A challenge ive got to succeed at!

[Granny Primark]

14th of July my daughter starts back work after being on maternity leave for 9 months.
Ive really enjoyed her not working and weve done loads of things together and been loads of places.
Weve even been on a bus ride!
Ive done things that I thought Id never do again.
Not on my own but with the help of my daughter.
Well when she starts back work im going be looking after my gorgeous grandaughter and there is no way that im stopping in the house with her.
I will have to take her feed the ducks, take her be weighed, take her to play group and also to the nursery which shes going one day a week.
Its all things that I will have to do by myself.
I think it be a while before I will be able go the city centre with her and go in primark or next tho!
Im really looking forward to the challenge of looking after her and taking her out on my own.
If anything can give me the incentive to get over these panic attacks its being a good nanny to my grandaughter.

[bottleblond]

Lynn,

I recon you have worked wonders sweety!! and i bet you continue to, you seem to have a new bounce in your step gal and i bet there will be no stopping you. You should be so proud of yourself and i hope your family and friends are too.

well done!!!


Love and hugs

Lisa
xxx

[maddie]

You lead the way and I'll follow! Next year I'll be doing the same (I hope) with my first grandchild. I too am determined not to stay in - I want everyone to see me pushing the pram!!!!!
You've made enormous strides so far. Hope all goes well for you. Feed the ducks for me! xxx

[Anna C]

Hi,

A few weeks ago I minded my 11 month old niece, after a few strong hints from her mum! She doesn't know how hard it is for me sometimes on buses and even just being outside. I got a taxi to her house so that at least I was there. Then because my sister wanted abit of time to herself I had to get 2 buses to take her back to mine. At first I was scared of just getting over a busy road to get to the first bus-stop!

On the 2nd bus even though she was strapped into her pram she was dancing away! There was a man and woman sitting opposite and they were laughing their heads off at her, and she even waved bye-bye to them when they got off. Shes a proper little show off. Anyway I felt a little bit panicky when we got off the bus, its about a 10 minute walk to where I live, so because she was chattering away I just talked to her and it was ok. Then later her dad picked her up.

I hope you have a lovely time with your granddaughter, small children are so funny and so lovely to be around. It probably will be a challenge for you but it will be worth it. Good luck. I think you have lots of laughter and beautiful
smiles to look forward to. As well as the tantrums, dirty nappies.....:D

Good luck! Anna

[jodie]

hiya

wow i think you are doing fab you sound like you have come a long way and this is just the start eh:)
all the things you will be doing with her will pros take you mind of panic and all the other stuff i am sure you and the little one will have loads of fun

jodie xxx

ps ...well done you x

[Southern_Belle]

Hi Lynn,

I am so happy for you that you will be able to take care of your Grandaughter, every Nanny's dream!!! I know that you will do a fantastic job and she will be in the very best of hands. You have come so far and I know the love you feel towards this special little girl will get you through anything. Have a fabulous time with her Lynn!

Love and many hugs,

Laura

[Cathy V]

Hi lynn, sounds like you're doing great, and i totally agree that its the littl'uns that keep us going. Having anxiety off and on over the years my own kids have more or less grown up with it as part of their lives. It didnt mean we didnt do things together or go on holidays or anything, but just that they have seen me having a panic and know that i have to find ways of coping, and theyve all been a great support to me bless em...more than i can say for their father unfortunately, but after my divorce 13 years ago, i started to get myself back on track and worked my way up through college courses, to becoming a medical secretary. I brought the kids up and saw them through their college/uni courses and go on to have their own lives.

The anxiety stayed away for most of this time...maybe i was just to busy to let it take over who knows? but these were strong years mentally and physically for me and i felt like i could take on the world. The past was behind me and the future looked great. My older daughter gave birth to twin boys in dec' 01 and they have always been nanny's boys and we have always been together and had great times in the park, walking through the marshes (Doxey, know them?) and going for chips and coke at the wacky!

I met the cahp i live with now 2 years ago, and he came back and forth to see me in Stafford for the first year, then because of his work committments we decided i would move over here to germany last year. Thats when the anxiety came back and hit me right between the eyes! Ive never been the same since. My poor chap doesnt know what to do with me half the time but he understands that i cant live here forever without my kids and grandkids...they're my life.

So its been decided that by this time next year we will move back to england and he'll find a small workshop to go on with his job (he's a Zahntechnikmeister!! he makes teeth basically) In the meantime i have to make do with the visits when i can, and looking forward to the next one end of this month. My grandsons talk to me on the phone every week and are very excited to see nanny again...and yes feed the bloody ducks too!

My youngest daughter emma has been with me over here as you know for the last 2 months, but she went back last week and im lost without her, so i know what you mean about your daughter lynn. She has brought me out of myself here and made me walk around with her every day, and do the 45min bus ride to Osnabruck city. weve had lunches and ice creams and gone for bike rides and swimming and its just been so great having her here. My anx has bothered me off and on but not so much, so now i owe it to her to keep going forwards. I miss her.

Im also looking forward to welcoming my new grandson elliot beginning of august.

This was not meant to be such a long reply lynn sorry :D it was meant to say well done on all that you have achieved recently and to tell you to keep going, coz us nannys have to get out there and play while we still can!

Take care
Cathy xxxxx :flowers:

[Granny Primark]

Well done anna and well done cathy.:yesyes:
Hopefully cathy we will get the chance to meet up in staffordshire:yesyes:

Maddie its great being a nanny and i was so fortunate to see my grandaughter born. The best experience of my life other than when my own children were born. It isnt very often im stuck for words but the experience of seeing me little katie be born left me truly gobsmacked and I cant wait to be at the birth of her next child.Hopefully 2010.
For the last few weeks Ive been going aqua tots with her. Its a complete joy being a proper nanny.
Please feel free to pm me maddie.
I was very fortunate because both me and nanny from nmp both had grandaughters within a few days of each other and we gave each other a lot of support.

[Alabasterlyn]

I think you will do great Lynn, it sounds like you've really been going out a lot with your granddaughter already, so I'm sure you will be just fine :)

I am in a similar situation to you in that my daughter in law is going back to work next week. However I don't seem to be coping too well regarding taking on the care of my 10mth old granddaughter. I was asked if I could look after her for 2 or 2.5 days a week and I had to say I could only realistically manage one day. I feel really really bad having to let my son and daughter in law down and it now means my son has to change his hours around so that he can have one day off work a week.

Although I've seen a lot of my granddaughter since she was born I've hardly taken her out at all because of my agoraphobia. I had hoped that the joy of having a grandchild would override my fears but it doesn't seem to have. I feel like I am repeating history as I was unable to do anything with my son when he was little too.

It hasn't helped that I had emergency surgery for appendicitis last month which seems to have really set me back with my health anxiety and also my agoraphobia. I wouldn't wish this illness on anyone.