Max is growing up

Each day I surprised to see just how much Max learns and grows each day.  He has a fun personality and a million different facial expressions, all of which make me laugh.  Part of the reason why Max makes so many faces is that he has yet to really start talking.  He talks, he just uses his own language.  I talked to the doctor about Max's speech delay and we decided to set up a speech evaluation and a hearing test.  The doctor also recommended enrolling Max in a child development center.  Even though Max is two and half and most kids don't start mother's day out/preschool until they are three, I felt impressed to start checking out preschools, daycares, and early childhood centers earlier in the year.  I did a lot of research, made many phone calls, and visited different places.  Prior to Max's check-up, I had already found a wonderful place for Max.  Carl and I really prayed about it and we even redid our budget to make sure we could afford this center and it all fell into place.  We decided to enroll Max for two full days a week.

Max went for a few hours last week just to get used to everything.  The first day he went was awful.  He cried the whole time he was there and did not have fun.  The second day he went he cried for half and hour and then intermittently throughout the rest of the day.  Today was his first full day and it went rather well.  He only cried for 2 minutes when I dropped him off.  After that, he played like a camp and he even took a nap during nap time.  He was definitely glad to see me when I picked him up but it seemed like he enjoyed himself while he was there.  I won't lie, I struggled with enrolling Max in daycare since I stay home and he is a little young for it but I know it's the right thing.  I have already seen an improvement in Max's speech and I know he is learning other valuable lessons, like how to share and how to make friends. 

There was another benefit, too.  I was able to have a whole day with just Joseph.  We hung out and played and did things that are fun for him.  Usually he is in the stroller or in my arms while we watch Max having all the fun.  Starting daycare has been a huge transition for all of us but I know it will benefit all of us.  I am also grateful for prayer and the priesthood.  I did a lot of praying and soul-searching about this decision and I feel good.  I know it's right.  I can't imagine making a big decision without divine guidance.  I think there would be a lot of second guessing going on when rough patches hit.  Even if Max has a few rough days, I will know that this is the right thing for him. 

After Max's first day at school(that's what we call it), we told him he was going back to play some more and he sat on the ground and started to cry.  That just about broke my heart.  Then I started thinking about my school days and my dad gave me a blessing before the start of every school year.  Since this is the start of Max's school year, I asked Carl to give him a blessing.  Carl gave Max a sweet blessing and I know it helped him.  I am just so grateful that Carl is a worthy priesthood holder and that we know about the gospel.  While the gospel doesn't make hard things go away, it does make them easier to go through.