Smiling

Well. It happened. I got sick.

Dangit.

And I missed my sister's engagement dinner.

Cuss.

But all is better now! There were no hurt feelings that I did not attend the dinner and infect everyone (truthfully, she TOLD me not to come ;) ). And, as of Monday, everyone's back to 100 percent, and back about their business. For Buddy and Brother, that meant a ridiculously funny, unintentional reenactment of the Youtube video "Charlie Bit My Finger" (minus the cute British accents). For Sister, that meant the return of her dogged determination to master walking. And to be fair, Brother is getting A LOT better at it too!

Here's just a few things I've smiled over throughout the past few days:

- Backstory: Buddy enjoys making games out of eating his food, not unlike most other children his age. However, his favorite eating game (other than racing) is pretending like his food is me (or whatever adult).... and eating me. While giggling mischieviously. Lovely.
Buddy: Haha, Devyn! I'm eating you!!!
Me: What?? That's not even right, dude.
Buddy: Here are your eyes! I'm eating them right now!!
Me: If you eat my eyes, how can I watch you do your cool tricks with your racecars?
Buddy stopped mid-chew. Thought about it. Thought some more. Then responded in a "duh" tone, "Uh... you watch me with your belly button instead. Why didn't you know that?"

My bad, little man. Biology was never my strong suit in school.

-I made breakfast burritos this morning. Served them to the babies with the egg mixture and warm tortilla separate. Brother (who has recently developed a love of putting clothing, blankets, and towels over his head and leaving them there) dug right into his food. I stepped over to the sink for one reason or another, and when I looked back up, Sister had thrown her seemingly useless (to her, anyway) tortilla across the room. The kid's got an arm. But Brother had gone the fashion route, and plopped his right on top of his head, beret-style, and went straight back to eating.

Paris and Milan aren't even ready for this kid.

-Buddy and I were playing some variation of a shooting game (I never really know the plotline, I'm just along for the ride), and were going back and forth from shooting bad guys, to monsters, to each other. Suddenly he yelled "I got you! You're dead! Fall over now!" So I, being the obedient type, collapsed onto the floor. The babies squealed with excitement and dogpiled me. A few seconds later, I tried to sit up, and he immediately directed me back down. "How long am I dead for, Buddy?" I asked.
"Ummm... All day." He decided.
"All day, huh? So you're gonna be in charge?"
"Yep."
"And protect Brother and Sister all day long?"
"Uh-huh."
"And make alllllll the food?"
"Yep."
"And clean up all the messes and change Brother and Sister's stinky diapers?"
Silence.
"BE ALIVE, DEVYN!! BE ALIVE!!"

That's what I thought. ;)

The Plague

**If you have an exceptionally weak stomach, move along to your next activity.While  I don't go into graphic detail below, I still don't want to hear any complaints that I gave no warning. This is what I'm dealing with today, so this is what I'm writing about.**

The plague has settled upon the House of Kids.

Brother and Sister had it yesterday, the mom and Buddy have it today. Sick bowls and Pepto have been distributed to all, and I am taking suggestions on how best to holster the hand sanitizer bottle to my hip.

The mom stayed home with the chitlins yesterday when they were in full swing, and Buddy and I had a movie day. When everyone went down for nap, I went home. And when I called later that evening for a status report, all was well and calm in the house. The kids were no longer sickly, and everyone was loud and playing again.

Bullet successfully dodged.

I got a text message at dark thirty this morning from an exhausted and slightly panicked Mom-of-the-Kids asking if there was any way I could come in a little early, because she had been struck down by the plague through the night, and Dad-of-the-Kids had an early morning meeting with his upper management that could not be missed.

I agreed and came to work early. All was going smooth, and it was an average morning by all accounts. Except for the fact that Mom-of-the-Kids was laid up in the master bedroom infirmary in the next room. We went about our play, had breakfast, and I had an anticipatory bonus cup of coffee.

Then the words no one in my situation wants to hear: "Devyn. My tummy hurts."

It began. Soon after, I settled him in the infirmary along with his mom and went to retrieve him a sick bowl. After a briefing on proper bowl-technique, I left the room to disentangle Sister from the depths of the toy bucket. When I stuck my head back in the door, barely a minute later, Buddy was in full-force mode. BUT he was using proper technique, and all was well afterward. Attaboy.

I'm really hoping I can dodge this bug. For two reasons: 1) I have my sister's engagement dinner tomorrow, and 2) Like everyone else, I'm not a fan of being sick.

Lord, help me.

Neighbor Kids and Steel

Today is a pretty lazy day. My niece (3) is here visiting with us, and so is my little sister (11) who comes over every other weekend. So, that means I am camped out in the office, and they are in the living room playing with puzzles and watching Alvin and the Chipmunks. Now, I can handle alot. But when the 4th cheesy kid movie in a row gets plugged into the DVD player, I have to excuse myself.

Once in the office, I flipped on the tv for some background noise and Diary of a Mad Black Woman was on. Just a few minutes later, the little neighbor boy, Shawn, came by to see if my sister could play today. I told him they are watching a movie right now, but he was more than welcome to watch the movie too. He immediately darted past me straight to the living room and couch. The kid knows our house layout, our beverage inventory, and basic schedule better than I do half the time. ;)

Barely five minutes later, Shawn wandered into the office where I was and stood three feet behind me (I didn't know he was there). Suddenly, he loudly exclaimed, "OH! Diary of a Mad Black Woman! I love this movie! Madea is awesome."

After I cleaned up the drink I had slopped down my front from the sudden and unexpected declaration, I said "Yeah. This is a pretty funny movie. I had to watch it when I was in college."

His eyes from that point forward never left the tv, and he responded, "I have the whole Madea series. I love the one where she goes to jail..." Then, in perfect timing with the scene on tv, he quoted along with Madea in perfect imitation as the on-screen character pulled a handgun out of her purse and stroked it, "Peace be still... Well, peace always comes with still, 'cuz I keeps me a piece 'a steel. Thank ya, Jesus."

He quoted the movie the rest of the time he was here, and said the characters' lines along with them.

Yeah. Wouldn't be so funny unless you take into account the fact that he's 9. And has the entire Madea series of movies down verbatim.

Man. Its really the little things that get me. ;)

The Cast of Characters in this Comedy Crew

Here's a little more insight into who you're going to be hearing alot about for the next... um... however long.

First off, there's me. Early twenties, no chitlins of my own. But I've been around babies and small children nearly constantly since I was one myself. So its always a wide-eyed "What???" when someone tells me they've never held a child, changed a diaper, etc. My mom watched kids as a way to get around the fact that she didn't want to work while my sister and I were young. My sister and I were raised as a group with my godbrothers, and a few cousins thrown in occasionally for sport. There is very little about babies and children that shocks me anymore. They just make me laugh.

Nannying for this family has been the greatest gig in the world for me right now. Unmarried, with no kids of my own, I am constantly seeing through Facebook most of my old classmates and various friends announce "I'm engaged!", "I'm getting married tomorrow!", and "I'm having a baby!" And while I do pray for those blessings for myself one day, I am perfectly content right now to play with these sweet kids all day, love on them, comfort them, feed and clothe them, clean up after them, and then go home to my own space, make me some food, and have some quiet time to myself. I have the best of both worlds in my opinion for now. ;)

Next on the character roll call is Buddy. Yes. That will work nicely. That is what I'll call the 4 year old little boy. I call him that half the time anyway, so it will be very easy to write. I considered, however, referring to him as "Hulk". It would have played in nicely with him except for the fact that he's actually pretty small, and well, not green. He has an affinity for all things Incredible Hulk. He's got the bedsheets, the eerily-similar Hulk roar and catchphrases memorized, the large foam fists which will come out of nowhere and sock you me in the side of the face when you're I'm not expecting it, the shows recorded and kept on backup on the DVR, and the now-tattered Hulk PJs that he's been known to wear for days on end.

This kid is crazy-smart. And he will remember everything you've ever said to him. He is just barely four and uses words like "challenging", "compromise", and "consequences" in his everyday speech. And has a mind for science and math and engineering. Penmanship? He couldn't care less. He'd rather draw pictures on his arms. He's also a very diplomatic little guy, and when he's in trouble he'll want to know your side, tell you his side, and try to reach a compromise that isn't ACTUALLY a compromise (considering his ideas usually revolve around somehow getting his way after all). He's got the makings of a lawyer. But he's a very sweet, loving little boy with a worshipful eye for his daddy, a sweet spot for his mommy, and a protective side when it comes to the babies.

Next there's Baby Brother or Little Brother. At 11 months old, he's already got the build of a linebacker. But he's just so darn cute, and the resident snuggler of the household. He's also recently begun to tap into his linebacker muscles. Since babygates aren't a strategic possibility in this house, the parents and I will block off the doorways out of the main room with various furniture and pack 'n' plays. He has recently learned that if he gives a mighty yell and pushes with every bit of his weight, he can 9 times out of 10 remove the obstacle from his path and free himself and his sister from the confines of the room. But hey, as long as I stay one day smarter than these kids, I'm still golden, right??

Brother also has a deep love and fascination for all things technology-related. Hand him a toy, he'll mess with it for a while, chew on it thoughtfully, then toss it aside and is off to the next adventure. But hand him a remote control, cell phone, or video game controller, and the kid is absolutely CAPTIVATED. His dearest ambition right now is to get to play unsupervised with the office computer system. And he will fight for what he loves too. Try to take anything technological away, and he will scream and shriek at you in what most closely resembles some form of Chinese, I think. Rest assured as you look in his angry eyes that he knows exactly what he's saying to you-- or calling you. And even when he's not angry, he's still a very chatty little boy.

Finally, there's Sister. Brother's womb-mate and roommate. She may be petite, but don't let that fool you. She's got a little grin that says it all---- absolutely adorable and sweet, but with an undeniable mischievious streak. Remember those makeshift babygates I mentioned, and how Brother will shove them aside? Well. Sister is sneakier. She will somehow go under, over, or in-between them in ways that you would never imagine. She's the resident Houdini of the house. And as soon as she gets through the barricade, she's off like a bat outta heck. As soon as she hears you coming up behind her, she speeds up, laughing, her little arms and legs going as fast as they can. (Whereas, when Brother escapes, he's not in as much of a rush. And when he hears you coming after him, he panics and freezes where he is. Much easier to catch.)

Oh, and Sister's dearest ambition? To climb the stairs all the way to the top. Fabulous.

She's not as chatty as Brother is, but will still talk a little. She's also very cuddly. She loves to crawl up in my lap and just sit for as long as possible, sucking her fingers, and watching her brothers go about their play. She's also very interested in getting where she wants to go in the least amount of time. So, naturally, she's a little bit more inclined to practice walking than her twin. But rest assured that as soon as she gets good enough on her two legs for that to be her primary mode of movement, Brother will not be far behind. He's reluctant to let her do anything cool without him, and vice versa.

So there you go! I think I've explained the people and circumstances well enough now that I should be able to start blogging without giving continual backstory! Stay tuned for the craziness that's bound to ensue. ;)

Day 1

Well good grief. NOW what have I gotten myself into?? A blog? Is this a joke?

Since it appears to be "for real" now after considering it for so long, I guess I'll just jump on in with both feet.

If you don't know me (and I'm assuming you do, if you're bothering to read this at all), I'll fill you in a bit on my circumstances:

-I am a recent college grad, about to take quite a few big steps in the next few months, including buying a car for the first time, paying for said car, getting my first place, PAYING for said first place, (notice a cash-draining trend here?), moving to a new town, and all the little ups and downs and what-the-crap's that go along with it.. Its gonna be scary. And I'll likely freak out a time or two between now and then. But what's life without a glass of wine or ten?

-Yes, I am a nanny. And yes, I adore what I'm doing right now. The kids are adorable and very fun, and the parents have been disarmingly great! To clear up any questions right now, I'm going to go ahead and say that for internet safety reasons (and because they are not my own kids) I will not be posting their names or pictures showing their faces. I'll figure out pseudo-names for them later, and refer to them in that way. BUT. I will tell you that they are pretty stinkin' cute. And their ages are 4 years old (a boy), and boy/girl 11 month old twins.

-I've started this blog as a way primarily to keep track of myself. And the crazy things that seem to come along with the profession I've fallen into for the next bit of my life. And the small, undesirable things that I am forever pulling out of the twins' mouths (just this morning, it was a caterpillar, guys, and it was still alive). And the number of times I'm going to think to myself that looking after little ones should fall under the category of "full-contact occupation"... right alongside, ya know, football, lacrosse, the navy seals, and rodeo.

So. That was a fun first post. Actually it wasn't. But I had to get those things out of the way so I could start "for real" later tonight. Or tomorrow during my break (again). Or whenever I find I have something semi-memorable I'd like to share. ;)