Anne's Diary - A mom's adventure in child care - Week 4

All the months of waiting, wondering and preparing are coming to a close. First babies are notoriously late and, therefore, I know better than to get my hopes up for an early delivery. Regardless, I can still relate to the stories I've heard about other mothers whose due dates come and go, leaving them with a certain sense of desperation. We're so close to the end of this phase, but still have no real idea when labor is going to begin. It's a bit agonizing!

My instinct is telling me that this baby is going to make his or her grand entrance on Thanksgiving Day. Darrick and I have planned accordingly by not planning at all. For the first time in years, we won't be cooking up a storm on Thursday, although I'm determined to at least make my annual assortment of pies. (Our Lamaze instructor recommended that we have a "project" lined up for early labor. The purpose of the project is to keep my mind and body focused on a task other than the early signs of labor. Labor can take quite a while to build and having a non-labor related project helps pass the time and helps laboring moms maintain their composure and relaxation. I've decided that baking pies will be my "early labor project.")

We've acquired all of the final requisite baby items this week, including our first delivery of cloth diapers. The car seat has been installed in the car, the bassinet is set up next to the bed -- all we're missing is the baby.

I've been too tired to visit many child care centers this week but I've gathered a good list of different care options. I have two nannies to meet after the baby arrives; I've decided I'd like to see them interact with my child before making any final decisions. The first nanny came highly recommended by a mom who recently moved away from the Bay Area. She couldn't say enough wonderful things about the care this woman provided for her child. The second one is a referral from a neighbor whose sister ran a day care/parenting program for teenage mothers and their children in the Seattle area. She has recently moved to the Bay Area and is anxious to work with infants again.

I also have a varied list of child care centers, some close to home, others close to work, a few that are currently accepting infants and two others that have waiting lists now, but might be ideal once our baby is six months old. All of the center information was accessed through CareGuide's child care directory and I've used their checklists to help me do some initial interviewing and narrow my selection. I definitely have my "hit list" in order (five local centers) for the weeks following the baby's birth.

Although I really like the idea of having someone at home for one-on-one care in the early months of life, I'll also be searching for child care facilities with good interactive programs which I think could be very beneficial for my child's development. Even though I'm still stressed about finding a child care solution, I'd be kidding myself if I said that this particular issue is my focus this week. All I can really think about is finally meeting my child.