Babysitting
I work with a gal who is on maternity leave for the year so that she can be with her little guy. I saw her a few weeks ago with C, her little 5 month old bundle, and was talking with her a little bit about how things were going. She was describing things that took me right back to when K was little - about having to plan to go to the bathroom, shower, etc. These are simple things I do now without much thought, but looking back, I did have to plan for those simple things. I also happened to find out that, because C had been a fussy baby, they had been reluctant to leave him with anyone, even for a few hours. I promptly signed H and I up for keeping C company.
Our first time babysitting C was last night. First of all, I had forgotten how much effort it takes to get a sitter - S had typed out two pages of info that we should know for C and showed us his two different bags with all the supplies we would need. Do you know that there are scented baggies for diapers? Where were these when I needed them?!? I was relieved to see a few of the "old" toys like the plastic keys on the ring that are different colors and have numbers on them and the teething rings. Oddly enough, C seemed to prefer chewing on the little board books, his fist, and my arm over the teething rings. In fact, anything he got his hands on went straight to his mouth.
Can I just say that I'm physically wiped out this morning from having babysat last night? He was a little bundle of energy - he loved to "jump", which consisted of me holding him under his armpits and him bouncing up and down on my leg. My shoulders and arms withstood all 17 pounds of him for a total of at least an hour of bouncing. He also, amazingly, had the attention span to look at books when H read him the "Maisy" books from his stash. I just figured that a baby so active would not settle down for anything. I was pleasantly surprised. C's favorite things were to look at himself in our slider, to watch the ceiling fan go round and round, and to giggle uncontrollably while H did raspberries while shaking his head back and forth.
My favorite time was when I was feeding him, then went to burp him. I sat him on my leg facing sideways so that his chest and neck were draped over my forearm. Pretty soon, there was no motion from C as his head lolled on my forearm. I leaned back and had him cradled on me facing outward with his blankie and listened to him while he breathed and let out the occasional sigh.
Ohh... in the words of Lea Thompson on one episode of "Friends"... "I think my uterus just skipped a beat".
Our first time babysitting C was last night. First of all, I had forgotten how much effort it takes to get a sitter - S had typed out two pages of info that we should know for C and showed us his two different bags with all the supplies we would need. Do you know that there are scented baggies for diapers? Where were these when I needed them?!? I was relieved to see a few of the "old" toys like the plastic keys on the ring that are different colors and have numbers on them and the teething rings. Oddly enough, C seemed to prefer chewing on the little board books, his fist, and my arm over the teething rings. In fact, anything he got his hands on went straight to his mouth.
Can I just say that I'm physically wiped out this morning from having babysat last night? He was a little bundle of energy - he loved to "jump", which consisted of me holding him under his armpits and him bouncing up and down on my leg. My shoulders and arms withstood all 17 pounds of him for a total of at least an hour of bouncing. He also, amazingly, had the attention span to look at books when H read him the "Maisy" books from his stash. I just figured that a baby so active would not settle down for anything. I was pleasantly surprised. C's favorite things were to look at himself in our slider, to watch the ceiling fan go round and round, and to giggle uncontrollably while H did raspberries while shaking his head back and forth.
My favorite time was when I was feeding him, then went to burp him. I sat him on my leg facing sideways so that his chest and neck were draped over my forearm. Pretty soon, there was no motion from C as his head lolled on my forearm. I leaned back and had him cradled on me facing outward with his blankie and listened to him while he breathed and let out the occasional sigh.
Ohh... in the words of Lea Thompson on one episode of "Friends"... "I think my uterus just skipped a beat".
posted by Notta Wallflower at 7:58 AM
10 Comments:
There is nothing more soothing to the soul than holding a sleeping baby!
I can actually smell baby smells as I type this.
LOL - I just sat there smelling the top of his head. I haven't smelled that in a long time.
Yeah, the top of their heads and the back of their necks.
lol! wish you could babysit for us sometime because we are way lower maintenance, even with infants! we would generally pack her diaper bag with her health insurance card, our cell #, a little pamphlet refresher on infant CPR, her favorite toy, and the diapers, and say, "Good luck!" Our friends who babysat usually were able to figure out ways to entertain her that we had never discovered.
But really, 5-month-olds must be the most exhausting, yet cutest, babies there are. Part of me is feeling too tired to take that stage on again, because at 2-and-a-half Nutmeg is so much more self sufficient and I can take a shower any time I feel like it. But I know that when I'm there, I'll remember all the little happy things that make you cry when they grow past that stage.
TSHS - Oh yeah, their necks and their little knees and elbows.
Tessence - We would have watched Nut for you, but we were too far away. I can't remember doing much for when K was little, but he was so mellow. My arms are still sore from bouncing him, and it's two days later. LOL. I felt the same way you did - I loved when K got more independent. It didn't always make things easier (because he would make messes), but it was easier in that my time wasn't as restricted.
Notta, every time I see a baby I totally want to have one. Then I babysit and my desire to have one shrivels up with my ovaries. It takes a while before the desire comes back. I want kids but not just yet.
It's amazing what babies find interesting. My little brother Z. used to stare at ceilings in awe.
Angelique - You are young yet. You guys have time. ;-)
SME - I know, I was laughing at C's level of enthrallment with the fan. Then I figured we should turn it off so his poor little eyes could get some rest. :-P
Happy Thanksgiving, my friend!
Happy Thanksgiving!!
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