Great Expectations

My wife, J, and I are expecting our second child at the end of November. We are very excited by this prospect, as we have been hoping for some time for a sibling for C (who is now 7, and will be 8 by the time her brother/sister is born). C's birthday is in the middle of November, and she treats pretty much the whole month as a time that is all about her. We will have to make an effort to keep her birthday very special, lest she feel neglected.

J has recently left a job in which she was required to work long hours (her shortest shift each week was 12 hours) overnight. During the approximately two years she held this job, a heart arrythmia has manifested itself. We were also unable to conceive during this time. No sooner than she left this position, she got knocked up. Her heart condition has also been alleviated to some degree. Now I'm not blaming these conditions on her previous position and the work environment (though I did often encourage her to file complaints and to leave the position), but I do see the correlation between her resignation and these health events. Now she has taken a position with regular work hours. We didn't realize how lucky we were, not having to make childcare arrangements. We would like to avoid traditional day care if possible, because all of our experiences with them have taught us that even the best ones are less than ideal. If anyone has an idea, feel free to leave it in the comments. If you know some responsible person in the Morristown, TN area who would like to care for a seven year old girl four days a week during the summer, please let me know.


Recent quotes:

J: C, will you please let the dogs in?
C: (a la Rodney Dangerfield) I get no respect around here.
J and Me: ???


C: Hey daddy. . .
Me: Yes?
C: Boys go to Jupiter, to get more stupider.


C: The Easter Bunny isn't real.
J and Me: Oh, really?
C: No. A little bunny couldn't hop around on his back legs and carry a basket full of eggs.
J and Me: OK. . .
C: But let's just pretend I believe in him. And don't tell Santa that I know the Easter Bunny is fake.


Why the hell would Santa care?


-snikta