O Nanny where art thou?

Sorry I've been off the radar for a while, but we've been scrambling a bit. Due to unforseen circumstances we suddenly found ourselves nannyless and in a panic.  Grandma Beth was gracious enough to come down to care for our little girl while we figured out what to do.  Joining the church hasn't done squat for our status on the daycare list, other than lighten our wallet a bit with our generous bribes..I mean, donations.  Why can't they kick out someone else's little brat so our perfect child can go to the perfect daycare?  Is that too much to ask?  Of course there's no such thing as the perfect daycare, as many friends and acquaintances have shared their horror stories with us.  No matter what type of facility, SB is going to end up sick with a cold or worse half the time.  She has been so healthy her entire almost 5 months of life; we hate the idea of exposing her to the germ warfare of a daycare center.  Not that we even have that option because we're still on the wait list. So while we're waiting, we needed some other options. 

Option 1:  Quit my job immediately and stay at home with my girl. 

Great option except for having to pay those pesky bills every month.  We could probably swing it, but it would be tight, especially since we just dropped $6800 on a new furnace.  I'd have to get some kind of job working nights but the only things that come to mind are cocktail waitress or exotic dancer and I'm not cut out for either of those career choices at the moment.  (I won't share with you Kurt's disturbing thoughts on lactating strippers but he did think it was a niche market with potential to be quite lucrative.)  Anyway...with that option off the table, that left us with:

Option 2:  Find a new nanny. 

The idea of inviting a stranger into my home to take care of my precious child while I'm toiling away at work is not my favorite thing in the world.  In fact, it really freaks me out, but we found a trustworthy nanny agency which sent us two candidates.  We really liked one of them so we're taking the plunge and giving her a try.  And I will try not to call every five minutes or cry in the bathroom at work all day.  Really, I'm sure it will be fine and it's only a temporary situation and so what if we're paying her half my monthly take home salary; the happiness and well-being of our baby is priceless, right?  So pray for poor Mommy and Baby and Nanny as we transition into our new routine.  

To relieve the stress of all this and get some fresh air, our little family took a stroll downtown on Sunday to see the Christmas decorations and more importantly show Sarah Beth the latest addition to Charlotte's public art collection, the Glorious Disco Chicken in front of the new museum.  Ok, the official name of the sculpture is actually "Firebird" but I think my choice is more appropriate. 

Isn't it wonderful?  I love that there's a mirrorball chicken on a perch nestled amongst the stoic bank buildings.  We can't wait for the Bechtler Museum to open.  This guy decided to build a museum to showcase his modern art collection.  Must be nice, hmm?  Thank you Mr. Bechtler.  Sure beats the stupid Mudpies we've got along the light rail tracks.

The shiny bird is a fantastic addition to downtown and I will enjoy taking SB to see this fun sculpture for years to come.  See, she loves it already!

Here are some more photos of our urban adventure.  SB looks thrilled to pieces, doesn't she? Kurt and I had fun, at least.

These giant Christmas ornaments are my favorite decorations downtown.

I had such a horribly busy day today, and I had to rush down to the car between meetings to pump some milk for SB (yes I'm still doing it in the parking garage.)  I was in the worst mood, when I heard a janitor pushing a bin, picking up trash that people had carelessly dropped from their cars, and he was singing Santa Claus is Coming to Town.  He was good.  I mean, Ray Charles kind of good.  I sat there in the backseat of my car, getting myself back together and laughed, thinking, if this guy can sing his heart out while picking up other peoples' messes, then I sure as hell should lighten up.  He doesn't know it but he changed my attitude a little and ignited a flicker of Christmas spirit in me.  I needed that.  I hope he has a very Merry Christmas this year.