New York Nanny Center » samantha

Sick Babies

Lindsay Bell — Wed, 16 Jul 2014 15:26:28 +0000

Oh man, I have come to the conclusion there is nothing sadder than a sick baby! Today marks day 9 of my 11 month old being sick. She is finally getting over a rough bout of coxsackie but is now battling a terrible cough and runny nose. At this point in her life, I definitely feel as though I have a handle on her personality and general demeanor, and she has just not been herself these past few days. The worst part of it all is having no idea exactly how she is feeling or what I can do for her. It is heartbreaking!

I’m also having a hard time deciding when to know if it really is just a cold, or teething or if it is in fact time to bring her in to the doctor. I did not bring her in for the coxsackie, just talked to the nurse and followed her instructions. With a cold though, you never know if it could be worse, an ear infection, virus, who knows! I try really hard not to be an nervous nelly, but I also think it’s important to trust your gut and do what is your best for child. That being said, I talked to to the nurse this morning but have gone ahead and decided I will be bringing Ashton in tomorrow – it will just make me feel better!

-Samantha is a former BFC sitter, event planner, and elementary school teacher. She and her husband live in New York and are first time parents!

My First Official Mother’s Day

Lindsay Bell — Wed, 14 May 2014 17:55:30 +0000

I have celebrated many a Mother’s Day throughout my lifetime, celebrating and honoring my mother and then my sister as well when she became a mother to twins 7 years ago this month. I never thought to much about the holiday, in fact I have no idea if it falls on the same day every year, I just know that it is in May and that it all of a sudden creeps up on me and I find myself rushing to CVS to pick up cards in time. This year however, was my very first Mother’s Day and the holiday has now taken on a whole new meaning for me – and if I can be so blunt, it felt pretty good to be doted on for an entire day!

My husband does an incredible job of making me feel appreciated on a day to day basis, but there was something different about Mother’s Day and the lack of guilt I felt over having him cook me dinner and do the dishes! I felt like I “deserved” to be put my feet up on the couch, and to drink that extra glass of wine. Now some may say that it should not take a holiday to feel this way, and that our children should make us crafts, tell us how much they love us and offer to make us breakfast in bed more than just one day a year. But for me, after my first official Mother’s Day I am ready to rank this holiday right under Christmas!

-Samantha is a former BFC sitter, event planner, and elementary school teacher. She and her husband live in New York and are first time parents!

From Farm to Baby

Lindsay Bell — Wed, 09 Apr 2014 17:35:06 +0000

I have always considered myself a healthy eater by moderate standards; I never eat fast food, I eat my fruits and vegetables, I buy whole grain pasta etc… However, ever since having my daughter and entering the world of solid foods 2 months ago, it is amazing how quick the tables have turned and I am now all about buying and feeding her organic products (at least for now). I’ll be totally honest, I do not even really know what organic means, but I do know it is more expensive! And yet, I continue to buy only organic fruits and vegetables, organic jarred food – all the very best for my first born!

Enjoying her organic meal!

By the time she is eating more finger foods I have a feeling I will be ready and willing to throw some mac and cheese her way but in the meantime, I guess it makes me feel slightly better knowing I am doing the best I can at feeding her nutritious breakfasts and lunches; I mean I am pretty sure I was not eating organic mango as an 8 month old, but my how times have changed! I also have a feeling that when baby #2 and #3 eventually come along, the organic days will long be over. Being a 3rd child myself, I can now see one of the benefits of being a first born!

-Samantha

Daycare Drama

Lindsay Bell — Wed, 12 Mar 2014 18:17:17 +0000

I have had the amazing privilege of being able to take an entire year off of work to spend it with my daughter. I am a teacher and I gave birth to my daughter at the beginning of August. It was right about this time a year ago that my school and I came to the mutual decision that I would return to the classroom for the 2014 school year. During my pregnancy, over the summer months, I had lots of time to think and I absolutely had my concerns and doubts about being home with her for an entire year. How would I fill my days, what would we do every day, would I be pulling my hair out? Well here I am, 7 months in and time is flying! And worse, the time has come to start thinking about where my daughter will be when school starts for me in the fall.

So far, I have looked at 2 day care centers and I on my drive back home, I cried the entire time! I know that it will have to happen, I know that she will be fine, but it is all of a sudden hitting me that someone else will be spending all day every day with my daughter, watching her grow, watching her change and it just breaks my heart. I also feel very naive and inexperienced when it comes to the day care search process. I want to make sure I am asking the right questions and looking for all the qualities that make for an ideal place to send my daughter. My first choice would ideally be a nanny or at least a nanny share with another mom but unfortunately, from a financial standpoint I do not think that will work for us. My second choice is to send her to an at home day care center, a place that to me is the next best thing to having her home with me. I have not found a place yet – I am still searching. I also, despite my husbands best wishes, may just decide to never go back to work

-Samantha is a former LLD sitter, event planner, and elementary school teacher. She and her husband live in New York and are first-time parents!

Sleep Training… or Torture?

Lindsay Bell — Wed, 29 Jan 2014 17:13:10 +0000

My daughter Ashton will be 6 months old in two weeks and up until this point I would say that she truly has been a very easy baby. She is my first, and so I have nothing to compare her to; however, from what I have read, and heard from fellow moms, I can say with confidence that she is in fact an easy baby. When I take the time to realize that she is in fact almost 6 months old, it dawns on me that I have not slept for longer than 3 hours straight in almost 6 months, a thought that is both unbelievable to me and yet, sadly feels very normal! I have changed from a person who relied on her 8 hours of sleep a night to a person who can function off 4-5 and who must have 2 cups of coffee to start her day. I feel very lucky in that I am taking the year off from teaching to be home with my daughter, so getting a couple hours of sleep works for me as I do not have to wake up and go to work and be a completely functioning human being.

With a face that cute, it’s hard to let her cry!

However, I miss my sleep, I miss solid, uninterrupted deep sleep. So… the time has come, whether my husband and I are ready or not to tackle the dreadful world of sleep training. Like with most baby related “things” every baby is different and everybody you talk to who has a baby has an opinion – same goes for sleep training. I have talked to our pediatrician, read a few blogs and websites, talked to a few friends and most importantly talked about it with my husband to come up with a plan that we think/hope best works for us. All I know is that my daughter barely cries now, and only when she is either hungry or super tired and I fall apart, so I am not sure how strong I will be when it comes to having to listen to her cry for anywhere for 5 minutes to an hour.

Wish us luck – I’ll be sure to report back!

-Samantha is a former LLD sitter, event planner, and elementary school teacher. She and her husband live in New York and are first-time parents!

Classes Galore

Lindsay Bell — Wed, 18 Dec 2013 18:23:22 +0000

It is unbelievable how many classes there are for babies—yoga, music, swimming…..the list goes on and on. During my pregnancy—when talking to other moms-to-be—a question that often came up was “what classes will you be signing up for?” At the time, I had not given it any real thought, but of course my mind flashed back to high school and college and the pressure to get to the registrar the minute registration opened in order to get my classes of choice. After having my daughter, I gave little thought to attending any classes, as there were days when I would not even brush my teeth until after 12pm, so the thought of being dressed and out the door to a music class seemed highly unlikely. However, time has been flying and my daughter is now four months old, so it seems time to get back out into the world and to try some of these classes!

In addition to being enrolled in a music class that starts in January, my daughter and I went to our first class at our local library this past Friday. We loved it! The teacher was wonderful, and it was great to get back out into the world of the living and into a room full of other parents, child care providers, and little ones. These classes are extremely popular (they are free for one thing), so you must sign up in well in advance—registration opens on the 15 or 16th of every month. I found myself rushing out of bed first thing this morning to make sure we were all signed up for January—as I clicked through the registration process and glanced out the window to see that the sun had not even risen yet, I realized that I had turned into one of those crazy parents who thinks their son/daughter needs to be enrolled in every class, group, infant band audition so as not to miss out on anything (before she even knows that there is food beyond breast milk). The bottom line is that I, of course, want the best for my child (as do most parents who sign up for these classes). And I’m trying to think of myself as not crazy for setting my alarm to sign up, as I’m convinced it’s been the most effective way to find the best classes for me and my daughter.

-Samantha is a former LLD sitter, event planner, and elementary school teacher. She and her husband live in New York and are first-time parents

So Easy a Caveman Could Do It?

Lindsay Bell — Fri, 27 Sep 2013 14:13:34 +0000

I recently had my daughters one month doctors appointment. During this visit the pediatrician said something that has stuck with me, which I have passed along to other moms. When asking how everything was going (e.g., breastfeeding, etc). she shared with me that when she was going through it all with her little ones her husband said to her, “well cavemen did it, so I know you can do it.” At times when I have felt frustrated or challenged by breastfeeding, or any of the other daily child care “activities, I have thought to myself, “well cavemen have done this, so, so can I.” But then I also think, “THANK GOD I don’t have to do this as a cave woman!!” Which leads me to my next point–I don’t know how people cared for children during prehistoric times–or more importantly–before the internet! I am a huge fan of Amazon Prime and Amazon Mom – if you are a not a member, I highly recommend them. I am constantly perusing the website during our late night feedings and can often be found ordering diapers, wipes, sleep sacks, nursing bras….even some adorable little headbands that will arrive in just 48 hours. In addition to shopping, I have googled countless questions that have come up regarding my little one and myself–baby acne, plugged ducts, mastitis, all the information you would ever need is at your fingertips within seconds! I have found this to be a huge help throughout my early days of motherhood and feel very fortunate to be raising a child during the 21st century!

-Samantha is a former LLD sitter, event planner, and elementary school teacher. She and her husband live in New York and are first-time parents

P.S. So easy a caveman could do it? How did this slogan even exist without the internet!?