I was sad today picking Owen up from Martha’s. It was so bittersweet to me. I was sad for Owen, for the fact that he doesn’t even realize that he won’t get to see Martha or any of his friends for 2 months, since we are going on summer break soon! He’ll be sad. I bet he’ll ask for Martha or Paul, or Shaun or Luke or Estephen or Lilia or Cameron or Eden or Maxx…his friends that he loves so dearly with every ounce of his 2 year old little heart! Yes he’ll have other friends to play with…and see most if not all of them again in August, but still.
Gosh, I remember this time last year, we were finishing out the school year and Hannah was babysitting our lil Owen, with the company of Brenda Goller and lil Addison Gerke. Taryn’s mom was having hip pain and unable to fit Addi up and down…Brenda and Addi would come over so Hannah could help Brenda with Addi. Hannah was just amazing with my baby, she would lay down with him to get him to take naps, and just spoil him rotten. Owen loved his Hannah, she got to watch him grow those few months while I was back to work. It was nice and easy, and convenient. But I knew that the following school year Owen was going to have to go to a “real” daycare. Mom started searching for me…and my anxiety about leaving him with a STRANGER was really getting to me. I’d sit and cry all the time with the thought of bringing him to a complete stranger. Like HOW on EARTH could I ever trust my CHILD with someone that I did not even know?!? I had major mixed feelings about whether I wanted him to go to a big daycare facility or an in-home one. Do I want a bunch of eyes on my child, and possibly let him get lost in the mix of children OR one set of eyes on him…only one that could potentially harm him?!?!? Oh gosh, what to do what to do. My heart-rate is increasing just THINKING about back then.
Then one day…Mom was getting her hair done at her lady’s house. (This hair woman does hair outta her garage in the Ridge on Tuesdays and has a huge client base). Anyway, Martha’s name came up. Mom got the number for me…but I just wasn’t sure about an in—home sitter, especially one in Southridge (which is totally outta my way from my house and work). BUT I wasn’t having luck really finding (or even looking) for other options. I called and spoke with Martha, and in the mean time Mother was contacting tons of people/teachers that used Martha at some stage with their own kids…ALL totally loved her! So I went to the house to check Martha out, hell she could have been some crazed lady for all I knew…and a LONG story short, Mom adjusted her work schedule…Owen started going to Martha’s August 9th, 2010.
The first week of school I cried driving from Mom’s to work w/ the thought of Owen being w/ someone he didn’t know. Mom had the luxury of dropping my SCREAMING child off…the first 2 weeks were very rough on Owen AND Bernie. Owen would be crying, not wanting to stay…Bernie would be crying on her way to work…all while I had no clue…they hid that from me until later! It took Owen 2 weeks…and he was adjusted. After 2 weeks Owen LOVED “MarthaPaul” (Owen used to call Martha, “MarthaPaul”…and he called her husband, who’s name is Paul, “Hunnie” which I thought was just so so cute) and would talk about her on the weekends. And the best part of that was that Martha AND her family all TOTALLY LOVED my son back. Not often you find people that truly love and care for your child like you would.
Week after week, I noticed my baby turn into a real boy. Martha was teaching him things I never knew he was capable of learning. When he counted ALL our stairs in the house at 18 months I knew Martha was working wonders w/ him. The manners, boundaries, limits she teaches them all is amazing. We were suffering w/ his sleeping habits at that time (b/c he was in our bed) but Martha got him taking naps in his Pack-N-Play and now sleeps like a champ in his own room!! I really don’t know what we would have done w/o her…actually I do know…I’d be ONE GRUMPY lady never getting enough sleep!
So now its summertime…I’m teaching summer school for the month of June. Bernie is going to get to be the Babysitter….I warned Martha that my child will be absolutely RUINED when he returns to her in August. Oops…poor Martha will have some re-training to do! I was on facebook uploading the pic of Owen and Martha to put on Martha’s page and I noticed another Mom already posted a pic of her son and their friend Luke w/ Martha. Those boys are starting kindergarten in August and Owen is truly going to miss them dearly. He talks about Shaun and Luke on a daily basis! Got me sad…like my Owen isn’t the “baby” at Martha’s anymore…he’s in the “intermediate” group…she’ll be prepping for kinder soon enough. Next thing I know I’ll be that Mom taking THAT picture w/ Martha 
Thank you Martha for loving my son!! And see you in August…fingers crossed Owen will be using the big boy potty by then!!!
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