I am satisfied with my progress when it comes to my summer reading list. I have gotten some books completely done and I am in the middle of others. The strikethrough from MS Word isn't showing up on here, so I'll have to write "DONE" before the book title.
DONE - Animal Farm (Orwell) – I knocked this out during one of Gwen’s longer naps. I remembered so much from this book but now I finally understand what Orwell was trying to get across to his readers. What a classic! I’m glad to have it.
Anthem (Rand) – I have the bookmark in this book; I’m ready to start it this week. I want to read the first chapter in one sitting, so it might be one night this week that I really start it.
Banner in the Sky (Ullman) – I read the first chapter of this book last night and I might have to force my way through it. We’ll see.
Decision Points (Bush) – I am moving along in this book; I just finished the chapter about Afghanistan and the Iraq chapter is next. It’s wonderful; I absolutely love reading this one.
Everyman’s Talmud (Cohen) – This is another book with the bookmark in, ready to be started. The bookmark is a wonderful Jewish bookmark made for me by Emilee J.Q. Foxworthy (the Q stands for Hotness).
DONE - Island of the Blue Dolphins (O’Dell) – Oh, how I love this book! I didn’t remember all of the story, but it was wonderful to feel like a kid again as I read it.
Mein Kampf (Hitler) – I had to force my way through the first chapter of this book. It is horribly boring. This may be the first book that I start but never finish.
DONE - Stargirl (Spinelli) – I loved this book. So fun and refreshing!
DONE - Superfudge (Blume) – I started and finished this book yesterday. I got a kick out of the silly humor of the story.
DONE - The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle (Avi) – I truly enjoyed reading this book. I am glad to have revisited it, but I don’t plan on lending it to Camden any time soon.
DONE - Under the Overpass (Yankoski) – This book, in case you don’t know, is the story of two young men, Christians, who travel through six cities as homeless. Their experiences are wonderful and the insight contained in this book is extremely thought-provoking for Christians.
DONE - The Wednesday Letters (Wright) – This book was quite good! It’s a story about family secrets; it’s difficult to put down.
Monday, May 30, 2011
Confessions of a Stay-at-Home Nanny
I have successfully survived my first week as a stay-at-home nanny! Gwen, who will be four months old later this week, has been my buddy this week. I have grown by leaps and bounds in my knowledge of baby-watching, it seems. Here’s a collection of some of the things I’ve learned in the last week.
1. I can rock a sleeping baby, hold a book open, read, and keep a pacifier in a baby’s mouth at the same time. I have gotten a lot of reading done this way!
2. I googled “Moby wrap” to remind myself of how to put the wrap on, even though I’ve totally done it before. A bunch of times. In order to make sure that I put the wrap on correctly, I watched some videos. Thank goodness it’s pretty easy to put it on.
3. Oh, reading is even easier with a Moby wrap because I can use both hands to hold up the book! I reserve hardcover books for the times when Gwen is in the Moby wrap.
4. Oh, man, I can so do this one day.
5. Oh, wait, no, I can’t.
6. Tumbler is my assistant. Seriously. He is always waiting outside the kids’ room as I put Gwen down (all three naps per day, each day). He’ll lay near her when she’s down to be changed. He’s always following us around, making sure we’re okay. If only he could actually help out. He does a really good job of looking concerned and cute.
7. I am a master of prioritizing. And I am becoming a master of flexibility. If my MSW program didn’t teach me this (which it did), spending 8 and a half hours per day with a baby is teaching me. And putting me right to the test.
8. The other day, I discovered that I can carry the carrier (with Gwen inside), the diaper bag, my purse, a shopping bag, and two liquid-filled cups. That’s when I thought, “Oh, man, I can so do this one day.” Within about five minutes, I was probably thinking, “Oh, wait, no, I can’t.”
9. While running errands with Gwen the other day, I realized how AWESOME it is to have a baby with you because people are way nicer to you! One person said, “Hi, can I help you?” in a voice that conveyed her boredness and annoyedness and then, suddenly, she was all smiles and cheerfulness due to the cuteness that is Gwen.
10. Finally, I’m beginning to see why parenting is such a reward and such a challenge. I’m not equating myself to a parent, but I can see those moments where parents would feel quite challenged and where some of the rewards show up. I can only imagine that, with my own children, I will feel more challenged and more rewarded.
So there you have it! Some of the lessons I’ve learned as a result of my time with Gwen. I’m sure I’ll have more to tell you as I go.
1. I can rock a sleeping baby, hold a book open, read, and keep a pacifier in a baby’s mouth at the same time. I have gotten a lot of reading done this way!
2. I googled “Moby wrap” to remind myself of how to put the wrap on, even though I’ve totally done it before. A bunch of times. In order to make sure that I put the wrap on correctly, I watched some videos. Thank goodness it’s pretty easy to put it on.
3. Oh, reading is even easier with a Moby wrap because I can use both hands to hold up the book! I reserve hardcover books for the times when Gwen is in the Moby wrap.
4. Oh, man, I can so do this one day.
5. Oh, wait, no, I can’t.
6. Tumbler is my assistant. Seriously. He is always waiting outside the kids’ room as I put Gwen down (all three naps per day, each day). He’ll lay near her when she’s down to be changed. He’s always following us around, making sure we’re okay. If only he could actually help out. He does a really good job of looking concerned and cute.
7. I am a master of prioritizing. And I am becoming a master of flexibility. If my MSW program didn’t teach me this (which it did), spending 8 and a half hours per day with a baby is teaching me. And putting me right to the test.
8. The other day, I discovered that I can carry the carrier (with Gwen inside), the diaper bag, my purse, a shopping bag, and two liquid-filled cups. That’s when I thought, “Oh, man, I can so do this one day.” Within about five minutes, I was probably thinking, “Oh, wait, no, I can’t.”
9. While running errands with Gwen the other day, I realized how AWESOME it is to have a baby with you because people are way nicer to you! One person said, “Hi, can I help you?” in a voice that conveyed her boredness and annoyedness and then, suddenly, she was all smiles and cheerfulness due to the cuteness that is Gwen.
10. Finally, I’m beginning to see why parenting is such a reward and such a challenge. I’m not equating myself to a parent, but I can see those moments where parents would feel quite challenged and where some of the rewards show up. I can only imagine that, with my own children, I will feel more challenged and more rewarded.
So there you have it! Some of the lessons I’ve learned as a result of my time with Gwen. I’m sure I’ll have more to tell you as I go.
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