Day Care Days....

I have been tending children since I was about 10 years old. I was always the neighborhood babysitter!! After I served a mission for the LDS church I was a nanny for a short time. I didn't do it for very long as I was having a hard time adjusting to the "normal" world again. I was so used to being out and among people I felt cooped up at home with the little boy and girl I was tending at the time. I truly missed them though when I left to join the world of Retail in the Floral industry. I was a florist for 20 years!! For the most part I liked that job, and I was seriously lost for a while when I was laid off! A good friend had recently given birth to a baby boy. She was a single mom and needed to go back to work. My sister told me that she was looking for someone to tend her baby. I had been applying for jobs and had no luck, so I thought "what the heck" I can do it for a while. Well I started tending him when he was 7 weeks old and he is now 15 months old.

That period of time has gone by quickly!! I also started tending My niece part time. She started school a few days ago and some one else has taken on the job!! Now I am tending my 5 month old nephew as well as the 15 month old.

At first I felt like tending kids was just something I would do until I found a "real" job. Little did I know how much work it takes to care for a baby. Incredibly I found it satisfying in a way that my retail job never was!! I loved someone and they loved me back. As I changed diapers, sang "wheels on the bus", made bottles, and taught my niece preschool, I LOVED IT!! I am not saying I woke up every morning feeling like a combination Mary Poppins, Nanny Mcphee and Maria from the sound of music... but I did feel good about myself and what I was getting back in this relationship. The best part though was watching Berrett change and grow through it all. He wanted to be a dad, and felt like it was something he could do, but wasn't really sure how to be one. As he spent time with Declan (15 MONTH OLD) he grew to love him deeply. He began to understand wht it feels like to have this little person depending on you. Now he looks forward to times with Jayden (5 month old) as well. I guess what I am trying to say is that we have tasted a small part of what it means to be parents. I can feed a toddler and infant at the same time, no problem!! They are presently both teething and that has its challenges but nothing I can't handle. I am so grateful for this experience. I have yet to do the all night thing, but look forward to that with our own baby. Taking care of these little guys has opened up a new world of wonder!! When you watch a baby go through the different stages, you truly begin to understand what a amazing thing the human mind is. We have watched a little boy go from a infant who sleeps, eats, and fills his diapers.. to a walking, babbling wonder who learns a new word and new skill almost daily!! Who couldn't listen to a baby laugh and not laugh back!! Today I can say that I am grateful, I got laid off!! It helped me find the "mom" inside myself!! I am grateful to the mom's who share their little ones with me and trust me to care for them!!