My First Day with my Nephew

So, last Friday (April 4th) was my first day baby-sitting my baby nephew, Gage. Actually it was my first day baby sitting an infant ever!! Needless to say I was a little nervous. My sister took some time out for herself…FINALLY!! After 8 months of prego-ness and another month and half with her new born every single day…it was time for what I call “Kara time,” and she deserved it.

While she was out getting a pedicure, having her hair cut and colored, and running errands, I was with the new born BY MYSELF…something I was excited about…yet still very nervous. Did I say I was nervous? Ok anyway, here is how it went.

My sister came early to show me the ropes and give me tips. Bottle warmer…check. Belly time…check. Book reading… check. How to swaddle….check (not really…I still don’t know how). He likes to poop with his diaper off....check. Try to get him to eat every 3 hours instead of 2…check. OK, I got all the tips…and my sister is out for “Kara time.”


9am. The first hour was spent holding him so he could relax and sleep since he was up since 6am. He slept for about 25 minutes and I was still holding him because I was afraid he would wake up if I moved to put him in his bed.

10am. I changed my first diaper of the day. Now, this wasn’t like anything other diaper change…let me tell you!!! I took the diaper off half way (it was only wet) and reached for the wipes and new diaper. As I was doing that, he started pooping. Remember above when I said he likes to poop with his diaper off!! Yup, this little man loves to do that. And it wasn’t like any of the small poops that infants have. He must have been saving it up cuz man o man it didn’t stop for like 3 minutes. It was hard to contain the madness. I even got some on my hand…but the good Auntie that I am, I didn’t gag…but it sure was a lot of poop. But after it all, I’m glad the little guy’s tummy felt better.

Then I fed him, which is easy…I’m like a pro. P.S….his burps are so loud, he could win a contest. Anyway, after his feeding I was still holding him to try and get him to sleep. But had no luck and my arms were getting tired (but it’s a good arm workout…I’m gonna have definition after a while). Apparently he doesn’t like to miss any action (but there was no action…it was just me holding him…BORING!! Not for me…just for him….I’m not that exciting.) So, I read him a book. This was a cute little book with short sentences and mirrors on each page so he can look at himself. This was really funny cuz he would make faces at himself. I think he likes how he looks. Glad I could help at building self confidence when he is only 7 weeks old.

11am. After the book reading, he finally fell asleep! What a miracle!! I was going to go put him in his bed, but decided that I wanted him to sleep a long time so I held him and watched daytime television (Who decides what is aired during the day….its pure crap!!) While I was watching TV, my delinquent kittens knocked the cable box off the mantle while they were chasing each other and the cable went out somehow. Now, any normal person would get up and fix it. Right?? Well, today was not a normal day for me. I had a sleeping baby in my arms. A baby that hasn’t slept very much all day and I wasn’t about to wake him… so I sat there in silence and was looking at a blue screen for about a half hour. After that half hour was up, guess who woke up! Yup, little baby Gage that is supposed to be sleeping!!! You would think that after he woke up that I would put him in his bed to fix the cable..but nope.. I was still holding him and trying to get him to go back to sleep. (I should mention that I haven’t eaten or gone to the bathroom all morning).

Then I thought I felt that he was wet, so I went to change him again. BAD IDEA!!. He wasn’t wet and he didn’t like the fact that I decided to put on a new diaper anyway. He was screaming so loud, you would have thought I did something to him. While he was screaming his head off, my sister calls. GREAT!!. I was doing so well with him, the one time she calls is when he is screaming. She asks if everything is ok and I said yes. Then she asked if she needs to come get him and I said no I got. She was on her way to her hair appointment and I was determined to get this baby to calm down. So with my quick thinking I started singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. DING DING DING!!! I’m a genius. He immediately stopped crying and his eyes were fixated on me and I kept singing it over and over and over again. He wasn’t sleeping…but he was calm. (I should mention that I don’t have a good singing voice either, but he must have like it!! ya!!!)

So noon rolls around and Joey is on his way home from work. SWEET!! A reinforcement!!! Joey walks in with pizza…yum! I give him Gage to hold and scarfed down 3 pieces of pizza and then I finally went to the bathroom!! Ahh…I felt better!! Then Joey gets his chance to eat. Then Joey does belly time with him. Gage lifts his head up a couple times by himself (belly time successful) then starts to fuss. Joey swaddles him and lays down on the couch with Gage on his chest. Five minutes later…they are both out like lights and sleep for about an hour and a half. He must like Joey better. Too bad Joey can’t be there every Friday…darn. It looked so easy to him. I guess having worked at a day care and having three nephews, he has had his share of practice. Not fair!!!

While they are still assed out on the couch, Kara walks in with her hair and toes done. She asks how long they have been sleeping, I said an hour and half. Then she asks if that is the most he has slept all day. Again I said yes. "BAD AUNTIE" I said to myself. I just couldn’t get the kid to sleep!! Maybe its cuz I am just that cool and he wanted to spend time with me and couldn’t take his eyes off me. Well, that I what I’ll tell myself.

So, this Friday I am on my own..ALL DAY!! Joey will not be home to help. Hopefully I can get him to sleep! We will see!! Fridays are gonna be an adventure and I am gonna love it!!!