Last weekend was an adventure-filled milestone for Evan and Taryn; with mom and dad both working the guard weekend for the first time, it marked the first time that TWANGELcare was needed. Having done an "orientation" of sorts with their care-team a week prior, we had as much of a comfort level that any first time parents could have when they have to leave their children under the care of someone else for the first time...which, yes, was VERY nerve-wracking :-) But they say that care, whether it be of the home or day variety, is harder on you than it is on your children...really, it's just an opinion because in our minds we want to be there for every second of every day!
All that being said, we were set up for Team Emily to watch Evan and Taryn. The Emily's are juniors at Warner Robins High School; I (Chad) work with one of their dads on the base and that's how we initially got things going. The two of them are extremely sweet and reassuringly responsible. They did great during their first trial visit, and Evan and Taryn had no problems taking all the extra holding, hugs, kisses, and attention that came with them being here.
Day 1 was Saturday, and the girls arrived early in the morning (7am)...that says a lot for two teenagers who are willing to get up at 6:15am on the weekend. Gena and I left the house while E-man and SweetPea were still sleeping; having left a list/schedule for the Emily's, we promised we were just a phone call away and to call if they needed anything. The first morning went great...Evan and Taryn ate well and played well...and minimally napped. Gena stopped by the house around lunch time for a bit, as we planned to bring some pizza to the girls for lunch. She arrived to find Evan and Taryn happy and recieving a great deal of attention from Team E.
It's kind of a double-edged/Catch-22/Good&bad scenario...you want Evan and Taryn to cry their heads off because they miss you and do the same when they see you come home because it makes you feel extra special and important to them....all the while wanting them to do great in the absence of the both of us because it means that they are getting good care and that they can rely on each other to make things good until mom and dad get back. So their lack of over-elation when Gena got back to the house was an admittable downer...but also reassuring in the necessary context...as if to say "we're good MOM...we love you and will keep playing until you and daddy are done working for the day."
Day 1 ended at about 3pm, and the rest of the evening was back to the 4 Tutts. Day 2 was a shorter of a day, being from 7:30am to 12:30pm. Once again, Evan and Taryn did great with the Emily's.
Overall, it was a good experience. Most of our apprehensions and fears were put at ease (don't know that you can ever get by ALL of those)...we both appreciated and felt extremely good about the care the Emily's were providing to Evan and Taryn. It's cute to see that they each have "their" baby...while it makes it easy for scheduling and duties, it's fun to watch them with their "favorites" and tales of "mine finished their food first!" Taryn still analyzes everthing for her Emily...and Evan flirts with his Emily every chance he gets...and he LOVES her long hair (we've "warned" her about his grabbing prowess and grip strength :-) ) We think we've got a good thing going here with the Emily's and are glad to have that in place for when we need it.
This time, it was a milestone both for Evan and Taryn and the two of us....and we made it without too much worry/stress :-). We found it extra comforting to see how much love our babies were getting in our absence and really that is all that matters.
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