Out with the old and in with the new (year)! 2012 is finally here, like it or not, and the Strongins are ready! We spent the last few days of the year together, organizing our playroom, running errands, having playdates, participating in classes and hosting a low-key New Year's Eve party. Being home without our beloved nanny for 10 days didn't allow for as many opportunities to clean and organize as I had hoped, but it did allow for some brief time to look back on 2011 and look forward to 2012.
The year had its share of ups and downs - with Jason not employed, it was financially stressful on us, but rewarding with him being more involved in the kids' everyday lives. We started the year off with Zach barely able to roll over and ended it with him talking, running and climbing (all over furniture, I might add). Abby began 2011 barely potty trained and I could not be more proud of her for her accomplishments in the bathroom as well as in the classroom, where she is working on reading, writing, spelling and excelling in arts & crafts. As for me, I changed jobs early in the year and I look back on it with no regrets.
I am optimistic that 2012 will bring good things for us all. With huge milestones this year like Abby graduating preschool and starting kindergarten, Zach beginning preschool and Jason hopefully becoming employed, the year looks bright and hopeful (at least 2 days in). I'd like to get (back in?) shape and lose the few holiday pounds I put on, and maybe even start a workout regime. I also hope to reinvigorate my passion for writing, if I can squeeze that in as well.
Now if we could only get Sadie to stop peeing on our couch, we'd be off to a great start!
Showing posts with label nanny. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nanny. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Monday, December 13, 2010
'Tis the Season
How is it possible that we are halfway through the last month of 2010 already?!?! The month has flown by for us, mostly because we have a lot going on!
Cora started last week and got off to a good but slow start. She is coming off a job she's been at the past 23 years, so this is all new to her. But thankfully, Abby took to her right away as if she'd been with us for years (relief!). While she gets up to speed with Zach and our house, Jason and I have been around a bit more to guide her. I hope that this will be our last nanny for some time!
Surprisingly, Laura paid us a visit last week as well. I wasn't home at the time (lucky for her!) but Jason said she and her son knocked on our door at dinner time, came in and made themselves at home with her son going to play with Abby and she went to hold Zach right away. She apparently had tears in her eyes and asked how the kids were doing with our new nanny. She implied that her new job wasn't all that it seemed to be and she wasn't so happy. Jason didn't know if she was coming by to see if we'd offer her the job back, or to see if she wanted to come back or just to say hi, but he felt it was awkward considering she didn't feel it was necessary to tell us she'd be working in such close quarters.
Abby's been enjoying some fun kid-friendly activities such as a friend's holiday party, the off-broadway production of Annie and this past weekend, we took her to see the Radio City Rockettes. She loved taking the train to the city and being among the gizillion tourists in Rockefeller Center and along 5th Ave.
While we have been asked "who's that?" with regard to Santa, we haven't gotten the "why don't we have lights and a tree" question yet. If not this year, I am sure it will come next year!
Abby (and we) have something exciting/scary to look forward to in the coming weeks: The Diaper Fairy (younger sister of last year's Paci Fairy)will be paying us a visit to take Abby's diapers away once and for all when school lets out for the year. Our adorable, smart daughter is as stubborn as they come and refuses to use the potty, so Miss Diaper Fairy will be coming along to show her the way. We anticipate a rough few days (weeks?) but hopefully it will pay off and we'll just have one size of diapers to buy!
Cora started last week and got off to a good but slow start. She is coming off a job she's been at the past 23 years, so this is all new to her. But thankfully, Abby took to her right away as if she'd been with us for years (relief!). While she gets up to speed with Zach and our house, Jason and I have been around a bit more to guide her. I hope that this will be our last nanny for some time!
Surprisingly, Laura paid us a visit last week as well. I wasn't home at the time (lucky for her!) but Jason said she and her son knocked on our door at dinner time, came in and made themselves at home with her son going to play with Abby and she went to hold Zach right away. She apparently had tears in her eyes and asked how the kids were doing with our new nanny. She implied that her new job wasn't all that it seemed to be and she wasn't so happy. Jason didn't know if she was coming by to see if we'd offer her the job back, or to see if she wanted to come back or just to say hi, but he felt it was awkward considering she didn't feel it was necessary to tell us she'd be working in such close quarters.
Abby's been enjoying some fun kid-friendly activities such as a friend's holiday party, the off-broadway production of Annie and this past weekend, we took her to see the Radio City Rockettes. She loved taking the train to the city and being among the gizillion tourists in Rockefeller Center and along 5th Ave.
While we have been asked "who's that?" with regard to Santa, we haven't gotten the "why don't we have lights and a tree" question yet. If not this year, I am sure it will come next year!
Abby (and we) have something exciting/scary to look forward to in the coming weeks: The Diaper Fairy (younger sister of last year's Paci Fairy)will be paying us a visit to take Abby's diapers away once and for all when school lets out for the year. Our adorable, smart daughter is as stubborn as they come and refuses to use the potty, so Miss Diaper Fairy will be coming along to show her the way. We anticipate a rough few days (weeks?) but hopefully it will pay off and we'll just have one size of diapers to buy!
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Love Thy Neighbor but Don't Covet Thy Neighbor's Nanny
Since last posting, Laura has left us...and started her new job just around the corner from us at our neighbor's house!!!! Yes, you read that right, and if you are even somewhat as appalled as I am, you understand my frustration. Here's the background:
As Laura's last day with us the week before Thanksgiving approached, I started finding out more about her reasons to leave, 99% of which had to do with her thinking she was working too many hours and not getting paid enough. Now I don't know about you, but I'm pretty sure we are still in a recession, and last I checked, I don't get a raise from my company after just 6 months of employment! But apparently Laura's husband wasn't working so much and she needed to make more to support the family. So she told us that she had found an afternoon job working 12-6 pm 4 days a week so she could do housecleaning or something else in the mornings to make extra money. I felt badly and gave her a nice going-away present: products from work, some extra cash and a big hug with a "we'll call you for babysitting!" send-off.
Thanksgiving week came and went (my mom came to town, we ate a lot, played with the kids and had a fun week) and I stressed out over the nanny situation. I was still considering Laura's friend, Silvia, for the job, but I had reservations about her (as Laura's friend and she was asking for more money based on her previous job). I continued to field calls and screen candidates, and then, a small glimmer of hope: I was speaking with another nanny at Abby's gym class, Patricia, who Laura had become friendly with. I told her that I was looking for someone and gave her my number should she know of anyone. I got a call the next day from a woman named Cora, who said Patricia had passed along my information. With the holiday the next day, I took a few days to call Cora back but when I did, I couldn't believe I had waited so long.
Cora and I spoke briefly on Saturday morning via phone and I invited her to come to meet us that afternoon. By the time she left our house, I knew she was the One. Cora is a bit older - my guess is early 50s. She has worked at the same daycare in our town for 23 YEARS! She also babysits on the side and has a ton of references. She has been background checked, she has taken all of the childcare classes/workshops, is CPR certified, drives and lives IN MY town! Ours would be her first real "nanny" job but I know she is up for the task. We made Cora the offer and she very happily accepted and will start next week.
The day after we made Cora the offer, we found out that Laura is working for our neighbor. I also came to find out that she was soliciting business and trying to find a job at Abby's school - nice. And as if it isn't bad enough that she'll be working in my community and seeing my kids around, she won't call us back, presumably because she knows we found out and she feels guilty.
In the meantime, I let Silvia know that we couldn't hire her due to Laura's deceitfulness and I said I'd help her find a job because we did really like her, but it would not be a good idea to have Laura's friend working for us when Laura was working in the same small community. Hopefully, Silvia will pass along the message to Laura so she knows what she did was wrong - but judging by the fact that she won't return our calls and didn't come clean in the first place, she definitely knows she was wrong to do what she did.
All in all, I have a good feeling about Cora and our fresh start next week. So my kids won't grow up learning Spanish as their second language, but they'll hopefully be taken care of by a responsible, honest and caring woman who has more years of experience with children than us!
And may this be a lesson for all in the future: if you are in need of a new nanny, ask your neighbor's nanny for a referral for a friend, but don't hire their nanny as it certainly doesn't bode well for future run-ins in the neighborhood!
As Laura's last day with us the week before Thanksgiving approached, I started finding out more about her reasons to leave, 99% of which had to do with her thinking she was working too many hours and not getting paid enough. Now I don't know about you, but I'm pretty sure we are still in a recession, and last I checked, I don't get a raise from my company after just 6 months of employment! But apparently Laura's husband wasn't working so much and she needed to make more to support the family. So she told us that she had found an afternoon job working 12-6 pm 4 days a week so she could do housecleaning or something else in the mornings to make extra money. I felt badly and gave her a nice going-away present: products from work, some extra cash and a big hug with a "we'll call you for babysitting!" send-off.
Thanksgiving week came and went (my mom came to town, we ate a lot, played with the kids and had a fun week) and I stressed out over the nanny situation. I was still considering Laura's friend, Silvia, for the job, but I had reservations about her (as Laura's friend and she was asking for more money based on her previous job). I continued to field calls and screen candidates, and then, a small glimmer of hope: I was speaking with another nanny at Abby's gym class, Patricia, who Laura had become friendly with. I told her that I was looking for someone and gave her my number should she know of anyone. I got a call the next day from a woman named Cora, who said Patricia had passed along my information. With the holiday the next day, I took a few days to call Cora back but when I did, I couldn't believe I had waited so long.
Cora and I spoke briefly on Saturday morning via phone and I invited her to come to meet us that afternoon. By the time she left our house, I knew she was the One. Cora is a bit older - my guess is early 50s. She has worked at the same daycare in our town for 23 YEARS! She also babysits on the side and has a ton of references. She has been background checked, she has taken all of the childcare classes/workshops, is CPR certified, drives and lives IN MY town! Ours would be her first real "nanny" job but I know she is up for the task. We made Cora the offer and she very happily accepted and will start next week.
The day after we made Cora the offer, we found out that Laura is working for our neighbor. I also came to find out that she was soliciting business and trying to find a job at Abby's school - nice. And as if it isn't bad enough that she'll be working in my community and seeing my kids around, she won't call us back, presumably because she knows we found out and she feels guilty.
In the meantime, I let Silvia know that we couldn't hire her due to Laura's deceitfulness and I said I'd help her find a job because we did really like her, but it would not be a good idea to have Laura's friend working for us when Laura was working in the same small community. Hopefully, Silvia will pass along the message to Laura so she knows what she did was wrong - but judging by the fact that she won't return our calls and didn't come clean in the first place, she definitely knows she was wrong to do what she did.
All in all, I have a good feeling about Cora and our fresh start next week. So my kids won't grow up learning Spanish as their second language, but they'll hopefully be taken care of by a responsible, honest and caring woman who has more years of experience with children than us!
And may this be a lesson for all in the future: if you are in need of a new nanny, ask your neighbor's nanny for a referral for a friend, but don't hire their nanny as it certainly doesn't bode well for future run-ins in the neighborhood!
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Another Nanny Nightmare...Again
I mean, really. If someone had told me 4+ years ago before having kids that finding and keeping a nanny would be the bane of my existance, I might have either moved somewhere with a lower cost of living where I could be a SAHM, or just not had kids. I am OVER IT.
The latest debacle (if you haven't already seen it on Facebook) is that our beloved nanny, Laura, is leaving us. I am alternating between being super-pissed off and very sad. There is still some fuzziness regarding her decision to leave because I heard a few reasons from her and a few reasons from my friend's nanny (who originally introduced us). The reasons range from: shorter hours to get home for dinner and homework help to better pay (can't argue there, there is only so much we can offer her!) and Abby's behavior lately (a bit challenging but not so horrendous as to warrant a nanny leaving). It seems that she is torn up about it - she says she loves us, working for us, loves our kids, etc. But she can't stay. She is trying to get us to hire one of her friends, who we are meeting with tonight, but I am not sure I want to have a friend of hers since her reasoning is still a bit sketchy. My friend's nanny also is trying to help us out again and she apparently got a call from Laura that Laura was angry she was helping us (?!?!?). You can probably see my confusion and stress now, huh?
Needless to say, it's not exactly what I was hoping I'd have to do again, and so soon. I am dreading the adjustment period for us all, assuming we find someone we like who wants to work for us. I just want this nightmare to be over with and find someone who we trust, like and can keep until both kids are in school full time!
The latest debacle (if you haven't already seen it on Facebook) is that our beloved nanny, Laura, is leaving us. I am alternating between being super-pissed off and very sad. There is still some fuzziness regarding her decision to leave because I heard a few reasons from her and a few reasons from my friend's nanny (who originally introduced us). The reasons range from: shorter hours to get home for dinner and homework help to better pay (can't argue there, there is only so much we can offer her!) and Abby's behavior lately (a bit challenging but not so horrendous as to warrant a nanny leaving). It seems that she is torn up about it - she says she loves us, working for us, loves our kids, etc. But she can't stay. She is trying to get us to hire one of her friends, who we are meeting with tonight, but I am not sure I want to have a friend of hers since her reasoning is still a bit sketchy. My friend's nanny also is trying to help us out again and she apparently got a call from Laura that Laura was angry she was helping us (?!?!?). You can probably see my confusion and stress now, huh?
Needless to say, it's not exactly what I was hoping I'd have to do again, and so soon. I am dreading the adjustment period for us all, assuming we find someone we like who wants to work for us. I just want this nightmare to be over with and find someone who we trust, like and can keep until both kids are in school full time!
Friday, April 23, 2010
T-Minus One Week!
Abby has one week (or less) left of being an only child! Assuming Baby Boy doesn't decide to arrive sooner, I'll have a scheduled c/s on Friday, April 30, a week from today! I'm not so excited about recovering from major surgery (especially with a toddler at home who doesn't understand that mommy can't pick her up), but I am very much looking forward to meeting the little guy who has been jumping around in my belly the past 9 months and who seems to look like his big sister from the 3D ultrasounds.
Week one of our new nanny Laura has been great so far - so I am extremely hopeful that having her around will help with Abby's transition of Only Child to Big Sister.
Now the question is - how do we spend the last few days with Abby to ensure she feels special and is excited for her baby brother's arrival?!? Moms with two or more kids, feel free to let me know!
Week one of our new nanny Laura has been great so far - so I am extremely hopeful that having her around will help with Abby's transition of Only Child to Big Sister.
Now the question is - how do we spend the last few days with Abby to ensure she feels special and is excited for her baby brother's arrival?!? Moms with two or more kids, feel free to let me know!
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
The Nanny Diaries - take 2
Well, it's been a rough week, folks. Our nanny Simone (who as I previously mentioned we were not happy with) apparently decided that she wasn't happy and just didn't show up after she took 3 days off (only 1 of which was paid, thankfully). She didn't call, either. While it threw us into a huge tailspin (not good timing, considering I was 36 weeks pregnant), our childcare the last week has consisted of a combination of school, Jason, me, a babysitter and backup daycare offered by my company. In the meantime, we were feverishly calling and interviewing potential nannies.
Thankfully (maybe?), we found someone who could start right away who accepted the job and we are very much looking forward to having her start on Monday. Her name is Laura and she is a mother of 2 kids (18 and 8), Spanish/English-speaking, lives in the town next to us and offered to cook and clean for us. So here's to hoping it works out, and the worst-case scenario is that we have her until I am home on maternity leave and then deal with it. The best-case scenario is that Abby and Baby Boy learn some Espanol from her!
With less than 3 weeks to go until Baby Boy makes his arrival into the world, I am trying to relish every moment with Abby and appreciate sleeping through the night (for the most part). Our family is expanding very soon, but until then, we are enjoying this time and making the most of having an only child. And I'm enjoying eating whatever I feel like for a little bit longer!
Thankfully (maybe?), we found someone who could start right away who accepted the job and we are very much looking forward to having her start on Monday. Her name is Laura and she is a mother of 2 kids (18 and 8), Spanish/English-speaking, lives in the town next to us and offered to cook and clean for us. So here's to hoping it works out, and the worst-case scenario is that we have her until I am home on maternity leave and then deal with it. The best-case scenario is that Abby and Baby Boy learn some Espanol from her!
With less than 3 weeks to go until Baby Boy makes his arrival into the world, I am trying to relish every moment with Abby and appreciate sleeping through the night (for the most part). Our family is expanding very soon, but until then, we are enjoying this time and making the most of having an only child. And I'm enjoying eating whatever I feel like for a little bit longer!
Monday, March 29, 2010
One more month
Oops, I just realized it's been quite some time since I last posted some updates. My apologies - things around our household have been quite crazy!
With just about a month left until Baby Boy Strongin's due date, we've been gearing up (literally and figuratively) for the big day. We dug out all of Abby's old toys, equipment and accessories to see what shape it is in before using it again. Luckily, we kept everything in good shape so we don't need too many necessities. We finished putting a few things on our registry at Buy Buy Baby, did a load of newborn laundry (thanks to my nephew's old clothes), picked a place for the bris and we may even have chosen a name (you'll have to wait until he is born to find out)! And most importantly, we've been trying to spend as much quality time with our only child (for now) since we know it's only a matter of 4-5 weeks until she has to share us with her baby brother.
Abby's been doing great for the most part, other than an occassional "terrible twos" outbreak, which we realize is normal. She has been thrilled to be able to play outside as the weather improves (slowly but surely) and still loves school. Each day she continues to surprise us with a new phrase, sentence or funny thing she does and it is so much fun to watch her grow up.
We've been dealing with a lot of issues with our new nanny, Simone, lately, which is a whole other situation. We thought it would be a great idea to hire someone without children as there would be no excuses and they'd be more reliable. Well, she does show up (albeit a few minutes late each day) but we realized that she has NO motherly instincts at all and really doesn't have a good grasp of how to deal with Abby. We have seen a number of situations which we haven't been thrilled with and we don't see that Abby is loving her either. So the search is on for someone new since we don't want to just settle for anyone, especially since I'll be home with this person for 3 months during maternity leave! So if you know of anyone, please send them my way!
Happy Passover & Easter and get ready for spring, even if it brings a bad allergy season for you as it does for me!
With just about a month left until Baby Boy Strongin's due date, we've been gearing up (literally and figuratively) for the big day. We dug out all of Abby's old toys, equipment and accessories to see what shape it is in before using it again. Luckily, we kept everything in good shape so we don't need too many necessities. We finished putting a few things on our registry at Buy Buy Baby, did a load of newborn laundry (thanks to my nephew's old clothes), picked a place for the bris and we may even have chosen a name (you'll have to wait until he is born to find out)! And most importantly, we've been trying to spend as much quality time with our only child (for now) since we know it's only a matter of 4-5 weeks until she has to share us with her baby brother.
Abby's been doing great for the most part, other than an occassional "terrible twos" outbreak, which we realize is normal. She has been thrilled to be able to play outside as the weather improves (slowly but surely) and still loves school. Each day she continues to surprise us with a new phrase, sentence or funny thing she does and it is so much fun to watch her grow up.
We've been dealing with a lot of issues with our new nanny, Simone, lately, which is a whole other situation. We thought it would be a great idea to hire someone without children as there would be no excuses and they'd be more reliable. Well, she does show up (albeit a few minutes late each day) but we realized that she has NO motherly instincts at all and really doesn't have a good grasp of how to deal with Abby. We have seen a number of situations which we haven't been thrilled with and we don't see that Abby is loving her either. So the search is on for someone new since we don't want to just settle for anyone, especially since I'll be home with this person for 3 months during maternity leave! So if you know of anyone, please send them my way!
Happy Passover & Easter and get ready for spring, even if it brings a bad allergy season for you as it does for me!
Thursday, February 18, 2010
More Changes....
The past several weeks have been a bit of a blur for us. After Abby's post-vacation cold, she seemed to have about a week of good health but then developed an ear infection. Luckily after some good ol' pink bubblegum-tasting meds, she seems to be back to herself (for the time being at least).
In other big news in our house, we recently let our nanny Gaynell go. Her last-minute absences and late days were becoming too frequent and creating a lot of stress on us (and our employers). It was a very difficult decision, especially since we knew Abby loved her and she was super with Abby, but we realized we need someone who will be more reliable for us, especially with a new baby coming soon. As an employer, it was a no-brainer, but as a mom, it was quite emotional to have to say goodbye to her since she has been with us since Abby was about 16 months old.
So we welcomed Simone into our home this week. Simone is young (29), she has no children and takes nursing classes on the weekend. We think (hope) she'll be a good fit for us. Thankfully, Abby seemed to adjust pretty quickly to her (despite calling her "Gaynell" a few times already) and we are hopeful that she'll get accustomed to us and our house quickly and fit right in. Luckily, she has a sweet tooth so we're pretty sure she'll like working for us!
The next few weeks will bring a last-trip-before-baby to Chicago for me and a family trip to Maryland to celebrate little Jordan's 2nd birthday. Abby's Grammy Sheryl will be visiting us in March and then before we know it, we'll be welcoming a baby boy into the world sometime in late April/early May as Abby gets ready to turn 3 in June!
In other big news in our house, we recently let our nanny Gaynell go. Her last-minute absences and late days were becoming too frequent and creating a lot of stress on us (and our employers). It was a very difficult decision, especially since we knew Abby loved her and she was super with Abby, but we realized we need someone who will be more reliable for us, especially with a new baby coming soon. As an employer, it was a no-brainer, but as a mom, it was quite emotional to have to say goodbye to her since she has been with us since Abby was about 16 months old.
So we welcomed Simone into our home this week. Simone is young (29), she has no children and takes nursing classes on the weekend. We think (hope) she'll be a good fit for us. Thankfully, Abby seemed to adjust pretty quickly to her (despite calling her "Gaynell" a few times already) and we are hopeful that she'll get accustomed to us and our house quickly and fit right in. Luckily, she has a sweet tooth so we're pretty sure she'll like working for us!
The next few weeks will bring a last-trip-before-baby to Chicago for me and a family trip to Maryland to celebrate little Jordan's 2nd birthday. Abby's Grammy Sheryl will be visiting us in March and then before we know it, we'll be welcoming a baby boy into the world sometime in late April/early May as Abby gets ready to turn 3 in June!
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
We Are Thankful
Since it's just a few days after Thanksgiving, I figured it's not too late to post a few things I am thankful for this year:
1. My beautiful (and smart!) daughter, who is talking like crazy these days
2. My wonderful husband, who drove 10 hours each way to and from Chicago safely (I drove 3 hours each way) for Thanksgiving
3. My snuggly pooch, who was a great pup in Chicago (other than the two poop accidents at Grandma's house)
4. Still having a job (so far)
5. A fabulous family on both sides
6. Close friends who are supportive and there for us at all times
7. A nanny who so far has been great, reliable and trustworthy and who my daughter adores
All in all, I feel very lucky and thankful this year and want to thank each of you for being a part of our lives in some way. Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Holidays!!
1. My beautiful (and smart!) daughter, who is talking like crazy these days
2. My wonderful husband, who drove 10 hours each way to and from Chicago safely (I drove 3 hours each way) for Thanksgiving
3. My snuggly pooch, who was a great pup in Chicago (other than the two poop accidents at Grandma's house)
4. Still having a job (so far)
5. A fabulous family on both sides
6. Close friends who are supportive and there for us at all times
7. A nanny who so far has been great, reliable and trustworthy and who my daughter adores
All in all, I feel very lucky and thankful this year and want to thank each of you for being a part of our lives in some way. Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Holidays!!
Monday, October 27, 2008
Success!
I am SO happy to report that the first official week of our new nanny was a success! Gaynell was great and Abby loved her. She was on time, professional, responsible and totally picked up on things (including taking Sadie on walks!) right away. She even babysat for us on Saturday night and survived a short blackout at our house. And my neighbors' two nannies adore her as well, especially since she's been driving them home at night!
Hopefully all will continue in this positive direction because she is so nice and Abby is definitely taking to her. I can hopefully breathe a sigh of relief now.
This past Saturday we took Abby to see Sesame Street Live. I didn't know if she'd be able to sit through the whole thing but she LOVED it! She was so fascinated by singing, dancing Sesame Street characters (esp when they talked about Abby Cadabby!) and was beyond excited when she got a $10 Elmo balloon at intermission. Geniuses, I tell you.
All in all, it was a successful week for everyone, and it was very much needed.
Hopefully all will continue in this positive direction because she is so nice and Abby is definitely taking to her. I can hopefully breathe a sigh of relief now.
This past Saturday we took Abby to see Sesame Street Live. I didn't know if she'd be able to sit through the whole thing but she LOVED it! She was so fascinated by singing, dancing Sesame Street characters (esp when they talked about Abby Cadabby!) and was beyond excited when she got a $10 Elmo balloon at intermission. Geniuses, I tell you.
All in all, it was a successful week for everyone, and it was very much needed.
Monday, October 20, 2008
A Fresh Start
Today begins Day One of our new nanny, Gaynell. She did a trial day on Friday and so far, all went well. Hopefully as each day goes by, she'll get more comfortable with Abby and with us and we'll feel more at ease with her. It's just such a strange thing to let a stranger into your house to take care of your most precious goods and to trust them with your child, house and car. I really hope she works out because I can't take another nanny interview at this point! Good luck, Gaynell!
And as for Abby, she turned 16 months yesterday and she is a full-fledged walker and talker. She repeats everything and says so many words, it's crazy. She really has developed so much in the last 2-3 months, it's unbelievable. I cannot believe she'll be 1.5 years in just 2 months! Each day is something new and more fun with her. We're so lucky!!!
And as for Abby, she turned 16 months yesterday and she is a full-fledged walker and talker. She repeats everything and says so many words, it's crazy. She really has developed so much in the last 2-3 months, it's unbelievable. I cannot believe she'll be 1.5 years in just 2 months! Each day is something new and more fun with her. We're so lucky!!!
Monday, October 6, 2008
Thank you, Susan!
It's been 3 weeks, 13 interviews, plus numerous phone calls since the new nanny search has begun and I think I might actually have found a gem of a nanny. My friend Susan told me about Rebecca (a friend of her friend's nanny) who I met with over the weekend. She was so nice, had great references and was eager to work with us. She officially accepted our offer today, but still has to resign from her current employer. Assuming they let her go, she'll hopefully start with us in 1-2 weeks. And that day, my friends, cannot come soon enough!
We have a temporary nanny right now (a friend of the nanny next door to us) but we're really not loving her. We liked her when we met her but we've noticed a few issues (nothing terrible, just things we didn't love) and it's only her 2nd day with us. So we need to find a way to gently say goodbye to her once we know when Rebecca can start.
I have to say, this process has been challenging at best - but I hope for our sake and Abby's sake that it gives us a new, more responsible and reliable person who will be with our family for years to come! Or at least until I decide I've had enough of my job and become a SAHM one day....
We have a temporary nanny right now (a friend of the nanny next door to us) but we're really not loving her. We liked her when we met her but we've noticed a few issues (nothing terrible, just things we didn't love) and it's only her 2nd day with us. So we need to find a way to gently say goodbye to her once we know when Rebecca can start.
I have to say, this process has been challenging at best - but I hope for our sake and Abby's sake that it gives us a new, more responsible and reliable person who will be with our family for years to come! Or at least until I decide I've had enough of my job and become a SAHM one day....
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Updates!
Well, I have a few things to report. I'll start with the good news:
I am proud to announce that I am FINALLY the mother of a walking child! Yes, folks, that is right, Abby has been taking about 6-8 unassisted steps as of this past weekend! She stands up by herself, walks a few steps and then falls down but does it all over again! It's so cute and I'm so excited and proud! I'm sure she'll be running around like crazy and I'll be missing the crawling days soon enough, but for now I love watching the joy on her face as she walks like a drunken sailor around the house.
We went for her 15-month dr app't yesterday and she weighs in at around 21 lbs (she was moving a bit on the scale, but it was just around 21) and she grew an inch to 29 1/4"! My little petite princess....
On a slightly disturbing note, our nanny Nicole didn't show up to work last Monday, leaving us confused, upset and clearly angry. We don't know what happened or why she decided to not come back - a call or email from her would have been helpful with that regard - but we're currently looking for a new nanny. It's upsetting because we thought we treated her very well, giving her tons of vacation days, buying anything she wanted, etc... but apparently she either found a new/better job or decided she'd had enough of us. Sad since Abby adored her and I know she felt the same - a few weeks ago, she told me that Abby was the best baby she's ever taken care of. Who knows....it might always be a mystery.
The good news is that we've been interviewing like crazy and have found some good people who also drive - hooray!! We made an offer to one person and we're supposed to hear from her tonight - hopefully it will work out because Jason and I both loved her the minute we met her. Stay tuned!!!
I am proud to announce that I am FINALLY the mother of a walking child! Yes, folks, that is right, Abby has been taking about 6-8 unassisted steps as of this past weekend! She stands up by herself, walks a few steps and then falls down but does it all over again! It's so cute and I'm so excited and proud! I'm sure she'll be running around like crazy and I'll be missing the crawling days soon enough, but for now I love watching the joy on her face as she walks like a drunken sailor around the house.
We went for her 15-month dr app't yesterday and she weighs in at around 21 lbs (she was moving a bit on the scale, but it was just around 21) and she grew an inch to 29 1/4"! My little petite princess....
On a slightly disturbing note, our nanny Nicole didn't show up to work last Monday, leaving us confused, upset and clearly angry. We don't know what happened or why she decided to not come back - a call or email from her would have been helpful with that regard - but we're currently looking for a new nanny. It's upsetting because we thought we treated her very well, giving her tons of vacation days, buying anything she wanted, etc... but apparently she either found a new/better job or decided she'd had enough of us. Sad since Abby adored her and I know she felt the same - a few weeks ago, she told me that Abby was the best baby she's ever taken care of. Who knows....it might always be a mystery.
The good news is that we've been interviewing like crazy and have found some good people who also drive - hooray!! We made an offer to one person and we're supposed to hear from her tonight - hopefully it will work out because Jason and I both loved her the minute we met her. Stay tuned!!!
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
The Nanny Diary
Sunday night, my beloved nanny called us to say she was having stomach issues all weekend and wasn't going to be in on Monday. I happily emailed my boss to tell her I had to stay home - after all, an extra day with Abby when she or I weren't sick would be great. We hung out at the pool, had a nice breakfast/lunch together and then settled in for the night knowing our nanny would be back the next day.
Well - not so much. 7:30 a.m. (when our nanny usually arrives) came and went and she was a no-show. She's been working with us for 10 months now and that has NEVER happened, so I was not only worried about her but rather annoyed as well. I called her nanny friend at my neighbor's house and she had heard from her the night before saying she'd be in the next day, so I was even more confused and worried. Luckily Jason was able to be with her so he stayed home.
I finally reached my nanny at 9 am and she sounded awful. She said she had just gotten home from the hospital, where she went the night before, because she couldn't stop throwing up (TMI, I know). Apparently she had a severe case of food poisoning and a high fever and was dehydrated. And in her haste leaving for the hospital, she didn't take her cell phone. Needless to say, I was happy to hear she was alive but still pretty pissed I didn't get a call from her mother or daughter, both of whom could easily have reached me. She promised to call me later in the night to make sure she was ok to come in today.
I got home and Jason had spent a very nice day with Abby, who apparently was so wiped out that she took two 2+ hour naps! However, Jason forgot one little thing - to change her out of her pajamas - so when I got home at 6:15 pm, she was still in her jammies from the night before!
I also thought it would be a good idea to throw Abby's laundry in so that was one less thing our nanny would have to do today. Unfortunately, I didn't realize that there was an item of pink clothing which had never been washed before and now everything she owns has a nice shade of pink to it.
Let's just say I was more than thrilled to see our nanny this morning and have her restore some sanity to our house!
But - we will most definitely be having a chat about being responsible and having someone call us in the event that she can't reach us herself. In the meantime, I'm happy knowing Abby is being well taken care of today and hopefully her pink onesies can return to their normal shade of white!
Well - not so much. 7:30 a.m. (when our nanny usually arrives) came and went and she was a no-show. She's been working with us for 10 months now and that has NEVER happened, so I was not only worried about her but rather annoyed as well. I called her nanny friend at my neighbor's house and she had heard from her the night before saying she'd be in the next day, so I was even more confused and worried. Luckily Jason was able to be with her so he stayed home.
I finally reached my nanny at 9 am and she sounded awful. She said she had just gotten home from the hospital, where she went the night before, because she couldn't stop throwing up (TMI, I know). Apparently she had a severe case of food poisoning and a high fever and was dehydrated. And in her haste leaving for the hospital, she didn't take her cell phone. Needless to say, I was happy to hear she was alive but still pretty pissed I didn't get a call from her mother or daughter, both of whom could easily have reached me. She promised to call me later in the night to make sure she was ok to come in today.
I got home and Jason had spent a very nice day with Abby, who apparently was so wiped out that she took two 2+ hour naps! However, Jason forgot one little thing - to change her out of her pajamas - so when I got home at 6:15 pm, she was still in her jammies from the night before!
I also thought it would be a good idea to throw Abby's laundry in so that was one less thing our nanny would have to do today. Unfortunately, I didn't realize that there was an item of pink clothing which had never been washed before and now everything she owns has a nice shade of pink to it.
Let's just say I was more than thrilled to see our nanny this morning and have her restore some sanity to our house!
But - we will most definitely be having a chat about being responsible and having someone call us in the event that she can't reach us herself. In the meantime, I'm happy knowing Abby is being well taken care of today and hopefully her pink onesies can return to their normal shade of white!
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