Aria's First Babysitters...

Well - this Sunday Brad & I did a photography gig - and I'd been avoiding thinking about it (since it meant leaving Aria), and so I left getting a babysitter until the last minute - and then the people I called weren't available because they were (in order): On Vancouver Island, in Mexico, in Australia, in New Brunswick, in Indonesia, in the States, gone camping, gone hiking and had to work. FINALLY, I called a girl from our church who I don't know well, but I just figured she'd be good with kids. Turns out she'd just finished a first aid course the day before (check) and wants to go into child physiotherapy (check) and has TONS of experience (yay) - all of this I found out AFTER asking, but that's beside the point. The point is, we went to the PNE - took pictures at a corporate party, and left Aria wandering with Sarah and her friend for four hours - and she was AWESOME!! I fed her right before the gig started (at the PNE at 10:45), then left her with them, did my thing (expecting she'd need to feed at some point DURING the gig - she didn't) and then when they came back (at 3:30), I fed her again and we packed up and all of us went home. It was lots of fun to be working again, and doing something other than taking care of Aria - and knowing she was close enough that if I was needed I could be there, but still knowing someone else was taking care of her was a great transition into the life of babysitters. I'm glad Aria was so good, and I'm glad I handled it well (I was very proud of myself, as only a mom who's had babysitters can understand). This is where not having a mom around was tough - it would be a whole lot easier to leave Aria with a grandparent, BUT in the end we all survived!.