14 days

So since Elizabeth is taking her regular 2 hour nap right now I thought I'd take advantage of this free time to update.....

I feel bad that I haven't been writing anything regularly yet but here's the reason for that....today is my 14th day of work in a row. And as Elizabeth and I would say Oy! I know I did this to myself, what with having the 3 jobs and all, but was somewhat hoping that it wouldn't be this crazy! But since I do have tomorrow off, and I'm a mere 5-6 hours away from time off now....I guess you could say that there's a light at the end of some kind of tunnel or something.

Here's what we've been up to today so far (just to give you a little insight into what nannying is all about--at least for me):

We said goodbye to daddy (mommy is out of town and coming home tonight, much to daddy's happiness) and then played with bubbles for a long time. "Bu-bu" with adamant pointing means of course that Elizabeth would like me to take the bubbles down and get blowing. I wish I could remember being that age to know what it is about bubbles that make them just the coolest thing ever but alas we grow up and become jaded to the glory of the bubble. But after bubbles Elizabeth did her normal, show me every toy she owns display, just in case I'd forgotten over the past two days how many great things she has. This is yet another thing that I think we lose as we get older or perhaps we're just different about how we show things off to people.

I then made breakfast for myself (as daddy already fed Libby) and as I sat down to eat while she played I knew I wouldn't get more than two bites in before she noticed and wanted me to share. Anytime you eat anything around Elizabeth she wants it also. She's a fantastic eater and thinks its unfair for you to eat without her; regardless of whether she's hungry or not.

Next we watched a short episode of "Dora the Explorer" as this is Elizabeth's favorite thing aside from food and books. For her first birthday a few months ago she had a Dora cake that grandma made for her and she LOVED it. So many people these days think that TV is the worst thing a child could partake in, but it makes me crazy because I grew up in a TV-watching home and am a rather intelligent human (if I can say so). Sure, don't put your kid in front of the TV all day as a childcare tool but an episode of Dora, or Sesame Street now and then is really not harmful. And if her first full word ends up being "vamanos" then I think she's smarter than us all. :)

After our Dora time I decided we would take advantage of the fact that it wasn't actually raining today and go for a walk. Being in Oregon it rains often and really puts a damper on being able to get outside and have a change of scenery. We walked to Fred Meyer to get some grapes and pesto, we walked past the school that has the chickens and got out to say hi and we walked up and down the neighborhoods just enjoying the pleasant weather and eating our grapes. I think that it's probably a toss up as to who loves walks the most; although Elizabeth does get to just kick it and check out the sights so she may win.

Finally we came back to the house around 11am because I knew she would need to go down for her nap. She's great in the fact that she's a super easy kid and has a very regular schedule (for the majority of the time).

I should mention that I work for probably the best family in Portland. And truly my biggest piece of advice for people wanting to nanny or families looking for a nanny is to just find your right fit. Don't feel bad if after the first week things aren't meshing right or somebody's just not happy. It's important for both parties to feel right about this kind of situation and sometimes what's right for one isn't right for another. Take your time to find your right fit and the job/situation will be easier in the long run (and more enjoyable FOR SURE).

My family is amazing for me because we just agree about the way Elizabeth should be cared for. And crazy that she's the one this whole thing is about so her care should be most important. :) Sounds funny to say like that but many times I've been in situations where the child wasn't the focus and it just wasn't right.

So yes....I love my family but I'll go into more detail about that later. For now....here's a picture of our newest developmental step forward... (well, not quite steps yet but you get the idea). :)

She's figured out how to stand all on her own! It's really exciting to go through all these fun things with her; especially since I've been with her since she was 3 months old! I feel like she's just getting too big too fast! Well more to come later.... I need to take advantage of this time and get some lunch made! Then for our exciting afternoon adventure to the Playground Gym!

Enjoy your day!