HOME AGAIN!

By Joanne Peterson

My daughter Lisa returned to work a few weeks ago, after a four-month maternity leave. She had mixed feelings about going back to work, after enjoying seven days a week with baby Adam Bradley.

Fortunately, she enjoys her social work position and the benefits it provides for her family. Now she is appreciating a benefit she never needed before Adams birth her workplace has an in-house daycare center.

After Lisa gets ready for work in the morning, she awakens Adam, feeds him and dresses him for the day. She packs his little bag of supplies, puts him in his car seat, and they drive the few miles to her workplace.

It didnt take long for me to realize I needed to see the daycare center, so I could visualize Adam in that setting. After he settled into his baby-care arrangement, I called and drove to West Seattle to visit him and his mother.

I was pleased to note a stroller parked near my daughters office door and dared to hope I might get Adam out of the building! I didnt know what to expect when Lisa and I stepped out of the elevator (pushing the empty stroller) and entered the daycare center, which provides infant care through pre-school.

A blast of noise hit us as we stepped through the baby-room door. Three infants were crying. Actually, one was screaming. I scarcely noticed what the others were doing or even how many there were.

Limp with relief that Adam was not one of the three, but frantic that I could not see him anywhere, I followed my daughter to a corner of the room. Adam was sound asleep in a crib labeled with his name, lying on his back with his arms stretched above his head, oblivious to the racket. He awakened with a smile.

I met the daycare staff, and Lisa added me to the short list of people allowed to take Adam from the room, even from the building. Then his mama went back to work, and the fun began!

With Adam securely strapped into his stroller, baby and grandma went for a walk in the fall sunshine.

Adam and I didnt move very quickly, as I chose to stop frequently and hover over him, telling him the names of flowers, reminding him of his intelligence and beauty, and tickling his chin to make him laugh. Bliss!

Eventually we re-entered the building, though I dreaded returning to the daycare center. But this time, the baby room was quiet. Women speaking sweetly were cuddling, changing and feeding infants. All was well.

When I reluctantly left my grandson, I felt that although no daycare would seem good enough, his caregivers were kind and competent, and would be attentive to Adams needs. Best of all, his mama was in the building, able to spend her lunchtime and breaks with her baby.

And Im on the list! I can visit anytime. You can bet Ill be going often.

(Joanne Bradbury Peterson spent an idyllic childhood in Edmonds, then moved to North Central Washington. After years of raising a family, teaching and traveling, she is happily at home in Edmonds again. She can be reached at bjbpete@aol.com.)