she had an entire day at school dedicated to sensory learning where she played with a tub full of water and then it was filled with different textured items like paper and sponges – the photos were so cute!

Obviously we’re all still adjusting and getting used to our new schedule, but overall I think it’s been good for all of us. Waking up at 6 am is not my favorite thing (I used to wake up at 7 and basically throw on my scrubs and be out the door), but hey, I know it’s worth it! I’m hoping the crying as I drop Avery off is something that will start to go away soon (from what I’ve read and been told, I’ve probably got another 2 weeks to go). If any other parents are going through a transitional phase like we are, all I’ve got to say is you’ll get through it and stay optimistic! ALSO, a tidbit from my child development PhD mentor (that’s how I refer to her LOL), she says to never try to sneak away from your child. If they cry when you leave, thats OKAY but you need to make it obvious that you’re leaving and that you’ll be back. She says there’s nothing worse than a parent sneaking away from a child. Which, if you think about it, makes total sense- on a trust level, you want your child to trust that you’ve left them in good hands and that you are not trying to “run away” from them.

Well, that’s it for the life update right now!

Hope you’re all having a great week!