Daycare, Vultures, and Snakes, Oh My!

The day started off with a horrible dream that woke me up about 4AM. It was strange and disturbing so I'll spare the details but it involved vultures and my precious pooches, Bubba and Mallory, so I'm sure you can figure out the rest. I woke Mat up because it was so upsetting. Then, I had this motherly instinct that apparently is brewing inside me just filled with rage that if anyone so much as thought of harming my child, much less my dogs, I just might have to kill them. I told you it was strange! The good part was as I was lying there trying to fall asleep , I felt Baby Keyes on the move again. :)

The daycare dilemma has been solved and our decision is official unless something unforeseen changes between now and then. Who really likes the idea of daycare? Not me...that's for certain. Yet, on the other hand I can't really imagine staying home full time and it's certainly not an option financially so here we are, like many couples, pondering what the best choice is. The daycare situation is complicated slightly when you're a teacher, because if you choose a center but yet want to pull your baby out during the summer months (which I obviously do), you still have to pay at least half price to hold your spot. While I can understand the logic, the theory is frustrating and goes against one of the perks of being a teacher in the first place. There seem to be some good centers around and in fact we are on the waiting list for both of them, but we seem to have found an option that we are both happy with and are feeling really good about. A friend of a friend along with a fellow teacher at my school both highly recommended a home daycare to us. It's a lady who has been at it for over 20 years and she only watches teacher's kids. She likes the schedule and doesn't charge over the summer. She's licensed and watches no more than 5 kids. Our baby will be the only baby at the time of enrollment and the other children will range from 2-5. We like the socialization in the small group and the fact that she will be the one with our child for as long as we see fit rather than a rotating staff. The location is good for us, she's a Christian woman with 2 grown children of her own, and we are comfortable with her policies. It's not perfect, but when it comes to choosing someone else to help raise your child I'm not sure that there is ever perfection. I'll leave out the rest of the details and spare you the boredom, but overall it feels like the right decision for us and that's what is important. I know it's not right for everyone and I have seen some wonderful facilities that many of my friends use, but it boils down to making the decision that is best for our situation. I was holding out slightly on one other home daycare possibility, but the reliability just isn't there and that's something really crucial for Mat and I. She does however want to help out as our back up and the occasional date night so it should work out wonderfully! We pray that our choice is the right one and that our baby will be in safe, competent, and loving arms each day.

Last but not least, on to the snakes....uggh. I let the dogs out when I got home today and I saw a plank from our fence that had come loose. I walked over and bent down to pick it up and then "ssssssssss".......a huge black snake went slithering over me! I screamed so loud (sorry neighbors if I woke the new baby :) ) and ran inside. So much for protecting my precious pooches! I'm sure it was only a garden snake but it was way too long for my comfort and moved way too fast! No leaving the screen door open on that patio! It gives me the heebie geebies just thinking about it!