Starting over... kind of

Yesterday was Alli's first day in her new classroom at daycare. They started their new "school year" yesterday and Alli has moved up to the next developmental level classroom. I was admittedly nervous about this transition, simply because we've spent the last 6 months in her first (and only) classroom. Her teachers have gotten to know her very well - probably almost as well as we do. They know what she likes to play with, when she takes her naps, when and what she likes to eat (which is just about any time and anything), how well she crawls, how well she pulls up on things, and all the other quirks that makes Alli, well, Alli.

And as of yesterday, all that changed... she is in a completely new classroom with completely new teachers. I was so nervous that we were going to be back to square one - that she wasn't going to get her naps in (which makes for a not-very-fun-Alli in the evening), that she wasn't going to eat like she normally does, that the bigger kids were going to step on her hands because some of them can walk, and every other possible negative scenario I could think of. Call it being a parent. I wasn't as choked up as I thought I was going to be when I dropped her off, but couldn't help being anxious for the day to go by so I could see how things went.

But, just like her very first day at daycare, all my fears were put to rest by the time I picked her up. I walked in and she was all smiles, just like normal. She even crawled over to me and started pulling on my shorts. I talked to her teacher and she said that she knew Alli very well and was familiar with her schedule already. She ate at the same times she normally does, and took a nice long nap in the middle of the day. While that is a bit unusual, I was glad to see that she had slept so well on her first day in a new place. Also, a handful of kids that used to be in Alli's old class are already in her new one, and a handful of kids moved up with her. So she's pretty much hanging out with the same group of kids she's been with for the past 6 months.

It was just another thing to add to my list of compliments for Alli's daycare. The teachers switch up classes every once in a while so they can learn about the kids that will be coming to their classroom soon. They also brought Alli over to her new room a few times before yesterday so she could get familiar with her new surroundings. Long story short, this was as smooth a transition as I could have asked for.

Like Mommy B, now that the nerves are gone I'm actually very excited for her to be in this new classroom. She has new toys to play with and new activities to participate in. They also have a big foam mat that the kids can climb on without having to worry about them falling and hitting the hard floor. I was really excited about that... and I have a feeling Alli is too. Plus, some of the older kids are walking - and I'm sure she'll be watching them and taking notes the whole time... just like she did before she started crawling. It'll just be a matter of time before she puts it all together and starts walking around to keep up with them.