Nanny Sharing

We have been sharing our beloved nanny Anna with another family from the moment I returned to work when Hank was just six-months-old. When Hank was first born I visited a bunch of day-cares and got on several wait lists but I hoped that we would be able to get him a nanny (and it's a good thing we did since we are still on the wait list at many of those places!). Sharing with another family seemed like the perfect solution - the costs aren't quite as high and Hank gets the benefit of being with another child every day. I found Ellie and her family through a mommy website that is popular where we live and then we realized we had friends in common once we actually met. We found our nanny Anna through a similar series of events and for the past year and a half we have had a wonderful time spending each week with each other's families. We spend one week at our house and one week at their house. We have had to invest in a few things to make the arrangement work - each house has two high chairs and we invested in a double-stroller that we switch from house to house. If you are looking for childcare solutions I can't recommend this situation enough if you can find a family and a nanny that is comfortable with two. Hank and Ellie are just one month apart and they have gone from two babies sitting side by side drinking bottles of breast milk and tasting their first foods together, to crawling then walking together, fighting over toys, to squealing in delight in loud unison whenever they see each other. This is the first week that Hank and Ellie are no longer together. Ellie started preschool last week at the same school where her old brother goes. Hank will start in January at a different school. In the meantime we have found a wonderful new family and a baby to share with but we are all still getting used to life without Ellie. It has been a wonderful eighteen months. Better than I could have ever imagined. Here are some of their cutest moments together: 

Eating together

Drinking Together 

Hank Proving that Chivalry isn't Dead

Hank and Ellie with their beloved Anna