Just another day at the office

This morning when G woke up, she asked me what today is - just like she does every day. I told her that it is Tuesday - daycare day - then she proceeded to melt into the floor in a puddle of sobs. She's never behaved this way before, so I was obviously concerned about what brought upon this overly dramatic reaction. I asked her why she didn't want to go to daycare.

Her resonse was priceless. Something like "I got a new teacher Miss A and then H didn't want to play with me 'cause she wanted to play with B instead and when I asked if they would play with me they just said 'na na na na na' and laughed and ran away and so I cried and then I got bit by a dragon on my finger but don't tell anyone because that is our secret"

I was heartbroken. As difficult as leaving my kids in daycare is for me, I've always found solace in the fact that they seemed to enjoy it there. This was the first I'd heard of them not wanting to go - but it did explain why yesterday when I picked the girls up, G had spent the day telling everyone that this was her last day at daycare.

I would have given anything to take the day off, and spend it spoiling my girls. In fact, not to long ago I would have done just that. But given the fact that I've taken 5 days off in the past 2 weeks due to sick children, and that I have a big presentation to prepare, I needed to be at work. Daddy had a job interview too, so he couldn't stay home all day either. The girls needed to go to daycare.

But I made a deal with G: I told her that if she would be a big girl and go to daycare with her sister, I would pick her up when the babies went upstairs at 8:00 am. I told her that Bryn would cry if G wasn't there to make her feel good, so she just needed to wait until Bryn went up to the baby room, and then she could come spend some time with me at my office.

I left the office at exactly 8:00 and was at daycare at 8:04. G was standing at the gate crying for me. I heard her asking why her mommy wasn't there yet. When she saw me, her face lightened up, and she stopped crying. I took her back to work with me, where she sat at the other side of my desk. She drew pictures while I made slides for a presentation. I have 2 waterbottles that I fill up at the cooler every day, and I took her to fill a bottle. One of my coworkers gave her some candy, and she was in heaven.

Here's the happy girl and her candy.
Showing me her red tongue (why do kids love to do this?)
After she was finished drawing, she had to redecorate my office. This is the "shrine" that she organized. I wish the camera picked up her pictures better. She's starting to draw pictures that actually resemble something, and she drew the cutest picture of daddy - complete with his spikey hair.

After about an hour and a half, she was ready to go back to daycare. She happily went in and sat down next to H was they were reading a story. She doesn't know it yet, but after naps, Daddy is coming to pick her up and take her to the park.

**Note in my picture the lovely decor of my office. Yes - I do have my own big office with a desk and a door that shuts. And I have my own big window that looks out to the street right at tire level to all the passing cars. And the carpet is orange. The walls are orange. The wood trim is orange (see the theme). It really is sick in here. But the door shuts.