Kammy

When I found out I was pregnant with Isaiah Mark was gone and it was just me... I felt like I had a million things to do and buy to be prepared for our little boy. One of my biggest concerns was daycare...who would watch my baby while I went off to work... Well, my good friend Kammy made that decision easy on me. Kammy was a good friend from work. She took me under her wing when I started at the credit union. She was a senior loan officer and I was just a new teller. Our friendship grew as we worked together...and one day I said to her, "you should quit your job and watch my baby" and she said "okay." We were both half joking...but what do you know, she did it! Her youngest son was turning 4 shortly after Isaiah was born and she knew it was her last year to spend with him before he would head off to kindergarden, she wanted a reason to be home with him. So it worked perfectly for both of us. Isaiah spent hours at her house... I worked full time and it was just me for the first 10 months of his life...He was at her house close to 50 hours a week. She got to teach him to drink his bottles, eat his first foods, she was there to help sooth him as his teeth grew in. She watched him learn to roll over and crawl, she watched him take his first steps and say his first words. She has had a very strong influence on him. Kammy stopped watching Isaiah in May so that she could spend the summer care free with her family before her little guy headed off to school... but Isaiah has not forgotten her, in fact he asks for her on a regular basis.

This week I get to work 5 full days in a row while my job share partner (and daycare provider) is on her vacation. What does this mean? Isaiah (and Levi) gets to go spend a week with Kammy and I don't think too much could make him happier! On Sunday night I was explaining to Isaiah what was going to happen the following day. I told him that mommy had to go to work again and he was going to see Kammy. He immediately said, "shoes, where are my shoes mama?" I said, "Isaiah, we don't need your shoes, you have your jammies on, we are getting ready to go nigh night," he started crying and said, "Kammy, mama, go see Kammy." He was so excited he wanted to see her NOW! I fibbed to him (yeah I'm naughty), "Kammy's sleeping, we can't go see Kammy now, you get to see her tomorrow." Isaiah, still crying, says, "I want to go see Kammy now--wake her up!!!!!." Trying to distract him, I said, "it's dark outside, you won't get to jump on Kammy's trampoline if we go see her now." He looked right at me and said, "Austin's trampline." I said, "That's right it is Austin's trampoline, but if we go to Kammy's house now we can't jump on Austin's trampoline." He says, "Flashlight" and continues to cry. I just held him and said, "I'm so glad you like Kammy. She's going to be so happy to play with you tomorrow." Isaiah finally gave in with one last mumble, "Kammy" and sat on my lap to read our stories.

We have been so blessed to have Kammy watch Isaiah for the first 19 months of his life. I truly feel that he is so advanced and smart because of all of the work she did with him. It makes me so happy that he gets to spend this week with her...even if it means I have to be at work.