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 :-)