As good as I have been about documenting what goes on in the boys’ life, until now I haven’t blogged about a MAJOR change that occurred a few weeks ago…the nanny switch. Maybe it was because secretly I was a nervous wreck about how the change would affect not just the boys but me too. It has been three weeks, and I can confidently say that we have all adjusted well.
For those who know us well, you know that our nanny quickly becomes like a member of the family. First we had Bonnie aka Bon Bon. Bonnie will always be special because she was first. She started when Mac was 6 weeks old and stayed until he was 2.5 yrs old. She loved loves Mac like he is her own; he thought thinks of her as another grandmother. Bon Bon still babysits for us, comes over for holidays and birthdays and remains a honorary member of our family.
Unfortunately keeping up with a very active 2.5 yr old and taking care of an infant every day was more than Bon Bon wanted to take on, so along came Tabatha. I truly thought Tabatha was a god send. She started when Mac was 2.5 yr old, so he was past the baby stage and into the full blown toddler/terrible twos! Tabatha was so energetic and exactly what our growing family needed. Tabatha didn’t mind chasing Mac and was always taking him “fun places” like nature walks, Chick-fil-A and the playground.
Tabatha started during a crazy time in our lives. I was 7mo pregnant when she started the first week in January 2011. Four weeks later we unexpectedly sold our house and three weeks after that we were frantically moving to a rental house. The next week Tabatha got a call regarding an old job application she had put in months before. She was offered a job within the forestry field for which she had her college degree. They were offering her a lot more money and much better benefits than a nanny job, so after she and I both shed some tears she accepted the job. The next week Copeland was born (3/11/11) and two weeks later Tabatha was gone (4/1/11). That was a whirlwind two months, and I was convinced I would never find anyone who could keep up with Mac and still take care of Copeland like “Miss Tabida” could.
Thankfully before leaving Tabatha found Miss Colleen for us. Colleen was quiet, and she didn’t open up to me quickly. I wondered if the “third one wasn’t the charm.” I quickly learned that I couldn’t have been more wrong. We had Colleen for what I would say was a critical 18mo period in our family’s life. Mac was hungry to learn anything someone would teach him, yet finding a way to capture his inquisitive mind was easier said than done. Colleen has a control over Mac like I have never seen. She “gets” Mac’s personality and the way he learns.
Colleen had Copeland since he was 14 days old, and looking back I see that God was giving Colleen a practice run for what she now has in store. Coe would cry in the mornings when I would leave and then cry again in the evening when Colleen would leave. We all cried when Colleen left a few weeks ago to prepare for the arrival of her own little boy who will be here in a few short weeks.
I have so few pictures of Colleen with the boys despite her being around for 18mo and us really considering her part of our family. I vow to do better this time.
This brings me to Miss Katie - Nanny #4. I knew from the moment I met Katie for a 2nd time that she was going to be great with the boys. Katie is actually a friend of Tabatha’s, and I met her during the short time that Tabatha was our nanny. Katie was a nanny for another family at that time, and she would occasionally come over to hang out with Mac and Tabatha while her kids were in school. I can’t believe how lucky we are that Katie’s nanny job was ending at the end of August, and I needed a new nanny at the beginning of September. The timing was perfect and so far the transition has been smooth. 
Both boys seem to have taken to Miss Katie quickly and easily. She reminds me a lot of Tabatha – full of energy, lots of fun, and very positive. She has carried on Colleen’s “school work” routine, so she and Mac continue to “do learning games to make [him] smart” a few days a week after VPK. Copeland’s vocabulary has recently exploded, and I can’t wait to see all the things he learns with Miss Katie over the next several months and (hopefully) years. Life changes, circumstances change, people and needs change, but I sure hope Katie can change with us and we can change with her. We want to keep her around!
I haven’t had a bad nanny yet, and I can honestly say each nanny we have had has been perfect for that stage of our family’s lives. God puts people in our lives at different times and for different reasons. I know he has great things in store for us with Miss Katie!
Copeland crashed to sleep in the middle of the visit, so I borrowed Finley for a few family photos! 
Even though I didn’t get a pictures during dad’s for doughnuts, I got Mac and daddy to pose for a picture that night. Albi also clarified that Mac whispered the request for the “wee wee” story, so he doesn’t think the teachers heard what Mac said. I have heard Mac whisper though, and I have my doubts! 