New York Nanny Center » sitter2mom

Henry Goes to the Beach

Lindsay Bell — Wed, 23 Jul 2014 11:16:51 +0000

Every summer for over twenty years I have gone “Up North” to Harbor Springs, Michigan. Spending summers there is something I am very grateful for. I’ve made new friends over the years, catch up with old friends, experience new things, and, in most recent years, spend extended time with my family. This experience has become even more special since Henry has come into the picture.

Our family.. plus a little too much ice cream

Living in Chicago comes with many advantages. There’s an abundance of culture, people, and endless amounts of “things to do.” However, it can also be very busy, overly structured, fast-paced, and stressful. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE CHICAGO, but taking a break every summer is awesome!

Henry relaxing and enjoying a nice snack on the beach

Last summer was the first summer Henry was exposed to parts of my childhood. It was fun–he learned to walk, ate sand for the first time, and dipped his toes in the Michigan side of Lake Michigan. This summer is even better! Henry is sturdy on his feet and has said new words like “beach”, “watermelon”, “boat”, and “bug-gy.” His eyes light up when he realizes he’s on his way to the beach. He’s not afraid of the water, loves to chase the birds, and has tripled his vocabulary since arriving. I’m thankful for this time and sharing these new experiences with him.

Our little man goes kayak shopping

I am also grateful for my husband. Without his hard-work, understanding, and love for his wife and child, we would not be able to spend such a long period of time in Michigan. We are grateful when “dada” can be with us, but appreciate the sacrifices he makes so we can spend extensive time at the beach. We love you, Dada (Bob!). Henry is also lucky that he gets to spend a week in South Haven, Michigan with his Chicago family. He is surrounded by people who love him and want him to be part of old family traditions. Sharkball, Lobster Parties, and dipping your toes in the lake aren’t a bad way to spend your summer!

We’re so blessed in our life and look forward to all the new experiences and memories we will create as he gets older.

Happy Summer!

-Maureen is a Sitter2Mom, a working woman (our Chicago City Coordinator), and mother of Henry!

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!

Baby Proofing: The Vicious Cycle

Lindsay Bell — Wed, 02 Jul 2014 13:25:04 +0000

I’ve finally figured out the ultimate baby-proofing technique: full body armor, equipped with helmets and kneepads.

Kidding (sort of). Baby-proofing is extremely tricky. Once you think you have it figured out, those little explorers beat the system again and again. The climbing is the worst. What are you supposed to do? Remove all of your furniture and turn your house into kiddie playland? My toddler twins love climbing on the couch and waving out the window to people passing by; of course it’s accompanied by the sweetest sounding “hi.” Because of this, I’ve had to take the cushions off and line the floor with them. This helps, but then the jumping on the cushions begins. Sigh. Then I thought, what about a major distraction? Insert ball tent with tunnel that takes up my entire living room.

Oh well, I’ll just have to accept the fact that this is what it is until they move out.

-Courtney is a Sitter2mom, mother of the most adorable twins, and sister of BFC President, Lindsay.

Talking, Technology, and the Terrible Twos…

Lindsay Bell — Wed, 25 Jun 2014 13:03:17 +0000

Three months ago my sweet Henry wasn’t saying much. These days he has a lot to say! Henry has a sound for almost every animal, names for his toys and objects around him, and will have in depth conversations with me about some very serious topics. I have NO IDEA what he’s saying, but I can tell from his hand gestures that he thinks it’s very important! He has recently become obsessed with Thomas the Train. Admittedly, Thomas is a hard word to say, so he has shortened it to Tom. Yesterday, I tried to get him to say, “mom” so I was saying, “This is Tom and this is Mom.” Today, Henry calls Thomas–”Tom-Mom.” No luck for me, but it’s pretty awesome to see how quickly he’s picking things up. I guess that means I better start watching what I say around him!

These days Henry is extremely curious about everything I’m doing. He’s always been interested in new things, but now he wants to do what I’m doing. Sometimes it’s great, like when he wants to help me put things in the dryer, but other times it’s not so awesome. It’s not good when he wants to help me cook on the stove, or opening and shutting a hot oven. These are the times where I pull out my trusty friend, the iPad! The iPad is the most coveted and valuable thing in Mr. Henry’s life right now. He loves it so much that I have to hide it from him so he doesn’t spend all day on it! Finding the right balance with technology is key. Henry is very engaged with the ABC and 123 games, loves the Curious George App where he builds trains, rockets, and dinosaurs, and loves the animal flashcards. I’m actually impressed with how quickly he catches on to things and how well he can operate the iPad! Try taking it away….not a happy camper!

They call them the Terrible Twos, but we’ve already entered this phase way before the 2nd birthday. With Henry’s newfound independence comes some strong opinions. What Henry wants to do is not always the safest, cleanest, or healthiest thing. Telling Henry that he can’t do something makes him very unhappy. I am a believer in positive discipline, but it’s hard to always remain calm and patient when your toddler throws a tantrum. I’ve found that it’s just better for me to walk away and let him sort it out! You can’t reason with a child who doesn’t know the concept. To him it is the end of the world that I put his goldfish crackers in the wrong cup. When he calms down, he goes about eating the crackers like there was nothing wrong in the first place! I don’t try to understand it!

All these things are just part of the phase Henry is in. I love all the talking and think his little voice is the sweetest sound i’ve ever heard. I’m impressed with his knowledge of technology and how quickly he’s able to figure things out. And despite his tantrums, I still think he’s the most amazing, lovable, and funny kid I’ve ever met!

-Maureen

Life with Two!

Lindsay Bell — Wed, 18 Jun 2014 12:59:21 +0000

We were blessed to welcome our second daughter into the world in early April. As much as I don’t love being pregnant, I found myself extra thankful this time around to have nine months to mentally prepare for life with two. It also gave us time to build excitement with our ever-so-sassy 3 year old. Each day, Avery reminded us how excited she was to have a baby sister and never let a day go by without telling me how big I was getting. Gotta love the raw honesty of children!!

Baby Sydney

When Sydney arrived, all the mental preparation and plans we had made went out the window and we went into full survival mode. You forget how hard it is to make logical and smart decisions when you are sleep deprived (and thank goodness we forgot or no one would have more babies)! For a week or two, Avery had a little more candy than usual and got to play on my iPhone, which is not normally an option. She thought that was pretty cool. When she wasn’t taking advantage of her tired parents, she was doting on her sister!

Avery doting on Sydney

While life with two is definitely more challenging, it has also proven to be much more fun. As I lay my head down at night, I can’t help but smile at the many laughs my girls provided throughout the day. Hope I’m still laughing when they are 13 and 16!!

-Mindy

The Importance of Date Night

Lindsay Bell — Wed, 11 Jun 2014 04:59:35 +0000

Pre baby, my husband and I had a great tradition of Friday night being date night. My husband is a real planner so usually on Wednesday, Thursday morning he would start the convo via text/email about where we should go for dinner. We would try our best to come up with new places to go in neighboring towns, or even in the city. More often than not, we would wind up at one of our favorite stomping grounds but it didn’t matter where we were as long as we were out of our apartment, and for me, enjoying a dinner that I did not cook! I was always amazed how much we had to talk about at dinner seeing as we saw each other every single other day of the week, but perhaps it was just the fact that we were out of the house and ordering off a menu that allowed the conversation to flow.

Everyone enjoys good company and good food!

Our daughter is now 10 months old, and I think I can count on one hand the number of times we have gone out to dinner, not including the two weddings we have had where we had a babysitter. There are a lot of reasons for this, too tired to even think of going out, not wanting to leave our daughter, wanting to save $ instead of paying for dinner and a babysitter, but at the end of the day no excuse is good enough. My husband and I had the great privilege of going out this past Friday and it was exactly what we needed– some alone time to talk about things other than our daughter, to actually take longer than 15 minutes to finish a meal and to have not just 1 but 2 drinks! It was exactly the refresher we needed and as a result we have vowed to reinstate Date Night, however, it will now more likely be once a month as opposed to once a week, but hey, Ill take it!

-Samantha

The Sweetest Sound

Lindsay Bell — Wed, 04 Jun 2014 23:46:45 +0000

Almost exactly one year ago, my husband and I moved from New York City to Arlington, VA with our five month old baby girl. Within days of our arrival, I learned about the local cooperative playgroup and knew it was something we wanted to do. I also knew we had some time to wait as the minimum age requirement is 12 months. So we waited, and applied and applied again and when we finally made it through the lottery system it felt like Parker had been admitted to Harvard! Except that I was the one who had to fill out the lengthy paperwork, undergo background investigations, and attend CPR & First Aid Training while Parker gets to play, eat snacks, and do group activities. Yup, just like college.

It’s always been really important to us to have Parker around other kids her own age. When I was working, I applied for group day care as soon as we got pregnant and was promptly put on a long wait list. J Now that I’m home with her, I make sure everyday we have a play date, group class, park visit or story time to attend. Parker is one social butterfly…as long as mommy is her wing man. So this co-op is a new experience for her. Two hours two times a week, sometimes without mom.

Leading up to the big day, I talked about how much fun it was going to be, how many friends she’d make, that she’d get yummy snacks and that I’d come back to pick her up when it was all done. Today, my adorable 16 month old toddler popped out of her stroller, sippy cup in hand and walked into her first day of cooperative playgroup without glancing back at me.

OK, she eventually looked to see if I was still there, but she was a natural! It was mom who felt awkward. I guess I should have been giving myself pep talks. I didn’t know what to do with my empty hands as I walked home. And once I got there, the silent house felt strange. I still raced through my shower just in case I got the call she needed me and after I cleaned up her breakfast, I didn’t know what to do. I had had fantasies of what I would do with these two hours to myself but they were all failing me now. Apparently, this co-op experience was new for me too!

When I went back to pick her up, she was happily involved with some friends and it took her a minute to see me. When she did, she threw her hands in the air as she ran over to me breaking the silence of my past two hours with new sounds that were music to my ears, “mama mama mama!”

-Jolynn is a Sitter2mom, fitness professional, and mother of Parker. Her and her husband moved to D.C. about a year ago from the big city!

Allergies and Lil’ Ones

Lindsay Bell — Thu, 29 May 2014 03:40:48 +0000

Having toddlers that are just learning how to talk makes it difficult to understand when something is wrong; I ran into this very situation this weekend while in Ohio visiting family. One of my twins broke out into hives that looked like large welts.

Being in a new environment and around tons of new people sometimes is bittersweet. Baby skin is super sensitive so you never know when it might not agree with newness. I particularly worry about allergies when it comes to introducing new foods, so I have a tendency to stick with something that works.

I don’t want to shelter them per say, but I am trying to keep my sanity in check. I am half tempted to ask the doctor for a prescription for an epipen just in case…or as discussed at my routine twin mommy lunch today- just sit in your car at the ER and try peanut butter for the first time. That’s normal, right?

-Courtney Bell is a Sitter2Mom, sister of BFC President, Lindsay Bell, and mama of two beautiful twin girls.

Don’t Eat the Crayon!

Lindsay Bell — Wed, 21 May 2014 16:57:08 +0000

“Don’t eat the crayon!”

“That’s HOT! Don’t touch!”

“Henry, don’t share all your dinner with the dog!”

“Put the iPad DOWN!”

“No, you can’t have the knife!”

“Stop licking the floor”

“Please keep your diaper on!”

Welcome to Toddlerville! That pretty much sums up my recent conversations with my 19 month old. I should have seen it coming when we went to the doctor and they labeled their milestone sheet as “Mr. No.”—On the one hand the days are busier, crazier, messier, and keep you on your toes, but on the other hand seeing your kid “get it” and explore on their own and navigate their way (with supervision, of course) is pretty awesome. Having a baby is great and there are certainly amazing milestones they hit, but I wasn’t prepared for how fantastic it would be to hear your kid speaking to you (I didn’t say I could understand it all!), learn their animal sounds, sort their toys by color (rare, but it happened!), or run up to you with a huge smile and say, “Mama!” I can’t get enough of the hugs, funny faces, or dance parties.

What I notice the most about this age is Henry’s need for independence. He will walk into his bedroom, sit down on the floor, and read a book or zoom his cars. If an adult walks in there, he will get up and walk away! What a stinker! Luckily we live in a small condo in Chicago, so we can easily watch him on the monitor so he doesn’t end up climbing his bookshelf (also a favorite activity!). I love this side of him. I love watching as he tries to “read” a book aloud in his classic Henry gibberish. You can see the wheels inside his head turning and his desire to figure it all out on his own. It hit me the other day that I have a little boy, not a baby. Caring for an infant is challenging because they are completely dependent on you for almost all of their needs. Having a toddler brings its own challenges. You can’t reason with a child who isn’t old enough to get the dangers that surround them. How can I explain to Henry that a fireplace lighter is not a safe toy. Well, you can’t. I have to weather the tantrums that are sprouting up far more often lately, and try to redirect him. Somehow the blocks aren’t as fun as the knife I just used to cut his sandwich. Add in the fact that he can move and stack furniture to get on the counters! I’m half horrified and half proud that he figured that out!

Sure, I miss having a little baby to snuggle with, who naps frequently during the day, and that baby smell–I’ll get enough. However, my Henry is a pretty cool kid now and he wants to be my friend. What is better than that?

-Maureen is a Sitter2Mom, our Chicago City Coordinator, and mother of Henry!

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!