Summer of Nannyhood

I've been blessed to have a summer job for the past two summers. It involves babysitting my adopted niece & nephew, hanging out with one of my best friends, & making some good extra money!! I think it was when I was a Nanny over spring break a few months ago, within the first 30 minutes Matias had fallen & busted his lip on the windowsill, then Alex had tripped over something & fell on her hand & started crying a bit. I was thinking 'what did I get myself in to & can things just calm down?!' Let me think of what has happened so far this summer....let me start with today since it is most recent. I fed the kids yogurt for their afternoon snack that had expired a week ago. How was I to know I should read the date on the package since it hadn't even been opened yet??? By the time dinner rolled around, the kids didn't have diarrhea & weren't throwing up, so I think I'm safe on that one. Too bad today was a day that Alex had only a few bites of lunch so she was STARVING for a snack & then she & Matias both ate 3 bowls of yogurt! lol

On one of my first days there, or maybe it was my first day, I broke "Sissy". Sissy is a blow up inner-tube thing you put in the water. It had a monster head on it or something..was it a swan? But it was green...anyway the kids always got inside it & I guess chillaxed. Well they were both in it & I used my freakishly strong muscles to drag them across the floor & I heard the thing rip on one of the seams. I'm lol now, just watching it happen again in my mind as the kids slowly dropped a few inches to the floor as the air went out. Lol!! Too bad Alex is old enough (3) to know something wasn't right. At least with Matias I could change the subject or something!!

I was happy to see today that Alvaro broke one of their toys by trying to put it on his head, as if it were a hat. I noticed he quickly avoided my eye contact, put the toy on the ground, & "went back to work" downstairs (it was a 'work from home day' for him). I guess we grownups all have to have a little fun with the kiddie toys, eh? :)

I was thinking I would have more to write about, but I can't think of anything else. Alex & Matias both are so much easier to watch this summer, as opposed to last. Alex is potty-trained. Matias is ALWAYS calm & still for me when I change a diaper (he NEVER was still last summer-he tried wriggling around as much as possible! Not fun when you have turds in the diaper!!). Meliss & Alvaro may be able to remind us all of a few funny Nanny moments of this year...

Spring Break Nanny-time

You all know I just think the world of Melissa's kids. They are, as I say, my adopted niece & nephew. I can't get enough of them! I got especially attached to them last summer, "Nannying" them 3 days a week for about 7 weeks. Well, I came back for more for my spring break this week! I'm writing this entry, mainly just about my first 30 minutes or so alone with the kidson day 1 of Nanny-time.

I got here on Monday morning around 9 a.m. Meliss & I had some breakfast & coffee together. Once she started her conference call, I took the 2 kids upstairs to play. Wouldn't you know that the 2 kids & I are at the window, looking outside & then having toys on the window sill, playing, talking, singing, etc. I'm sitting on the floor & the 2 kids are walking to get toys & coming back. Well, Matias falls& starts crying like crazy! I pick him up & he immediately hangs on to me like he's really hurt. I keep hugging & trying to soothe him & his cries get louder. I pull his head off my shoulder to look at his face & I see some blood coming down his chin! WTF?! I look around & there are no Kleenex, paper towels, etc. up here. I look to my computer, but it's not hooked up to the internet yet b/c I didn't get to ask Meliss for the code to get on her wireless. She was on a conference call. CRAP!! I was just starting to get Alex's hand so we could walk downstairs together so I could get a towel or something & Meliss meets us on the stairs. She knew her baby's cry was something real. So-Alex says she needs to 'tee tee'. I take her to the potty while Meliss takes care of Matias. Meliss brings Matias back to me with an ice cube & instructs me to have him suck on it to help w/ the swelling on his lip (he did bust his lip open, poor thing!). She goes back to her conference call & Matias is sucking on the ice & Alex is getting ready to get on the potty.

I didn't know, but she does this little kick thing with her panties on her ankle to kick them off, before sitting on the potty. Well wouldn't you know that as I'm holding the ice for Matias I look over as she does her kick-move & she falls off the stool, next to the toilet! She kind of hurt her hand & my mouth just dropped open! Her face started to crumble a bit but I quickly started talking to her & distracted her, kissed her hand, & she got on the potty & did her thing. No big deal! Whew!

THEN I go back to Matias & the ice. Wouldn't you know (I'm really liking this phrase!) he sucks the ice out of my hand & into his mouth. I freak about that, thinking he's going to choke on that & I'm just having some back luck, in so little time! :(

Anyway I got the ice out of his mouth, Alex got dressed again & we all went upstairs for a full day of playing & singing & such. Whew!

Now as I write this, I have completed day 2 of 3. Today was pretty uneventful, which is good, after the start I had yesterday! Of course I'm even more attached to these kids, if that's possible. I can't wait to hang with them 3 days a week this summer as well!