Nice guys finish first

Ryan loves day care. And, he loves no pants. The Coopers and Georges have that gene in common. (And that is the throwaway line that justifies these photos in this post.)


Morning latte


Waiting for the doctor

Ryan might love day care more than weekends alone with his parents. Any guilt I feel about leaving him there evaporates when we arrive in the mornings and he pushes the door open with his little hands and toddles into the room in his little coat, and his teachers say "Good morning, Ryan!" as he grins at them and babbles, telling them everything that's happened since he saw them last.

The only downer in the routine is that, every morning without fail, at least two of his little classmates are crying when we arrive. Apparently they cry off and on until the first nap, because ... well, who knows. They're babies. One seems bothered by the parents coming in and out of the room, but honestly maybe her designer baby jeans and soft-soled Pumas are too tight and she just needs to cheer up.

There. There it is. It's unpopular and possibly even mean to say so, but this one particular baby is just annoying. Moving on!

One of the struggles I think a lot of parents have when it comes to day care for their kids is the idea that another adult is the primary teacher -- that we pay a stranger to show them how to stack blocks and sing songs and clap hands, and that that stranger gets to see the thousands of firsts in the first years of life.

Clearly these are some of the multitude of reasons that day care should be a leading feminist issue and we should march on Washington to demand better pay and better oversight of this key component to successful families. Moving on!

Our family is lucky. Ryan's teachers are amazing. They understand him and love him and accept him for the sweet, charming, no-napping, goofy baby that he is. And they tell me stories about him that show their pride in him, just like a parent.

When I picked him up yesterday afternoon, Miss Janet said that Ryan claps in encouragement whenever another child tries to walk -- like he's cheering them on. She also said that Ryan picked up another child's toy, and when that child acted distressed about it, he walked over and handed it to her. And as we were leaving, he leaned out of my arms to give Miss Janet a hug and kiss goodbye.

Nothing like generosity of spirit in a 1-year-old to make your day.