Super Sitter

Last night we went to see a very funny play Home School Musical. We enjoyed it very much. Maren is really too young to go, and I don't treasure taking 13 potty breaks within a few hours, so we hired a neighborhood girl to babysit her- to protect her privacy we'll call her Miss B. She came over right on time and was ready to play doll house with Maren, conceivably for the next three hours. I showed her the usual things I show the babysitter- where the snacks and sippy cups are, where the pajamas are, the special Dora potty seat, toys, etc. I gave her the phone number of my cell if she had any problems, told her what time to get Maren to bed, and we left on our merry way. As I said before, the play was delightful and I laughed out loud multiple times- especially the character of Linoleum Dynamite. So funny.

When we drove into our neighborhood after the play, there were no lights on anywhere. Our home was completely dark. The power was out. Miss B. came to the front door (because we couldn't use our garage door opener and none of us had taken a key) and let us in. She was sitting in complete darkness. I hadn't shown her where to find a flashlight or candles. Most of our phones are portable so she couldn't call us. We do have a grounded line, but I didn't point it out to her. After the outage, she had miraculously gotten Maren calm in the dark, found her way through our unfamiliar house, gotten her into pajamas and fixed her an ice water to take to bed using the light from the portable phone, and gotten her to sleep by rocking her. Then she waited patiently for us to get home. The power had been out for about 1 1/2 hours. I felt terrible that I hadn't prepared her, but I was so impressed by her calm and collected demeanor. She had looked for a flashlight under the sink as that's where they keep them at her house but ours are in the utility drawer. Her family was gone up to a Cub Scout pack meeting, so she just handled the situation- amazingly well. When we got home she apologized because she had spilled some water and had stepped on Brutus the dog a few times (I didn't mention he's afraid of the dark and probably followed her right under her heels the entire night). This gal is my new preferred babysitter! I paid her extra last night- she earned it. If any of you want Miss B.'s phone number, just let me know.