I had intended to get up early ...so that I don't rush through the morning..But now that I was late already..
I cruised through the morning routine ..somehow me and baby were ready by 10:10 am. I crèche was a good twenty minutes walk from my place....reached on time!
We walked through the crèche ..the section for age group 3 - 24 months was the last one...in-midst was the 2- 5 yrs age group. A lot of kids were playing and some even greeted us..I felt happy to see the excited kids and imagined my baby would be happy like them too!
We reached the infant section ..Aaryan's primary carer took us to the garden where the other babies were playing. We had a chat about Aaryan and she also she asked me to fill in lots of details about him. Meanwhile Aaryan stopped clinging to me and had started playing. He was happy to see so many kids and even more happy to see a new set of toys. The first day the idea was to familiarize baby with the crèche and the staff. We stayed for an hour and I stayed with my baby throughout...my baby seemed contented and wasn't willing to leave at the end of an hour.
The second day also we followed a similar routine..only it was for a longer period of an hour and half, and I was asked to leave him alone with them for half an hour..They asked me to give him a warm hug and explain that I was going to come back in a while...he was not willing to let go of me and the lady had to literally pull us apart however she did it very gently and tactfully. She said she realized that it was a difficult moment not just for the parent and baby but also for them .I had to leave my baby crying...and even though I was tempted to go back and cuddle him I avoided all the temptations...I was fighting tears and managed to hold on to them somehow.
That looked like the most difficult half an hour of my life so far...I kept looking at the watch after every ten second. After glancing at the watch hundreds of times...I had managed to kill twenty minutes..when another lady asked me to come into his room as my baby wouldn't stop crying at all.They explained that whenever they feel that the parent should be called for they do so and I was to stay at the lobby through out the settling period.
The next day we followed a similar routine, my baby cried lil less which was kind of consoling.
The week crept by and when it was Friday I was relieved that the next two days I don't have to take him to the crèche...the whole thing was very disturbing...I felt very sad and at dinner table I started crying...and then the most amazing thing happened...my baby who was playing with his toys, left everything aside and came running to me and climbed on my lap....he looked into my eyes and wiped off my tears murmuring softly "Mumma..Mumma". All my sadness vanished...here was my lil one who had grown up suddenly...and was wiping my tears. The feeling was something that I can't narrate..a very moving and rewarding moment!
That gave me the strength to carry on for the next 3 more weeks. The next week , the hours at the crèche was extended and I had to leave him for a longer period. Some days he would be happy and cheerful, some-days he would just keep on crying.
I would sit and read a book at the lobby and occasionally go and peep and check on him...a glimpse of him would put me at ease! Sometimes he would cry so much that I didn't want to continue, thinking maybe be his not yet ready for the crèche. But I didn't give up , I wanted to make him independent...thinking there were other younger babies doing fine there.
While going back to pick him from the crèche, I would always peep from the door and see how he was progressing..I always watched him for a couple of minutes before making myself visible. Initially he would keep looking at the door if I was there and when he would see me , he would leave everything and run into my arms.
Things were more or less the same the next week he would be happy to see me and then would want to go home..bring his coat from the peg..one day as I was talking to his carer, he picked up my bag too and wanted us to leave that very moment.
The fourth week he seemed more relaxed, he was ready to climb on to the pram in the mornings. When I went to collect him he would be happy to see me but still continue to play with the toys...that was the time when I realised that he's happy to play there and ready to start the nursery.
He would be happy most of the times, but cried at meal times. He didn't like to be seated on the lunch table and would cry when made to do so..neither would he eat anything there.
Since he was just doing half day sessions, they suggested that we feed him at home before and after the crèche hours , they would try and work on the eating but if he refuses to eat there's not much that they can do about it.
At home we would seat him on his high-chair and feed him..they advised us to get a chair and table for him and make him have his meal seated on the chair and table instead of the high chair.
So after four weeks of settling he's finally ready to start ...
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