The Hardest Monday

Last week began a 14-week journey to completing my Master's Degree in Elementary Education.  I am a semester away from graduating from Rockhurst University with my Master's. All that stands in the way is a semester of student teaching.

That semester of student teaching began last Monday, which meant I would be dropping my daughter off at "daycare" for the first time. By God's grace, a close friend from our church (who had done an in-home daycare for 12 years) offered to watch Ava for us during these 14 weeks. She shares our same values, she has taken care of young children before, Ava would be the only child she's watching (she homeschool's her tween daughter and let the daycare go last year), etc. It's a great fit.

Last Monday came, and it will probably go down in history as the start of the worst week for Ava. To start, she was sick with a 102 temp and I STILL had to drop her off, drop-offs were TERRIBLE in the morning with hysterical crying, she was extremely clingy once we got home at night (to the point of not even wanting my husband to hold her), and since she was sick, she was up 5-6 times each night Monday thru Friday. We were exhausted and a bit discouraged, to say the least.

We are praying earnestly that our daughter begins to adapt to this very new change. I've been a full-time stay at home Mom since  she was born, so this is a major change for all of us. Learning to balance Mommy time with full-time teaching is going to be a challenge, but thankfully there is an end in sight.

One week down, 13 left to go!