Day One: Trial YMCA Nursery

So I finally bit the bullet and decided it was time to get my fat butt a running and headed to the YMCA this morning with Anna and Ashley in tow. Worried that Ashley would be the fussy one (she had been awake 2 hours already and would be needing a nap anytime) and Anna would be shy but okay after 20 or so minutes, I figured I would be able to run at least for 10 minutes and was willing to get at least that much exercise in.

We signed in and went to the nursery. Now Anna is used to me being around all the time but she has always been great with us leaving her with either set of grandparents at our house or theirs (but she also knows them VERY well and is comfortable with their homes). Anna has been to Rob's church nursery several times and the caretakers would say she was shy and pretty clingy to them (this doesn't surprise me because that is exactly how I was; my nickname was shy violet). But we never got reports of constant loud crying......

Which brings me to today. I dropped the girls off in the nursery and before leaving found toys for each to play with, signed myself out, and left pretty quickly without saying good-bye (that's how the pros say to do it, right?) Then I sat down outside the door and around the corner to hear Anna yell mommy or momma for 10 straight minutes. Trying to last 15 minutes, I gave in after 10 and walked in to see a bright red face with no real tears on her face, just fake crying to get me back. So for 5 minutes we looked at books together (I even found a Barney one) and I tried to find cool toys for her to play with- the lady even found a Barney play figure for her (which she loved while I was in there). Then I snuck out again (this time she was busy reading with one of the workers) and a couple minutes later she noticed I was gone and started yelling all over again. 15 minutes of sitting outside listening to her pathetic yells, Ashley starts chiming in and I think to myself, "Great, we're THAT family!" So I give in and retrieve my angels.

As we were walking out I asked Anna if she wanted to go back and play and she looked at me with the BIGGEST eyes and said loud a clear, "No!" Then she happily skipped out the door and reverted back to her cheerful old self.

We will try again tomorrow and we will try everyday of our 7 day free pass and hopefully she will improve so I can start giving myself some time in the gym. The caretakers told me 3 times is all it takes and Anna will love it.... we will see! She is usually just shy and quiet for 30 minutes in a new situation and then warms up. She usually doesn't make such a yelling and crying fuss, even in the church nursery. I guess that's the new 2 year old package that we are dealing with along with many other things I will discuss in a later post :)

Well I better go join Anna as she decompresses her traumatic morning with Barney. Oh and now I know how my mother must have felt when she dropped me off at preschool for the first time and could hear me screaming out the windows as she drove away.

Much Love and I should have hugged her goodbye. We'll try that tomorrow!
Jenny