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December 7, 2002
Bonjour,
In my last entry, I left off by saying that Olivia’s home daycare was shutting down at the end of December. In the last couple of week, a lot of our energy was spent looking for a new daycare. We were working on 3 different fronts: a daycare center, a home daycare and a nanny. I was calling all my numbers every other day to inquire on any new leads. Nothing. I knew my work had to come to fruition at one point; family situations can change drastically from one month to another, especially from December to January. Women can get pregnant and decide to stay home, families can move and parents can be laid off. I learned with Victor that when there’s a will there’s a way so I’m proud to say that I did not stress one least bit. I was mostly ticked off by the time it was taking away from our other duties. In December, there are a million things to do and time is scarce! I was pretty confident something would open up on the daycare front but I decided to hedge my bets and called a nanny recruiter anyway. On Friday, a woman from one of the daycares I was calling regularly told me that there was a spot that had opened up close to our home but since she was not the one working on the dossier, she could not comment further and told me that I would have to wait until Monday to get more information.
Saturday was spent interviewing 3 potential nannies and doing chores in between appointments. The 3 were scheduled for 9:45, 11:00 and 3:00pm. I’m sure the first woman could have done the jobs with her eyes closed but she reeked of cigarette smoke and was missing quite a few teeth. Call me a snob but I jut can’t get past the missing teeth thing. The second woman was very nice but turned into an icicle when she found out we traveled. In one of her last jobs, nights ended up in her work load so our business trips obviously raised a red flag. The very next day she called to take her name out of the race. Her explanation was that Olivia seemed to be too active for her and the days too long. At 2:30pm the one for the 3:00pm meeting called to warn us that she had missed her bus and would be at our place around 3:30. She asked me where we lived and if I could stand out on some corner somewhere to meet her. Needless to say, I was not impressed and my mind was already made up when the doorbell rang at 3:50pm. She won me during the interview. She’s the only one who actually “bonded” with Olivia. At the end of the meeting we were heading off to our in-laws for supper and we offered her a ride to the bus station. She dressed up Olivia even before putting on her own coat. By the end of the interview I had determined that I liked her but my concern revolved around the issue of punctuality.
We told all three that we wanted a week to think about the meetings. The first one did not seem enthused by the duration of the wait so I mentally scratched her off my list. There are definitely pros and cons in everything. In daycare, the children don’t get the one-on-one and are exposed to all the bugs in town but I feel I can trust the workers there more easily than a nanny. I knew I had to go with my instinct. When I had interviewed Ronnie (our nanny for Victor) we had clicked on the spot. I knew I had not had this feeling with the three people who had come to our home. For this reason and because I still had hope we could find a daycare we did not want to move too fast on the nanny front.
***Supper at the in-laws***
A couple of weeks ago my boss invited Eric and I to attend a ball. I decided I needed to feel glamorous and see Eric in a penguin suit so I accepted the invitation on the spot. Suddenly, it hit me that I own one single evening gown. It’s black, beautiful and sexy but I’ve been wearing it for the last 4 years. Right there and then I decided I needed a new one. Every time I shop for one of those, I realize how expensive my tastes are and the fact that I sew makes matter worse. I can not get myself to plunk down hundreds of dollars when I know I can make a stupendous one for less than 100$! For a split second, I thought that maybe, just maybe I could sew myself a new one in time for the ball but I quickly came to my senses. With a husband, 2 children and a full time job, I would need much more than a week to do a good job. I called my MIL and begged her to make me an evening dress. I did not have to twist her arm; she loves to make glamorous pieces of clothing. She advised me to go get the pattern and material ASAP. That very same day I went to get my pattern and material during my lunch hour. I came out of the store with 2 Vogue patterns and a smoky lavender piece of material. Since I was leaving her a measly week, I finally opted for the easy pattern. If you are curious you can see it at www.voguepatterns.com. It's pattern #2157. That night I drove to her place and dropped off all the notions so she could start the masterpiece. By the end of the week it was ready for a fitting and she invited us over for dinner on Saturday night.
The children love to go there and she loves to have them. Victor knows she has treats waiting for him, so the very first thing he does as soon as he gets there is run for the pantry. When his hands and belly are full, he heads off to the TV room where he can find his stack of Elmo videos. After supper he points to the stereo and we all dance to some Reggae or African music.
I tried on the dress and it fit to a tee.
***Music to my Ears***
First thing Monday morning, I called the daycare and they confirmed that yes indeed a spot had opened up. I quickly called the home daycare, asked a few questions and satisfied with her answers told her my husband would be calling her within the hour to schedule a meeting with her and Olivia. I called Eric to tell him of our good fortune. He called me back an hour later and since I was not at my desk he left a message. When I finally got to listen to my message it didn’t sound too good. Using his “the weight of the whole world is on my shoulders” voice, he was asking me to call him back as soon as possible. What kind of a bomb was he going to drop? I called him back as soon as I got his message and he revelled in keeping me in suspense. As soon as he sensed that he had managed to put me on my guards, he told me what sounded like music to my ears. Victor’s amazing daycare had found a spot for Olivia!
For the rest of the day I was on cloud nine and I think it made me feel a little too relaxed… That night, I was scheduled for a 9:30pm flight to NYC or so I thought. On my trips to NYC or Toronto, I’ve always been taking the earliest morning flight. That way, I get to sleep in my own bed but the problem with this arrangement is that I’m pooped halfway through the day. So the last few trips, I’ve resorted to leaving the evening before, right after putting the kids to bed. Just as I was telling Eric how I should have thought of this a long time ago, a nagging thought popped into my head. Was the flight marked for 9:30 or 19:30? I checked and the ticket said 9:30; the problem was that it was for my trip to Toronto and not for the one to NYC! I dug into my bag for my NYC ticket and saw that the flight was scheduled for 7:30pm. I looked at the clock and it read 7:15! I called Amex and changed my flight to the earliest morning flight. I guess old habits die hard!
***The Plaza***
The conference was at The Pierre but it was full so my assistant booked me at the Plaza. I’m not really fond of the Plaza - too much coming and going - but it was freaking freezing so I kept the reservation since I couldn’t get much closer to The Pierre. The last time I stayed at The Plaza, I was stalked by a woman. She called me up while I was putting on my makeup and she sounded really depressed. She told me she had just separated and begged me to listen to her, she needed to talk to a woman. I didn’t want a suicide on my conscience so I listened on. She went on about her last shopping spree. I knew I was in trouble when she started to talk about leather and asked what kind of leather clothes I owned. I felt like such a sucker and hung up. I went back into the bathroom to finish my makeup and then it hit me. What if she’s a dangerous freak? With that thought, I called security and asked them to come and help me change rooms. They obliged. They asked me why I thought she was stalking me. I told them that she had described me pretty well. The worst part is that I never noticed anyone following or watching me. Is it because I’ve only been watching out for men? Now I know that anyone can be a threat in NYC!
***Good Hair Day***
On Friday, the day of the ball, I decided to work from home since I had a 3:00pm hair appointment close to home. Just as I was getting settled in our home office, Eric called to tell me that B and C, Olivia’s current babysitters, were concerned about her constant runny nose. I thought about it and decided that our doctor should take a look at it since her nose has been runny for 2 months. I called and got an appointment for 11:30. Dr. W didn’t see anything abnormal apart for a large mucous production so he prescribed penicillin. He figured it was probably a low grade sinus infection.
By 3:00pm I was finally sitting in the salon with water and fingers running through my hair. Pure ecstasy. Updos are the reason why Liette became a hairdresser. After years of going to see her, I just found this out yesterday! She loves that part of her job and it shows because my hair was just FANTABULOUS!
The ball was boring but I felt it was all worth it after all. With a busy schedule, I have been neglecting my looks and the dress & hairdo made me feel like a princess. It’s the company Christmas party next week and I think I’m going to go get myself the royal treatment: updo, manicure and pedicure. Maybe a massage while I’m at it. I could easily get addicted.
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