Is It Naptime Yet

Last night was our ward party. While there I talked with a mom in our ward, Sam, who teaches dance classes for young children. Sam starts teaching them at the age of three so I decided I would enroll Lilah. They’re at a nearby elementary school so they’re cheap, just $15 for 6 half hour lessons. Really I just want Lilah to start socializing with other kids and maybe develop some talent or find something she enjoys. We’ll try it out and if she likes it she can continue if not then hopefully we’ll find something else. The classes are one night a week for six weeks. Sam’s husband is finishing his masters this Spring semester and it so happens that the last class he needs is the same night she teaches class and during the same time. She called today asking if I could watch her little girl for the two hours before the class and then bring her with me and Lilah to the dance class. Sam’s daughter is almost three and she wanted to enroll her daughter in the class also. Otherwise Sam’s mom would be watching her daughter and she wouldn’t be able to have her in the class since she would be on the other side of town being babysat. Sam suggested paying for the class or paying me for my time or exchanging babysitting. I took her up on the babysitting. I wanted to do something like this with other moms in the ward. One or twice a month I watch your kids so you can do whatever you need to, or just have time alone and then for the same amount or so, depending on the number of kids, you watch mine. Mostly a switch and maybe there would be play dates and socializing so it wasn’t just an exchange.  I thought this would be good so moms could have time to get the house in order without kids messing it up, or go to doctors appointments with just one child instead of two or three. Most of the stay at home moms that would take this offer have just two, like me, or just one.
Well Sam mentioned date night babysitting or middle of the day babysitting. I said I may save time up and have her watch my girls for a long morning so I could paint or do a large project. She said that would be fine to.
I’m excited at the possibility of getting things done or having time alone to do things. In a way it gives me a little extra motivation because I now know that I have a a babysitter for large projects that I want to do without the guilt of “how can I repay this person for watching my daughters for a whole morning?”.
I’m just happy that this happened. Her daughter is well behaved and my only worry is her daughters anxiety at being in a new place. She is usually pretty friendly after getting situated. Really, Lilah is the exact same way. Also Lilah’s nap is at the very time she would be at my house, but hopefully it all works out

Jon’s parents are older and they have a hard time getting things done for Christmas sometimes. I remember our first married Christmas we came over and helped set up the tree and decorate it. Other years they’ve been able to pull it off. This year they had a hard time.  This past month their health as been ailing them and they had their one and only car in the shop for a week before the mechanic told them to take it to the dealership, in which the dealership diagnosed and fixed it in about 3 1/2 hours. Since we were in the middle of finals she didn’t tell me anything until this Wednesday, the first day we were able to make contact this week. I found out about all the craziness and that they had no tree up and had bought no gifts. They declined my help for Thursday. (Lilah had a little book reading holiday party with a nursery friend.) This morning I called them and nothing had been done for Christmas. Mom was planning on getting the tree out, but she was still having some difficulty. The reason Christmas is so important is Dara and Jason, my two down syndrome  siblings in-law. Since they still are quiet child like in their thinking I knew it would be important for them, and my in laws to have the Christmas tree up and some gifts. Mom said she had some videos from previous years that hadn’t been given and some pants for Jason that she had hemmed. I decided I would go and get her two items for each child and then we would go over as a family and help set up and decorate the tree, which Lilah was all for. Mom didn’t know what to get Dara and Jason. I suggested shirts and she suggested a photo album for Jason. Jason loves taking pictures. I went to Mervyn’s and Eden tagged along with me this morning. It was surprisingly not that busy and we got in and out quickly with no long line since I was in the linens department. I got Dara a shirt and a medium sized lava lamp and Jason a shirt and a photo album set. Since I got home at 10:45 am we packed up and went to the parents to set up the tree. I also wrapped the gifts while I was there so I knew that they would be wrapped.
We never know what to get his parents. They already have a lot of stuff, so this was our gift to them. Mom suggested we make it a tradition to have us over to help with the tree. She loved watching Lilah decorate, and just having company was a nice change. I suggested I could also be her elf and by this time next year because we should have a second car which would allow me more freedom to come help them. It may sound cheesy, but I love that I was able to help them for Christmas. I was a little pushy, but that was so Mom would accept the help. I know our help helped them and that makes my holiday feel a little bit more like Christmas.