Natalie & Ryan: Full-time Nanny

When "Nanny" became my nickname, I had no idea it would basically entail my life's calling. I've recently started watching my nephew Joel every day. Erin and Drew moved nearby, and Drew got a new job, rendering them without someone to look after the babe. I'm glad I'm so close and can help out.

As hard as I thought it would be, I was actually really grateful for the opportunity. In just the two days that I've been watching him, Lilly has proven to be quite the brat. I hate to say it, but she is. Sharing is her least favorite thing, even when the toys aren't hers. She yells "no, no!" and what sounds like "MINE!" at Joel, and then takes the toys. I am hoping that having Joel around all day, every day, will help her learn to share, and get used to not being the only child. By the time we have baby #2, maybe she'll be over all of this negative behavior.

Yesterday was my first day watching Joel. I didn't get much sleep the night before, and I started to develop a huge migraine during the day. I'm not sure if it was from lack of sleep, or worrying about the 2 kids, but by the time Joel went home, I was crashing. I had hoped that I'd be able to make it to the gym, but I was so tired, I could only imagine falling off the treadmill. The gym was canceled, due to tired mommy. Luckily for me, Joel and Lilly kept to pretty similar schedules. They napped and ate at the same time. I had a whole 2 hours by myself at one point, which was AWESOME! Here's to hoping all the days go that smoothly....Oh, and did I mention that he gets to come with me when I babysit Ben and Adele on Wednesdays and Fridays? I'm definitely getting some good mommy training. The kids love him, so I don't think it will be that hard.

When Ryan got home, I managed to make dinner, pack Ryan's lunch, feed Lilly, and clean up the house. Once Lilly was in bed, I laid down and instantly fell asleep. I fell sleep at 7, and didn't wake up until this morning. I'm still tired, but I think we're going to start early bedtimes for Ryan and I. I somehow have to work the gym into my schedule, and I know that's going to use whatever energy reserves I may have. But, it's a good kind of tired. I love laying down in bed at night, feeling beyond exhausted, but knowing that it's because I worked hard and accomplished lots.

In non-babysitting-related news, the washing machine was fixed yesterday! Turns out it was a quick fix. The extreme rumbling disconnected the lid sensor, making the machine think that the lid was always open. I'll take that over a broken motor, or having to buy a whole new machine.