I’ve got another few days of childcare-free work, and I’m less than thrilled about it.

I tried to convince my boss/dad that I needed to work from home this week. At home, I can at least get some stuff done, because there is more there for C to be entertained by and the front yard is fenced in, so I can bring her out without having to follow her around. But he rather quickly turned my idea down, saying that I needed to be in the office this week.

And that’s why I wandered around the office grounds for an hour earlier, swatting mosquitos and generally feeling miserable in the September heat. Yes, I have a low tolerance for heat.

C is mostly being good to me, although I wish we were at home with our favorite books and C’s “cook cook.” Plus I really had wanted to “work” from the zoo on Monday, and that plan was hard to give up on.

Anyway, that’s what’s going on right now. My parents are at the beach, and they’d better not bring me back a t-shirt.

My week (or so) of childcare-free days is over, thank goodness. I can clean off my desk, pay some bills, and get caught up. But today the Bug is at her Mimi’s house, instead of here, and all of that dad & girl time have not made me prepared for a completely child-free day. Allow me to reminisce on last week’s babyness.

For a few days, C asked repeatedly if she could wash her hands. She said they were dirty!

She also spent a lot of time last week asking for Elmo; I said yes way more than I probably should have.

But Elmo did teach her to brush her hair:

C loves this duck. Here she is watering the driveway with the duck.

Did I mention that C loves the duck? I couldn’t get her in the car Thursday without the duck accompanying her:

C went swimming, but first she had to fill the pool (in the yard at our office):

We did have some downtime last week:

And some silly time (C does yoga!):

Ok, now I really must find my desk.

Why is it that some days C sleeps like a baby (har har) and somedays – today, for example – only lightly snoozes?

It’s especially weird that the light sleep can go on for hours, as long as she has the comfort of a parent or grandparent and as long as that parent or grandparent stays sane.

I am ready for childcare to return from the land of relaxation. I’ve been in this room for more than two hours.

And she awakens.

Yesterday, C and I had a good day “working from home.” We went to her Aunt’s house and played with her cousins, and we went to a splash park, where she was afraid to get wet, contrary to her normal tendency to beg for water. Then she got a nice nap and more swimming time outside, where she mostly played with dripping water all over the lawn “watering the dirt,” she called it. I considered taking her to the park this morning, but I’m feeling lazy. So I think I’ll set up a pool outside in a few minutes. Should make for a fun day at the office. Then one more day to go sans childcare!

This is my week without childcare, and today should be the hardest day. Usually, while I have no help with C, at least I have help with the business, but this morning the other staffer who isn’t on vacation is at the doctor’s office. And the morning Elmo video just ended, at 9:15. I would be more saddened by this if C had been paying attention to it in the first place, instead of mostly wanting to play with dad (which I obviously can understand; I’d rather hang out and play than watch Elmo, too).

So I’ve got three more hours without any help at all, trying to run a business and hang out with a toddler. Tomorrow, C and I are going to “work from home,” which is another way of saying “wear her out at her cousin’s house until nap time.” On Thursday and Friday I’m planning on setting up the pool outside, which should be fun, easy, and wear her out sufficiently. But while I considered trying to forward the office phone to my cell so I could sit outside with her this morning, I had to decide that it wasn’t much of an option.

I talked to my mom this morning, and she suggested running C up and down the stairs for exercise. It should be fun. Wish me well. And if you know the answer to this tree trimming question, please chime in!

Usually, my mom brings C’s food every day for breakfast, lunch, and snacks. Yes, I’ve got a sweet deal going here. But with her not here this week, I am in charge of the munchies.

It turns out that you can’t open canned veggies or canned pears without a can opener. Who knew? We might just have to go to WaHo for lunch today. Just kidding; there’s no Waffle House in town. Thank goodness!

Note to self: bring can opener tomorrow.

I’ve complained from time to time about having no childcare, such as this past Friday, Saturday, and the upcoming work week. Having no childcare can be a huge hassle. Just being able to trade off every now and then so you can go to the bathroom or fix lunch without “help” is huge – especially since C is currently hooked on “washing” her hands, so I can’t turn on the water without her crying because she wants to wash her hands!

A few years ago, a friend said that one bonus about having kids was becoming less selfish. It’s something I’ve thought about often over the years, and I’m seeing even more now the truth in what she said. It’s not just that having kids means occasionally going fishing, uck, or allotting massive quantities of time for baseball or soccer. When you have a baby, or a toddler, you literally don’t even have minutes or seconds to yourself, unless you can squeeze in a few Elmo minutes. And let me take this opportunity to mention how much I love Elmo. And Francis. And any other show that captivates C long enough for me to wash my hands after changing her diaper.

But it is really cool getting to spend so much time with C, and we’re really getting to know each other even better than before. I think I am not exaggerating when I suggest that C is closer to her dad than 90% of toddlers are to their dads. It’s in the time we spend together. I’ve always spent a lot of time with her. Even when my mom is not at the beach, I read her books and find the time to play some with her, just because I enjoy her. But this week is a reminder of just how much time I do not spend with her.

I am really lucky that she likes her dad so much, but I just wish I had some backup so I could go to the bathroom in peace!

I know no one wants to hear me whine, so I’ll make it brief.

So I start my week of no childcare, and my stomach is absolutely killing me. It’s a part of my life, and I was trying to suck it up on my trip over here when the damn check engine light came on in the car.

Why?

The service guy – who charged $30 just to look at it – said the sensor is going off because it thinks something is wrong with the throttle (ie gas petal), but he couldn’t find anything wrong. So cross your fingers, right? My bet is the sensor has gone bad and I’ll end up spending $100 to get the sensor replaced.

I told him that I don’t miss my ancient ’81 Ford truck one bit, but at least when that thing broke (which was often), I could tell it was broken. With modern cars, the light will just come on for no reason. The manual says the car might seem fine, but if you don’t pull over immediately you might die. Ugh.

Now if someone could just turn off the sensor in my stomach that makes it hurt.

Because I have no childcare this week, I am now taking what might be my only opportunity all week to listen to some music.

I do everything to music. I drive to music, I read to music, and I certainly work to music. But because I have C to myself this week, I doubt I’ll be listening to much music. I imagine I’ll be walking her (ok, I might have my ipod on, but I won’t be listening to any new music), or hanging out at a playground, or playing some Elmo or Nemo, if I can find a dvd, if I’m desperate to do something other than one-on-one time with the Bug.

So I’m having my music browsing time now, listening to some Wye Oak, Starlight Mints, and Fruit Bats.

No complaints, but at the moment I think I’d rather be watching some tv.

I finally made it out of the office to get C to the park. It was to be a nice stroll, aside from the heat, except we had to make a detour to the bank.

Five minutes after we left the bank, I glanced in a store window and saw C’s reflection. She was fast asleep.

I did not cuss out loud, because yesterday we heard C singing “crap, crap, crap” after – presumably – hearing her aunt say the word one too many times (true story). But I certainly said a few choice words in my head.

And now I have to take them back. I am sure that C won’t sleep as long without food in her belly, although she did have a few crackers before we left. But she has been asleep for nearly an hour now, and about that I cannot complain. I just hope she will sleep another hour.

And as a bonus, I was afraid I wouldn’t get her down until two, and she would sleep until five. On Fridays, we close at four. This early nap means we might could try our walk again at home this afternoon, except then I’ll be able to bring wine instead of water!