Hellobee

This week is Nanny Appreciation Week and we are showering our nanny with gifts each day this week. Given her daily influence on my girls’ lives, she has made an appearance in a few posts of mine here in the past and several of you have pointed out how amazing she sounds. She really is just as lovely as she sounds, and the token gifts that she will receive from our family this week cannot possibly do justice to what she means to us and how much appreciation we have for her. I’m sure those of you with a nanny or other outside caregiver can relate to my below points of gratitude for our nanny!

First, I am so appreciative of her energy and careful planning to set up play dates and adventures for the girls around the city. She encourages socialization, and instills a sense of awe and curiosity into each and every day she is with the girls. When she first started and the girls were only a couple of months old, I remember being completely overwhelmed by the idea of taking them out of the house at all. I knew she was a professional when she fearlessly took them on the bus to a bookstore for storytime within her first week!

Second, I love her implementation of and adherence to a consistent daily routine. The girls know what to expect, we know what to expect as their parents, and we are all the better for it. I will say that I’m a pretty scheduled and routinized person, but our nanny really took it to the next level and her professional guidance of what has been age-appropriate all along has been wonderful.

Third, I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge all of the dirty diapers, spit-ups, food messes, and crying and screaming fits that accompany two little girls in their first and second years. She keeps Lilly and Audrey clean and dry and fed and happy, and keeps their environment free of harm and danger. I am grateful.

But above all else, I am most appreciative for the tremendous role model that our nanny is to our girls each and every day. She is kind, she is compassionate and empathetic, she is smart and capable and a hard worker, she is funny and fun and loves to join in a good toddler dance party. Lilly and Audrey simply would not be the great kids that they are today without her incredibly positive influence. Thank you, Ms. A!

Our nanny with the girls at their first birthday cake smash. Photo by Julie Dietz.