Week 1

I just finished my first week of nannying, and boy am I exhausted!! I think in part I'm still recovering from the wedding last weekend...I got a 3-hour nap in on Sunday, but since then I've gotten up somewhere between 5:30 and 8 each day this week. My college roommates would be shocked to know I'm capable of such early mornings. Besides the early mornings I have been just going, going, going essentially all throughout the last 10 days. Having an hour commute to work hasn't helped my energy level much.

My kids are so fun. The boy is 8, and he's like a sponge, absorbing all kinds of information. He asks a lot of questions in order to understand something completely, and is a talker so he can tell you all the information you shared with him the next day. Today I had to gently remind him that he had already told me a couple of things, because I had already heard them several times. He has a wonderfully vivid imagination, and loves to do things. He likes me to do things with him, like play soccer or football, and sometimes I just can't be as actively involved with him as he would like because I have to be watching his little sister too. She is not yet 2, and is just a precious little doll. Before today I would have said that she doesn't talk much, but when she does it's to get a point across. Before she would just say certain words "eat," "read," "book," "lap," "water," milk," "help"...the basics to clue me in on what she was thinking. However, today she was making all kinds of noises as she was playing! She's beginning to identify to me exactly which book she wants me to read to her: there's the "buddy book," which is actually the BUNNY book, which is about a runaway bunny and how is Mama will do whatever it takes to love him and keep him safe; the "cat book" is where Cat goes through various colors; and my favorite is the least read, which she identifies by singing "La, la, la," because the title is "Moo, Baa, La La La" and she makes the cutest little sing-songy voice EVER. She is the most ticklish child I have ever met and has the cutest little giggles. I'm going to have SO much fun with her!

The week flew and crawled. Its hard to find something to do to entertain both an 8-year-old and a 21-month-old. She is so easy going, though, that I could bring a cup of Cheerio's to the field at the church next door and sit her down to eat them as the 8-year-old and I play soccer, or baseball, or whichever sport he is most into at the moment. For the record, it's currently a game he made up, which is like a cross between golf, hockey, soccer, and broomball. He's a big "Calvin and Hobbes" fan, so when he made up his own sport of course he named it after himself, like "Calvin-Ball" in the comic strip.

Now I have a 3-day "weekend" probably full of more busy things to do (but no weddings!) and then one more day with both kids before he goes off to school and I just have the little girl all to myself in a quiet house 5 days a week. It'll be nice because as long as the weather holds, we can go play at the park on toddler toys and things like that. Once fall hits for real, though, I'll be looking for things to do. And I'll be busy trying to mentally and emotionally readjust to a Seattle fall after 4 gorgeous California autumns. Life could prove to be interesting in the next year!!!