Hello there!
I just finished a paper for one of my classes and am not tired enough to go to bed. So I thought, I pour myself a glass of wine and share a little story with the world. A story that was/is challenging and shaping for Petit Joel and I. When I attended an orientation session at my University last week my advisor told me that everybody has to take a certain introduction class on Wednesday evening. This class is ONLY taught in Fall and every new student to the program has to take it ASAP. I am alone here these days. Le husband is back to work in Somalia (sigh) so Petit Joel and I are on our own. Is it single-parenting? Yes and No. We Skype with le husband a lot (A LOT!) but he is just not physically here to deal with all this stuff that goes on. So university and daycare is all good. Unless, someone (Petit Joel) get’s really sick or some other nerve-wracking things come up. He has been in Daycare of one week and is sick (awful cold, flees at the daycare and whatnot) so I kept him at home today to see a pediatrician.
Needless to say, I had plans for Tuesday. Two huge papers are due as well as four large chapters and articles to read and take notes. So I thought I go to the University gym in the morning and afterwards get all my readings and writings done in the library before picking him up in the afternoon. Fail! We both did not sleep too well last night due to his severer cough and for the first time I have been hit with this struggle of motherhood. Sweet motherhood! So far, it was all fun, you know?! I got off on a tangent here but I am slightly struggling.
Last Wednesday was the day when I, for the first time, needed to attend this evening class and had nobody to take care of Petit Joel. I found a babysitter in one day with the help of a friend in class. All I knew about the person was that she is a grandma, has several years of experience with kids and babysitting and that she is a converted Muslim. Okay, I thought. Who cares what her religious believes are, as long as she takes care of my son. I am not a racist. Far from it. So after writing back and forth with her on the phone, she finally called and told me to relax. Petit Joel will be fine, no need to worry and she will be at my house at 5pm. I cleaned the entire house because I thought she has to feel comfortable. I stocked up the fridge so she has something to eat. She arrived at 5.30pm and I instantly had a comfortable connection with her. I don’t know what it was. Maybe the age, maybe the grandma-feeling. I felt Petit Joel and her would hit it off. And they did. I showed her around the house and had to leave literally ten minutes after she arrived. It was okay. Petit Joel cried and so did I, on my way to class. It was the first time. She sent me pictures and messages throughout the evening, brought him to bed, read to him and when I arrived back home everything was okay. He was sound asleep. She did not need anything to eat either and simply sat on the couch reading her book. She brought toys for him and books. I am just the most nervous mom you could imagine. Even today, when I went to the pediatrician to get his cough checked out. The doctor said he is fine and that I could have dropped him at the daycare in the morning.
You live and learn. This reminded me of a book I read to review not too long ago. I believe it will be released next week if you want to purchase it. It is so funny and spot-on.
Babysitters. A little excerpt from the book. And I can relate.
Hello! Thank you so much for watching little [Insert Baby’s Name Here] while we are out eating a hurried-yet-romantic dinner/seeing a movie for the first time in months/attempting to enjoy some higher form of “culture” while checking our phones every fourteen seconds to see if there are any messages from you. [Insert Baby’s Name Here] is almost always happy and relaxed and should give you almost no problems, but just in case we have given you detailed notes to ensure that things go smoothly!
[Insert Baby’s Name Here] usually goes to bed without a problem, as long as her bedtime routine is executed flawlessly and without variation.
6:00-7:34 Dinner. It’s very important to us that she gets a good serving of fruits and vegetables! In the fridge is a container of organic, homemade zucchini quinoa and ricotta fritters. Cut two of them up into small (pea-size or smaller) pieces, mix with brown rice, and allow her to sprinkle it on the floor before giving her Cheerios or a mozzarella stick. If she clamors for a cookie, she is not allowed to have one unless she has eaten one-eight of a fourth of the mozzarella stick. We are super strict about this!
7:34-7:48 Bathtime. Bath toys are in a mesh bag under the sink. She is super great about bathing, but FYI, doesn’t like having water touch her skin, so please be mindful.
7:48-8:00 She will want to sit in the rocking chair while listening to the Eagles (note: NOT “HOTEL CALIFORNIA”). She’ll be most comfortable if you sing along with most of the songs. If you don’t know the lyrics, the three-ring binder with typed-out Eagles lyrics is on the bottom left-hand corner of the bookshelf.
8:00-8:37 Read her The Very Hungry Caterpillar over and over, but skip the pages where the caterpillar is eating things other than fruits and vegetables. (Don’t want to set a bad precedent!)
8:37-8:39 Change her diaper and either brush her teeth or casually forget to do this.
8:40-?? Rock her in the rocking chair with the lights off. If at any point she seems anxious or confused or indifferent please text me so I can incessantly worry about it! Thx!
Petit Joel is coughing his lungs out. Signing off. Have a great day.
