First Day

Well, I have to blog today. Our first official day of business. And although I have photos and thoughts in my head that I meant to blog every day for the last month, it hasn't happened. And even though I am so. very. tired. I am making myself blog now. Because today was such a big deal. For us, Mike and me, and all the little birds in our care (not to mention the mamas and papas who lovingly placed them with us). It has been, and admittedly still is, a race to the finish for us. There were (and are) so many things to complete in September, and I honestly don't know where all the time went...
We painted and completed a second playroom. We call it the "bear room", I guess because of a Elsa Beskow print we have hanging in there of a boy and a bear. We call the other playroom just "the kitchen" (maybe we should come up with something better?), and Kaj's room - also used for diapering and baby naps - "the owl room". We recently decided to move our daughter, Wren, upstairs to share the attic bedroom with us. Her room has now become a music and movement room that we call "the rainbow room". We have plans to paint and decorate in there, but it was a last minute decision to turn that space over to Three Little Birds, so just put it on my to-do list....

We had to take several licensing classes this past month, finish a lot of paperwork, build some walls in the basement, a few complicated railing and gate installations, and all the other typical childproofing...All of this was just to pass our fire inspection. We also spent September meeting with families, giving more tours, enrolling and completing intakes, going to IKEA (again and again and again) and trying to completely unpack and settle into our new home. I can't believe we have only lived here a little over a month! Amidst all of this, I turned 30 years old on the 15th of September, and we hosted a birthday party for all the lovely little girls in my life. Because birthdays are a big deal when you are 30, but an even bigger deal when you are 2, 3, or 4. My kids know how to celebrate. And truly, I am excited to add some boys to my crew, because in the last few years I have been surrounded by only girls. Which is awesome, but it's going to be fun to change it up....

Meanwhile, we started taking care of Melania (4) and Kiera (almost 2), 2 days a week at the beginning of September. This has been really helpful in getting us prepared for the other children, and day one with them was certainly a wake-up call. Mike and I were really out of practice since we hadn't been teaching a group of kids in awhile. We tried to swing right back into the rhythm, and it was a disaster. No one was listening or responding or participating, and for some reason we felt clueless and helpless. Plus Wren has never been up at 6am in her life, so she was cranky and falling out all over the place. The early rising alone took some getting used to. Day one with Wren, Kaj, Melania and Kiera was rough. I actually spent a good deal of the day staring at Mike jokingly whispering, "MIKE. you quit your job. What are we going to do?" But then, that night, we went over the day, made some plans, did a little troubleshooting, and the next day was better. And it got better, and better, and better every day going forward. We hit a great stride and routine with the girls, and are so grateful that they "paved the way" for everyone else.

So, TODAY, was day one with a full group. And both Mike and I are VERY happy with how it went. I did not need to do any panicked whispering(jokingly or otherwise) to Mike, and we maintained a pretty positive energy and good rhythm throughout the day. We had 7 kids total, 2 who had never been in child care before. They both (Isla and Liam) transitioned REALLY well, especially considering that they are young toddlers and haven't separated from their moms before. I also have to give the mamas props, because it is really hard to leave your baby for the first time, and both mamas did really well, too. We are thankful for the beautiful fall weather, and spent a lot of time outdoors. We went for a walk in our amazing new/used toddler wagon, and also did some art projects outside. I did wish for a cook, janitor, and part time aide, as things felt overwhelmingly busy at times, but we are troubleshooting again tonight (and running to babiesrus to buy more childproofing equipment. for real. you cannot control this environment enough.), and are confident that within another month or so we will all find our rhythm and place here at Three Little Birds. Truly looking forward to bonding and connecting with all these beautiful and unique little people....

snapshots of our day: