New Preschool (No Foolin')

Since moving to NL we have considered switching Audrey to a daycare in NL instead of continuing to drive her to the east side of IC to Louise's house. We didn't want to do it when we first moved out there last June, but by the middle of fall we thought more seriously about it (because of the new routine of taking Luke to school) but it just stressed me out. Plus the place we'd looked at in June was building a new center and it was supposed to open in early October, but didn't. I took it as a sign that it wasn't the right time to move Audrey, anyway.

Our routine since Luke started school is that I get the kids ready in the morning (Ben leaves the house at 6:00), which is a chore because neither of their internal clocks like to wake up before 7:00 and we need to leave the house at 7:05! We take Luke to school (this involves getting Audrey in and out of the car because we have to walk Luke inside), then Audrey and I drive the 25 minutes to her daycare. On the drive I have to open at least two packages of fruit snacks, maybe a fruit strip, pass her juice and milk cups to her (I usually do this before we pull out of the school parking lot, but then sometimes she hands them back), and pick up the toys or her beloved Happy Bear that she drops on the floor. Don't worry, I'm really safe when reaching in the backseat and I have long arms. :-D Audrey usually has to wait until it is safe enough for me to reach back there, but that does not make her happy!

For a while I was able to still catch the 7:45 AM city bus right in front of the daycare and take it downtown to work. Then I started missing the bus by like 30 seconds and always felt rushed; it just wasn't worth it to feel rushed so I started driving to a side street to park about 12 minutes away from work. But then at the end of the day I have to drive back over to the daycare and if we leave at 4:55 we can be home by 5:20. At least Ben is able to pick Luke up from school!

On Friday I got a call from the owner of the newly built daycare in NL and she said she is open and ready for us to check it out. Yesterday was Ben's day off so we took Audrey for a visit and the place is really nice. Besides being a brand new building the owner got new tables, chairs, toys, play mats, kitchen sets - it's just really nice, and the outside play area is huge and will be fenced soon. Audrey was excited about visiting a new school and even though she was shy while there she didn't want to leave. Last night we decided we feel comfortable with this being her new preschool so this morning I told Louise her last day will be April 15th. She wasn't surprised and is glad we kept Audrey there this long after moving.

Daycare options have always been hard decisions for us and I'm sure for all parents! We know it will be a hard transition for Audrey, but hope to visit the daycare at least one more time before starting her on the 16th, and we'll keep in contact with her friends at Louise's and do playdates. I will miss the other kids, too! It's very exciting that the morning routine will be less stressful in just a few weeks (the plan is for Luke & I to take Audrey to preschool and then I'll take Luke to school) and Ben can pick both of the kids up at the end of the day!
Here is a picture of Louise and the kids (minus one) at their Christmas party.