Daycare Day 2 (Sadly, not as smooth as Day 1)

I didn't have time to pour out the whole sad story last night, as my mom is here for the weekend and I was trying to stay awake long enough to visit with her. But I thought my quick post, hinting that the world was potentially off it's axis, might give you a clue as to how crazy the whole day went.

So, I dropped Zoey off at daycare yesterday morning at 6:45. We gravitated to the OTHER teacher who is there early in the morning, taking care to avoid E.R.L. When I left, she looked like she was terrified, but trying very hard to be brave. There were no tears.

Went to work and had the WORST DAY EVER. (Well, maybe not EVER. But seriously in the top five.) Couldn't escape until 4:00.

I arrive at daycare at 4:20 and find Zoey playing in the gym. She bursts in to tears the minute she sees me. As I am holding her and talking to the afternoon teacher, I am told that Zoey had a great morning, but upon waking from her nap in the afternoon, she began going to the window periodically and looking for me. The teacher tried to hold her and distract her, but Zoey was having none of it.

Tell me that wouldn't break your heart.

I immediately began re-playing all the horrible events of the afternoon at work in my head--I had spent all day putting out fires and dealing with a doctor we work with frequently, whom I refer to as Captain Annoying. (Re-naming the doctors we work with is a coping mechanism for me, had you noticed?) And now, to know that while all that was going on, my daughter had been sadly wondering where I was...well, let's just say it did nothing to help the whopping case of Mommy Guilt I had been struggling with all week.

And it gets better: as I went to write a check to pay for the week's daycare, I was informed that E.R.L. had quoted me the wrong price. Turns out it's $165 per week, not $135. At that point, I was too damn tired to argue.

The good news is that Zoey was thrilled to get home. We immediately sat on the couch and read her favorite book over and over. When Bryan and my mom arrived (Bryan from school, my mom home from her conference), we walked to the new coffee shop that just opened down the street. Then we went out for pizza.

And, although the evening was a MAJOR improvement over the day, Zoey still gets teary each time I am out of her sight.

This daycare thing is going to be a rough road, I tell you.