Big Transition Week

This week has been a big transition week for Holden ... and also a fairly rough week, too. The really big transition that I speak of is Holden's official move from the "infant room" to the "toddler room" at daycare. This process started on Monday, with Holden spending 2 hours in his new room, and the rest of the day back with his infant buddies -- and a bit more time each day, until tomorrow when he will spend the whole day with his new, older (and much bigger) friends.

Apparently youngsters Holden's age are very sensitive to transitions like this, and there has been lots of ink spilled about how best to handle such a move. After reading some of the research (yes, in my spare time ... or something like that), our daycare center seems to actually know what they are doing. It's key that Holden has some exposure to his new room before the transition ... check! It's also very important that he get some time to see his old room during the transition ... check! Our center has really been transitioning him ever since he arrived back in September, as he's been spending time in the "toddler room" for several months, getting to know the space, teachers, and other kids.

So Holden's been taking to the transition really well! In fact, his first nap on the toddler beds (ie. small cots that lay close to the ground) was today, and he slept longer that any other kid in his new class -- take that new kids! And despite a few bewildered mornings, Holden seems to really like his new digs. Of course, I'm keeping my eye on the biggest kid in the room, who has already thrown a toy at Holden ... he'd better not mess with my boy, or he'll have hell to pay (come on, I'm allowed to play up the toddler drama a bit, right?).

Other than his transition, Holden has been having a rough week -- probably because of teething. He's had several nights where he has woken up very upset, and has been really hard to get back to sleep (or, at least, we haven't experienced anything like this for a while, so it may seem more traumatic than it is). Who knows ... maybe Holden is truly upset about his move to the toddler room at daycare, and his anxiety is being taken out late at night when mommy and daddy are fast asleep. Ahhhhh, parenting.

Anyway, I thought I'd provide a quick update, since this has been a long yet important week. Out little H-bomb is truckin' through it, and so are we.