A week without Jesse

As it had become evident that baby-sitting and swimming lessons weren't compatible to our schedule, last week we didn't get to see Jesse. We will be doing it this week, however, on Friday! So stay tuned.

In the meantime, here are some photos taken during our Independence Day visit to my parents' house.

Jesse and his mother visit the pond at his Opa & Oma's house

Oma, Jesse, and Erica stay shaded from the sun

Cousin Isaac gets to hold Jesse's bottle (with Aunt Nicole's help)

Day Four

How did Jesse like his baby-sitting day with me on Friday? He thought it was pretty fun, I think. He actually saw a lot of my family over the course of three days, as we stayed with my parents for a few days for the Fourth of July.  Erica came with him to my parents' house on the Fourth of July, my mom baby-sat him the next day, and I baby-sat him yesterday. So he is growing very familiar with our faces! In fact, when I went to pick him up at Erica's house on Friday morning, he grinned broadly when he saw me, and (maybe) even stretched out his arms to me.

Jesse's grin is a wonderful thing

We hung around my folks' house all three days, unlike our last two baby-sitting days when we went out and had adventures. In some ways it is easier to take care of a baby at home instead of out at a park or store, but really the big difference was the number of adults around: between me, my parents, and my husband Craig, there was never the need for any of us to juggle three kids at once. And watching just one kid at a time seems pretty easy! (Assuming you're not completely sleep-deprived, that is.)

My parents live in a beautiful rural setting, so Jesse had his first campfire cook-out by the pond, and we went for several walks in the woods.

Aunt Nicole and Jesse in the redwoods

And when it was time for the second nap of the day, what could be nicer than Oma's lap?

They both had a nap, actually

We'll be taking next week off from baby-sitting (swimming lessons get in the way, unfortunately) but we'll be back the following week on Friday, July 20. I wonder if Jesse will forget us by then.

Day Two

Jesse had a good day today!  We met his mother Erica outside her office promptly as scheduled, but she seemed understandably reluctant to leave him.  Then Jesse joined his cousins in the cozy back seat of my car.  He enjoyed riding with them, and Isaac enjoyed it as well.

Jesse is ready to roll with Isaac and Laurel

After we left Erica at 9:00 a.m., we went to a small playground near her work. It was fenced, it had a bathroom and a drinking fountain, and the play structures were fun. We stayed until noon because my kids were having a terrific time playing with a large group of well-mannered kids. We were there so long that I got sunburned.

I wore Jesse in the Ergo baby carrier nearly the entire time, and he was thrilled when I remained standing, but he shrieked relentlessly when I had to bend over slightly to change Laurel's diaper in the back section of the station wagon.  But then he fell asleep about 20 seconds later!

Actually, he slept a lot of the time.  He slept for nearly 45 minutes, then woke up but was clearly still sleepy, and so I bounced him for ten minutes until he fell back to sleep.  This nap lasted an additional 45 minutes!  Finally he woke up hungry, so we spread a blanket on the grass under a shady tree and he had three ounces of formula.

Then we had to hurry, because we were running late to meet the kids' Oma at 12:30 for lunch in Santa Cruz.  Jesse was happy in the car, but he cried furiously after we arrived and I put him back into the Ergo.  After we walked a block listening to him shriek he fell asleep again, which lasted about 25 minutes -- until I sat down to eat lunch, naturally.  But then my mom volunteered to hold him, and in fact she didn't give him back until it was time for us to leave! 

Lunch with Oma

After lunch we visited the bookstore, where Jesse got to sit with Oma in the rocking chair while I read a few books to my kids.  He had a bit more formula, maybe another three ounces, and a diaper change in the convenient restroom.  Then he started getting fussy around 2:30, and Oma had to keep taking him outside to distract him.  He was probably expecting something more to eat, but we decided to save his appetite for his mother. 

Rocking at the bookstore with Oma

Auntie Nicole reads to Jesse's cousins Laurel and Isaac at the bookstore

Somehow books and multiple trips to the bathroom (Laurel is learning to use the toilet) brought us to 3:00 p.m. and all too soon it was time to return Jesse to his mother. The day went by very quickly, and my kids loved the bookstore.  But we ended up spending $45 on books, so I don't think we'll make the bookstore a regular part of our baby-sitting routine!

Day One

After Day One of baby-sitting Jesse, what's the verdict from the caregivers?

• Oma: exhausting
• Opa: time-consuming
• Me: frustrating (because I couldn't do much of anything for fear of spreading germs to the baby)
• Cousins: entertaining

But we all survived, including Jesse, even though in the eight hours he was here with us at his grandparents' house, he only napped 63 minutes and drank five ounces of formula.  I think this is short on both counts.  Hopefully he'll get used to us (and vice versa!) and settle into his regular schedule. 

(Although most Mondays when I have him, we won't be at a house at all -- we'll be out and about doing fun stuff.  So I hope to turn him into a good stroller-napper!)

Thoughtful

Hanging out with Opa is always a thought-provoking experience, Jesse finds.

Oma feeds Jesse

After a 30-minute post-nap bout of crying, Jesse smiles and has a snack!