I just love the way Mommy Esq calls her nanny "Nanny April". We call ours "V".
I've been back at work now for two whole months, except for the one week's leave I took after New Year's.
I'm working a reduced day at the office so arrive home around 3 - 3:30 and usually one of the babies is asleep and the other is having a bath.
The babies are usually happy to see me and smiling/ giggly, etc.
Until a fateful day about two weeks ago.
Nanny Viola (don't you love it?!) was holding Kendra and after I'd washed my hands (yes, I still wash my hands - we're indoctrinated by those weeks in NICU), I went to fetch Kendra for our usual hugs and cuddles.
But she TURNED away and wouldn't come to me!
V is very sweet (doesn't she look sweet?) and said to Kendra, "go to Mummy" and other such things. But no.
My baby girl was soooo off me.
Not a smile from her, nothing.
I pretended things were fine and moved on doing my other stuff and much later, K warmed up to me again.
Either that, or she just wanted someone to hold her.
But no warmth or smiles!!!
When she woke at 11pm she gave me big smiles again so all was well.
However, this business has been repeating itself. Thankfully not daily but enough to worry a bit. D says it's normal; they're with V more than anyone else during the week.
That's true but STILL.
She loves V more than me! Granted, V has TONS more patience than I do and therefore indulges her a lot more than we do.
I told her yesterday, "no rocking K to sleep; we don't do it and I don't want her thinking that's the way things get done". You know what she said? "I was feeling sorry for her because she hasn't been feeling well. Awwww.
Thankfully, Connor is his same steady self. Always pleased to see me, full of smiles and hugs. Today he was so excited to see me he grabbed at my necklace (the pink and white one you made me, Caroline), broke it and there were beads EVERYWHERE.
D also says Kendra is stroppy (true! except now I have a new adjective to describe her - Spirited as per Baby Whisperer!) and is likely to be a bit more moody.
On the bright side, I would much rather have her love the nanny than be scared of her.
Some people have been asking how Viola's working out and so on.
She is great. We still trust her 100% with the kids, she has so much patience (she was first in the queue when God was handing out patience and I was number 100) and HER eyes also light up when she sees them in the mornings.
She's also proud of their little milestones and tells me eagerly when I get home, "Connor rolled today" or "Kendra ate ALL her broccoli", etc. It feels like the 3 of us parent the babies together which I do like.
The only negative thing is that she's still a bit slow with the baby laundry so things take maybe a day or two longer to get done than I'd like but that issue is SO SMALL in the grand scheme of things that I really don't care about it. I have told her, "I don't want to see it" so the dirty baby laundry hides in our laundry, I don't see it and I stay happy :)
In case you didn't know, laundry is probably the thing I hate the most of all household chores. Seriously. It's NEVER-ENDING!
What's your worse chore?
Anyway, so that's the latest on Nanny Viola. If you have any questions, ask away in the comments and I'll answer them there too.
Hey, I have nominated you for an award on my blog, check it out!
ReplyDeleteAnd laundry is at the top of my hate list too - I would rather clean toilets than do laundry any day!
Hi Leigh! oh my goodness! it's great to catch up with you and the babies. Things look like they are going well. Don't worry about the moodyness in your little girl. it's great that they love their nanny.
ReplyDeletei love the picture on top of your blog with you guys and the kids.
You are SO lucky to have someone who loves your kids that much! It's awesome...
ReplyDeleteWorst chore? Washing the floors...I vacuum every single day thanks to our dog who sheds constantly...washing them? Not so much!
Laundry and dishes are the worst!
ReplyDeleteI am glad you found someone who is so wonderful with your babies...it makes it so much easier to go to work, right? Addison went through a phase of seeming to prefer my mom for a little while, but it worked itself out, and now it's mama all the way! : ) She broke one of my favorite necklaces just before I left for work the other morning. Oh, these kids...
My least favorite chore is cleaning the tub!! I hate it! Did it today, in fact!
ReplyDeleteI truly don't mind laundry. It's the folding & putting away that takes forever! :)
Sorry about the K thing... makes me a bit sad! I'm glad she gets back to normal, but I totally feel ya on how that would makes you/me sad.
Go V! ;) It must be a relief to have someone else to help with the babies who you feel so comfortable with and who you know has a real place in her heart for your babies.
ReplyDeleteK sounds like she is being a tad spirited :) I guess that as a 2 year old we'll hear loads more about that! C sounds like his usual, cruisy boyish self - what's his Baby Whisperer classification?
Worst chore? These days it's vaccuming because I'm always afraid that I'm going to wake Minxy up. If I was back at work ironing would have to take the cake.
And back at work 2 whole months? We must be due for a blog on how you're managing the whole puzzle - and the good and the bad of going back?
Rachel, the very first fight D and I ever had was about.... cleaning the tub! LOL
ReplyDeleteSaffy, at first glance, Connor seems to be about 80% textbook; 20% grumpy! Like his dad :)
And ironing is actually my worst too EXCEPT I decided YEARS ago life is too short to iron, so I will pay people, drop clothes at laundromat, etc. but I absolutely do NOT iron. Ever. LOL
Don't worry about Kendra's attachment to V. It's really a good thing she can get so attached. Being a girl, she will naturally cling to you when she's older anyway. Our 9-year-old daughter is very very attached to me.
ReplyDeleteLiam (our sensitive guy) looks to his Aunt Niki as much if not more than me when he's concerned. When she went away for two weeks though for the Christmas holidays, he gave her the cold shoulder and wouldn't smile much when she came back until the end of the first week.
And my most hated chore - doing the bills! I wish they would do themselves.
Is it terrible that I was delighted by how attached Melody and Jess were to their infant class teacher? She's now the assistant director at their school, and still has a soft spot for them. And me? I still absolutely adore her.
ReplyDeleteMay I recommend Raising Your Spirited Child? It has some great tips for dealing with my spirited Melody and one-point-below-the-spirited-cutoff Jessica, and I've often wished I read it earlier. If nothing else, it's a reminder that some children experience life very intensely, and that there's nothing wrong with it.
V sounds wonderful. Congratulations. :)
Happy to hear you're loving Nanny V! She does seem just perfect for your family which much help your days go a little bit better. You are a great mom for not settling for anything less!
ReplyDeleteI actually love doing laundry. The smell is so refreshing. I don't, however, love folding or putting them up. As a result, I usually get baskets that pile up and then clothes are wrinkly! Such a bad habit! I actually dislike vacuuming more I think. With 4 pets and wood floors, it seems to never stay clean. We should have stayed in the smaller house after all! (ok, maybe I won't be saying that once our two arrive, but for now it seems logical!)
Have a great day!
~Cathy
Thanks for the shout out! While Nanny April is awesome she definitely does things her way - but we are generally in synch with the things I care about (food, health and safety being highest priority). I can't say that we'll get along famously when I'm on maternity leave but that's why I'm setting up a separate area for me and Spyder.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, my kids used to cry when I left the house. Then they waived. Now they cry again. It all sucks. Penny calls me Nanny when she wants something (can't seem to remember I'm Momma). I started to feel myself get upset about it but I tamped it down and remembered that we hired April for her patience and because I work. I love that they love her and I know that they love me too. One thing I had to push myself to accept is that if I have a hectic week at work and don't see much of the kids I can't expect them to be all smiles and loves for me - I have to let them be toddlers and not expect their routine or reactions to be different just because Mommy is around. I've been thinking about this a lot because I haven't seen the kids much in the last few weeks - maybe I'll blog about it too!
P.S. You think she's moody now? Wait until they are toddlers! One minute it is a tantrum, the other laughter. I swear they have 15-20 tantrums a day because they want something.
ReplyDeleteP.P.S. Grocery shopping and laundry folding/putting away is the worst.
My worst chores have always been floors and dishes. My best chore has always been laundry - rarely do I have a Mt. Washmore, and usually it's just a small hill that is tamed in a day or two.
ReplyDeleteMy mom was always the babysitter. I remember seeing babies and children repeatedly scream to stay when their mom came to pick them up - nearly all of them. I always vowed that MY KIDS would love me best. Guess I got that from my mom - wanting to stay with my kids. I'm not the perfect mom by any means, but my kids love me and will come to me about anything. They even bring their friends problems to me so I can talk to the moms.
Anyway, I think it's normal for babies to not want to change caregivers. LaRue prefers Tim at times, or Vannan, and sometimes Kendra or Joel. But if she is tired or hungry, only Mom will do. Joel told me yesterday, "LaRue is crying, she needs her boob."
My Kendra is a high strung thing too. At 15, she still bounces instead of walks and sings instead of talks. Her nicknames include Tigger and Peter Pan.