Fare Thee Well, Nanny Carole!

And yet another time of change is upon us- whereas months ago we were scrambling around, trying to figure out what to do with Iris when Mama D had to go back to work, today we've finally come circle- Mama D is officially on summer break following this morning's graduation ceremony..

And Nanny Carole, who has been such a great help to our family these last 4+ months, is now unofficially unemployed once again, the result of no more under-the-table monies coming in..

It is sad to see the weekly routine end, consisting of Carole arriving on Sunday night just in time for dinner, leaving Iris with a very groggy Carole every morning before going to work, watching horrible B-Horror movies and syndicated TV shows in the evenings with naM, and celebrating Fridays by going out with the whole family to a restaurant..

So last night we took Carole out for one last Friday night dinner at one of our favorite best-kept-secret-in-town restaurants. Iris chewed a hole in the table cloth, naM resumed his streak of ordering White Russians there and only there, Mama D forgot how to get there, and Carole was impressed by the large fish tank.

We'll remember this period where our lives intersected and ran together- we know Iris benefitted from having the consistency of staying at home and being with Carole during the days, learning about this big world in small bite-sized chunks. And we hope Carole also benefitted by having some income and quiet time away from her other existence that abruptly ended back in December... And we wish her well this summer and beyond with so many big decisions to make..

And sure, when Carole is in town this summer, we'll likely use her help for a day here and an afternoon there... Just as before, our door will always be open to her..

Thank you Nanny Carole!