I consider myself to be a pretty easy going person, never thinking I'd be one for nanny cams, frequent check-in's or babysitter interviews. However, what's a girl to do when she moves to a state where she knows no one and enters a new phase of life called "Mommyhood?" Chris and I have not had a date or night out alone since Claire was born. We have had my family babysit when either they were visiting or when we visited them. They are a sure thing, incredibly caring people who would do anything to help us out. They are awesome. However, our time with them is limited and they don't live close enough to be on-call babysitters. Therefore, the search began. Our neighbor girl is turning 13 or close to that. Her mom mentioned that she would be ready to babysit in February. Chris and I were happy at that thought, five months ago. As that time came closer, we began to analyze that thought. A 13 year old, caring for our 6 month old who has her share of sleep resisting crying. Not exactly a prime situation. Not to mention that we really don't know her or her family. These are people that have introduced themselves to us, but certainly don't go out of there way to chit-chat or get to know us at all. So.....we decided to continue the search. Where did I turn as a source? You guessed it, the internet. Scary, I know. I became a member of http://www.sittercity.com/. I searched and read several profiles before calling two girls. They both were good choices. I interviewed them and they said all the right things. They seemed normal, attended college, seemed pretty level headed, energetic and truly caring. Kristen was our choice for the night. We were her first job from the site as she was our's. It seemed like a good fit. However, I did research nanny-cams, but decided I wouldn't be able to get just one, which 1) would add some unforseen expense to our monthly budget, and 2) they wouldn't get here in time. So, we forged ahead. Kristen is attending college in CT, but home for a few weeks before she goes to Italy to study for a semester. Surprisingly, Chris and I were calm and cool about the whole thing. We checked in with her only once. She was great, reading and playing with Claire as well as tending to our dog. I guess she should be great--at $12/hour. Talk about craziness! I can remember babysitting for $1/hour/kid. I was happy if I walked away from an evening with $20. She walked away with $50, so she must have been thrilled? Anyway, Chris and I enjoyed some alone time at dinner and then a movie. We also came home to an empty bed, which was also a treat. Claire later joined us at 2:00 am, but it was a night full of firsts.
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Love ya,
Jessica