The Dayhome Trial Run

Yesterday we did a trial run at the dayhome where the girls will start going when I return to work next week.   A couple of factors went into our decision to do a trial run:

1) The girls need to see what a day away from momma is like, since they have never really had that (well - except when we went to San Fran last fall without them, but this is different). 

2) I needed to see if I would have a complete melt-down on abandoning them with a virtual stranger.

At 9am yesterday morning, I pulled up to the dayhome and unloaded 2 toddlers, a big bag of cloth diaper supplies and a diaper pail.   I sat with our dayhome lady and went over the specifics of dealing with identical twins who are vegetarian and cloth diapered.  Good thing I did, too, because she was pretty sure vegetarian meant chicken and fish were still okay!   The girls played quietly with the toys while the adults talked and then it was time for mommy to go.  The girls thought that meant them too so they were saying their goodbyes and preparing to head out with me.  It took us a few minutes, but we finally ended up getting them into the playroom so they would be distracted and I could slip away.

I didn't melt down.  (It probably helped that I had had a mini-meltdown in the car on the way into the city.  I just keep thinking that I'm abandoning them.)   I just took a deep breath and told myself it was my last chance to do some back to work preparations without toddlers around my ankles.  Kid-free shopping, here I come!

The morning was hardest on me.  I wanted to call and check on them constantly.  The lady had said I could call every 15 minutes if I wanted, but I so don't want to be THAT mom.   So I held off and headed out to buy some cute office supplies for my desk and some more clothes for work.  I steered myself away from the kids departments in all of the stores in case it set me off and concentrated just on what I needed (a novel thought).   Finally, right as I couldn't take it anymore, my phone rang.  It was the dayhome calling to update me.

The girlies were doing fine.  They played well, ate well and were now sleeping well.   Such a relief.   I had visions of tantrums and dog kicking and being asked at the end of the day to not bring them back!  My fears were laid to rest.  My babies appeared to be doing just fine without me.

For the rest of the afternoon, I tied up loose ends and shopped to my hearts content.   I enjoyed a leisurely lunch and read my book in a cafe.  It was like a great escape!  

At 4:30, I headed over to pick them up and it was like they barely noticed I was there!  Sure, Buggie flashed the biggest grin at me and tried to get across the room.  Doodle just pointed to the dogs and went to play with them.  

All in all - the trial run was a HUGE success.  For us all.  My girlies have a house full of new friends and animals to play in and I proved to myself that everything is going to be just fine.   And our dayhome lady? She assured me she can tell them apart just fine and that the cloth diapers are a piece of cake.  

Let's hope this isn't a case of "perfect dress rehearsal, disastrous show"...guess we'll see next week when it all goes into full time production.