Difficult adjustment

It's taking awhile for Mia to adjust to her new room. On Monday she cried again when the look-alike mom came to pick up her baby. She didn't cry for as long this time, but it was still upsetting to her. On Tuesday she cried off and on all day and refused to eat lunch. Today when Mike watched her online, she kept going off by herself to play, not really interacting with the other kids. She didn't eat lunch again and cried uncontrollably when he picked her up. Each night she's fine once we get home, eating well, playing, and talking like normal. 

Her new teachers are really trying to take care of her. They've brought some of her previous teachers into the room to help her adjust. When she goes off by herself to play, the teachers try to bring her back into the group. I really just think she's overwhelmed by the change. Everything is unfamiliar and much more fast-paced. She's sleeping on a cot, sitting at a chair, going outside to play on a playground, doing artwork, and running back and forth across a big room all day with kids who are attempting to make baby conversation with her. I honestly think she's just worn out, and since she can't express that to us verbally, she cries in relief when we pick her up. 

I can tell the new room is beneficial for her developmentally though. Her walking has improved significantly over the past week and she's talking up a storm in more animated ways (she has started saying "bubba" when pointing to the bubbles in the tub). She is being stimulated and challenged much more than she was in the baby rooms. She's definitely becoming more adventurous. For example, she's discovered that the toilet contains water, and Mia likes to drink water. Yesterday Mike didn't reach her before she stuck her hand down into the toilet, then sucked the water off her hand. Oh yeah...priceless. She's becoming curious about how her diaper fastens too. I've caught her pulling on the tabs, so it's just a matter of time before she's pulling off a dirty diaper and flinging that around the room. Can't wait!

In response to her more active days I've made it a point to do more quiet playing when we get home. I've taken her for walks each night to help her relax before bedtime. Every night she has fallen asleep before we've gotten home, obviously exhausted. It's hard to see her get so upset when we pick her up, but we'll hang in there because we really are confident this is the best place for her.