A Day for Facing Fears

Last week Nicole called and asked if I would be available to watch Pete for a couple of hours today. Without hesitation, I said yes. After I hung up, a small fear crept up inside my head. Would I be able to watch (and by watch I mean entertain, feed, clean, and keep safe) three kids under three for a couple of hours? I wasn't so confident. But, I was definitely looking forward to finding out and spending time with Pete. At 9:00 this morning, Terry dropped Pete off. Lucky for me, Nick was napping and Nemo was busy outside. Pete, being the easy going toddler that he is, immediately gravitated towards the toys and didn't even fret when Daddy left. After a good half hour of playing, we headed outside to check out the sandbox and other fun things out there. Paige was very helpful in pointing stuff out to Pete. She actually played nicely with him, phew! Nick finally woke up and joined us for snacktime and again more playtime. Shortly before Terry arrived, we ate lunch. It went better than I had planned, yay! I had to take some photos as proof that my fear was unwarranted.

"Cheese!"
Pete checks out the sandbox.
The spinning umbrella is fun to watch too.
Just the two of us.
The gang's all here.
Threw this one in because you can see his bottom teeth!

Before afternoon naps, Paige, Nick, and I took a walk around the block. Recently a neighbor down the street planted a row of those "tall, wispy plants" near the sidewalk. As we approached, Paige stood frozen. Her fear of feathers crept up again. I told her that I would walk in between her and the plants. She was relieved by this idea. There were no tears or screams this time, but rather a calm brisk walk. So, although her fear was not conquered today, it was definitely chipped away at, even if it was only just a little.

-Jen