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...
This week's doings...Monday was pretty normal I think, he slept well, ate well, etc. Tuesday and Wednesday? Not so much. Wednesday was a hell day...he didn't want to sleep, or eat...he spit up almost everything he ate in the morning (on my pants, no less...I had to throw them in the laundry it was so bad)...I carried him around for what felt like hours just so he'd get a nap! We're planning on starting sleep-training ASAP, but L wanted A to get as much sleep as possible to help ensure that he didn't catch her cold. Argh. I was so frustrated with him on Wednesday...I was almost in tears myself. JUST GO TO SLEEP, I wanted to yell at him! Not that he could help it. Chocolate got me through the afternoon...
And then my frustration turned to joy on Thursday, which was an eminently AWESOME day. He ate perfectly in the morning, fell asleep super-fast and ended up sleeping for about two hours on the play mat on the floor in front of me. When he woke up, he ate more, and then we went on a huuuuuge walk because it was GORGEOUS out! He loved it...until he fell asleep. Haha. Nobody can resist the lull of a moving vehicle! Then he kept being angel-baby for the rest of the afternoon too. I love days like that.
Friday was awesome too, although he was a bit cranky because Thursday afternoon he got four shots. I did get him to sleep for at least a little while in the morning, he ate a lot, and then I got a break to go have lunch and shop a bit with my mom while L and M took him to see another doctor (he's got a team...yay preemies!). Then he fell asleep for almost the entire rest of the afternoon! And L was working from home, which was fun too. I love when she works from home, because she'll come up from the office to check on him or I'll go down to tell her something and before you know it we've been chatting for 15 minutes. Not so good for her work, but fun for me! Except for Tuesdays when we have playgroup, I don't get all that much social interaction with mom-types during the day. And it's also nice to have her close-by to ask questions, whereas on normal days we text back and forth but she might take a while to answer something. Communication is key, and that's just one of the reasons I love this job...we communicate beautifully.
Hopefully next week we're going to work a lot on his sleep. He needs to learn a) how to fall asleep on his own in his crib, versus having to be rocked to sleep and then put down, and b) how to self-soothe when he stirs in the middle of a nap/night. Currently he's waking up several times a night and M or L has to get up and replace his pacifier and maybe pat him a little and then he'll go back to sleep. Needless to say, they are not big fans of this! I hope we can do it with not too much screaming...Wish us luck!
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