The perils and joys of daycare and home video

Otter goes off to daycare five days a week so that I can revel in researching and writing my dissertation. Woohoo.

He loves his daycare, and on the weekends, I am sometimes a bit uncomfy when he asks for one of the kids or caregivers at his daycare. I'm thrilled that he's attached, pleased that he has those extra adults and kids in his life to care about and to care about him--but still it's a tiny bit insulting when after 24 hours of "just" Cat and G and Otter, he's clamoring for someone else.

Many days it's hard to let him go, hard to leave when I see him amongst the other kids. Many days--sometimes the same days--it's pleasing to get back home to a quiet empty house to start work. Today has been one of the days that I miss him madly.

My mother-in-law videotaped Otter on Mother's Day at her house, and then worked up the video with some editing software, adding a soundtrack and titles. In the 90 second or so video, Otter mainly wanders back and forth in his grandmother's living room, peering and calling up into the loft where his grandmother's cat Loki has retreated (smartly) to avoid close contact with the small toddler; in a few shots, Loki sits calmly bathing and looking down at Otter calling up to him.

So periodically all day when I've missed Otter too much, I pause in my work, load up the video on my screen, and watch it.

Then, I run it a couple more times, in a background window where I can't see it but I can hear his small voice saying, "Loki! Loki! Loki! Kitty! Loki! Up dere!" and giggling.

Otter clearly isn't the only one who loves repetition.

(and P.S.: thanks, Joanne, for the lovely video.)