Miracle

I haven't told you the whole story about Aurora. Now I know that every nanny thinks their child is special, but in this case, it's really true.

Aurora was born at 27 weeks, and weighed 1 lb., 13 oz. at birth. She spent 4 months in the NICU and went home when she was a whopping 8 lbs. She was fed through a feeding tube till she was 3 years old. At 4, she's only been eating solid foods for a little over a year.

Aurora is a miracle child. She survived, against all odds, and has not just survived, but has thrived. She has no delays, plenty of spunk, and is smart as a whip. And she's deep, very deep. She's incredibly insightful, aware, organized, and sensitive. Sounds like I'm talking about a therapist, but no, I'm talking about a 4-year-old child. She's been through stuff most of us can't even dream of, so if she gets a little sassy every once in awhile, I'll take it.

She's a little sprite, and could stand to gain a few pounds; that's the only thing we're really working on. Mom and Dad have success. Nanny? Not so much.

Aurora reminds me a lot of myself. I was also premature; I spent time in an incubator. I'm little too, though I might gain a few pounds trying to get Aurora to do the same. We have similar dispositions; a little sassy, a little sensitive. Sometimes it's weird to be around Aurora and feel like I'm living my life over again. If I did have it to do over, I'd sure like to have Aurora's life, surrounded by love, support, and all the chocolate chip cookies I could ask for.

Home Invasion

You never know what situation you're going to walk into at Aurora's house. One time I walked in and Aurora was making all the people in her dollhouse "go to sleep", including the furniture. Go to sleep my foot! It looked more like a home invasion to me. Poor Grandpa!

House Song

One day Aurora and I were going to my house. She was in the stroller, and I was pushing her along, up a long block. We talk a lot about houses and which ones we like and why. This time, she started singing a song about each house as we passed it:

This house is made of rocks...(looking at a stone wall)

This house is kind and gentle...

This house has a porrrrch...

This house is so sen...si...ble...

This house is so special...

One time I couldn't hear her, so I said, "This house is what?" "Nothing!" She replied. Then went on:

This house doesn't have a porch...

This house is so special...

We should all take the time to look at our surroundings, don't you think?

A Bug's Life

Aurora doesn't like bugs. The first few days we were together, she'd cry out and flail her hands whenever she saw a bug, especially a flying one. I happen to like bugs, and don't want to encourage killing them, no matter how small. One time we saw some ants, and she screamed, "Aaaa! A bug!" I said, "Look at what they're doing! They're working, and just crawling around. They're just living their lives."

From that point on, whenever we see a bug, Aurora says, "It's just living it's bug life."

Flies like to "visit." Whenever we see a regular fly or a fruit fly, I tell her it wants to see what's going on. It's not going to stay; it's just visiting. It's living its fly life.

Works with whatever you're scared of or don't like. The other day, Aurora stubbed her toe, and the next day it still hurt. She was complaining about the pain, when she piped up, "My toe is just living its toe life!"