Goals. And Set-backs

As parents we are constantly questioning whether or not what we're doing for our children is truly what's best for them. I've been questioning that more and more lately. You see, I work from home but really it's mostly care for Sophie and squeeze work in when I can. Y also telecommutes 90% of the time. We are blessed to be in this situation but it also means The Little Miss is always with us. We run errands together, we play together and we're just together.

Sophie had been making progress with little things. She was making the transition from bottles to sippy cups at sleep times, having more independent play time, being more adventurous around unfamiliar people (interacting with them rather than clinging to me) and just being a happy, adventurous toddler.
Since Y's surgery we've had a major regression. While she was away from us in those 4 days Y was hospitalized, she didn't eat well, she didn't drink well and did not sleep well. I wasn't too surprised by not sleeping well just because she's used to our sleep-time routines. I couldn't walk into another room without bursts of tears. We thought once Dad was home she would return to her old self. A month later and it hasn't happened.

We discussed our issues with Sophie's pediatrician at her 15-month check-up where he described her as having a "severe case of separation/stranger anxiety triggered by a traumatic event". We now have to do our best to recognize her limits and don't push them until she's comfortable with a situation otherwise we may have even more setbacks. In the meantime we can hope she has plenty of positive experiences to ease her anxiety.
So here I question whether or not it's been best for Sophie to stay home with me. Are we doing her a favor or are we just hindering her development? Sure she gets park time and play date time but she's not surrounded by new people daily whether at daycare or another environment.

Our "goal" was to have her completely weaned from the bottle by 14 months at the latest. It hasn't completely happened. We had a "goal" to try and spend at least one weekend or night a month away from the Little Miss so we could spend some time together. Alone. It doesn't look like that's going to happen in her current state.

Don't get me wrong, she's progressing normally in her development and even ahead of the "standards" but I feel like her anxiety is holding her back.

Or maybe I should just attribute all my feelings to "Mommy Guilt" and move on.