Jessica

Meet Jessica, one of the cutest little girls on the planet (I say that a lot about little girls...probably because I'll never have one, but if I do, she will be the cutest little girl in the entire universe!). :) Jessie has been a part of our daily lives since the end of August when her mom, dad, and two older siblings started the new school year. I watched her for a few hours three days a week up until this last Friday, when her mom finished classes for the semester.

My decision to become employed (sort of) again was three-fold. One, I wanted to do our friends this favor; take care of Jessie so her parents could take college classes and not worry about their youngest child. Second, I wanted to provide Drew the opportunity to socialize with other kids his age on a more consistent basis. And thirdly, the little extra cash flow was a nice addition to my pocketbook. :)

Let me just back-up a second...Jessie turned two in October. So that's one, two, three kids under the age of three, in my house, with me, alone, three days a week. Oh.My.Goodness. For those of you who have three or more children of your own that are under the age of three, my hat is off to you. Holy Cow. If I ever hear anyone, anyone, say that being a stay-at-home parent, or teacher, or child care worker in any capacity is a lax job, they've got one coming to 'em! Talk about work! Chasing, separating, entertaining, refereeing, mending, hugging (that part's not so bad), feeding, changing, rotating, fixing, crying (usually me, not them), story-telling, and scheduling kept me mighty busy!

Drew's experience with Jessie was a positive one, I hope. Like any typical two-year-old, he looked forward to her coming over, but once she was actually here, had some sharing/possession issues. I'm hopeful he's beginning to learn some lessons about working with others so when the time comes to enroll in preschool, he'll have at least a tiny hint of appropriate behavior (HA! a mother can dream, right?!). And I hope that Jessie's experience with us was positive as well. I know it was new to her to acclimate to our home and our boundaries, as well as it was for all of us to get used to having another toddler (and a girl!) around our home. As for next semester, Jessie's mom is taking online courses so she won't need me to watch Jessie anymore. Perhaps a few playdates here and there. Somehow, though, I think Drew will be okay with that. Reed's beginning to take on the role of "pesky little brother" quite well. Drew will have his hands full!

A sweet moment (this was back in September, when they were still getting use to each other...and still wanted the other around!)

I managed the best I could! Line 'em up, drop your drawers!

Our last official day together.

Jessie's older sister Bekah (she's the one who wants to marry Drew), Reed, Drew, and Josh (Jessie's older brother). At the end of August, I watched all five of these kids for a couple days. Whew!