My Monday with Marie

Today was my second adventure in babysitting my friends' John & Sandy's daughter, Marie. I think it was a lot easier today, for several reasons. First, I only watched her in the morning. We both got up late, I was up at 7:45 and Marie didn't wake until almost 8:30 as John was scurrying to get out of the house.

Second, I think we were both more comfortable with each other. After four days of spending time with her and watching how she interacts with her parents, I felt much more at ease with figuring out what was and was not okay for her to do. I also felt more comfortable letting her wander the apartment without having to watch her every second. Now, I didn't sleep while she was playing, but I was able to relax a bit more and give her room to roam. And, finally, I had a better sense of what she was capable of doing and for how long. I knew that I could turn on a video and trust that she'd pretty much sit through the whole thing without running off. I also learned how to better read her non-verbal signals for things like needing a diaper change and being hungry. It's amazing how much I've learned in such a short period of time. Anyhow, here's more photos I took today during the course of our time together.

She started the day by reading a book at the foot of my bed.

Then she decided it was time for a game of chair jumping:

Immediately followed by a game of hide behind the hat:

Next, a round of talk to the non-existent person on the couch:

Marie's Uncle Joe and his girlfriend, Brandee, took Marie out for the afternoon so I could have time to go for another visit with my friend Pete at his condo on the North Side of Pittsburgh.