This Crazy Thing Called Life: August 2012

There are some songs that you just feel like were written for you. Things may not be going the way you want and you turn that radio on and you swear, the singer on the radio wrote this song just for you. Darius Rucker wrote a song for me. I listened to this song every day for a month or so. And the exact verse that he wrote for me went like this: "And when he drops her off at preschool She's clinging to his leg The teacher peels her off of him He says what can I do She says now don't you worry This’ll only last a week or two" We were really lucky the first year and a half of Marley's life and we had a great friend who would come over to our house to watch Marley while we worked. Marley loved her CatCat. And so did we. I never worried when Marley was in Catherine's care. She loved Marley like she was her own. I secretly hoped she would just stay watching Marley until Marley started school and then she would go on with her life and getting a real career. Selfish I know. But you would be too if you knew her. Nothing is harder for a mom than leaving her baby in someone else's care. Yet I knew Marley was always fine and I never needed to worry. But, then Catherine graduated college to pursue a career in Nursing. I began to worry because I knew nobody would ever be able to fill the big shoes she left behind. And soon we realized we would have to put our 18 month old daughter in daycare, much too young for this mom's liking. I know, it could be worse, some babies have to start from the time they are 6 weeks old, but I didn't so it made it really hard to make this decision. We found a daycare super close to our house and I just felt like it was the right place to take Marley. I knew it wouldn't be a walk in the park. You can't explain to an 18 month old what is going on. But it was AWFUL. And I am not exaggerating. She would scream when we left her there. She would lay on the floor and cry or just cling onto my leg so tight crying her eyes out. I told Mike that I couldn't do it. Marley was (and still is) super attached to me and I couldn't bear to break my little girl's heart everyday. We decided Mike would drop her off as he was able to take her in and just leave much easier than me and that was what she needed. Within two minutes of us being out of her sight, she was fine and playing with her new friends. She acted like this for probably two months. I doubted our decision every day, but I really didn't have much choice about it. She had a wonderful teacher who was so patient with her and would hold her when we dropped her off to try to calm her down. And then, after a few months, she LOVED going to daycare. She loved her friends. She loved playing outside, She loved painting and singing and learning Spanish and all of the fun things they did every day. Every few months she would change classes as she got older and everytime I was so sad as I loved the teachers she was leaving, yet she always went to new teachers that I loved too. I never really thought about the day that she would be done at that school and moving on. It just always seemed so far off. But guess what??? That day is here! My little girl, who will turn 4 next week, is starting VPK at the end of the month. There is a cutoff on September 1st and all kids born before that date (in 2008) make the cut. So, she will always be very young in her class, but I know she will be fine. She will be going to VPK at the school where she will go to Kindergarten and hopefully the rest of her elementary years at. It happens to be the same school my brother and I went to growing up and we loved it. And, I guess I would say we turned out okay :) Marley's teachers that she has had the past year make me wish she would just stay 3 forever. She loves them so much. She always asks me to invite them over to go swimming with her or go to Busch Gardens with them. She couldn't wait to see them after the weekends and they just made her feel very special. All of Marley's teachers have always told me she was a great kid to have in class. Her teacher just told me yesterday that every teacher wishes they had 20 Marley's in their class. Another teacher told Mike that she has dealt with a lot of kids in her life and Marley was the best behaved one she ever had. Things like that floor me. I don't think I could be more proud of her. I used to think they just told every parent that their kid was good but after she was there a while and I got to know some of the kids, I realized there was no way they were telling certain parents that! Nothing makes a parent more proud than having people compliment their kid's behavior. I have to brag on my girl a bit and say that she has received SO many compliments in her short life. I have always said how lucky we have been with Marley. But don't worry, I know the triplets will make up for it. They have already started. So, I am trying not to be sad for what is over, but to be excited for what is yet to come. The best thing about VPK is that she will get out at noon every day. Oh, and it's free. Can't beat that! Thank you to all of the teachers who have helped my little girl evolve from the 18 month old toddler who cried her eyes out at even the mere mention of the word school into the little girl who ran into her classroom to hug her teachers and her friends. You have made a lifelong impression on all of our hearts and we will never forget you or be able to thank you enough.