For those of you who are not on Facebook, on Tuesday evening, Justin's older brother (Matt) was in a motorcycle accident when a car pulled out in front of him. He has a broken bone on each limb and will still have more surgeries this week. He did have some bleeding from organs, but there does not seem to be any ongoing concerns from that. He was wearing his helmet and has no neurological concerns. Matt is going to have a long recovery ahead of him as he will need time to heal and then therapy to regain the use of his arms and legs. Please keep him and the whole Stillinger family in your thoughts and prayers.
So poor little Rose has not seen grandma since Tuesday! I got to take off Thursday and Friday to be home with Rose; I never mind having extra time with my little girl, but sadly I can't take vacation forever, SO Rose is now enrolled in childcare for two days a week. Justin and I had been thinking about doing this sometime between 18-24 months to give her more socialization with other children, but since grandma will need to be with uncle Matt, this has pushed up the timetable.
As an Early Intervention Service Coordinator I have been in about 20-30 different facilities in Berks County. So I would say most centers I have been in would be acceptable: kids are playing, staff interacts with each child, and the facility is pretty clean and neat. All facilities have to have a license from the Department of Public Welfare (private homes are different) which means they have have child to staff ratios based on different ages, have to have background checks and clearances, and trained in CPR and first aide. Additionally in PA there is the Keystone Stars rating program (1-4 stars based on additional staff training and what is offered at the center) and there is a national program for accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). So it's a given that I would need a facility with 4 STARS and accreditation from NAEYC...so Rose is enrolled at the Albright Learning Center. Right now she is in the 12-23 month room on Wednesday and Friday. Justin, Rose, and I visited on Thursday to go over a few items. They will use my cloth diapers and although they provide food, they will give Rose my substitutions as requested. We were happy with all the inside and outside places to play and Rose was immediately interested in the other children. I believe that this will be a good opportunity for Rose and I do feel secure that she will be in a VERY good place, but there is still something hard about leaving her with people I don't know...also this very super childcare center means I now have to curb my Etsy spending :(
So what else has been going on...well Rose helped me plant some flowers and decided that the taste of dirt is ok :) Rose continues to amaze us with her awesome motor skills. She can do a full squat, hold that position, and then stand back up! She is trying to pop bubbles and has stacked a few blocks on top of each other (although knocking down is still her favorite!). Rose is also making more sounds, I thinking we are finally starting to hear strings of sounds, but still no consonants. Yesterday we took a trip to another organic store in the ares to try out some new foods. We got some raspberries and Rose loved them! Sometimes she eats great at a meal and other times she prefers to throw everything on the floor and watch Tahnee eat it :) Rose is still sleeping awesome! She takes two great naps and sleeps through the night. I am a little worried about how going to childcare will effect this. They will put children down for a morning nap if they need it, but most of the children just take an afternoon nap. They also sleep on mats. Rose is a mover in her sleep and I am a little concerned as to how she will adapt to this change.
Here are some pictures from today. Yes, Rose is in mismatched PJ's :) I also had to take these pics with my iphone since Rose wanted to play with the camera.
Wow, you guys have had a lot to deal with this week. I am so sorry about Matt and sorry that I didn't know until I read this. I suppose that is what happens when you get rid of facebook. It sounds like Matt has a long road ahead of him but he is lucky to have all of you there.
ReplyDeleteIt never gets easier to leave your kid at daycare, even though you know they do a great job. Nothing substitutes Mom (or Grandma)! I know what you mean about the cost too - ughh! I try not to think about what we spend on an annual basis and keep it week-by-week so the thought doesn't make me too sick. hahaha
It was great that they had available space at the daycare too!