Joy and a lot of xoxo's

It has been tooo long! I feel like every time I write on here, so much has changed, and she has grown sooo much! As Grace gets older, there is no doubt that I am busier and busier during the day, and also more exhausted at the end of the day! She is fully mobile (well as mobile as she can be without actually walking or crawling yet). What I mean is that she is constantly bouncing, walking in her rolly chair, or rolling on the floor on or over my lap.  It's safe to say she doesn't like to sit still, unless (the only exception) Sesame Street is on.. haha. She looooves that show and our favorite character is definitely Elmo. :) I think it's probably good for her to hear conversation (that's not my one-sided everyday talk) and be exposed to all the learning things (alphabet, counting, etc.) too. I know she's still really little, but I think she's pretty smart. One of these days she's going to wake up, walk, and start speaking full sentences.. haha! I can't wait!

Each day that passes, you can see her little personality more and more. She is pretty easygoing and soooo loveable. She gives hugs on a consistent basis and smiles all the time and she still loves books more than all her other toys combined. These are the things that inspired my title for this blog post. :) She is full of joy and it is contagious. These are also the things that make me love this baby sooo much!

She turns one year old in a few days! I told her mom that they should do what the Koreans traditionally do on a baby's first birthday. They place a few things in front of the baby within reaching distance, such as money, a pen, a book, a ball, a piece of clothing, etc. Each of things symbolizes a career or their 'destiny,' and the Koreans traditionally believe that whatever the baby grabs, represents what their future will look like. It's more just for fun these days.. but I'm curious about what Grace would choose..!

Firsts..

Grace has officially said her first words..!!! Mama was the first and Dada was soon to follow; all amongst the babbling that she is very determined to get out. Her parents fondly refer to it as German. Each 'phrase' is usually said with a very serious face and obvious meaning. I can't wait to learn what words the babble will soon turn into.. :) Oh an another big milestone; she started eating fooooood! WOOO! Well, just rice cereal for now, but no surprise that she loves it!

It's interesting to think back to right when I started this job, and wondering if I would be bored out of my mind, you know, just sitting with a baby all day every day.. but I have come to find that that isn't the case at all. I actually look forward to coming every day (besides waking up so early sometimes..) and really miss her on the weekends! I love this little girl so much. I feel so blessed to have found such an amazing family and a job that I am truly happy with right now. God has proved his faithfulness for the bajillionth time in my life.. and I am grateful.

Baby's Breath

Maybe it's because they only eat formula.. maybe just because they are new.. and everything of theirs smells good and is so soft (minus their poo)! But I realized the other day that there is definitely a reason there is a flower named after it.. baby's breath that is. The flower itself is little and fragile and the flower's meaning is 'innocence.' It fits, doesn't it? When Grace woke up from her nap the other day, and snuggled up to my face (haha she does that a lot and I think it's the cutest thing ever) I realized how good babies smell. Like flowers and innocence I guess.  :)

Also, I just need to point out that watching a baby fall asleep is equivalent to taking a dose of nyquil.. every time I put Grace down for her nap, I get soooo tired (whether I was tired before, or not). Watching her eyelids slooooowly close as she drifts off to sleep.. yeah, never fails.

The things Grace thinks are funny.. sometimes..

1. monkeys

2. talking gibberish

3. saying "don't" haha

4. blowing my lips together

5. dancing

6. baaaing like a sheep

7. blowing on her tummy

8. looking in the mirror

9. watching videos i make of her

...I'm sure there are more, I just can't think of them right now.. mostly just when i act a fool.. haha but seriously, her laugh is the best thing ever. And when she thinks something's funny, she'll scrunch up her face, smile, and she's been working on a pretty good belly laugh for a while now. Haha, I try to get it on video when I can. You never know what's going to make her laugh though.. so it catches me off guard sometimes!

We're working on rolling over and crawling.. good things! :)

Baby Dreams.

So.. the other day I was feeding Grace her bottle and she fell asleep (as she does a lot during/after eating) and I always let her sleep propped up for about ten minutes before putting her in bed, so her food can digest a little. Well, she had been passed out for about three minutes, when all of a sudden a smile spreads across her face (eyes still very much closed) and she giggled. It was so cute! Then, she kept on sleeping.. haha. It made me wonder what babies dream about.. As I told this story to a couple friends, one suggested that babies probably dream about puppies running across an open field.. I thought that was a pretty good guess. Haha, but I guess we'll never know! It's these little things that make every day so good. We're bonding a lot these days. I feel like every day she has a little more personality and we have a lot of fun and laugh together a lot! I was thinking about it the other day, and realized that I spend more time with Grace than with any other person.. crazy but I do love it!

Buble and Books and Walks..

Since I am with Grace for 10(ish) hours a day and she only sleeps for 2(ish), we have some time to kill! What do you do with a baby for that many hours..? Haha, well I'm still working on figuring that out too, but so far our favorite time passers are singing and dancing to Michael Buble, reading stories, and taking walks. Since Grace is still so little, you can imagine that when I say 'we' what I really mean is 'I.' Haha. I basically make as much of a fool of myself as I can to entertain both of us.. :) Surprisingly though, it seems to work the majority of the time! She either thinks I'm funny or really crazy. Either way, it's fun! I've played her a lot of different kinds of music and so far it seems like Buble is her favorite.. she has been sucked into his charm already.. :)  When I am trying to get her to fall asleep though, I'll play her Nora Joans and that seems to do the trick for nap time. Either that or I'll sing"Amazing Grace" to her because I think it's fitting.. and I think she likes it.

I loooove children's books.. well most of them. And she has quite a little library already started.  Grace loves books! I read her probably at least 10 books a day.. my favorite is one called All the World. If you have never read it, DO IT.  It's definitely a keeper. The pictures are great too. I was reading it to her the other day and she laughed every time I turned the page.. haha.  She just recently learned how to laugh and so I think she's getting as much practice as possible, which I of course greatly encourage!

Walks.. a perfect way to break up the day.. unfortunately we live in Florida, so it is already getting soooo hot outside! I only take her out for about a half hour at a time, because at that point I am all sweaty and so is she.. and we go at about 8am and 4pm.. crazy Florida humidity. But since I'm there for so many hours of the day, I like to get as much some exercise in as possible! I also love being outside, so it's good all around.

Snuggle time.. My other favorite part of the day.. and she is a pro! My back is starting to hurt a lot as a result, buuuuut it's so worth it! Such love!

Baby Therapy.

When else in our lives do we only want what we absolutely need, we know exactly what those needs are, and are satisfied after having those needs fulfilled.. it begins at birth and probably ends around the age of 18 months.. haha. Babies are so wise! Eating, sleeping, cleanliness and love. That's about all that's necessary! I wish I was that easy to please. :)

I realized yesterday that another reason why this is the best job ever.. it's kind of like puppy therapy. I read that some college campuses bring puppies on campus during finals week to relieve stress. '"It has been proven that having a dog helps relieve stress, so we thought it would be a cute idea if we brought some furry friends on campus," said Jennifer Heinz, a sophomore and integrated educational studies major who helped organize the event.' The reason why I think this is such a valuable form of therapy is because puppies don't ask for anything but love and attention. They don't take a lot of work or stress, but consistently give joy and unconditional affection. Well, I feel like I can relate this kind of therapy to spending time with a baby..or "baby therapy." Haha, I mean how different is it really? Besides the diapers and crying, it's basically the same thing! They are just begging to be loved.. and let's be honest.. it's not only easy to do, but pretty enjoyable.  So again, best job ever!

Amazing Grace

I have been nannying through an agency for the past month, and I was set up with a family that was down in Florida for a week-long vacation. I worked for/with them almost every day of their trip. There were three girls; 6, 5, and 17 months. I basically enjoyed their vacation with them.. spending time by the pool of their 5 star hotel, going out to eat, ordering room service, sitting with the kids after they went to sleep.. like I said, this job really can't be topped! :)  


But one thing that stuck out to me during my time with this family was the one night I was putting the girls to bed, and the middle one (of course! haha) couldn't fall asleep and asked me to sing her a song. After singing 'Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star' about three times, I got sick of it (although she didn't) and decided to change it up. I asked her if she knew the song 'Amazing Grace.' When she told me no, I started singing it to her. I know I messed up the middle verses, but I think I played it off okay because she didn't seem to notice. She also didn't seem to be falling asleep. That little brain of hers was still moving a hundred miles an hour! That's when she asked me what 'grace' is..? Hmm... how do you explain grace to a 5 year old? Unable to tell her it is obviously God's unmerited favor, knowing that she would have no idea what I was talking about, I told her something like this.. 'You know when you do something bad and your parents find out and they might get a little mad at first, but they still love you anyway?" She said "Yeah!" "Well it's kind of like that. It's like free love, even if we don't deserve it.." I could see her wheels keep spinning.. that made me smile. :)  


When I think back to when I used to nanny for the family I was with for so many years in Colorado, some of the conversations with the girls that I remember the most were those when they were going to bed. You know, that time when there aren't any other distractions and there isn't anything else to steal their attention or focus.. just the raw thoughts. Although I admit that many times when question after question after question would be asked when the kids were supposed to be falling asleep, I would get a little annoyed.. but how cool is it to be able to be the witness to those thoughts and feelings.. the raw ones.. Sometimes I was there to offer answers, but sometimes, just to listen and appreciate their growth and curiosity. How many kids are out there who don't have anyone to listen to those precious thoughts..?

But why nannying...?

I consider myself very fortunate thus far in my life to have been able to see and experience some amazing things.. through faith, travel, relationships, and even hardships. I feel like the older I get and the more things I experience, I would expect myself to be less amazed by things. Having experienced things before, I would expect myself to be more prepared for the results and reactions. Although that has proved true with some things in life, there are still so many things that keep me on my toes.. every day. One of these things, in particular is children. I have chosen to work with children thus far as a profession because the more time I spend with them, the more I am in awe of them! I love the fact that they always amaze me and surprise me with their words, actions, and untainted joy. Also, I see the need and opportunity to pour love and knowledge into their lives as a passion that God has placed in my heart and something I take great joy in. I want to write this blog to document some of the priceless interactions that I have with children and really just to share what life as a nanny is like.. for this leg of my journey in life.

After looking for the perfect full-time nannying position for what seemed like forever.. after one legitimate trial and failure (I'll probably write about that again at some point) and multiple interviews and applications, etc etc. I finally found one! I will start in one week with a family with one daughter (7.5 months old) and am so excited for this experience, as I think they are as well. I will work Monday through Friday, 10ish hours a day and will probably be learning a lot, especially at the beginning, as I haven't worked so closely with such a young baby before.

I always say that nannying is the best job ever.. you'll see why.. :) Enjoy!