Daycare day #1 = success

We are very sad that our babysitter that has been watching Munchkie for several months has returned to Brazil.  Munchkie was miraculously accepted into the daycare where we've been on the waiting list for almost a year and a half.  When I called they just had an opening for her and so I jumped on the chance.  The daycare is right across the street from the children's hospital where I work and is very highly ranked.  We joke that she's getting an early start on her ivy league education.  The daycare has a transition period  of five days where the parents slowly spend less and less time, transitioning to the child spending the whole day.  Today was our first day, Munchkie and I went for two hours to get a feel of how things go.

Munchkie ran right into the classroom, completely oblivious that I was even coming with her.  She went right to play with another girl.  Due to the snow storm yesterday there were only two other kids in the classroom, so there was one girl, ten months older than Munchkie and a seven month old baby.  Munchkie was so excited to play with other kids.  She was watching the little girl and doing everything the little girl did.  The little girl played the tambourine, so did Munchkie.  The little girl sat and read a book, so did Munchkie. When the little girl tilted her head back during snack time, so did Munchkie.  I can already see new habits coming home, the good and the bad.

I don't even think that Munchkie needs the transition time.  She could have cared less if I was there.  I know it's probably comforting just to have me in the room, but she definitely didn't cling or cry.  While I am so proud of her for showing her independence, it makes me a little sad that she is fine without me.  I think being one on one with the babysitter was a good transition to leaving us.  Now she needs to transition to being around other kids.

My huge fear is that she is going to hit or hurt someone because she's so used to rough handling the dogs.  I don't want to have the child who the other parents hate because she hits when someone wants to play with a toy.  I know the teachers are trained and have had many children come through so they are used to all kinds of kids, but it still makes me nervous.  It's completely different being the only child, never sharing to playing with other kids where everything is shared.  There are little things, like teaching Munchkie not to color on other people's paper and waiting your turn for hand washing, that she has to learn.  Hopefully she's a fast learner and I don't get bad notes home.

Tomorrow we go longer and I leave her there for a little while.  I'm sure it will be fine, but you just never know.