Daycare: Post-game analysis

First, the answer everyone has been waiting for: it did take me too long to find the daycare, and Wombat did take his nap in the car. :) Here are the highlights of our daycare stay:

1. Wombat is excited to be there on arrival and smiles at daycare staff. Daycare staff grabs Wombat in their excitement. Wombat turns that smile upside down.
2. Wombat becomes perpetually worried that someone will snatch him again. While playing with cool daycare toys, all of which make a noise, he keeps looking over his shoulder.
3. Teacher continues to try to pick him up and to at least wave at him from afar.
4. Wombat interprets the waving as some sort of a threat, judging by his response.
5. Teacher changes Wombat's diaper. Wombat handles it like a man and doesn't cry.
6. I step out for a second. I come back to find Wombat on his tummy on a mat, snotty and making despairing sniffling noises. I take him to be fed by the crib area. Main teacher comes; I ask her if he was crying while I stepped out. She says "No." I feel almost as bad as Wombat.
7. The teacher informs me that "Mommy is a distraction" to the babies. I feel encouraged. Clearly, have I not been distracting Wombat this entire time he would have been calmly sitting in a recliner and reading WSJ kids edition. But due to my distracting presence, he is snotty and sniffly.
8. Throughout the 1.5 hours we were there, Wombat is followed by a very persistent 12 month old girl, who offers him toys. He picks up on her lead, but adds his own interpretation and begins to take away toys from other children. When he can't reach the toy, he tries to chew on their hands. Sigh....
9. While we are by the cribs, 2 babies wake up and cry to announce that fact. While Wombat and I hear them, we are not qualified to pick them up. The staff are busy with the other kids and don't hear the babies crying. Eventually, the younger one gives up crying altogether, but the older (Wombat-aged one) persists. By the time Wombat and I are taking off, that baby is wailing.
10. Wombat leaves in a dazed state, but still gives a polite smile to the front-desk lady asking him "Did you make many friends?" She didn't try to snatch him. Smart move.

So, not the greatest time. But hey, you have to start somewhere. To make up for it, I took Wombat to Giant to look at colorful cereal boxes afterward. :) We'll be trying again tomorrow - hopefully by Friday he'll feel more comfortable hanging out there for a few minutes at least. Any ideas for how to make it easier on Wombat? Is it always like this when you start off? Sigh....