On Wednesday, I had an uneventful morning getting the kids into daycare. It really has struck me how easy Henry has been to get to class the last couple weeks, coinciding with the "promotion" of the kid who attacked him to the next level. It makes me sad, however, to think how Henry had unnecessarily felt threatened for several weeks when the "developmental coordinator" did not follow through on her promise to remove the offender.
Daycare. Jeff finally made contact with the "regional director" who basically parroted the director's statement on how everything is supposed to be sent home at the end of the day, but said it wasn't a policy per se but it was just what they usually did. The regional director tried to get into the particulars of Baby A's case (obviously, she hasn't been affected by their stupidity yet...but we aren't really interested in taking that chance). She couldn't seem to grasp how sending the location of the daycare to the bio parents of foster children would be a problem (but maintained they never give information over the phone) and basically said that it was CPS' problem and that they should have screened everything. In short, another idiot in child care administration. Great. Doesn't anyone in administration in the child care industry have common sense?
I spent the day at my new office, organizing files and cleaning drawers. I met up with Jeff, Henry, and Miss R at the Sunshine Swim Center for the kids' swim lesson. Miss Natalie dunked each child four times in a row. Miss R didn't cry over being dunked (let alone four times!), which is a first. She seems to be turning a corner and doing much better in the water. Henry had to sit out of the pool b/c he wouldn't stay seated on one of the steps while Miss Natalie was working with the other kids. Henry had trouble floating on his back on his own this time. Jeff says that he doesn't like putting his arms out to make it happen.
After their swim lesson, they played in the play room at the swimming place for a little bit. There was an interesting moment when a mother and her daughter walked into the playroom. They were black. Miss R seemed fascinated with them. It isn't as though she hasn't seen people of color aside from her bio family. Our side of town and her daycare are multiracial/multiethnic. But from the way she was looking at them, I was wondering if something had changed in her and she is noticing racial differences. One of my friends from grad school has a son was born in Guatamala. She told me that he picked up on skin differences between him and them by the time he was a young toddler. Interestingly, our kids have never mentioned their differing skin colors before. And, I wonder if we are now entering a new phase of "same" and "different"...at least with Miss R.
When Jeff asked the kids to go to the changing room, Miss R went with him easily. Henry did not, because he wanted to play. Miss R marched back to the play room and commanded "Hurry up, Henry!"
We had Chinese food for dinner. Miss R ate very well. Henry ate some, but it wasn't a stellar showing. I took a walk with Baby A and the dogs. She fell asleep but promptly woke up when I got home. Jeff rushed out to Best Buy, trying to get there before they closed at 9PM. That meant I had to comfort a fussy Baby A while getting The Twins' teeth brushed and ready for bed. They eventually did go to bed, but they were very chatty when I left their room. I could hear them talking and laughing. I let them do that for 10 minutes before reminding them to go to bed. That didn't stop Henry of course. I could hear him whispering "I love you, R."
Early this evening, Jeff seemed set to move the kids to a new daycare. He's cooled down, but now I'm riled up again. I think that the best thing is to make the change. Make a decision. Move on. Our plan is to drop off Baby A tomorrow and take the kids to visit Daisy. We'll see what their reaction is.
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