Ladies and Gentlemen....

....we have a daycare!!

After our weeks of searching and panicking, I think we found her new "home" away from home!

Last Friday we met with a daycare center nearby that two other girls from her daycare are attending. I wasn't thrilled with the idea of a center, but decided to check it out, as they both loved the place.

And to my surprise?! It really doesn't feel like a center.

We looked at a few centers back when I was pregnant, and didn't care for any of them. They're way too big, too many kids, not personal, didn't have that "homey" feel to it, and are pretty darn expensive.

But this center is different. It's actually held in an old (converted) house. The toddlers (18mos-age 3) have the run of the first floor and the preschoolers (age 3 and up) have the run of the second floor. And they only have 13 kids enrolled total! A typical center has hundreds. So on the days Avery will be there (Monday and Tuesday), there will only be 5 kids in her age group, which is exactly how many were at her in-home daycare. There will be roughly the same amount of preschoolers there as well, so maybe 10-12 kids there (we're told the number varies daily). So I think it'll work out. She won't just be a number in a sea of kids, which is what we like.

I also think she's going to learn so much stuff there. Their day is very structured with circle times, stories, music/movement sessions, indoor/outdoor play, etc.

We all went back there today to get the paperwork and put down a deposit and Avery went right along with the kids and listened to a story and did some exploring of the place. She seemed very content to observe everything and poke around a bit.

The only big changes we have to get used to are making her a lunch (her other place provided lunch) and her nap routine. Since their youngest kids are 18mos, they don't have pack-n-plays for naptime. They only have floormats. I honestly have no idea how she'll sleep on a mat on the floor, but they say it's been done. I'm a little worried that it might mess up her routine at home, but I guess we'll see when we get to that time.

I'll keep you updated on how it goes-her first day will be March 1st!