Things were going so well. I got a little promotion at work, I finished my novel, Obama won the nomination, and the honeysuckle bush in our neighbors' front yard is almost in full, fragrant bloom. So, it was inevitable that something crappy was going to happen. And here it is: we just learned that our beloved nanny/sitter, Jean, is leaving next month. She got a great full-time nannying job out in the midwest, closer to where her son lives, which is where she wants to be right now. I am happy for her, but we will miss her SO much, as will Elsa and Clio.
Jean started sitting for the girls when they were four months old, when I went back to work. She only comes twelve or so hours a week, during the times when both Alastair and I are working, plus the occasional "date night." But she's so great with the girls, so reliable, so helpful, that she's really become a part of our life, and we've come to count on her. (I still don't think I've fully processed the fact that she's leaving.) She's also just a genuinely nice person -- a great parent to her own (young adult) kids, focused on her family, generous, etc. When we were first looking for someone, right after the girls were born, I imagined that we'd hire some young college or grad student, not a middle-aged woman with grown kids of her own. But in fact, as a first-time mom, I really liked having someone who was more mature, and a mother herself.
Fortunately, our back-up sitter, a very sweet and energetic young Ecuadorian woman (who I encourage to speak Spanish to the girls. Bonus!) is available to help out over the summer once Jean leaves. But she's in school, so we don't know if she'll be able to help on a regular basis in the Fall. So, it might be back to ole Craigslist again. We actually had good luck with it the first time around -- we found both Jean and Adriana, our back-up gal that way, plus several other people who would have been good; there were mostly just schedule issues. But we also had to wade through replies to our ad from people who inquired with such impressive messages as (and I quote) "sounds good. how old r they and how much duz it pay?" (Answers to both of these questions were in the ad, incidentally.)
It ain't easy to find a sitter that you like and trust, who's willing to work part time, has her own car, is reliable and responsible and flexible, is loved by your children, knows and understands them, AND brings you free Avon samples. Sigh.
Jean with the butterfly and the cow last Halloween (when they were 10 mos. old)
