Big Boy

As many of you know, I started working part-time doing marketing contract work for a local high-tech company back in September. Since then, Will has been going to daycare two days a week. He started out in the "older infant" classroom with babies that ranged in age from about 8 months to 13 months or so. I'd been thinking about moving him up into the toddler classroom because they have a large playroom they get to frolick in, they do arts and crafts projects, and they go outside everyday to the playground.

I'd been a little hesitant because the toddler classroom requires that the child only take one nap a day, they sit at a real table and chairs for meals (no highchairs), and they sleep on cots for naps (no cribs). I spoke to Will's infant teacher about it, and she felt it was time to move him up, too. They started slowly, letting Will play with the toddler group but come back to his orignal classroom for meals and naps. Eventually he started eating with the toddlers and then last week, the big test: taking a nap with the toddlers. I was convinced there was no way Will would lie down on a cot and go to sleep at the exact same time all the other toddlers did, but sure enough, he did just fine. Didn't try to get up once and fell asleep for two hours. The transition was complete.

So now he's officially a "toddler". Other than a little mishap the first day when he fell trying to get into his chair for lunch (and said chair fell on top of him, leaving a nice bruise on his forehead), he's done great. In fact, the other day when I went to pick him up he took one look at me and started hoofing it -- in the opposite direction of me. Kid didn't want to leave. It stung a little that he didn't run up to me like he normally does, but I guess it's a good thing he likes daycare so much. (Full disclosure: I was secretly just a tiny bit happy the next time I dropped him off and he was a little upset--albeit momentarily-- that I was leaving. Of course then he found a ball and bounced it off some kid's head, and he was off and running again.) Sigh, I guess he's growing up.