3 Strollers & 1 Baby

Remember the days when you would put something down in your home and it was actually still there when you went to use it again?  I don't know, like your hair brush, your shoes or your bottle of water that you are currently drinking.  In my home, some magic phantom fairy steals these things and they are thrown in the bathtub, under the couch or if it is something edible, it is often shoved into the cab of a toy truck.  Who would do such a thing?  I miss those days when my stuff was mine and no one touched it, broke it or colored on it with a red crayon.  OMG, how times have changed!

Last Saturday night we had one of our family nights, where the three of us head out in the city for dinner and treats and perhaps hit up the hottest playground or water feature!  We wandered to the North End, where one of the Italian feasts was going on & had fun meandering through the busy streets of Little Italy munching on pizza, arancini and sweet treats!   As we headed back to our apartment, we walked down Hanover street, the main strip with tons of restaurants.  I was sweaty from carrying Ollie while pushing his empty stroller, had Ollie's hand print in pizza sauce smeared across my white tee (hot look!) and was straight up exhausted from a busy day.

Many of the restaurants have big huge windows that are thrown open for summer dining.  It was 8pm on a Saturday night in August - prime time!  I was eager to get home and then I casually glanced at a table of young (younger than me!) fun girls enjoying wine and bread dipped in olive oil.  Their hair was freshly coiffed and their outfits were super cute (not black yoga pants) and I had this HARDCORE pang of envy.  When the hell is the last time I went out to dinner and casually enjoyed my meal and laughed with my girlfriends (or husband)??   Dinners now consist of shoveling food very very quickly in order to be done before Oliver finishes his grilled cheese and wants to launch out of his seat and begin his marathon of running.  Or if we have our beloved babysitter Julia taking care of Ollie, we literally go to the exact same place every single time, order the same meal and debate whether to have a second drink at all, as the morning will be such a beast if we have too much to drink...all the while mostly talking about Ollie and keeping the iPhone on the table, eagerly awaiting a picture text from Julia.  Pathetic. 

It is so funny how we parents have morphed into entirely different people!  One other example is my obsession with baby gear -- namely strollers.  I currently have three strollers (2 brand new) sitting in my not so big apartment.  I have one baby, who doesn't even really like being in the stroller.  I had a bee in my bonnet that Ollie's UPPAbaby Vista was old and trashed, so I needed a new one after 18 months.  Enter in the ole grandma, who would buy him a Maserati if he asked.  Score!  I studied the new 2013 Vista fabric colors like it was my job!  In the end, we went with the new Indigo blue color to replace the old slate blue color we had! HA!  Then this weekend at a sidewalk sale, I saw an amazing deal on a Mountain Buggy Duet double stroller.  I mean, I HAD to buy it for my second baby, that has yet to be conceived- it allows for a toddler seat & a bassinet for the new baby, so I really had to buy it.  Right?  Needless to say, my husband is none too pleased with me this week. 

I realize I need psychiatric help for my stroller hoarding and I don't even care!!  I remember sizing up another woman's style by her handbag or shoes...now it is her stroller.  Ohhhhhh she has the Bugaboo Donkey, she is sooo the cool girl!

What about you, readers??! Please share below in the comment section how you have changed as a mom or perhaps what kid purchases you are obsessed with that could possibly be the catalyst for divorce papers!!

Pizza!  YUMMMM!

Verrry popular with the ladies at the feast!

Rory Earley - Postpartum Doula / Night Nurse Services

Hi Blog Readers!

Thanks so much for checking out my silly blog!  I just thought I would take this opportunity to outline what I offer as a postpartum doula and how I may be able to help your family.  I am a fellow mom, originally from Cohasset and now living in Downtown Crossing with my husband and 18 month old son.  I love babies and children and I feel lucky that I can stay home with my son during the day and have this career helping other moms and dads in the evenings.  Here is a snapshot of my services:

I offer two "shifts":
*6pm-11pm
*10pm-6am (overnight)

During these times, I am available to help in any way, for example:
*Anything related to the baby
*Laundry
*Bottle/Pump part washing
*Cooking
*Grocery shopping
*Errands
*General household organization
*Older sibling care
*New mom support - breastfeeding, swaddling, bathing, soothing techniques, baby products, etc
*Prenatal support -setting up nursery, product purchases, help with securing long term childcare


My Experience:
I have over 15 years of experience with newborns and children of all ages!  I have been a babysitter, FT nanny, household manager and I am a mom myself to my beautiful and crazy redheaded son named Oliver!  I am a CAPPA trained postpartum doula and now focus my practice on strictly working with newborns & infants.  Additionally, my mom is a chef/caterer, so I've always loved cooking. I have prepared many meals for moms that are on a restricted diet during pregnancy or breastfeeding!

Rates:
$40/hour

Please fee free to contact me with any questions!  I am open to a myriad of different situations and am happy to help in any way I can.  My goal is to make your life a little easier.

Thanks for reading!

Rory Earley
rwearley@gmail.com
http://roryearleydoula.blogspot.com
http://facebook.com/roryearleydoula

Who is this baby in my living room?

Do you ever look at your child while he is screaming through the latest tantrum and think- who is that?  Is this real life? Ohhhhhh right, I left my carefree life of having a clean "single girl" apartment in the North End to move into a bachelor pad with some guy I liked, we got married and now we have a baby!  Wait, when did this all happen?

I think these revelations are even more surreal for me, as I spent most of my life caring for other people's children.  It all started with a big, loud Irish family with a million cousins (and many cookouts in Nana's backyard....and perhaps a wiffle ball tourney or two)!  Then, as I ventured through college and grad school I babysat and nannied all over Boston and in my hometown of Cohasset.  I truly loved it and it was a wonderful way to supplement my income while in school and then subsequently to bolster my meager salary while working in government!  Some weeks I would be working 5 or 6 nights a week, spending my evenings in other people's homes!  I remember working for families with big houses and two luxury cars (plus maybe a "dump car" for the trash runs) and plenty of expendable income and thinking that was just the natural progression - someday I will have all this too.  HA! 

I have so so so many crazy stories about working for other families - many good and some so very funny!  Like the time in a babysitting interview when the mom informed me that they don't allow guns into the home.  Ummmm, ok thanks for the info.  Many of the moms I am super close with to this day, which is so great.  I have been so honored that all these families have trusted me with their little lovebugs all these years --- and now I appreciate it even more since I have hired a babysitter for my Ollie! 

We are obsessed with our babysitter Julia and trust her implicitly, however I do remember the first time I let her take my little baby out of the apartment and to the playground.  I was a wreck - peeking down from the balcony and watching as they walked away down the street!  So ridiculous and I would have TOTALLY rolled my eyes at a mom doing that to me when I babysat!  Having a caregiver take care of your baby is like saying: Here, here is my entire life, my entire purpose for living, please take care of it. So now, I get it, I totally and completely get it.   Similarly, I now get my mother-in-law wayy more than I ever did.  When Chris & I started dating and she would visit, she would say things like: "Oh Chris, you are so perfect," which made me fume with anger.  I literally wanted to prepare a PowerPoint presentation on ways he is sooo NOT perfect!  And now I have a handsome little boy who is literally the spitting image of his father, and I have found myself saying: "Ollie you are so perfect"..... jinx!

This week, Ollie & I ventured to the fun wading pool on the Esplanade on a sunny morning.  Ollie loves swimming and has such a blast.  I love that the water only goes to my upper calf, so my bathing suit is cropped yoga pants and a tee.  (Hallelujah for no bathing suits necessary!).  Anyway, he was splashing around and dunking in his cute little swim trunks, and it was just so nice.  As we dried off and sat eating a snack, I looked around to see a bunch of moms and caretakers enjoying this day, and I had a big and somewhat weird epiphany ----this is my life!  This is my kid, my UppaBaby stroller, my diaper bag.....not some other mom's stuff that I am caring for --- just mine.   It seemed quite profound at the time, but as I'm writing this, it does seem a bit silly!  All those years I worked with other families, dreaming of having my own husband and babies and now it is real life.  I did it.  I really got everything I have ever dreamed about.....well, except for the pearl white Range Rover, but hey there is still time!  Right, Chris?

My ever so supportive husband has been pushing me to write a book...mostly because I think he naively thinks it will make millions!!! However, I have been thinking about it for some time. Now that I have this juxtaposition of nanny life and mom life, I'm thinking it may be a good read -  The Nanny Diaries meets Real Housewives of Boston!  C'mon Random House, show me the money!!