Nathan's Last Day as an Infant

This morning I dropped Nathan off in the Infant room for the last time. This afternoon I will pick him up in the toddler room and tomorrow I'll drop him off in toddlers. It was kind of sad. Nathan's teachers have been with him for a full year of his life. His first year. A year during which he learned to sit up, crawl and walk. He went from breast milk, to cereal, to mushy food, to crackers. He could barely see 10 ft when he first went to daycare and now he's pointing to airplanes in the sky. He went from communicating by crying only to being able to do some sign language as well as saying the names of items he wants. He's gone from sleeping in 2-3 hour bursts to sleeping through the night. He's learned how to take a nap at daycare and to sleep through all the noise of the other kids playing. And through each one of these accomplishments his teachers at daycare were there to cheer him on and to celebrate with us. They gave us encouragement when things got rough and concern when he wasn't feeling well. They made me feel safe each day when I dropped him off. They were a large part of Nathan's first year on this earth, almost as close as family. I'm glad they were a part of our village if only for a little while. Nathan will probably not remember them in the coming years but I will. They will forever remain a part of my memories of my first year as a parent.