We had a breakthrough this morning, Ds (darling son) and I. We've had these through the years, and I'm fortunate enough to say that I've gotten to witness them, since he doesn't attend a daycare. Learing where to show me his parts of his face are, first words, learning colors, the list goes on and on. All things that verify to me, as his mom and teacher, that I am getting through to him. There is a brain in there and that things are connecting and we are growing as a person.
So this morning, Ds and I were getting ready to leave the house, and I was flipping through my cookbook on top of the stove. Ds was standing beside me, talking to me about our day, his breakfast, then he starts "o-0-f-f-f" (the short "o" sound as in octupus, followed by lots of "f" sounds), then he does it again, then it clicks. "OFF!!" he says. He was pointing to the word on the stove dial, and saw what the letters were, then just sounded it out by himself! I am amazed!! We've been working on our letter program, LetterOfTheWeek, for the last 6 months, and have just been trying to put short words together. Now I know that it's actually working!! whoo hooo!!! Together he and I did a happy dance in the kitchen, and went right to trying to read the word "front". We got through that one OK, but that's fine, I've achieved breakthrough, and now the train of reading has started.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Introduction to my third family
As posted before, I was engrossed in being a nanny, but needing some flexibility and more of an income. The agency found me another family that had multiple children, and one about to enter the world. I had a long interview with the family, and the mom requested some more background checks from the agency, so I went through fingerprinting, collecting my college transcripts, and another drug test.
The family consisted of mom, dad, older sister NannyGirl (Ng) age 11 {from mom's first marriage}, and Ng age 14 months. The mom was pregnant and due within a couple of weeks. We had a lot of talks about job description, rules of the house, expectations of the childcare, and how the relationship would be between employee/employee. I was also going to travel out of the country with this family, so I needed to get my passport. I was able to express to them through our interviews how much I cared for the little girl I was leaving, and that along with my college degree sealed the deal this family.
I was with this family for 2 1/2 years, traveled with them to Canada a couple of times, went with them to their beach house on the coast of NC, and really became a part of their family. When Grandparents came into town, we all would all be together. When the whole family went out of town, I went into the mom's office to answer phones and file paperwork. I was there for teething, crawling, walking, talking, potty training, plus showing of their house, and moving into a new home.
This family and I went through a lot together, including a series of miscarriages I had. Nanny Mom was supportive and caring like another mother would be towards me. And when I finally became pregnant, they were delighted. They were also pregnant, with their 4th, which would lead us to the end of our relationship. I never learned the series of events that definitively lead up to the decision that I was no longer necessary. That was a hard day for me, and we had just a few weeks together before I was replaced.
I'll be speaking of this family often, remembering occasions, events, or traumatic teething days. They have not kept in touch with me, so I try to distance my feelings towards them, but with anything that you have been a part of for so long, it becomes part of your life.
The family consisted of mom, dad, older sister NannyGirl (Ng) age 11 {from mom's first marriage}, and Ng age 14 months. The mom was pregnant and due within a couple of weeks. We had a lot of talks about job description, rules of the house, expectations of the childcare, and how the relationship would be between employee/employee. I was also going to travel out of the country with this family, so I needed to get my passport. I was able to express to them through our interviews how much I cared for the little girl I was leaving, and that along with my college degree sealed the deal this family.
I was with this family for 2 1/2 years, traveled with them to Canada a couple of times, went with them to their beach house on the coast of NC, and really became a part of their family. When Grandparents came into town, we all would all be together. When the whole family went out of town, I went into the mom's office to answer phones and file paperwork. I was there for teething, crawling, walking, talking, potty training, plus showing of their house, and moving into a new home.
This family and I went through a lot together, including a series of miscarriages I had. Nanny Mom was supportive and caring like another mother would be towards me. And when I finally became pregnant, they were delighted. They were also pregnant, with their 4th, which would lead us to the end of our relationship. I never learned the series of events that definitively lead up to the decision that I was no longer necessary. That was a hard day for me, and we had just a few weeks together before I was replaced.
I'll be speaking of this family often, remembering occasions, events, or traumatic teething days. They have not kept in touch with me, so I try to distance my feelings towards them, but with anything that you have been a part of for so long, it becomes part of your life.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Going swimming is absolutly exhausting!
Today, with my current family, was Meet & Greet day at the local indoor swim/play area. We can go for only $3/child, which they usually have once a month. We've been going to these playdates for awhile now, and the boys (mine and NannyBoy {Nb}), always have a great time. I pack lunch, and shampoo so not only do we shower after swimming, but have lunch so that I optimize the morning, and can come home to put them straight to bed for their "quiet rest".
A year ago, when we started going to these swim sessions, it was quite the obstical cource for me. The parents can get on the equipement to help their child get to the top of the slides, but are not allowed to slide down them. So imagine taking your child to a new park, showing him how to climb the steps to the top of the slide, then scurring back down to catch him after he slides down. NOW, imagine all of this with water squirting everywhere and you're in a bathing suit! That's what I was dealing with for the first couple of trips. The boy's confidence grew, and I was able to just wait at the bottom, and watch them as they climbed all over everything to get to the top of the slides. Thank goodness!
So after about an hour of this, we switch over to the lap pool side to practice jumping in. The pool provides life jackets, and I encourage the boys to climb out and jump in as often as they want. For the exercise, and the boost in their confidence. I have them jump over my arms, try to touch me with their toe, anything to keep them interested.
By now, I'm freezing, and starting to max out on the noise/choas level in the pool area. The boys know that after swimming, we go into the shower stall and be get soaped up and clean. So, we head to our shower stall, proceede to do our thing, as the rest of the swimmers come into the locker room to change. The locker room is now filled with fussy children, moms getting dressed, and one screaming baby. I've got 2 naked boys, who are obsessed with wagging their "boy parts" all around, and we're all dripping wet. This is when I start to focus on getting the boys in charge of getting themselves dressed, while I get dressed and not let any of my parts hang out. Oh, and the baby is still screeming.
Finally, we're all dressed, and can walk out of there. We find a table in the lobby to sit and eat lunch, and just let the silence wash over us. I get the boys to eat their lunch, and eat and eat, so they have a nice full belly for an actual nap this afternoon. I know that Nb will nap, but Ds? that's always questionable
A year ago, when we started going to these swim sessions, it was quite the obstical cource for me. The parents can get on the equipement to help their child get to the top of the slides, but are not allowed to slide down them. So imagine taking your child to a new park, showing him how to climb the steps to the top of the slide, then scurring back down to catch him after he slides down. NOW, imagine all of this with water squirting everywhere and you're in a bathing suit! That's what I was dealing with for the first couple of trips. The boy's confidence grew, and I was able to just wait at the bottom, and watch them as they climbed all over everything to get to the top of the slides. Thank goodness!
So after about an hour of this, we switch over to the lap pool side to practice jumping in. The pool provides life jackets, and I encourage the boys to climb out and jump in as often as they want. For the exercise, and the boost in their confidence. I have them jump over my arms, try to touch me with their toe, anything to keep them interested.
By now, I'm freezing, and starting to max out on the noise/choas level in the pool area. The boys know that after swimming, we go into the shower stall and be get soaped up and clean. So, we head to our shower stall, proceede to do our thing, as the rest of the swimmers come into the locker room to change. The locker room is now filled with fussy children, moms getting dressed, and one screaming baby. I've got 2 naked boys, who are obsessed with wagging their "boy parts" all around, and we're all dripping wet. This is when I start to focus on getting the boys in charge of getting themselves dressed, while I get dressed and not let any of my parts hang out. Oh, and the baby is still screeming.
Finally, we're all dressed, and can walk out of there. We find a table in the lobby to sit and eat lunch, and just let the silence wash over us. I get the boys to eat their lunch, and eat and eat, so they have a nice full belly for an actual nap this afternoon. I know that Nb will nap, but Ds? that's always questionable
Sunday, February 21, 2010
The story of my 2ed family
After some time with teenagers, I was ready to be with a family with children. The one who found me had 1 child, were fairly close to my house, and only needed me 4 days a week. NannyGirl (Ng) was a precious little girl, with big brown eyes, and long curly hair. Her parents were each on their 2ed marriage, and wanted one child to be the center of their universe. They both worked from home, and would rather me NOT go anywhere with their darling. Ng was about 18months old when I started, just about ready to start talking to the world.
Ng and I would play outside in the morning, have lunch with the family, then she would take a 2hr nap, we'd finish up our day with a bath lasting longer than an hour, and fixing of hair. She had love of TV already, and had a stream of shows on TV, and movies that we watched ALL THE TIME. "Bear In The Big Blue House", "Snow White" and "Monsters, Inc" were some of her favorites. I started calling her names based on which character we were watching.
We met a group of mom's in the neighborhood who had children all the same age, and we were able to make friends, with the limited access to the outside world we had. Unfortunately, since Ng was not going to a preschool/daycare she had no defences against your normal "kid" germs, and she would get very sick after every play date.
After a couple of months of this, I started to get the itch for life beyond the boundaries of their house. We asked once to go to a play date in the neighborhood, and the mom drove us. I was not 15 at the time, I was 23 and we weren't leaving the neighborhood, but still, we got a ride. For lunch, Ng was required to have items on her plate that looked, tasted, and felt different. For example, she could have square crackers, bell pepper cut into strips, and a sandwich had to be cut into triangles.
All of this, and I wasn't making a ton of $$. I tried talking to the parent's about this, and they offered me the job of cleaning their house to make more income. This was a little startling to me, since I have a hard time keeping my own house clean! We tried that for awhile, but in the end, I decided that this was just not the fit for me. While I was wrestling with the idea of leaving Ng, it just ripped my heart out. I would lay in bed at night thinking about how much I would miss her, and just cry and cry.
At that point, I contacted the nanny agency to try and find me another family. When the parents found out about that, the were very upset at the agency for not alerting them to the situation. Needless to say, it was a tense work environment for a month.
On my last day I had Ng make a ton of projects, with paint, play dough, and crayons. We cut some out and put them in a frame for her mom. I set them on the counter for her and she said, "Ok, see ya".
Of course, I miss little Ng, and wonder how her life is now. She won't remember the women who taught her how to turn over rocks and look for bugs, or what the colors are named, but I remember her and her sweet face, and to me, she'll always be that sweet little girl.
Ng and I would play outside in the morning, have lunch with the family, then she would take a 2hr nap, we'd finish up our day with a bath lasting longer than an hour, and fixing of hair. She had love of TV already, and had a stream of shows on TV, and movies that we watched ALL THE TIME. "Bear In The Big Blue House", "Snow White" and "Monsters, Inc" were some of her favorites. I started calling her names based on which character we were watching.
We met a group of mom's in the neighborhood who had children all the same age, and we were able to make friends, with the limited access to the outside world we had. Unfortunately, since Ng was not going to a preschool/daycare she had no defences against your normal "kid" germs, and she would get very sick after every play date.
After a couple of months of this, I started to get the itch for life beyond the boundaries of their house. We asked once to go to a play date in the neighborhood, and the mom drove us. I was not 15 at the time, I was 23 and we weren't leaving the neighborhood, but still, we got a ride. For lunch, Ng was required to have items on her plate that looked, tasted, and felt different. For example, she could have square crackers, bell pepper cut into strips, and a sandwich had to be cut into triangles.
All of this, and I wasn't making a ton of $$. I tried talking to the parent's about this, and they offered me the job of cleaning their house to make more income. This was a little startling to me, since I have a hard time keeping my own house clean! We tried that for awhile, but in the end, I decided that this was just not the fit for me. While I was wrestling with the idea of leaving Ng, it just ripped my heart out. I would lay in bed at night thinking about how much I would miss her, and just cry and cry.
At that point, I contacted the nanny agency to try and find me another family. When the parents found out about that, the were very upset at the agency for not alerting them to the situation. Needless to say, it was a tense work environment for a month.
On my last day I had Ng make a ton of projects, with paint, play dough, and crayons. We cut some out and put them in a frame for her mom. I set them on the counter for her and she said, "Ok, see ya".
Of course, I miss little Ng, and wonder how her life is now. She won't remember the women who taught her how to turn over rocks and look for bugs, or what the colors are named, but I remember her and her sweet face, and to me, she'll always be that sweet little girl.
Abbrevations
For privacy issues, I'll be using abbreviations when I post about my husband, son, cat, or other children.
Dh=darling husband
Ds=darling son
Nb=(current) nanny boy (This sounds so cold, and distant, but he's very close to my heart)
Ng1=nanny girl 1. Age 18 months when I started, barly 2 when I left
Ng2=nanny girl 2. Age 28 months when I started
Nb2=nanny boy 2. Age 2 weeks when I started
Ng3=nanny girl 3. Age 2 weeks
Ng4=nanny girl 4. Age 7
Ng5=nanny girl 5. Age 11, sister of Ng4
Dh=darling husband
Ds=darling son
Nb=(current) nanny boy (This sounds so cold, and distant, but he's very close to my heart)
Ng1=nanny girl 1. Age 18 months when I started, barly 2 when I left
Ng2=nanny girl 2. Age 28 months when I started
Nb2=nanny boy 2. Age 2 weeks when I started
Ng3=nanny girl 3. Age 2 weeks
Ng4=nanny girl 4. Age 7
Ng5=nanny girl 5. Age 11, sister of Ng4
History of professional nanny-ism
Like I have mentioned before, becoming a nanny wasn't my first career choice. Dh and I were just married, and have bills to pay, so I had to find something that would allow me to work during the day, during the week. I did some research online, and found an agency in Charlotte that would do all the leg work for me. I was interviewed, drug tested and referenced checked by them, then they set up interviews with families that might like me. A matchmaker, per say.
I connected with a family who had a tween and teenagers, who were really involved in school/sports and needed supervision plus transportation. We worked together for about 6 months, and I was really a dressed up chauffeur. Or, exactly what I did when I was 16yrs old living at home. When I look back on that experience, I think that solidified that I wanted to be home for my kids, so that they would never feel that it was an inconvenience for me to take them to their activities. In other words, let kids be kids.
I connected with a family who had a tween and teenagers, who were really involved in school/sports and needed supervision plus transportation. We worked together for about 6 months, and I was really a dressed up chauffeur. Or, exactly what I did when I was 16yrs old living at home. When I look back on that experience, I think that solidified that I wanted to be home for my kids, so that they would never feel that it was an inconvenience for me to take them to their activities. In other words, let kids be kids.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Introduction
What lead me down this path is something that I had tried to ignore as a teenager, hide as a young college student, and put behind me when I got married. And after graduating from college, I was ready to start my career in the hospitality field. I moved to Charlotte, NC and started interviewing at nice hotels and resorts, only to find out that I would start at the bottom of the totem pole, which is nights and weekends. As a newly wed, I wasn't ready for this. Unfortunately, the tragedies struck our nation on 9-11, and the hospitality industry's bottom fell out. I watched as all of my newly graduated friends were let go as a result. With this new challenge I began thinking about what I already knew. As the oldest of 4, with 3 younger brothers, being bossy comes naturally.
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