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Well, I seem to have been forced out of my own bed by a combination of sleepy baby and blanket-stealing hubby. I'm taking the opportunity to use the computer now, because with

pyat home from work today, telecommuting, he'll be using it most of the day.

Elizabeth and I are getting out of the house. I find that if I stay around here, and she knows Daddy is upstairs, I can't get her settled to anything elsewhere in the house - she wants to go see Daddy. So in the morning, we're going to go swimming at my mom's house, and after her nap (during which I intend to nap myself) we'll go to Fortinos and get some good-for-us goodies for tonight's Ironclaw session.

I also need to call the Francophone daycare and arrange a day next week when I can go in to observe. It's better to do this while I'm still off, even if she won't be going there for another two months (she's not old enough until October.) Of course, since it's the only francophone daycare within a reasonable distance, if I don't like what I see then I'm screwed. I really hope it's okay. She's finally starting to use French words nearly as much as English, and I go back to work next week flexibly and the following week for real. I don't want her to lose the gains she's made, and I want to cement her right to go to a francophone school eventually. The only way to do that is to have her in this daycare one or two days a week.

Tomorrow I have an appointment at a spa for about six hours. I'm not paying for it (though I need to remember to take cash for a tip). Back in May, the three of us went out for dinner at Kelsey's for Mother's Day. While there, I entered a draw for mothers only, for this spa package, and won. Yippee!!! I never win stuff like this!!! Anyhow, it includes a full-body massage, facial, manicure, pedicure, and wash/cut/style. And lunch. The package is worth $185, which means it exceeds my annual budget for this type of thing (including haircuts) by a good $30.

So, when I've got my new hairdo, I'll dress up in some of my nice new clothes and get Pyat to take pictures for an lj fashion show. (I suppose that means I need to do laundry today, too. . . ) I need a new icon - I've never really liked that picture.

I wonder if I can get Piet to take the baby until 8:30 or so so I can go back to sleep now? Naptime is a very long way away. . .

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Wow! That spa package sounds fantastic! Enjoy it, lucky lady! :)

I hope all goes well with the daycare. Are you taking Elizabeth along, to see how she reacts, or just going yourself?

I was planning to just go myself, but I might take her now that you suggest it. She's quite easygoing, and is likely to be fine just about anywhere, but I want to see.

Did you take the bunny to see the daycares you looked at?

Oh, and I will enjoy it. I can hardly wait - free pampering! I've never had a pedicure, facial or full massage, though I've had a manicure before. (I really don't pamper myself often enough. . . ) I just hope the stylist can suggest something for my hair that will be flattering, easy to maintain, and less annoying than bangs in the eyes.

Sometimes I think that getting one's hair cut requires something akin to a really strict birth plan to give to the stylist -- you WILL do this... you will NOT do that... if I see you coming toward me with thinning scissors, I'm out of here, etc. ;D I hope you get something really awesome. I'm sure you'll enjoy the whole experience -- facial massage in particular is very, very nice, IMO. And if they give you a foot rub with the pedicure, I bet you'll come home on cloud nine!

I did take the bunny to see the daycares -- it was interesting to see how she reacted to different environments and caregivers, and it really showed me how prepared the caregivers were (in general, and specifically with her). Seeing them interact with her turned out to be very important -- some folks are just not cut out to care for other people's children, that's for sure. *sigh*

I think it's easier to see whether places are boring, unsafe, dirty/shabby, run by someone who you don't feel comfortable caring for your child, etc., when you've got the actual child with you -- it's easier than relying on imagination. You can also see how it will be to get her there on a daily basis (that was a real eyeopener for us -- some places that looked great immediately lost their lustre after trying to wrangle her to them either by transit or by car!). These may not be factors in your case, but I do think that it's worth taking her along. If nothing else, she'll get to visit with other kids and play with different things, while you're there. :)

I know already that picking her up will be a bit of a pain, because it will have to be done by bus by me. Dropping her off, however, will be Piet's job, and if there's ever an emergency, it's only one short bus ride for Oma, too. (In fact, the bus for Oma is closer than the bus for us.)

I think I'll take her after all. Now I just have to set up the appointment. (I got sidetracked. Again. Hopefully, coming in next Thursday won't be a big issue for them.)

Thanks for the insight. I've been so lucky with childcare thus far, and I'm so afraid my luck is about to run out. It seems almost too good to be true that the only daycare which meets all my initial specifications will be clean, comfortable and well-run, too.

I, for example, should never be trusted with anyone's children.

The last time I was left partially alone with someone's toddler sprout (my uncle's, in this case), the parents came back to find I'd taught her the important concept of earning and losing favor with inanimate objects. In this case, her Magna-Doodle didn't like her.

In the very brief time in my life when I was taking lessons to be a clown, they told me never, ever to refer to a popped balloon as having died. Invariably, there would be a child who would burst into tears at the thought.

Really, being with kids is a matter of proximity, inclination, training and overall niceness. If you have the inclination and the niceness, the other two can be acquired. The problem is that many people don't realize until too late that a career with kids is not for them; by then, it's already paying the bills and getting out is much tougher than was getting in.