Update

I thought I should post an update about how our childcare situation is going. I was very hopeful in the beginning, but slowly, some concerns are starting to emerge. Surprise...surprise.

Like I said...we used a website called Care.com to find nanny/babysitters in our area. Before I go on, let me just say that although I have some concerns about our current babysitter, she is SO much better than any of the au pairs we got through the au pair agency. So in case you're wondering...I don't regret giving that au pair agency the boot!

Let me focus on the positives first! This new babysitter, I'll call her skater girl (since she loves to talk about her skater boyfriend), spends all her time with the baby...which we love! She carries her, she hugs her, she changes her clothes daily (which was a big step up from our last au pair), and she genuinely seems to care for Mon-Chi-Chi. She's a little bit odd because she hardly ever says anything to the baby. There is absolutely no baby talk, no affectionate words, and most of the time she spends with the baby is in absolute silence. If she does speak, she normally makes a few sarcastic comments like "Oh...so you want me to wash your pacifier for the 5th time today?" or "Someone is in a grumpy mood today." But she's making these statements in a playful way, not really in a patronizing way.

Although Daddy-love-bones is losing his patience with her, I am still willing to give her a chance. She seems to respond well to suggestions, so we may have to make out a list of activities that she can do with the baby. Otherwise, they sit next to each other in silence for hours.

I'll talk to her about these concerns today, and we'll see how it goes.

More later....