Nanny Issues-Finding a Good Fit

Without going into all the details, we've recently had a change in nanny's for Henry.  The past few weeks have been incredibly stressful as we interviewed, hired and transitioned from our old nanny to the new one.  We've had lots of questions as to why (after only 2 months), we were searching for someone new to watch H and I think it all boils down to the first nanny wasn't a good fit.  Honestly, when we interviewed the first time around, we found someone we really, really liked.  We made her an offer but she was also interviewing with another family and choose to work for them instead.  So feeling rushed to get someone before I went back to work, we hired our second choice.  We called references, ran a background check, did a monthly review-all the "right" things to do.  Things were fine for a while and then they weren't.  I felt like I was constantly having to deal with things not being done as we asked and C was starting to dread my phone calls during the work day as they usually had some sort of nanny related issue.  Our parents have listened to me worry over our nanny situation for some time...sorry guys!  It wasn't anything one thing and honestly, the feeling was mutual (and she even brought it up!) so we parted ways last week and thankfully, she stayed until we found someone new.  It's been a new experience for us to have a household employee and learn how to set expectations that were clear (yet trying to be flexible and understanding as she was taking care of our most precious thing, Henry, in our home.  Um, I didn't want to totally peeve her as she could steal our baby and rob us blind).  

So now that we've got 4 days under our belt with our new nanny, I can say that things are SO much better already!  The energy in our home is better and I think it's a much better fit.  The new nanny came prepared with crafts (Yes, crafts for a 5.5 month old.  The fridge is covered with baby paintings already) and has all sorts of daily developmental activities they do together.  As we can only learn from our past, I've been thinking about our last experience and this is what I've learned:

1. Trust my instinct.  We know what's best for our family and need to make sure that comes first.

2.  It has to be a good fit and if it's not (see #1) cut our losses and move on.  I spent a lot of time and energy trying to make our last relationship work and bottom line was it didn't.  Next time, I'll call it sooner and take steps to move on.

3. Don't be afraid to speak up about instructions and expectations up front.  I've created a "House Rules" list that we now use for everyone that watches H.  At the end of the day, Henry (and the dogs and our home) our OUR responsibility and we, as parents, should fully be able to expect our rules and guidelines to be followed.

I'm sure this is just the first of many challenges of being a working mom :).  To those of you who have great help, be thankful and show appreciation!

If you have child-care, what are some things that work for your family?  Any "House Rules" we should add to the list?  

 

5 Months old!

How time flies-our little guy is 5 months old!  He is growing and changing more every day!  Some of his recent developments are pinching (fine motor skills), talking/having conversations with us/shrieking (verbalizing), pulling toys and his pacifier toward him/putting them in his mouth and touching faces-he LOVES faces.  He likes to go on walks in the stroller and he enjoys watching Max and Lila romp around.  He doesn't like getting dressed or waiting to eat.  When he's hungry, he wants to eat NOW :)

A few weeks ago, Henry had his first chiropractic appointment!  The chiropractor also specializes in NAET testing and we learned that Henry was deficient in fatty acids (no surprise there since his weight gain has been slow).  I'm now taking supplements and changing my diet a bit to increase the amount of fatty acids in my breast milk.  One of my nursing mom's group friends suggested reading Mother Food and it has been very helpful.  I'm (very slowly) starting to introduce diary and a few other foods back into my diet and it doesn't seem to be affecting Henry.  I will be very interested to see where he is at his 6 month well-check in August!

Henry has also had a couple more PT sessions with his PT Cathy.  We are working on sitting and pushing up on his hands and knees!  Crawling will be here before we know it, Chris and I are already talking about baby-proofing the house :)       

Henry's bedtime is around 7pm and he still gets up a couple times each night to eat.  At night he sleeps about 6-7 hours before his first wake up and then every three or so hours after that.  During the day he takes several naps still and usually we get a nice 2 hour nap and then 2-3 shorter ones.  For the most part, Henry self-soothes to sleep but we do occasionally need to rock him.  

Some recent adventures include going to a family reunion where Henry got to meet his newest baby cousin, Catherine.  He also spent the day at Grandma's house with his cousin Luke.  Last Sunday, I took him to the grocery store in the Baby Bjorn and he really liked looking around at all the bright lights, colors and shapes.  

Here are a few photos over the past month of Henry:

Helping Mommy fold laundry (otherwise known as eating
Daddy's sock)

Chris "playing" with Henry at Grandma's house

Concentrating REALLY hard on one of his toys

Bath time!  He loves to splash and kick in the tub!

Serious boy hanging out at Oma and Opa's house

And a video showcasing his new verbalization skills:

Meal planning

Chris, H and I spent a few days out of town visiting family (family reunion for me and H and moving family for C).  We got back late Saturday night so we could get ready for the next week-Monday always comes around so fast!  Mac and Lila also had an obedience lesson or shall I say Chris and I had a lesson in being better pack leaders.

Is it hot where you are?  We are supposed to see 90 every day this week!  I doubt we will be turning on the stove or oven.  I'm certainly going to miss having central air as we only have window air conditioners. They do the job but some rooms are hotter, like my office, than others.

Sunday-Greek festival!  We picked up food from the drive-thru after running errands.

Monday-spinach salad with chicken, goat cheese, strawberries and a strawberry vinaigrette

Tuesday-C is on his own

Wednesday-chicken tacos with guac

Thursday-grilled pork chops

Friday-????

Happy Hour at Home (guacamole recipe)

Chris and I rarely made it out to happy hour before we had Henry and now it never happens.  Yesterday, we did our own "happy hour at home" with some fresh guacamole and some Summer Shandy....so refreshing!

Guacamole Recipe:
4 Avocados (I used organic Haas), removed from the peal and smashed
1/2 lime, juice and zest
1 teaspoon cilantro, fresh and chopped
1 tablespoon salsa
1/4 teaspoon seasoning salt

Smash avocados in a bowl, add remaining ingredients and stir.  Serve with chips, veggie slices or on top of burgers or chicken.  Store left-over guac in the fridge.  I press plastic wrap right on the surface of the guac to keep it from turning brown.

Happy Father's Day!

For Father's Day, Henry and I treated Chris to brunch out at our favorite local restaurant, Sweet Melissa.  Here's a few photos of our outing.  Happy Father's Day to all the Daddy's out there!

Wearing his "Happy First Father's Day Daddy" shirt from
our Nanny.

Henry and Daddy.  H is enthralled with all the
noise and people.

Tired baby but he wouldn't give in and take a nap-
too much to look at.

Henry and Mommy.

Henry-4 month well check

Last week, Henry attended his 4 month well-check with CNP Allyson.  She was his practitioner at his 2 month well check too.  Due to scheduling conflicts, Chris took him to the appointment and brought back lots of notes for me since I couldn't attend.  Don't worry, it all evens out since I took H to PT later in the week :)

Here are the basic stats:
Height- 24 inches (16th percentile)
Weight- 11 lbs 13 oz (3rd percentile)
Head circumference- 39.9 cm (2nd percentile)

So we have a peanut on our hands...no surprise there if you know us.  Chris and I are both on the short side :).  Our little guy is thriving developmentally (holding head up well, rolling all ways, being very alert) but the CNP is concerned with his size and is suggesting we start to introduce rice cereal and oatmeal.  To be quite honest, I was taken by surprise by this and probably a little defensive since I'm Henry's primary supply of nutrition AND I wasn't there to discuss my concerns with starting him on cereal/food so early.  We were told that if we don't start feeding him soon, he will "fall behind even more".  I have a bit of an issue with that, especially considering his gene pool.  After all, everything I've read states that solids should wait until six months (or close to it) because the digestive system is not ready yet and it can increase food sensitivities and allergies.  We already suspect that H has some food sensitivities, that's the whole reason I'm not eating dairy or bananas or spicy foods or broccoli...you get the idea.  So I decided to do some more research before making a decision.  I first started talking to other moms: my Mom, C's Mom, my Mom's group moms, co-workers who are moms.  Basically, it came out to we need to do what we feel is best for Henry.  Next, I checked out some online resources that are well-respected (KellyMom and Science of Mom).  I still want to call the office and ask a few questions (WHO growth charts vs. CDC growth charts) but after much thought about it, we are going to wait until closer to 6 months and follow his cues.  We have been including Henry in family meals in his infant swing for a while and just recently started sitting him in his high chair at the table with us (and a tray full of toys).

Chris also asked her about sleep (and the fact that this guy gets up a lot at night).  Thanks to her advice, we are transitioning to self-soothing.  This means no more rocking H to sleep, which is sad for me, but we are working on teaching him to go to sleep on his own to encourage healthy sleep habits.

And a video in the high chair:

Please know that we do not come from a place of judgement on those who choose to give cereal at any age, this is what we've chosen for Henry right now based on what we feel is best for him.

Baby blanket-girl

Just a quick post this week as its Friday night before 8pm and I'm already in bed due to combo of early mornings for work and getting up 5+ times the past few nights with H.  I'm physically and mentally exhausted.  So so happy we've got nothing planned this weekend other than the regular gym/grocery shopping/cooking/cleaning schedule.  I'm sure we'll do a few special things for Father's Day but I know Chris is just as tired as I am (he had a few late nights due to work functions).  I wanted to share my latest creation/baby gift for a soon-to-arrive Florida baby!  No batting and a nice soft flannel backing and silky binding.  I quilted along the horizontal stripes to keep it together.  Love making gifts for our friends!