Working Mom's Dilemma - Daycare Edition

About a month after I started my job here in Texas a coworker asked me if I planned to have kids. I'm pretty open about things so I told her that we'd like to have kids in a few years. Her response to that surprised me. She said that I should get on the waiting list for daycare right away. I thought it was absurd but who am I to question the advice of someone who clearly knows more about the daycare situation in West Texas than me? So, I called and got put on the list at the daycare across the street from work, the "best" daycare in town.

When I found out I was expecting over a year later I called again to give them an actual date when we would be needing to bring our child. It was a good thing I planned to take the fall semester off as they wouldn't have space for her in August! I was told that they would likely have a space open up in January but I wouldn't know until Thanksgiving.

So, here we sit, at the beginning of December just 5 short weeks away from needing full time care for our little girl and I've just found out that there is no spot for baby Caroline at Rainbow! Now I have a full Spring schedule and no one to watch my adorable baby!

My brain starts turning and I start to strategize - the husband can maybe just go in late to work, maybe if I move the classes up so that I'm done by 11 each day, could I lecture while wearing her in the Ergo? Maybe I can convince each grandparent to take 3 weeks each (she has 6, this could work). I was stressed out!

I mentioned the predicament to a student and she says "I'd love to watch Caroline" and just like that I begin to form a new plan! I found one student to take on MWF and another to take on TTH and I feel really good about it! I think it might work out better than daycare, we'll see. The good news is that Caroline will not be left at home alone and she will not be coming to class with me!

How could you not want to play with this cutie?