Thanks so much for providing me with advice I requested on my personal/professional life choice. I especially found the advice from Meredith (AKA MoJo), Missy, and Janice extra encouraging. Although everyone had a different take on my strengths, it was all from personal experiences--the best kind of advice. The advice allowed me to do a little soul searching to discover what was best for my family.
As much as I love being home with M, I really enjoy the sense of accomplishment I receive from working. In addition, I enjoy contributing to the household income. As I am still breastfeeding, I could not imagine doing it while working full time. My current career has allowed me to continue to work and nurse my son, which is a rare attribute to find these days with careers.
In addition to asking friends for advice, I did a lot of praying on the matter. I often pray and go to my wise friends and fam for words of encouragement, both of which have led me down the right path in the past. I am usually relatively private about my spirituality, but this time I want to share my recent encounter. I truly believe some divine intervention was responsible in this decision. I had a chance encounter in my neighborhood early one Friday evening (July 31) with a woman who offered her childcare services to me after seeing M. We spoke briefly about life and I mentioned that I was looking for in-home part-time care for my then ~9.5 month son. I obtained her contact info and discussed checking her references. I had been down and out after spending the week at home working and caring for a sick baby who was still adjusting to EDT from our recent trip to Australia, all without any childcare assistance. On top of my frustrations, I got a heads up from work that my boss was at getting frustrated with my lack of dedication and in-office time and was not looking forward to the confrontation the following week at work. Little did I know at the time, Marquita had just lost her job on the day we met and was devastated by the recent turn of events. Our meeting could not have come at a better time for us.
We spoke over the phone a few days later. After speaking to two of her references, I felt that I had learned what I needed about her character and was ready for an interview. It all seemed too good to be true and I was a little wary. I spoke of this to one reference and she politely asked me if I was religious. I mentioned that I was Catholic and she stated that Marquita was also. Not only was she a very spiritual person, she also taught religion classes at the local church. I was already thinking divine intervention might have come into play and was then convinced.
Marquita came over one morning to discuss the job. She arrived and interacted with M for a while. While M was napping, we spoke openly and I felt very comfortable with her. She ended up staying for about four hours that morning--definitely enough time to get a feel for her character, interpersonal skills, and competencies as a childcare provider. In addition to caring for her 13 siblings, her own three children, and other infants and toddlers, she also had formal training in early childhood development. She loves children and is somewhat one herself (like me, right?). She is very encouraging and understands developmental stages. Most importantly, M really likes her.
She has been caring for M for over a week now. I can already tell such a difference in him. He has learned to clap, wave hello, find his nose (mostly), strengthen his cruising skills, eat more solids, and so much more. She is definitely a positive, encouraging person for M. She also does house work and cooks--bonus! I am ecstatic with Marquita and hope she is able to stick around for quite a while.
