UGH! Followed by a big YIPEEE!!!

Have you ever had to look for childcare?
It is one of my least favorite things to do.

You want to find a place where you know the teachers are educated, attentive and will love your child almost as much as you love them.

But, those places are expensive and have a waiting list.

So we've come to terms with the initial shock of how expensive daycare is. But that doesn't take care of the difficulty of getting into the daycare of choice.

We had both our girls in a wonderful place that took about a year to get into (little sister wasn't even born when she joined the list) up until Nate got laid off in April. Now that Nate is starting his new job this coming Monday we quickly called them up to see if the girls might be able to slip on in, in some miraculous turn of events.

They were able to work big sister in, but as younger slots are in higher demand (due to smaller teacher/kid ratios) we were out of luck with little sister.

Thus the search began.

What makes it more difficult is that right now she's 11 months, but on the 29th she will turn 1. Infant classrooms ALWAYS have an incredibly long wait list. Toddler classrooms are easier. So almost every place we've encountered can't possibly get her in until Monday, the 31st, once she's turned 1. Leaving me with 2 weeks of very little options!

Then there are the centers themselves.
Most of them are really great. All very comparable.
Then there's the one that can get her in next week, costs a fraction of what the others cost (but one has to ask why), the teachers are obviously not college educated in young child development, and overall you just dread that you're going to have to leave your baby there because there are no other options.

Because remember, the good ones have waiting lists.
So you hope that the 1 or 3 people ahead of you (because if it's any longer than that it's no longer an option) are no longer interested.
But until you know for sure, you keep looking.

BUT GUESS WHAT!?!?!?
We got into the Cadillac of daycares!!!



Video monitors, 4 year degrees for all of their teachers, developmental classes, baby yoga, the whole 9-yards!!! Huge sigh of relief—except that they can't get her in until she's 1.

Not a huge deal. We can work it out. The last week my mom will be back in town, so she'll have her then. But next week. . .?? Still not sure. I've got a couple of possibilities in the works. . .

xoxo—Lori