May 28, 2012

The Things They Carried


Today is the boys' first full day of daycare. Instead of describing what it was like seeing my babies off on their own (since that will just make me cry again), I'll just give you a little tour of what I packed in their backpacks. It pretty much sums up my feelings on this whole experience anyway.

For Colin:
Three pairs of shirts, pants, and underwear (since we're only about 90% potty-trained)
A pull-up for nap time (see above)
Inside shoes (with robots on them)
Outside shoes (bright orange)
Rain boots and rain jacket (with airplanes on them)
Sunhat (with skeletons on it)
Sunscreen
Bug spray
His second-best stuffed animal (a blue elephant named "Cornelius")
The baby quilt his mama made him



For Archer:
Three pairs of shirts and pants (because, let's face it, toddlers are messy eaters)
Eight cloth diapers and a wet bag
Boudreau's Butt Paste (for my sensitive-skinned son)
Indoor shoes (soft-soled with trains on them)
Outdoor shoes (hard-soled for my soon-to-be-walker)
Sunhat
Sunscreen
Bug spray
A sling (for the caregiver who will, no doubt, have to carry him for hours)
A pacifier (even though he doesn't take one, I thought I'd try since he's never been without mama's nipple for more than a couple of hours)
His little lamb lovey (identical to the one we have at home)
The baby quilt his mama made him

I must be a little bit crazy to send them with some of their favourite toys and the quilts I made for them as babies. They will most certainly get soiled, lost, or ripped in the daycare's washer. But losing these precious things seems less important to me right now than making sure they having a familiar face to look at when they lie down for a nap and that they can wrap themselves up in a physical reminder of their mama's love.

After all, I can always make another quilt.


*With apologies to Tim O'Brien for title.

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