Monday 9 February 2015

#Microblog Mondays: Who said babies don't come with a manual?

AJ has a manual. It is about 12 pages, 20 point font, and includes pictures and video.

OK, I didn't receive the manual when she was born. But her babysitters will be expected to read it all hahahaha.

Not surprising really. I am after all the  teacher who writes ~2 pages of sub plans for every hour that I'm away.  What did you expect I would do when leaving my daughter with someone?!

My inspiration was this site which lists info to leave with a babysitter. Apart from the fairly obvious stuff, there's also helpful tips such as a reminder to write down what the child is wearing, in case she is lost or kidnapped, and what you are wearing if the police need to find you. In other words, details that make a person like me go: "OMG! I totally didn't think of that! Thank goodness someone mentioned it!!"

All of this planning and thinking makes me a bit nostalgic for those early, raw days of motherhood when the world was just AJ and I, and nothing else needed to be planned for or imagined. When I wouldn't leave her for any reason but to catch a few hours of sleep. When every successful feeding was a victory and we logged every pee and poop. Where our time together still felt eternal and the curtain between this existence and the world beyond was fluttering in the wind.

On the other hand, I do want AJ and I to be part of the bigger world, so I'm not really sorry to be taking these steps to be something more than a stay at home mom, even if only for a couple of hours. I'll have a lot of stress-sweat this week and likely lose a few more pounds of baby weight, not to mention sleep. But I'll do what I have to do anyway, because AJ's sweet life is a constant reminder that life is about embracing who we are becoming.

10 comments:

  1. Beautiful: "life is about embracing who we are becoming."

    My kids had a manual, too. It's gotten shorter with time, but only because they have more to say themselves. :)

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    1. thanks :-) I am now part of the club of manual-writers :-D

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  2. Camera phone has changed my life: I always snap a picture of them before we go into a crowded area so I have an image with what they're wearing. Not really for the babysitter, but for yourself, it works.

    I think making a book of info for the babysitter is brilliant.

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    1. great idea to take a picture with the camera phone. Yeah, I figure I can't go wrong with providing information.

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  3. This is beautiful, and bittersweet. What a great idea, to have a babysitting binder! I am going to steal this when it's time. I have binders for EVERYTHING. (Must be a teacher thing...) Amen to the pages of plans for substitutes, so why wouldn't you have detailed plans for caring for your daughter? Great post.

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    1. thanks! Glad to have so much support for all my preparations for baby sitter!

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  4. Wow you are one prepared woman! Well done.

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  5. "A failure to plan is a plan to fail." Never feel bad for making a plan, and never feel bad for doing what is best for you. It's good that you'll be out and about embracing life, it sets a good example for your daughter. Always try to lead the life that you would want her to lead because, after all, she is learning from you.

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