Near the end of our first week of daycaring, I am sitting quietly (for a change) and by myself (for a change). Cuppa took Nikki Dee to real daycare, and Zach went down for an early nap, so AC has a few minutes of peace and calm.
It's been a fairly hectic first week on the job. As it was about to begin, I posted that I wasn't feeling well. The worst, however, was yet to come. I spent all day Wednesday with a debilitating headache, the likes of which I have not experienced in my 62 years. Even Oxycodone (or whatever the name) didn't ameliorate it. Eventually, however, I think the Oxy did give me a decent night's sleep, and I have been a lot better ever since: though still not 100%.
The kids haven't been terribly well either, Nikki Dee having her worst day on the same day as my worst day. I wasn't much help to Cuppa then but she prevailed and is now enjoying a day off as a reward for going above and beyond the call of duty. She did come with me this morning to help get Nikki Dee ready for real daycare as it's the kid's Valentines party, and she needed to be dressed to the nines, and that seems to be beyond both Buppa and Daddy who both have troubles dressing her beyond the threes. We dithered about sending her to school today but decided that we might as well as she seems to enjoy it. Meanwhile, the clingy and fussy Zach fell asleep on my lap about an hour before official nap time, giving me this opportunity. Phew!
We are going home pretty well exhausted at night as we try to get used to this new schedule, which among other things involves both earlier mornings and bedtimes. That plus my low general energy level has left me too poopdicated to thinking about posting anything here. While this is nothing more than a review of mundane events (not my preferred style), it's about all that my somewhat depleted reserves can marshall. Perhaps, I should nap while the boy does the same. I don't know how long he'll be down as he keeps coughing and spluttering in there. Poor thing.
Of dear, he seems to have wakened himself.
Showing posts with label babysitting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label babysitting. Show all posts
Friday, February 12, 2010
Monday, February 08, 2010
First Day
Well, our first day of daycaring for this round is in the books: only 600 more or whatever crazy number to go. With Nikki Dee off to real daycare today (she goes twice a week), we were broken in gently on this initial day. Zachary had a good nap this morning and behaved well for me while Cuppa attended a Monday afternoon social event. We're tired, but some of that has to do with getting up earlier than normal and then moving into gear much more quickly once we are up. Here are a few pics from the day. Fear not, I won't recap every day in this way.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Foto Friday
I don't know that I've ever quite clearly explained our babysitting gig, a labour of love that will go on for months or years. Right now, we're committed for the remainder of this year, and we'll reassess then. So far, it's going well despite illnesses on everybody's part. While I have been recovering well for over a week, Cuppa is still under it, so I have been doing more hands-on baby care. Hence, for the second day in a row, we had a onesie incident.
On a typical day, Cuppa and I will get up at six o'clock and head over to the kids' house shortly thereafter. We both port our laptops every day. It may seem silly because there are computers in the house, but it's nice to have access to your own, and that's what notebook computers are all about anyway. The thing is The Bonnie Wee One often wants to be involved. She likes to look at pictures and videos of herself, and I have also found some cute YouTube clips for her such as a hippo singing The Lion Sleeps tonight.
Even setting the machine up can be problematic. Every morning I crawl under the able to hook up the power. Yesterday, she crawled under there with me, and it took awhile before she would let me out again. Needles to say, both Cuppa and I find it hard to get a lot done while we're on the job. We might start out to do something, but the kid may have other ideas.
Yesterday, we went for a little drive and ended up at a park where we stopped to feed Nikki Dee a little lunch.
Although you can't see them in these photos, the black flies have come out to play, so we didn't stay too long. But here are two closer shots of the kid having lunch.
And here's the view from the other direction. The park is on the Mississippi River in Eastern Ontario (not the Mighty Mississippi — just the little, unmighty one).
On a normal day, we'll cook supper for us and the kids, so we sometimes don't leave until after seven o'clock. It makes for a long day, but it's a good and worthwhile thing for us to be doing.
Time to get back on the job. Cuppa has been occupying the child while I wrote this blog, and it's my turn to shoulder some of the workload.
On a typical day, Cuppa and I will get up at six o'clock and head over to the kids' house shortly thereafter. We both port our laptops every day. It may seem silly because there are computers in the house, but it's nice to have access to your own, and that's what notebook computers are all about anyway. The thing is The Bonnie Wee One often wants to be involved. She likes to look at pictures and videos of herself, and I have also found some cute YouTube clips for her such as a hippo singing The Lion Sleeps tonight.
Even setting the machine up can be problematic. Every morning I crawl under the able to hook up the power. Yesterday, she crawled under there with me, and it took awhile before she would let me out again. Needles to say, both Cuppa and I find it hard to get a lot done while we're on the job. We might start out to do something, but the kid may have other ideas.
Yesterday, we went for a little drive and ended up at a park where we stopped to feed Nikki Dee a little lunch.
Although you can't see them in these photos, the black flies have come out to play, so we didn't stay too long. But here are two closer shots of the kid having lunch.
And here's the view from the other direction. The park is on the Mississippi River in Eastern Ontario (not the Mighty Mississippi — just the little, unmighty one).
On a normal day, we'll cook supper for us and the kids, so we sometimes don't leave until after seven o'clock. It makes for a long day, but it's a good and worthwhile thing for us to be doing.
Time to get back on the job. Cuppa has been occupying the child while I wrote this blog, and it's my turn to shoulder some of the workload.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
A Good Day
As we begin day2 of our babysitting adventure, we have turned on the electronic babysitter for a while to free up some computing time. So, as day2 unfolds, here are some photos from day1.
Nikki Dee's first order of business was to try to unplug my computer.
So, I decided to distract her by reading her a book. It worked too ... for a while at least.
Next on the list was a short walk on a fine, sunny morning. Much to her delight, I pushed her around several blocks for ten or fifteen minutes. Too bad the weather isn't as enticing today.
In the afternoon, after a nap and lunch,we walked her further to the park.
Then we freed her from her stroller and let her stretch her own legs for quite some time. She doesn't walk on her own yet. Her strength is good, but her balance isn't quite there yet.
The river is flooding over some of the park. We normally continue to walk along this path but were prevented yesterday. I had hoped that she would like the geese, but they were a little too far away to attract her attention.
All in all, it was a good day.
Nikki Dee's first order of business was to try to unplug my computer.
So, I decided to distract her by reading her a book. It worked too ... for a while at least.
Next on the list was a short walk on a fine, sunny morning. Much to her delight, I pushed her around several blocks for ten or fifteen minutes. Too bad the weather isn't as enticing today.
In the afternoon, after a nap and lunch,we walked her further to the park.
Then we freed her from her stroller and let her stretch her own legs for quite some time. She doesn't walk on her own yet. Her strength is good, but her balance isn't quite there yet.
The river is flooding over some of the park. We normally continue to walk along this path but were prevented yesterday. I had hoped that she would like the geese, but they were a little too far away to attract her attention.
All in all, it was a good day.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Changes
Do you notice how sometimes things seem to remain fairly static for quite some time while at other times, the winds of change blow very strongly? Not long ago, I was posting pictures of snow, but very shortly afterwards, I was posting photos of crocuses like the ones below.
I love crocuses, more than any other flower I think, not only for their beauty but because they are, for me, they are the firstborn of spring. Also, their time is so short that I must take the necessary moments to truly appreciate them while they flower.
Of course, they're gone already, and the daffodils are taking their turn. While I also greatly admire and appreciate these blooms, they don't move me quite as much as the lowly crocus. Mind you, I'm sure chuffed that they're here and blooming their sunny hearts out.
The weather has changed dramatically too. In these parts, it seems as though we've gone straight from winter to summer with no pause for spring. Today, for example, the mercury climbed to an incredible 25°C/77°F. It's not that we never soar to such lofty heights in April, but this has been going on for about an unprecedented five days already, and we're promised several more after tomorrow's rain. Perhaps it's our recompense for one hellacious winter.
There was yet another significant shift today as Thesha headed back to work after her year of government-sponsored reprieve in order to take care of The Bonnie Wee One. And that also brought about a big change for Cuppa and me as we stepped into our new role as primary daycare providers.
So it was that we roused ourselves early and landed in Nikki Dee's royal lair by 7:30 to find that she was already up and at 'em. She doesn't usually rise quite that early, but yesterday was inoculation day, and although her tiny system has handled it quite well for the most part, her little body has been thrown off kilter just a wee bit.
But we had a grand day. I'm sure that this commitment will be a trial by times, but it's also quite an honour and privilege to help Thesha and Theboy like this and to spend such precious hours with her youthful majesty. Tomorrow, Cuppa will probably post many pictures in her usual and wonderful storybook way, and I will probably also post a few — but not tonight, for the old grandad is a little weary for some strange reason.
I love crocuses, more than any other flower I think, not only for their beauty but because they are, for me, they are the firstborn of spring. Also, their time is so short that I must take the necessary moments to truly appreciate them while they flower.
Of course, they're gone already, and the daffodils are taking their turn. While I also greatly admire and appreciate these blooms, they don't move me quite as much as the lowly crocus. Mind you, I'm sure chuffed that they're here and blooming their sunny hearts out.
The weather has changed dramatically too. In these parts, it seems as though we've gone straight from winter to summer with no pause for spring. Today, for example, the mercury climbed to an incredible 25°C/77°F. It's not that we never soar to such lofty heights in April, but this has been going on for about an unprecedented five days already, and we're promised several more after tomorrow's rain. Perhaps it's our recompense for one hellacious winter.
There was yet another significant shift today as Thesha headed back to work after her year of government-sponsored reprieve in order to take care of The Bonnie Wee One. And that also brought about a big change for Cuppa and me as we stepped into our new role as primary daycare providers.
So it was that we roused ourselves early and landed in Nikki Dee's royal lair by 7:30 to find that she was already up and at 'em. She doesn't usually rise quite that early, but yesterday was inoculation day, and although her tiny system has handled it quite well for the most part, her little body has been thrown off kilter just a wee bit.
But we had a grand day. I'm sure that this commitment will be a trial by times, but it's also quite an honour and privilege to help Thesha and Theboy like this and to spend such precious hours with her youthful majesty. Tomorrow, Cuppa will probably post many pictures in her usual and wonderful storybook way, and I will probably also post a few — but not tonight, for the old grandad is a little weary for some strange reason.
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