Babysitter Troubles

Well, I feared this day might be coming, but it's stressful all the same.  It has been so nice having a babysitter come to our home, but we are now needing to look for someone else.  Patsy, our babysitter, has a lot of responsibility taking care of her very elderly mom.  Back in early November, her mom got sick and was in the hospital for a few days.  It really took a toll on her, and she was needing some physical therapy and more help around her house.  Patsy was having to take Kinley with her every day to take care of her mom.  I know it was getting tiring on Patsy, and we were starting to get concerned that Kinley wasn't getting the attention she used to.  I know Patsy loves and cares about Kinley, but she was getting torn in too many directions.  As Kinley is growing and spending more time awake, John and I feel that she needs stimulation and good play time to explore new skills.  We both felt she was probably spending too much time in her carseat during the day.  So, we made the difficult decision to look for someone new.  It was stressful, and I felt bad about it, but I knew it needed to happen.

My friend Nikki has been happy with the lady who keeps Jenna.  It's someone who keeps kids in her own home, and only keeps 4 at a time.  She also keeps the little boy of a 1st grade teacher at my school 3 days a week.  I called and talked to her yesterday, and John and I went and met her in person tonight.  We both really liked her, and it's more affordable than a day care center.  We both felt good about it, so we are going to give it a try next week.  Her name is Dora, and Kinley spent a lot of time playing with her tonight.  Dora only keeps teacher's kids and follows the school schedule.  So, we don't have to pay for the summer, and don't even have to pay to hold a spot like we would at a day care center.  I felt really bad to have to cut ties with Patsy, but I think this will be for everyone's best interest.  We will see how things go next week.