Nap Time

So now that I've gone public with the fact that I'm nannying now, I'm going to start posting about my experiences.

First up, the art of napping.


Why is it that when we are little, it takes so much effort from our parents, nannies, etc, to get us to go to take naps and finally go to bed at night.



Then, when we grow up, we would gladly be forced to take a nap. I would love it if someone made me take a 2 hour nap at 11am everyday! If only we treasured nap time when we were younger... Maybe then, we wouldn't all need naps so much when we got older. Sure, maybe not everyone needs a daily 2 hour nap but I think most people would agree that they would benefit from a 20-30 minute snooze in the middle of the day. I remember never wanting to go to sleep when I was little because I thought I was going to miss out on something interesting. I would have gladly fallen asleep right there in the room with my parents and/or sister but to be taken to my room to sleep was the worst!

That brings me to something I'm struggling with little Jake whom I'm nannying for now. Around 11am, he takes his afternoon nap; he eats a little snack, has a little milk and then we mosey on into his bedroom. He grabs his blanket, pacifier and then happily picks out a book for me to read him. Then he gets comfy on my lap. Jake is usually sound asleep 10-15minutes after I begin reading. Just to be sure he is really good and sleeping, I sit there with him sleeping in my lap for a few minutes longer.

Then comes the part that I really struggle with, the complicated transfer from my lap to the crib. How is this properly done without disturbing the sleeping child? I haven't mastered it yet because every time I move him and lay him down in his crib, he wakes up and cries. I don't even blame him for disturbing his slumber. I should know better than to move him from my evidently comfortable lap... haha. So, got any tips for me?

You Know You Hang Out With Kids A Lot When

My sister has a frequent post, entitled, "You Know You're A Mom When s-Daze" so I thought it would be funny if I had a similar one on my blog..

So introducing, "You Know You Hang Out With Kids A Lot When..."

• You find yourself singing children's songs when you are nowhere near a child.. For example, coming out of the shower this morning, I was singing the Elmo song.. "La la la la, Elmo's world.."
• At times you are able to think of life very simply-You are either hungry, tired, sad, angry or just fun and playful.
• You want to know exactly how all these crazy loud and at times obnoxious toys are helping these children. Are they meant to entertain, educate or both?
• You love reading even more now..especially if it's with a one year old sitting on your lap and helping you turn the pages.
• Just about all the pictures on your camera and phone are of the children in your life. 90% of mine are of my adorable nephew!
• You think it would be awesome if we all had a daily designated nap time from 10 to 12.
• It would be sweet if everyone blew kisses and waved constantly when anyone left a room.
• You can't remember ever stressing about how to put on a diaper.
• One of the first things friends always ask you when you are catching up is how is your nephew doing.
• You swear every time you see them again, they've gotten bigger. Even if you just saw them a week earlier!
• You may not have any children of your own yet but you still feel the need to walk into every toy store and kids clothing stores in hopes of picking something up for your young friends.
• Your facebook statuses tend to be more about these children then your own life.
• You don't care that they are the only ones that actually laugh at your goofy faces and noises.
• Whenever you are feeling sad, seeing your favorite little person is sure to cheer u up!

While She Is Sleeping

Pretty soon after I moved here to LA, I started babysitting Miss. Hannah. She is by far the easiest child that I've ever sat for. By the time I get over to her house, she is sound asleep already and remains asleep the entire time I am at her house. For all she knows, her mom and dad are at home too. We've only actually met once a couple months ago when I happened to come over a little earlier than usual and she was getting ready for bed.

I don't even go to her room when I'm over, I simply periodically check her out on the baby monitor to make sure she is still happily sleeping. Above is a picture of her from the monitor. Isn't she super cute sleeping with her arms crossed behind her head?! While I babysit her, I watch TV and movies, read a lot, chat with friends online and of course my favorite, blogging! Sometimes, I even do a combination of all these things.

I've always really enjoyed babysitting, more so when I actually get to play with the kids. What can I say, I love kids! Perhaps this is because I'm just a big kid at heart and I get along well with them so well. Being with my nephew Lucas makes me realize just how much I enjoy the company of children. While I know that I am nowhere near ready to have my own family, I am definitely excited about my (distant) future as a mom.

For now I will continue to babysit Miss. Hannah and possibly others and hope for an afternoon job so i can actually hang out with her. : )