Ryan and I had a wonderful anniversary last night. We kind of laughed about how old we are because we were home and asleep by 9:30. I guess that's what having a baby and jobs that require you to be up early in the morning will do to you. Laura came over to watch
Aric. (I felt a little bad because he was clingy due to those two teeth coming in and the four shots he was the
recipient of at the doctor's office.) Ryan and I went to dinner at
Chilis (thanks Dad and Mom)and then walked around the mall. I was able to return a pair of jeans I ordered from the Gap with one of my Christmas gifts and get a sweater and pants instead for only $.80 more. That was nice to do without the distraction of a baby and Ryan entertained himself in the bookstore so I didn't feel rushed. Then we had desert at
Applebee's and went home. It was great having some time together- just the two of us.
Aric did have his six month checkup yesterday (which was more like seven months since they scheduled it so late). My chunky monkey weighs 18lbs 11oz and as far as the length we're a little unsure. They measure his length by making him lay on the paper on the table and making marks at the top of his head and the bottom of his foot, then they measure that distance. It doesn't work right when he reaches down and tears the middle section of paper out while she was measuring his head. The doctor laughed when she saw that measurement compared to the prior measurements. I can tell you he's longer than 26 inches and we've had to raise the height of his
Jumparoo. The doctor confirmed that he is cutting two teeth on the bottom.
Aric also went right up to his knees when the doctor put him on his belly. She said we should get the house baby-proofed sooner rather than later.
My supervisor called me to see if I could possibly come in and work part of the day today. I told her that if I came in
Aric would have to come with me, because he has nowhere to go. (And I really don't think it's right for Ryan to take off time at work just so I can work extra.) She pulled some strings to arrange it so I could have Monday off to be with
Aric and look for a sitter, making me feel a little indebted to her. However, I have enough trouble finding someone to watch him when I work much less look for a sitter on the days I don't work. My family has to come before my job and I refuse to feel bad about the situation. I would've brought
Aric in with me today with some toys. He
could have played on the floor!
I found daycare for
Aric. Thanks to Amy for setting me on the path to finding the right person. If there was a prize you would definitely be the winner!
On Monday, I contacted one of my coworkers whose wife has an in-home daycare. She said she would consider taking on
Aric two days a week and wanted to meet with me on Tuesday. That night she called and told me that her (babies') parents weren't comfortable with her taking on another baby and she wouldn't be able to watch
Aric. Honestly, I wasn't sure how comfortable I was having him go there because she did sound over-extended, but I was willing to at least meet with her. She did mention that she spoke with her daughter who does in-home daycare and mentioned my situation to her and that I should give her daughter a call. I called the daughter, Autumn, and set up an appointment to meet with her instead on Tuesday.
Yesterday I went to her house and met her, saw her set up and the kids she watches. She still didn't have a definite answer for me because she needed to speak with three more parents about adding another child. Last night she called and said that all of her parents have no problems with
Aric joining the daycare and that she would be happy to watch him. She has six other kids she watches, but really only five come on a regular basis. The youngest will turn 1 this month. Autumn seems really nice, the kids looked clean, happy and genuinely seemed to adore her. I feel good about leaving
Aric with her and think he will thrive and be happy there. In addition, he will be able to interact with other children close to his age and learn that he's not the only baby in the world.
I am honestly drained by the last couple of days. I have called people, run all over town trying to find lists of people, combed through classified sections and the
Internet all in the search of someone to watch
Aric for two days a week. It's great for
Aric that he is able to spend so much time with Ryan and me, but it's really bad for finding daycare. No one wants to take a part-time child. I keep thinking more and more that if we ever move it would definitely be something I consider doing myself, especially knowing how much daycare providers make! Then I could stay at home with this cute little boy!
