Cameron's first day at daycare

This past Monday was Cameron’s first day at daycare. It didn’t go as smoothly as we had hoped but we are counting our blessings & are extremely thankful that God was watching over our family.

Monday afternoon Paul decided to drop in unexpectedly at the day center. When he arrived Cameron was lying in his crib face down. The employee who put him to sleep this way defended her actions & stated that, “SIDS can happen numerous ways. You (Paul) slept on your stomach & you’re fine.”

When Paul called & explained what happened I was beyond upset. I called the facility, spoke with the Director Asst. & told her that my 2 month old son was lying on his stomach asleep. She promptly said she would go into the infant room, move him & we hung up.
I was sick to my stomach. I couldn’t believe what happened while he was in the care of professionals. I left work & went to go pick up Cameron. I wasn’t sure what to do/say I just knew I wanted to take him home & hold him.

When I arrived I saw that the woman in question was feeding Cameron. Instead of storming into the room I took the opportunity to sit down with the Director & go over what just happened. She immediately agreed that not only what she did put Cameron in danger but it was 100% against company policy. She apologized profusely & offered her home number if I wanted to talk later that day or night.

As I relive the day the support from my family stands out the most. As I drove to the facility Aunt Roma stayed on the phone with me to keep me calm & level headed. I honestly don’t think without talking to her first I would have had the courage to take such a strong stand & speak to the Director. My emotions definitely take over my actions & I’m glad & proud of myself for not letting it happen this time. Uncle Jeff talked & calmed me down after I left the facility. He help me see that the reaction I received from the Director said a lot for the facility. At the time it was hard to find a positive (beyond Cameron being alive & out of harms way). I was enraged & was quick to think, “we’re never going back!” but after our long discussion I waited until Paul came home to talk about what the smart option was for us.

We agreed to meet with the Director the next day & I had my list of questions. Questions about their policies, the woman in question & the action I wanted them to take against the woman in question. But I didn’t even have to give a list of wants when it came to “her”. During our meeting the Directors mgr (who oversees this location) called & said that the woman in question was under investigation & was not allowed in or around the infant room.
The immediate action that they were taking calmed me.

I truly believe that God chose us to help out families to come. Cameron wasn’t the first 2 month old in her care. Not all parents are fortunate enough to pop in whenever they want during the day & who knows if a scared new parent (considering she was the professional) listened to her theory.

Today is Cameron’s 4th day at the center & the new staff is beyond wonderful. They give detailed reports of his day, he comes home in the outfit we send him with (the woman in question went through two outfits within 4 hrs) & one staff member in particular, Ruth has been very sweet. You can see that she genuinely cares for Cameron. Paul & I are very optimistic that Cameron will receive the best of care & are blessed to have the support of our friends & family.

Photo taken : February 12, 2009