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.

Laurryn's Summer Reading List

I have to tell you: it’s ambitious. This fabric box houses my summer reading list and – as you can see – it’s pretty full.

Uh, please ignore the other crap in the photo. Thanks.

Seriously, though, here’s the list. And it really is ambitious. At the end of this summer, I’m planning on taking my licensure exam (to become a Certified Social Worker in the state of Kentucky), so I’m not sure how realistic it is to think I’ll get through all of these (I’ll have my nose stuck in the DSM-IV-TR). So maybe this is really a “Laurryn’s Rest-of-2011 Reading List.” (And please ignore the fact that the books aren't underlined - it deleted that when I copied and pasted and I can't underline in editing, apparently).

• Animal Farm (Orwell) – Have you read this since fifth grade? I don’t think I have. I bought it for less than a dollar at my favorite local used bookstore and it’s been staring at me, chanting, “I won’t take that long to read, I promise!” At least now I’ll get the metaphor.
  
  
• Anthem (Rand) – I started this book once…or twice…maybe three times. It’s not that it won’t be excellent (all of Rand’s stuff is) or that it won’t be a quick read (it’s a short brochure compared to her masterpiece, Atlas Shrugged), but textbooks have been the priority for the last two years.
  
  
• Banner in the Sky (Ullman) – I don’t know why I have this book. I don’t remember when or how I acquired it, but I know we read an excerpt from it in junior high and I enjoyed it. I remember learning new words like “citadel” and “crevice” and liking that.
  
  
• Broke (Beck) – I’m truly embarrassed to say that I haven’t finished this yet. I’ve made it through a portion but not all of it. How can I call myself a GB superfan if I don’t immediately drop everything to read his latest work? That’s what I’ve always done before.
  
  
• The Color Purple (Walker) – I remember reading this on a family vacation in high school. Of course, parts of it were tough to get through, but I think I will get a lot more out of it as a result of the (social) work I’ve been doing over the last six or seven years since high school.
  
  
• The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (Haddon) – I am completely blindly jumping into this book. I know nothing about it, except that I’ve seen it a ton at stores and that some friends from church had it on their bookshelf. So it’s borrowed, and I’d like to give it back to them before the end of the summer.
  
  
• Decision Points (Bush) – I bought this for Matt for Christmas, knowing full well that I was buying it 30% for him and 70% for me. I peeked when he opened it but haven’t gotten very far. I am in the middle of Laura Bush’s book right now and I absolutely love it.
  
  
• Do the Right Thing (Huckabee) – It’s okay if you don’t like Mike Huckabee, but Matt and I are big fans. I love political figures who seem real – like nice, normal people who are friendly and down to earth. I feel that way about Huckabee, and I’ve read about half of this book and feel like I’d feel right at home in the middle of his circle of family and friends.
  
  
• Everyman’s Talmud (Cohen) – I am quite certain that I bought this book during my freshman year of college. And opened it and read a few lines and got so excited by the spiritual-thought-provoking that resulted from my reading that I became determined to give myself plenty of time and focus when it came to reading this book. Apparently, I haven’t had adequate time and/or focus since 2004.
  
  
• Financial Peace Revisited (Ramsey) – Thanks to our favorite Hellers for letting us borrow their Financial Peace University. This book is a part of the set and I’m excited to dive into it. I’ve already listened to all of the cds and downloaded the forms, but I’m excited to read the book, too!
  
  
• Inside the Third Reich (Speer) – Alright, this is one of three Holocaust-related books on the list. If I don’t read this book now (it’s another bought-during-freshman-year-of-college book), I’m afraid I never will! When will I be in the mood to read about this awfulness? Never o’clock, that’s when. I remember leaving my college class on the Holocaust in tears…nearly every day. I will have to make sure I am reading something fun and cheery alongside this.
  
  
• Island of the Blue Dolphins (O’Dell) – I don’t remember what grade I was in when I read this book, but I could have read it a zillion times. I remember getting lost in that book as a kid. I mean, I remember which room I was in at Taft School when I opened it. So when I saw it at work in a “Please take home a book” box, I nearly cried. It means that much to me.
  
  
• Kiss Me, Kill Me (Rule) – I like true crime. I always have, even as a kid (not sure why my mom wasn’t freaked out by the books I read as a kid). This is the volume that I happen to be on right now; I’m literally in the middle of it. There are a number of stories in it, so I probably have a few more to go before this one will be done.
  
  
• Mein Kampf (Hitler) – Do I need to talk about this one? Read my info about Inside the Third Reich.
  
  
• The Nazi Doctors (Lifton) – Repeat.
  
  
• The Phantom Tollbooth (Juster) – The most awesome teacher ever, Mrs. Kittle (for those of you who know how I became “Laurryn” after “Lauren,” she’s the reason), read her classes chapters of books and this was one of the books. I remember learning a great bunch of new words from this book as a kid!
  
  
• The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich (Shirer) – Oh, I guess there are four Holocaust-related books.
  
  
• Sarah, Plain and Tall (MacLachlan) – I have never read this book and I know nothing of it. But I got it for free and should probably read it.
  
  
• Stargirl (Spinelli) – I read this my freshman year of college and loved it. When I saw it at my favorite local used bookstore, I had to own it. I can’t wait to revisit this story that I loved!
  
  
• Superfudge (Blume) – Alright, this is the point that I should admit that I took more than one book from the “Please take home a book” box at work. I mean…five books from this list are from that box. And I took more than that. Oops. Anyway, I remember reading this on the eighth grade field trip to Springfield, Illinois. We were done with all of our tests and everything by this point, so I’d grabbed a fun book from the library that I’d loved as a kid. That’s the last time I read it!
  
  
• The Tale of Despereaux (DiCamillo) – Pretty sure this is a Newberry winner, which is why I’d heard of it, which is why it lives at my house instead of the “Please take home a book” box at work.
  
  
• Tender Victory (Caldwell) – I know absolutely nothing about this book, except that my grandmother handed it to me the last time we were together and said she thought I would like it.
  
  
• To Kill a Mockingbird (Lee) – I remember reading this over summer break one year in junior high. That’s the last time I read it. We watched the movie for a class in college, and my awesome FBI, Mike, bought it for me for Christmas that year. I stumbled upon the book as I was cleaning out the office-turned-kids-room in our house and that (combined with the fact that one of my practicum supervisors has an autographed photo of Gregory Peck) convinced me to add this to my summer reading list.
  
  
• The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle (Avi) – I don’t remember when I read this, but I saw it while cleaning and thought I should probably re-read it before I lent it to Camden. I think it involves pirates and murder accusations. So I may not lend it to Camden.
  
  
• Under the Overpass (Yankoski) – Matt and I read this in college and enjoyed it, and I’d love to read it again, especially after working with clients who have dealt with similar circumstances.
  
  
• The Wednesday Letters (Wright) – This was a Glenn Beck recommendation. As long as his recommendations don’t sound horribly boring, I usually give them a try. Like The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, I found it on friends’ bookshelves.
  
  
• A Wrinkle in Time (L’Engle) – Read it as a kid, loved it, bought it as a grown-up, want to read it again.
  
  
• The Young Drover (Carter) – You guessed it, the “Please take home a book” box at work. It’s about a kid who grew up on a cattle ranch, I think. Actually, I was inspired to read it because I like saying “drover” (like Hugh Jackman’s character in “Australia”).
  

And there you have it! My summer reading list. If anyone has any comments or questions, feel free to make note! Is anyone else planning on getting some good reading done this summer?

Advocacy.

So in news here, the graduation situation at the University of Louisville is different than expected. They are changing up their graduation this year and, as a result, master's level students are a part of the graduation for bachelor's level students. Typically, in the past, the Kent School of Social Work has had their own graduation for students, but this is the first year that it isn't so.

When I found this out (after inviting tons of people and my family making plans to visit), I was, understandably, upset. Shortly after I found out (literally less than an hour later), I had my mid-term evaluation at my practicum. So my practicum supervisor, MAW (a very liberal social worker), and my MSW supervisor, DH, (a partner at a respected law firm in downtown Louisville) had some comments that made me laugh.

LAURRYN: They're not having a Kent School graduation.
MAW: Advocate for one!
LAURRYN: I'm having trouble considering myself an oppressed person in need of advocacy.
DH: Why not? I advocate for rich people.
LAURRYN: And that's why I love you.

In other news, I finally felt like I was a real advocate for the first time in my life. At my practicum, I often interact with clients over the phone. Periodically, a client will come in and I'll interview her in person. On Monday, my supervisor couldn't be at court with a client to help her to get her Domestic Violence Order (an order of protection). I was able to talk her through the process of the hearing, help her through her brief session with her Legal Aid attorney, and be with her during her hearing. She had brought her small daughter with her, and part of my job on Monday was to help with her little one. The attorney and I kept the little girl occupied as the mother testified, and I did my best to support the mother as she answered some tough questions.

See, there's no book that tells you what to do in each and every situation. When I felt like it was right to sit closer to my client, I did. When I could tell that she was nervous during her testimony, I set my hand on her arm to let her know that I was right next to her and supported her. I guess it's a kind of intuition, and I'm so glad that I was able to be there for this client. Even though she had an attorney (and a good one at that), I think it was beneficial to have me there, too.

And, in case you didn't know, I just love kids. This little girl was certainly no exception. I did my best to interact with her and keep her occupied during this process. At the end, after the order was granted and we were waiting for the papers, the girl ran over to me and sat on my lap. Her mother said that she usually cries around strangers and that I must be good with kids.

Based on how many I'd like to have, I certainly hope so :)

All I Want For Graduation Is...

I am less than three months away from being D-O-N-E-DONE with my master's degree in social work. If you have been anywhere near me in the last month or two, you know that I am ready to be D-O-N-E-DONE (not sure why I like to spell it, but it makes me feel better). So what is on my graduation gift list, you ask? I made a list like my Christmas wishlist, so enjoy!

5. A new car.
Yeah, we love our Glenn (our Corolla) and our Dwight (our Camaro) but we would happily accept the generous gift of this beauty:




What? It's just a 2011 Ford Escape Hybrid. With a $30, 045 price tag, it would be a SUPER awesome gift! Soon enough we'll start working on some kiddos to pack up in the back.

4. A new coffeepot.
Mmm...My knees get weak when I think about how beautiful one of these would look in my kitchen.
Hey, at least Walmart's selling this baby for $109.95. Pocket change compared to the SUV.

3. A Glenn Beck Extreme Insider Subscription.
Hmm, does this sound familiar? That's because this item graced my Christmas wishlist. To no avail.

2. Something sparkly.
I'm pretty easy to please. Seriously.

1. All of my favorite people in the same place at the same time.
Yeah, that one's not going to happen (unless EVERYONE that I invite is coming to my graduation party AND a few of them are coming from overseas) but at least a bunch of my favorite people will be in the same place at the same time. I'll take it.

Caiden Quotes

A brief post that will - hopefully - make you smile.

We took the boys overnight last week and two conversations with Caiden made me laugh.

Before I brought the boys home, I was putting Caiden in his carseat (the van was parked in our driveway). Then this transpired:

CAIDEN: Jesus said we can't go in the garage.
LAURRYN: We were in the garage last night, remember?
CAIDEN: Yeah, but Jesus said we can't go in the garage.
LAURRYN: Jesus didn't say anything about garages.

On the way home, I pointed out how pretty the snow looked and this is what followed:

LAURRYN: Look how pretty the snow looks! It's like God took a big jar of glitter and dumped it out all over the ground.
CAIDEN; Laurryn, God is mean.
LAURRYN: No, he's not! God is very, very nice.
(Pause)
CAIDEN: He is big?
(At this point, I'm pretty sure that Caiden is picturing God to be a big dog, like our "big dog" - Caiden's words - T'Angelo)
LAURRYN: He is very big! He is everywhere.
(Pause)
CAIDEN: He will come to ours house?
(I'm afraid that he is now terrified of God, who probably resembles a certain German Shepherd)

:)

I Had Style, I Had Flair, I Was There

That’s how I became the nanny. As you probably know, I get to spend two days per week (and countless random hours on the other days) with four amazing boys. My best friends here in Kentuckiana, Carlos and Kristen, have blessed me by letting me spend an obnoxious amount of time with their kids. Matt and I get to steal the boys overnight sometimes and we have a blast.

Camden is six years old (he’ll be seven in May) and is a genius. Colson is four years old (he’ll be five in February) and is the cutest kid alive, basically. Caiden is two years old (he’ll be three in March) and is hilarious. Christian is five months old and is absolutely adorable.

My “official” time with the boys includes meals, homework (they are homeschooled), chores, games, and naptime (actually, my unofficial time with them often includes the same). So I’m getting a great glimpse into my (as I hope) future (oh, you didn’t know that I’d love to be home with five kids? Now you do). As I stand in Carlos and Kristen’s kitchen, downing coffee and smiling at four kids (Camden and Colson are doing homework; Caiden is begging to color-code the fridge magnets, which undoubtedly will result in removing all of the magnets from the fridge, placing 6-10 magnets on the fridge, and saying, “I all done, Laurnyn;” and I’m holding the baby), I’m thinking, “Yeah, I love this. I could do this.”

Though there are days (often involving sickness, potty training, disobedience, or a combination) that I think I could NOT do this. Nevermind. What was I thinking in the first place?

Then I think that I should put this pseudo-parenting skill to good use! After all, it’s useful to “shhhhh” the seatbelt beep in our car, right? You know, it’s going off because I’m not yet buckled but driving more than five mph. I say “shhhhh” as if the beeping is Colson, making an annoying noise, and my passionate “shhhhh” will actually do something.

Or what about my innate desire to discipline others’ children just as I would those four boys? I find myself in public, nearly saying, “Do you need a timeout?” to random fussy toddlers. And my clients. And my dogs.

And I LOVE folding kids’ clothes. If Carlos and Kristen get behind in the laundry, I get giddy. Seriously. And don’t tell me to get a job at Gap Kids. It’s not the same.

I also like to sing songs while cooking. And I make the boys’ string cheeses dance at lunchtime. As long as the boys provide the music, an excellent dancer appears in the form of a string cheese. But, once the string cheese is opened, he usually exclaims (in a high-pitched voice) that he’s cold. Giggling ensues. Then, when the first bite is taken, the string cheese usually shouts, “OUCH!”

But I think my ability to turn most anything boring into something fun is pretty awesome. For example, the other day I was thinking about things that I needed to buy on my next shopping trip. Oh, I need a new toothbrush. Noothgrush. Suddenly, I’m reciting Dr. Seuss.

But that noothgrush
on my toothbrush
Well, some are nice
but he is not.

I do the same with counting. I sometimes think:

One, two, three, four
five, six, seven
eight, nine, ten.
He has eleven!
Eleven!
This is something new.
I wish I had
eleven, too!

(Can you tell that I like One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish?)

One of my clients loves to hold her monitor’s hand as they walk down the hall together. The first time I supervised her visit, she asked if she could hold my hand. Of course you can! Then I suggested that we skip, too. So we did. I came into work the other day to hear that, when she had another monitor, she requested the monitor hold hands and skip with her. The monitor said to our coordinator, “What’s up with that?” “Blame Laurryn,” our coordinator replied. Inciting fun? Guilty as charged.

Anyway, I pretty much love spending time with these four. And my clients. And kids in general. So here’s a collection of funny quotes and conversations that have brightened a number of my days:

-Scene: Colson is “helping” Caiden on the potty. I hear Colson tell Caiden he’ll be right back, and Colson comes out to me in the playroom.

COLSON: Laurryn, “pan” and “pig” sound the same.
LAURRYN: They have the same beginning sound.
COLSON: It’s “p.”
LAURRYN: You’re right.

Colson smiles at me and returns to Caiden.

-Scene: It’s lunchtime.

CAIDEN: You are a dolphin?
LAURRYN: What about a dolphin?
CAIDEN: My daddy is.
LAURRYN: Daddy is a dolphin?
CAIDEN: Yeah!

- Scene: Helping Colson with homework on the computer. Caiden runs up to me.

CAIDEN: Laurnyn?
LAURRYN: Yes, Caiden?
CAIDEN: Um, I don’t know.

-CAMDEN (to me): You smell like coffee.

-CAIDEN: My Laurnyn, I love my Laurnyn.

:)

Um, I Love My Job.

This isn't going to be a long post, just a little post to tide you over until I get to some longer upcoming posts.

I have had a pretty great last couple of weeks at my job. I work as a visitation monitor for supervised visits between parents and children. Sometimes, our clients have been separated by family services; other times, domestic violence between the parents had occurred and the parents are no longer together. These kids have experienced some serious abuse or neglect, or they may have witnessed some awful interactions.

If you didn't know, I LOVE kids, so I love my job. This week, the highlights of my work week are as follows:

1.) One of my male clients, six years old, decided to take my blood pressure with the play doctor set his brother had received as a Christmas present. He told me that my blood pressure was fine, but prescribed two Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal pieces for medicine. Yummy!

2.) Two of the girls I monitor, two and five, love to bring me items from the play kitchen. They bring me everything that they can, expecting me to balance it all on my lap. Often, something goes tumbling. This week, they also brought me two babies that I was expected to feed. They keep me busy!

3.) I was able to leave early one night last week. I regularly monitor a particular visitation (a five-year-old boy). When I left, the mom was sitting in our waiting room and I let her know that another monitor was with her son. "She's even better than I am," I told her. "I doubt that," the mother replied. "He really likes you."

4.) Last week marked the close of a case that I had monitored from the start. There had been serious domestic violence between the parents and one of the parents is mentally ill. The little girl (three when visits started, although she turned four during the course of our visits) was absolutely adorable. She was one of my favorite clients. It broke my heart to see her go, but the parents were able to arrange unsupervised visitations. It made perfect sense that this would happen - I would provide a safe environment for the child to interact with one parent and, eventually, she would start visiting outside of our agency. Still, it hurt to see her go. As she hugged me, I couldn't believe I wouldn't see her again. I had looked forward to her visit every single week. She and the parent she lived with waved to me as they drove out of the parking lot. I nearly cried - what a bittersweet moment. But I guess it's the kind of moment that I'll have to get used to in this line of work.