Top: Express Studded Zip Back Peplum Top (similar)
Jeans: J. Brand 10″ Skinny Jeans via Gilt (buy)
Shoes: Jessica Simpson Astor Slingbacks (similar)
Watch: Michael Kors “Small Runway” MK5430 (buy)
Purse: Chanel replica m/l flap (similar)
Jeans: J. Brand 10″ Skinny Jeans via Gilt (buy)
Shoes: Jessica Simpson Astor Slingbacks (similar)
Watch: Michael Kors “Small Runway” MK5430 (buy)
Purse: Chanel replica m/l flap (similar)
I know the subject of daycare versus in-home care can be controversial so please don’t take this post the wrong way. Ultimately it comes down to a decision that is right for your family; this is simply a post explaining the process Adrian and I went through to find our childcare solution.
I went back to work 3 months after Dylan was born. I wasn’t sure how I would feel leaving my baby all day long, but I think what we have now is working for all of us.
After I first found out that I was pregnant, I started looking into neighborhood daycares. I asked for recommendations from friends with babies and read through reviews that I could find online. Adrian and I went on a daycare tours and spoke with more people about their daycare experiences. We were a bit worried after hearing about how easy it was not only for babies to get sick in daycare, but also parents to get sick as well, thus making for an extra tough first year. Adrian and I actually weren’t very impressed with the daycares we visited and at this point I decided to put the notion of childcare on the back burner. I knew that daycare wasn’t going to be in the cards for us (at least not in the immediate future) and luckily my parents lived about 30 minutes away and could take care of Dylan here and there until I found a more permanent solution.
I decided to wait on starting the nanny search until after Dylan was born. I knew that a lot my decision would be based simply on comfortable I felt seeing the nanny with Dylan.
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| 1 month |
About a month after Dylan was born, I decided to start up the nanny search. We started with basic word-of-mouth referrals and searching through the local Chinese newspaper. My original goals were to find a nanny that could speak Chinese (it’s my native language) so that Dylan could pick it up even when I was away at work. Unfortunately the Chinese-speaking nannies we found did not have any nannying experience beyond taking care of children in their family (and none with any newborn experience). They also had limitations such as being unable to have reliable transportation and short working hours. In the end, I realized that I was going to need to expand my nanny requirements a bit.
I ended up getting a membership at a few online nanny agencies (SitterCity, eNannySource, and care.com) and posted an ad looking for a bilingual nanny who had newborn experience as well as a child development education background. And just for my own peace of mind, I also wanted someone who was a bit older (30+). I reached out to a few prospective people that I found, but ended up getting contacted by a nanny who found my ad on SitterCity. Her resume and references were impeccable, so I set up an interview for that afternoon.
I couldn’t have been more impressed with our nanny. She arrived exactly on time and came in bounding with energy and happiness. I immediately felt at home with this nanny. At the time, I remember that Dylan had gas and was fussier than normal. I had been bouncing Dylan in my lap while we were talking but when I offered to let her hold Dylan, she quickly realized that he was gassy and helped pump his legs into his stomach for relief. I saw how calm Dylan suddenly became and at that moment my heart was sold. If ever there was a real-life Mary Poppins, this person was it!
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| 2 months |
I spent the next few days following up on her references and everything just confirmed for me that this was the person I wanted taking care of Dylan. Unfortunately finances were another matter. Without delving into details, Adrian and I basically realized that we were really going to have to cut back on our spending if we were to hire this person. We questioned whether we were making the right decision, but in the end I knew that this was the only way I could successfully go back to work and not worry about how my Dylan the entire time. After a few rounds of negotiation, we finally settled it out. This was probably one of the most relieving days of those first few months after Dylan was born just knowing that I had found someone to take good care of him when I returned back to work.
As the days of my maternity leave neared its end, I decided to make my final week before returning to work a transition week for all of us. I arranged to have the nanny come to our house that week just so I could be there to see how everything went, show her where to find things in the house, and just to get to know this person who would be spending so much time with my son. During that week, I was so impressed with how she handled Dylan. I remember her showing me tricks on how to get Dylan to stay on his tummy longer during tummy time, tricks on how to get Dylan to nap in his crib during the day (I’ll admit that I was using the swing more than I should have), and even tricks on how to stretch out his naps from 30 minutes to a full 1.5 – 2 hours! I felt confident going back to work and leaving Dylan in excellent care.
Our amazing nanny
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Our amazing nanny
While I’m away at work, our nanny also uses the Baby Connect iphone app to keep my posted on Dylan’s daily activities. I get updates in real-time so I can see details like how his naps are going and even what he’s eating for lunch / snacks. The app also comes in handy for seeing trends in nursing / sleeping habits as well as keeping track of his milestones!
Finding good childcare can be difficult and the decision for moms can be especially hard. In the end, I’m glad that I made the decision to go back to work. I truly enjoy my job and even though the time away from Dylan is hard, it makes me cherish those moments that I have with him so much more.
For any new parents out there, did you decide to go back to work? How did you decide on childcare?
Even in your absence from the blogosphere, your sense of style remains sweet. Stylish peplum top along with the sweet open-toe pumps. Looking wonderful here, Kileen.
johnbmarine.blogspot.com
Oh how I remember this struggle! I ended up using a daycare, but it was one that I really loved and my daughter (the youngest of my three) just "graduated" from there because she is going into first grade–she was there since she was a toddler! It is so important to have that piece of mind. I used an in home daycare with my oldest and found out years later that she had abused my son actually. Nothing is more unsettling. I am so glad to see you posting again Kileen. As I said, I'd been thinking about you a lot. I had a miscarriage last month 🙁 and I really thought of you because I hadn't heard how things were going with you and I was kind of scared to ask. I am so glad to see your healthy, happy smiling baby boy!
Definitely a tough situation, especially when the cost care is so high, but I'm glad things worked out!
Love your cute peplum, the jeweled collar is great.
A good nanny is worth all the money in the world. Her (or his) job is to care for your most beloved possession. I'm so glad you found a good one!
Your bubs is so cute! Welcome back to the blogsphere 😉
katattack2000.wordpress.com
Wow, fab post! You have found the PERFECT nanny, and I am so excited for you. I returned to work part-time after 10 weeks of maternity leave, and with no family in-town, our baby went to daycare. Now that he is almost 1 year old, I am going to be working in the office full-time. We have a Montessori daycare that we really like and trust. Yes, our baby got many illnesses in his first year (including dreaded, terrible RSV).
Would love to hear if you are back into pre-pregancy clothes or if you've had to buy all new stuff. 🙂
My husband and I hired a nanny, too. I realize that some do judge me for not staying home and taking care of my baby, but I strongly believe that my God given role is a woman, which includes a wife, daughter, sister, mother, friend, career woman, and many more!
With some many horror stories about nannies, we installed CCTV at home, and so far, so good. The nanny takes a good care of Baby Michael, and eventhough he spends a lot of time with the sitter, he still knows who his mommy is! My husband is happy too, because I still have the time and energy for him at the end of working days. So it's a win win solution for everyone! ^__^
Visit me:
LeeAnne, Style N Season
http://stylenseason.blogspot.com
oh goodness, i'm so terribly sorry to hear about your miscarriage. i was actually really scared of miscarrying during my last pregnancy too as my bleeding was pretty bad, but i was really lucky and made it until the end.
and i can't believe they were abusing children at the in-home daycare! hopefully it's been reported? i just can't even imagine something like that.
Oh your baby is coming up on the 1-year mark too? Our babies must have birthdays that are close to each other! When was your little one born?
And I'm so glad you were able to find a good daycare. I had a co-worker who's baby also had RSV after doing in-home daycare. I think it's just one of those really hard-to-avoid illnesses in that first year. We've really lucked out so far and Dylan's only had an ear infection and a mild case of roseola. It's scary when your baby gets sick. I know that we'll be transitioning into daycare as well in a couple years so we'll see how that goes. I'm looking into Montessori options as well.
I am back in pre-pregnancy clothes actually! I was actually lucky enough that I was able to fit into my jeans through my entire pregnancy and just use a belly band to help keep things up. I did invest in a few maternity tops and dresses that I rotated through while pregnant — they
were indispensable during those last few weeks when my belly was huge!
My weight loss after pregnancy has been an interesting journey. I am back in pre-pregnancy clothes but they just don't fit me the same. I'm still nursing so fitting my enormous boobs into my previous shirts just don't look right. I also started doing crossfit to get back into shape and my arms are a bit more muscular now so previous shirts also just fit differently. In the end, I'm still wearing about half of my previous wardrobe and have invested in a few new things here and there to accommodate the changes in my body.
LeeAnne, it sounds like you have a great system in place! I also think that going to work and coming home to my husband and baby is a better balance for me as well. I know there is so much judgment when it comes to childcare, but like everything else with parenting, it's just about finding what works for you.
I also don't have CCTV installed at my place but I've thought about adding it. What system did you buy and was it hard to install?
He was born July 19. Yes, now that he's had RSV I want to have future kids born in the spring, so when RSV season hits, they're older. I have learned to trust my instincts. We caught the RSV early because his "cold" felt more serious than other colds he had.
I'm in about half of my pre-pregnancy clothes, but pants and shorts are difficult, I'm carrying the last 6 pounds all in my waist. I'm nursing too, so anything button-up does not fit! I used to wear very fitted clothes, now I look for looser styles. 🙂
July 19 is my birthday!! 🙂
And good thing you trusted your mommy instincts and caught the RSV early.
I've definitely got extra "fluff" around my waist too. For me, that's been the most stubborn part of my body to get back to pre-pregnancy. And yes to looser styles. 🙂
welcome back kileen! you have been missed and i'm glad that you and baby dylan and nanny are all doing well 🙂