Babysitting Baby J

2-3 times a week, I babysit for my friend Sara.  Wednesdays & Fridays are the definite days, but sometimes an additional day will be thrown in, dependent on her schedule with the cupcake counter.  I know they say to not mix business with family/friends, but at three months in, I think it's safe to say things are going well!

Bean LOVES James.  She shouts "Baby!" anytime she sees him or his car seat in the house (we are working on saying "James" and have had limited success).  She wants to be his buddy.  She loves holding his hand, laying on him, patting his head or tummy, and definitely giving him tons of kisses.  Only thing she doesn't like about him is when he cries!  If he cries, so does she (only hers is a fake/forced cry while his is loud and deliberate!).  I don't think there's any jealousy issues (at least I haven't noticed any).  I work hard to keep her included.  She sits next to us or plays peek-a-boo with him. And when his puppy attacks him (he giggles when puppy licks him), puppy attacks her too.

James on the other hand, isn't the biggest fan of Bean.  He's definitely warming up to her more now, but when he first started coming.  He'd immediately start crying if she was too near him.  Now, he likes to watch her, and will tolerate some loving from her before he loses it.  Baby steps! It's cute to watch these two interact and I look forward to watching their friendship blossom!

I was worried in the beginning about watching another baby because I was afraid it would give me the baby bug! I can now honestly admit it just might be doing the opposite! I really like knowing that there is a time limit on James being in the house.  He's a really good baby (sometime's he can be high maintenance and just want to be held, but that's typical of any baby!) but he definitely prevents me from getting things done.  I know that if he were my own kid, we'd have a routine and I wouldn't know any difference. But for now, I plan my weeks out knowing that Wednesday afternoons and Fridays are just survival days -- my goals are to keep the kids happy and to make dinner.  Anything else I get done when he's here is just added bonus! Ha! I talk with Bree (one of my best friends) nearly every day and she has 2 kids.  I just think all the time -- she does this 24/7?!  How is she functioning?!

So for now, we are enjoying the new normal of an added baby only temporary ;-).  So how do I do it with 2 kids??  I don't have the setup I'd like.  I currently have the pack'n'play in our bedroom, but there's no monitoring system in there.  I can move the audio monitor from Bean's room into my bedroom if I need James to nap in there.  But typically, his first nap he actually takes in Bean's room.  That way, I can see him and hear him on her monitors.  Since Bean doesn't nap until after lunch, it's no big deal!  Lunch time can be a little crazy, just depends on James needs.  One day, Bean was eating her lunch, I was holding James and feeding him with a bottle, and I was eating too.  That was INSANE, and now I try to stagger all our eating times, ha!

The hardest part of the day is Bean's nap.  I never know what to do with James.  Sometimes, he'll fall asleep and I can leave him in his car seat or put him in the pack'n'play, or maybe he's happy playing on the play mat.  I try to speed through a couple books and put Bean down, but I feel bad rushing that 1 on 1 time with her.  Last time he was here, I brought James up to her room in his car seat and read them both books!  It seemed to work really well and hopefully we can keep doing that.  Once Bean nap, James typically falls asleep for another nap.  If I've moved the monitors, I'll put him down in my room.  If I forgot, then I either hold him, or put him in his car seat and continually rock it (the boy loves motion!).  If he's here on a later day and he needs another nap after Bean wakes up, he takes that nap in her room again! It's taken some adjustment, but we finally have a good system in place.

(First day watching James! She really just wanted to hold his hand the whole time.)

(Bean also really wanted to just hold him.)

(This happens a lot -- Poor James just wants to lay on the mat in peace when this giant monster comes over and gets in his personal bubble.)

(Happy kids!  This once rare occasion is becoming the new norm.  I think they both have accepted their fate of being around each other and just deal with the other's shenanigans now.)

(Shhhhh, don't tell his dad but he plays with Bean's PINK toys!)

(She's in my personal bubble again!)

(Sleeping with puppy in the car seat and enjoying the silence of a sleeping Bean! When both kids are napping, I am typically sitting like a zombie binging on Netflix.)

(And then this happens -- both kids loosing it at the EXACT same time.  Which need do you fill first?? Took me awhile to catch on -- whoever is the loudest! Hahaha.)