Tomorrow is my first day back at work and Little Bean’s first full day at nursery. And I’ve only just realised why people go on about how awful it is.
Last week’s ‘settling in’ at the nursery did not go well. She cried, I cried – it wasn’t pleasant.
The only thing that comforted her on day three was having her bunny there for naptime. I’m a bit dubious about this bunny. I’ve realised there’s no accounting for taste when it comes to little ones and for some reason out of all her beautiful fluffy toys she has chosen this as her preferred comforter.
It’s a fair-shaped bunny with lovely long silky ears, and is a not too offensive shade of pink. But it has no face. No eyes, mouth, nose. Nothing. Personally, I think it looks a bit freaky and keep trying to press the lovely JellyCat bunny on her to no avail.
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| A lovely JellyCat bunny (with eyes, nose, smile - is that asking too much?) |
Anyway, she likes her faceless bunny and it helps her go to sleep so I’m happy to leave aesthetics and facial features at the door on this occasion.
Today she went to the nursery again for a few hours for her last ‘settling in’ day before it all kicks off tomorrow. Of course I forgot her bunny. So off I raced home to get it, stopping only to make a note to buy a ‘backup’ bunny.
Apparently this is an old trick. A friend told me this weekend that her little girl has a puffin that she is completely obsessed with. Anticipating the day that Puffin will a) fall apart, b) get lost or c) get too smelly, my friend asked the kind grandfather who had gifted the fluffy toy where she could get another. The answer: Iceland. Seven years previously. Despite frantic emails to the Icelandic Tourist Board she’s had to resign herself to there being no back-up Puffin. Lesson: don’t let your little one get attached to anything that can’t be easily replaced.
So if Little Bean has her bunny I decided I needed something too. Armour to prepare myself for a gruelling day navigating tube rush hour, contending with a no-doubt overflowing inbox and most awfully, facing a whole day away from baby girl.
While I would never normally recommend shopping when emotional, I feel in this case it was necessary. So now I have a whole new set of make-up (thank you Benefit) to make myself look my best for tomorrow.
At the very least it will hopefully hide my puffy eyes. And if it doesn’t work, I’m borrowing the bunny.
