October Update

I nanny two boys before and after school. They are 8 and 11. Going into this job seemed like a cake walk because I wouldn't have to clothe, bathe, feed, or change them, but while this job is less hands-on than babies would be, they are a stressful, psychological handful. Monday is always the worst. They don't want me around, I am bossy, all I do is nag, they don't like school, they don't like homework, they don't want to go to soccer, blah blah blah. At least they love Regina. By the end of the week I feel like we're back on track with mutual respect and cordiality, but I have to start all over each week. I have found that I am firm when the parents are not around, but when the mom is in and out running errands the boys go to her and not me and it causes some confusion for all of us, I think. I have come up with a point system where I give them 6 chances to be rude/disobedient/sneaky each week and if they run out of their chances then I don't bring them baked goods. They call it bribing, but I call it consequences. Plus, it has been working really well. The middle of my day can be awkward between nannying. If I don't work out, or get ready quick enough I don't feel like I have time to do anything outside of the house before I have to go back to work. Also, Regina naps so well in her crib sometimes I don't want her to sleep in the car if I do go out, but staying in makes me depressed. Even when I stay in and listen to NPR and paint, by 3pm I start to hate myself and my life and feel too isolated and friendless. Today was a great day and luckily we had a really fun weekend, so I'm going to try to keep it up. And while I want Reggie to sleep well, I think my mental sanity is more important at this point.

Todd is doing really well in his Masters of Business Administration (MBA) program here at Boise State. Everyone calls it BSU, but I like Boise State more. He dresses fancily every day, which he and I both appreciate. He just began a new set of classes and even added a Fashion and Luxury Management course online. He is flying to Seattle for the week of Thanksgiving for informational interviews before choosing an internship. I am rooting for Nordstrom. Duh. He is really good at what he's doing. He doesn't get why some of the other students have so many questions, or don't get the material, or say the reading is hard. He isn't being conceited, it's genuine, but I have to laugh. When I was in PDBio I was the kid who had all of the questions and didn't understand the reading. Thank goodness Art History came so easily. Anyway, Todd is so cute. When we moved here I instigated Monday Family Home Evening and Saturday Adventure Day, so I have designated Todd/family time that I plan. Saturdays we do something we've never done before.

Regina is ticklish on her back, neck and sides. She started crawling at 7 months. She just keeps getting faster. I put her in front of her books on the bookshelf and go to unload the dishwasher, or fold laundry, or cook and the next noise I hear is the sound of her taking everything out of the bathroom cupboard, or turning on the radio, or she is racing to find me and climb up my legs. She's a little angel most of the time. She loves getting out and about with me. She loves all the attention she gets at the grocery store, or at church. She is fine exploring and playing on her own after she has napped and eaten, but when she's sleepy she is clingy and needy. She sleeps for an average of 11 hours at night.
She will eat ANYTHING she can find on the floor/ground (cords, leaves, cereal, wrappers, garbage, etc.) Speaking of eating leaves, I noticed she had one on her tongue during a walk in the park. I tried and tried to get it out, but she went all lock-jawed and hid it somewhere in her tiny mouth. I thought she had swallowed it when I couldn't see it on her tongue anymore, but 3-6 hours later I saw it again and finally got it out of her mouth. Don't leaves disintegrate in a mouth FULL of slobber?!? A week later I was hanging Reggie's diapers to dry on our back deck in the sun and of course she speed crawls to where I am and picks up a leaf off the deck and puts it directly in her mouth. I try to get it out, she won't let me, I give up and keep doing laundry, Regina starts coughing, gagging, and throws up all of the food that I fed her right before onto the glass door and carpet. So I have to clean puke off the carpet, the door, my baby, and then feed her all over again. Feeding her is time consuming so I got upset at Reggie for eating the leaf, and felt stupid for getting upset at her because I'm the one who is supposed to keep her from eating leaves.

Having a baby is just saving someone else's life 24 hours a day.