#54 Babysit the DeVries once a month

What's this? Jess is contributing to the blog! Since babysitting is on my 101, I suppose I could add my adventures in babysitting to the blog. :)

Back on Aug 16, I watched the twins and Ev while Jenn and Corey went out to dinner and finally saw The Dark Knight. Aside from the twins throwing a fit when they were trying to leave, telling them they couldn't go outside and it was raining (it wasn't at the time), it was a successful evening. Their nana was there at the time as well, so she distracted them with fruit snacks while I started feeding Evan. She also put in Cars and then snuck out the door.

Really cute, when I was done feeding Evan, but before I got him out of the high chair, Travis needed help getting some pieces of his 'pow pow' out from under his bed. I went to help him and Evan started crying, so Taylor came down the hall to tell me 'Evan's crying'. :)

We all watched Cars for a bit and then it was bathtime. It was a success until Travis told me he was ready to get out of the tub, but when he found out that meant putting a diaper on, he wanted to get back in the tub. When I wouldn't let him, he ran to the back of his parents' closet and sat in the dark. I told him he could come out or I could come get him, and then he came out all happy and like it was his idea to put on a diaper. Then he threw a mini-fit about putting on his pjs and ran into his bedroom and onto the bed. When I got in there, he ran back out. I spotted some other pjs on a table and asked if he wanted to wear those or the other ones and suddenly it was his idea to put on the fire truck pjs so all was cool. Then we got chocolate milk and straight into bed.

I turned off the light and told them I was going to get Evan a drink. I didn't hear a peep out of them and 20 minutes later they were sound asleep. Ev was pretty much out like a light as well, except when I tried to lay him in his crib, he'd be good for 20-30 minutes and then start crying. After about the 3rd time, he just slept on my lap the rest of the evening. Jenn had said they never had a nap that day, so that might've contributed to them going to sleep so easy, but I was slightly worried that they'd also get really cranky. And Travis, before bathtime was very cranky about his 'pow pow'. It was these magnetic pieces but when he hooked 5 of them together, the ones at the end would fall off (the magnets weren't that strong) and he wailed every time they fell. But that was really it for the crankiness.

So, the first of 34 times was a success. :0)

Tonight was (or is) the second of 34 times. The kids were in the tub when Jenn and Corey were leaving, but they decided it was time to get out and then threw mini-fits (wow, nightmare when they're all 3 screaming) that they wanted mommy and daddy. Somehow I ended up with Travis in the bathroom, and Taylor was at the door with Jenn and Corey. I'm not sure what they said to her, but it seemed to cheer her up and she just repeatedly said 'Bye mommy and daddy!' as they were pulling out of the driveway. Travis started crying for them, but he also looked out the window. Then we went to get Taylor dressed and she threw another fit because she didn't want a Mickey Mouse diaper, she wanted Elmo. I looked for one in her size to no avail and went back and held her down a strapped on the MM (was another nightmare as she and Evan were both screaming their heads off). Once I got it on and got her dressed, she seemed to forget about it. I think I asked if she (they) wanted to read a book or maybe a few other ideas to distract them, and she said she wanted to watch Nemo.

I attempted to start Finding Nemo but couldn't figure out how to turn the TV on (it's dark in there). But the kids were mildly distracted and forlorn, Taylor on the floor with her purse, Travis looking for Thomas. I tried taking FN over to the other TV, but alas, couldn't figure that one out either - well, not how to switch the TV over to DVD mode - which I know I've done in the past, but oh well. After a few minutes, I had the bright idea to find something on Noggin and we ended up watching Wow Wow.

As the twins were watching, I fixed up Evan's bottle and we sat down too. He fell asleep and at the end of Wow Wow, I asked Travis if he wanted to get his pjs. He said no, but I said yes, so he said ok. I put Evan down in his crib and we went for pjs. Then I fixed up milk and they ran into the bedroom and laid right down. There was some minimal crying for mommy and daddy, and Travis came out once, finally calling for me instead of mom and dad, and asked me to fix his fingernail (it was stuck). Taylor's asleep now (30 mins later - not that she's been crying this whole time), but Travis is still up, and in fact he just brought me some kind of Batmobile thing to fix. I took him straight back in to see a train all hooked up in his bed, but he laid right back down and I covered him up. So, we'll see what he does next. :) Actually, it sounds pretty quiet, maybe he's falling asleep...