Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Happy 7 months!

A is 7 months old today :-) He was born 8-29, but his due date was something like 10-15. He's a lucky little bugger that we live in modern times with awesome medicine and such, and that he came out of the hospital at the end of September with only very minor problems (lack of muscle tone, acid reflux, etc). And now he's pretty much completely caught up to his age! He's so amazing.

Today in playgroup we did "Itsy Bitsy Yoga" which was kind of cute and fun. A was amazing with it because he took an awesome 1.5 hour nap and was wide awake and happy! I just wish I'd taken notes or something so I could teach all the things to L! Maybe she'll sign him up for the class when he turns a year old.

Anyways. Full update Friday or Saturday!

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Who knew it would be that easy?

Main accomplishment of the week: SLEEP! Over the weekend, L and M started putting A down to sleep with very minimal walking/shushing. And HOLY CRAP. IT WORKED. We can now just put him down, give him his lovey (a little blanket with silky trim), put his little music thing on, and leave the room and he will FALL ASLEEP ON HIS OWN! Sometimes with a little (or more than a little) crying, but if I get the timing right he'll be asleep within minutes. Only a parent or other caretaker can understand how awesome this is. Fo' reals. The only bad part is that he has not been sleeping as MUCH as before--when I would rock him to sleep and then put him in the swing, he'd sleep for up to three hours; in bed the longest so far is 1.5 hours. Ah well, he's sleeping through the night, which is what really matters!

Hmmm...it was a pretty normal week, except that Monday my father went to the doctor to get checked out because he'd been having some weird problems with his leg and hand since Friday. Turns out he had a (luckily) small stroke, due at least in part to undiagnosed high cholesterol and blood pressure, and he had to spend the night at the hospital. Since the playgroup I go to with A is at the same hospital, I took him up with me to see my dad after group on Tuesday. Considering that he (A, not dad) was really over-tired, he did really well and let my mom hold him and such while I talked to my dad. And then he fell asleep the second the car started moving and slept two hours in the carseat! Nice.

Other exciting news is that M had foot surgery on Friday, and so will home for three weeks, since he can't do his job on crutches. I still have to work--he can't really carry A or even probably push the stroller on his crutches--but he'll be around...it'll be interesting. He's a lot of fun to be around and we get along fine, but it's just gonna be very different having him there all day! He said maybe we'll take some day trips--he was like, I can't stay inside all day, I'll go crazy! And I said, welcome to my life the past three months...why do you think I like going to playgroup so much?! Haha. It'll be neat to go places with him though, maybe even into the city!

I seriously want the weather to get better. On St Patrick's Day it was almost 70 degrees out and I took A out in the nice stroller for an hour-long walk. I cannot WAIT until that is possible every day, because oh MAN do I need the exercise! And it's great for A to see the outdoors and get fresh air...while he was born at the end of August, he spent a month in the hospital, and then it was starting to get cold, so the poor thing has been indoors most of his life I think! I want to be able to spread a blanket on the lawn and sit and play, to go to the park and walk around, to spend as much time OUT as IN. Hopefully soon...

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Yes, parents, this IS what I want to do with my life!

So, I would be completely happy to be a nanny for the rest of my life. I used to say that my dream job would be as SuperNanny's apprentice--but she just went off the air, so I guess I'm sunk there! Haha.

The problem is, my family thinks that this is a waste of my college degree. My Bachelor's is in Judaic Studies, with my minor in Education. If I had been able to, I would have done Early Childhood Ed as a major, but when I applied they told me I couldn't major in any sort of education, and so I chose something I was simply very interested in. The whole time, though, I knew that working with kids was the life for me. As I mentioned before, I did originally think that a preschool would be where I ended up, and my parents accepted that. They still push me to do that instead. But nannying...there's just nothing like it. There's nothing like having the full weight of responsibility for another human's life solely on your shoulders 7-8 hours a day, 5 days a week. I don't get breaks except when he's sleeping (or when his parents take him to the doctor for an hour like yesterday). I can't ever leave him alone. I have so, SO much respect for stay-at-home moms and dads, because at least I get a full night's sleep! And I've definitely had second thoughts about having kids soon...I still want to aim to have at least one of my own by the time I'm 30, but I'm in no rush now.

I love the one-on-one aspect of this too, as well as the fact that I really am making an impact on this child's life. Whether I leave him in June when my contract is technically up, or whether I end up staying with him for another year, I had an impact. I helped him to strengthen his arms and learn to roll over. I fed him peas for the first time. I take care of all of his bodily needs and make sure he is happy, healthy, and well-rested. I break my back carrying him around. And even though he probably won't remember any of this, I still feel like I'm an important part of his life.

Weekly doings after the jump...

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Welcome :-)

Hi, future readers! My name is Shaina. I'm starting this blog on a whim, to talk about my job as a nanny to the most wonderful little boy. I'll call him A. He was born on August 29th, 2010, six weeks early but mostly healthy. I started working with him January third, and immediately fell in love!

Why be a nanny? Well, to put it simply, I love kids. All kids. Big, little, boy, girl, whatever. I love 'em. I *especially* love babies! I love how they grow every single day in ways that are obvious to those around them. I love the look on their faces when they discover something new. I love watching them figure out what their bodies and voices are capable of. I love watching their faces light up when they see a beloved caretaker or parent. I love everything...even the cranky days with four dirty diapers and three outfit changes due to spit-up. My friend once asked, in a note, "Remind me why I'm being a nurse and you're not? Oh yeah, it's cuz you'd steal the babies!" So true. So true.

My original thought, when entering college, was that I'd want to work in a daycare setting when I graduated. My ideal? A baby room, obviously. However, over the years, my thoughts changed. I realized how much more I love the one-on-one time that babysitting gives you, as well as the freedom. After a disastrous internship at a daycare where I wasn't allowed to say "no" or "shush", I discovered that other peoples' rules don't always mesh with my childrearing philosophy, and that it is almost impossible for me to go against my instincts. So I decided that at least for a year after graduation, I wanted to do the nanny thing. Get some more experience, save up some money. Awesome.

Enter the family that shall not be named. My first attempt at nannying...well, it didn't end well. But just as with the horrible internship, I learned a lot about myself and nannying that I now can apply to my current and future job(s). I was unemployed for a while, and then! and then! I applied for a job on care.com, an awesome website where I'd found work before. The lady said, I've already found someone but here, talk to my friend!

The friend turned out to be L, who ended up hiring me. She and her husband M are quite wonderful people and I am so grateful that their friend got me in touch with them!

Two and a half months later, we're going strong. I feel like a partner in parenting, not an employee. They are very open about letting me take him places--in fact, almost immediately they signed me up for playgroup, and got me my own carseat base for the car! I can go to Starbucks with my friend, go out to lunch, even go to the mall if I wanted to! Theoretically, if my clothes got dirty, I could even take the baby to my house so I could change, as long as I check with them first and let them know where we are. How awesome is that? And I fall in love with A more each day I see him. He's recently started laughing, and it just melts my heart. He is the most adorable child on the face of the earth. No joke.

Okay. That's enough of an intro for now! My goal is to post at LEAST every Friday or Saturday with funny anecdotes or thoughts about the week. Possibly more if I can get my act together. We shall see!

Thanks for reading :-)