For those of you who don't know yet - I have decided to go back to work (part time) as a substitute until baby #2 is here. We are at the point where Amelia needs to be a little more social (and so do I)! So I am going to work 2-3 days a week once I'm up and running in the Frisco ISD system again.
The hard part was finding a good babysitter. We wanted someone who kept a few kids in her home - we weren't ready for a more school-type setting just yet. Because it was so close to the start of the school year, I feared that all the "good ones" would be full. I was almost right! I went on several interviews and literally wanted to walk out of some of them. I mean, it is amazing that people will leave their kids in some of these dirty places! The others were OK and at least clean, but when we found Miss Nicole - we were set! Not only is her house spotless, but she paid attention to Amelia right away, she is keeping kids that are Amelia's same age, she has experience, she has 3 kids of her own, and she is wonderful.
Amelia went 2 times this week (for 1/2 days) to get used to being somewhere else. It was a success! In fact, when I went to pick her up both days - she didn't want to leave! That's a good sign! Her schedule is having to be adjusted a little bit, but she's pretty easy going these days and took to napping in a new place and at a new time without any trouble.
It was hard dropping her off and driving away, but I wasn't afraid for her - just for me. I didn't know what to do with myself, but I sure did get a lot done :)
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Monday, August 24, 2009
Who Is This Child?
It was a normal weekday and Amelia and I were headed out to Bed Bath and Beyond to pick up a wedding gift. I parked the car, got her out and proceeded to put her in the shopping cart. That's when I met the craziest child EVER! And it was MY daughter! She started flipping out. She was making noises I'd never heard come out of her. I'm talking about growls and howls and screams at a pitch befitting a howler monkey! It was the craziest thing I'd ever seen.
I decided to keep on and hope that she would calm down once we started moving around (as she normally does when she's a little upset in public). The key word there is a "little" upset. I was WRONG! I had to leave the store. There was no reasoning with her or comforting her or distracting her. I started to think something was hurting her so I did a full body search. Nothing. So we got back in the car. Surely she'd calm down when I told her we were headed home.
NOPE! She screamed and growled the entire way home. Good thing it was only a few minutes down the road. I was at my wit's end. I didn't know what was wrong with her or what was even happening at this point. I even texted Andy to see if he knew who was possessing our child - he didn't know either!
We pulled into the garage - still screaming. I got her out of the car - still screaming. We walked into the house - and she stopped! She was herself again. Ahhhhhhhh........
Well, it was short lived. The phone rang and I was talking to a friend for a while and she started up again! At least we weren't in public this time. I finally just had to put her in her room and close the door (I'd never had to do that before and it was well beyond a timeout situation). I stood by the door to make sure she wasn't knocking things down, and found that after about 30 seconds she was calm and talking to herself. So a few minutes later, I opened the door to check on her and she got up from her toys and closed the door on me. Apparently this alone time was doing the trick!
She was OK all the way up through her nap, but was NOT happy about waking up. This time the tantrum was short-lived, but it was still a very strange day. I will admit I was a little nervous about putting her in the car the next day to try again at the store - but she was perfect!
I wonder what set her off that day? And who was that child?
I decided to keep on and hope that she would calm down once we started moving around (as she normally does when she's a little upset in public). The key word there is a "little" upset. I was WRONG! I had to leave the store. There was no reasoning with her or comforting her or distracting her. I started to think something was hurting her so I did a full body search. Nothing. So we got back in the car. Surely she'd calm down when I told her we were headed home.
NOPE! She screamed and growled the entire way home. Good thing it was only a few minutes down the road. I was at my wit's end. I didn't know what was wrong with her or what was even happening at this point. I even texted Andy to see if he knew who was possessing our child - he didn't know either!
We pulled into the garage - still screaming. I got her out of the car - still screaming. We walked into the house - and she stopped! She was herself again. Ahhhhhhhh........
Well, it was short lived. The phone rang and I was talking to a friend for a while and she started up again! At least we weren't in public this time. I finally just had to put her in her room and close the door (I'd never had to do that before and it was well beyond a timeout situation). I stood by the door to make sure she wasn't knocking things down, and found that after about 30 seconds she was calm and talking to herself. So a few minutes later, I opened the door to check on her and she got up from her toys and closed the door on me. Apparently this alone time was doing the trick!
She was OK all the way up through her nap, but was NOT happy about waking up. This time the tantrum was short-lived, but it was still a very strange day. I will admit I was a little nervous about putting her in the car the next day to try again at the store - but she was perfect!
I wonder what set her off that day? And who was that child?
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Just Some Stuff...
Nothing all that exciting has really been going on lately. So I thought I'd just post some random things.
1. Pregnancy Brain is going strong. I wore 2 different shoes out in public the other day and didn't realize it until I got home! They were both black sandals - it could have been much worse!
2. I am thinking about going back to work a couple of days a week this coming school year (subbing). I think it would be good to get back into the the work world (my brain needs it) and I think finding a good place for Amelia to socialize and learn from someone else will be great practice for pre-school, etc. But, I'll still be with her the majority of the time - so it won't be a complete shock to my system (or hers)!!! We'll see what happens.
3. We have been to some fun parties - and there are more to come. We went to a backyard bash (in the rain) at Josh and Sommer's! Amelia was more interested in the kitchen set and the stairs than anything else. In fact, when I was holding Raney (or maybe it was Ruby - sorry) she couldn't have cared less! Hmmmmm...wonder if that's how she'll be when new baby gets here - doubtful. We also went to Ryan and Meredith's couple's shower (sans baby) and it was so much fun! Can't wait for the wedding!
4. Amelia is still up to her old tricks - carrying a specific object around every day (and it's usually different everyday). The top contenders have been combs, a hair brush, a big plastic spoon, and a pad of paper with Elmo on it.
5. She has also started putting things into the toilet. This is a fantastic new development - haha. She's so fast! I don't even hear her doing it when I'm in the same room with her! Sneaky little one.
Well - that's all I can think of for now...I'm sure something much more exciting will happen that will be much more interesting for my mom to read at 2:30 in the morning!!!! haha
1. Pregnancy Brain is going strong. I wore 2 different shoes out in public the other day and didn't realize it until I got home! They were both black sandals - it could have been much worse!
2. I am thinking about going back to work a couple of days a week this coming school year (subbing). I think it would be good to get back into the the work world (my brain needs it) and I think finding a good place for Amelia to socialize and learn from someone else will be great practice for pre-school, etc. But, I'll still be with her the majority of the time - so it won't be a complete shock to my system (or hers)!!! We'll see what happens.
3. We have been to some fun parties - and there are more to come. We went to a backyard bash (in the rain) at Josh and Sommer's! Amelia was more interested in the kitchen set and the stairs than anything else. In fact, when I was holding Raney (or maybe it was Ruby - sorry) she couldn't have cared less! Hmmmmm...wonder if that's how she'll be when new baby gets here - doubtful. We also went to Ryan and Meredith's couple's shower (sans baby) and it was so much fun! Can't wait for the wedding!
4. Amelia is still up to her old tricks - carrying a specific object around every day (and it's usually different everyday). The top contenders have been combs, a hair brush, a big plastic spoon, and a pad of paper with Elmo on it.
5. She has also started putting things into the toilet. This is a fantastic new development - haha. She's so fast! I don't even hear her doing it when I'm in the same room with her! Sneaky little one.
Well - that's all I can think of for now...I'm sure something much more exciting will happen that will be much more interesting for my mom to read at 2:30 in the morning!!!! haha
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
The Lunch Caper
Today was a normal lunch day for Amelia. It started with turkey, then some cheese and strawberries. Well, she LOVES fruit, and she knows that she has to eat the other things before she gets it (otherwise she'd just eat fruit and nothing else). Anyway, I gave her a plate of turkey and then walked about 3 feet from her to empty the dishwasher. She finishes her turkey, has a slice of cheese and then asks for her strawberries. Seeing that she's finished everything, I happily serve them to her (yes-I'm her personal waitress).
Lunch is now over. I wipe her hands and face...unbuckle her from her chair...set her on the ground...and there it is. ALL of her turkey is sitting in her chair! That little stinker waited for me to turn around to put dishes up and proceeded to stuff her turkey under her legs.
Now, I ask you...how does a 20-month-old know how to do this??? We certainly don't sit around stuffing food under our legs. She is plotting against us...I just know it!
It was so funny - I guess I'll have to be more diligent during lunch tomorrow!
Lunch is now over. I wipe her hands and face...unbuckle her from her chair...set her on the ground...and there it is. ALL of her turkey is sitting in her chair! That little stinker waited for me to turn around to put dishes up and proceeded to stuff her turkey under her legs.
Now, I ask you...how does a 20-month-old know how to do this??? We certainly don't sit around stuffing food under our legs. She is plotting against us...I just know it!
It was so funny - I guess I'll have to be more diligent during lunch tomorrow!
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