Lucy Duty Update

I've been getting a lot of questions about my job status lately; which seemed weird to me at first, but then I realized that I kinda left everybody hanging. 

I am not a stay at home mom.  I am still working full-time, and hope to do so for as long as possible.  Wait, what? 

So what are we doing about childcare (a.k.a. "Lucy Duty")? 

The answer is not so simple.  It has taken a lot of effort to keep our little Goose out of daycare, a family-wide effort.  Grampy and Auntie Fallon watched Lucy from 7 am - 3 pm from June to October, until my Dad's accident.  We (Casey, myself, and my Mom) were able to use Vacation, Work from Home, Sick, and Unpaid Time for the month immediately following.  And presently, Uncle Cole has taken over the bulk of Lucy Duty.  He watches her from 7 am - 1 pm, and then Auntie Fallon watches Lulu until 3 pm.  My Mom and I both try to take one day off each week, to cut down the week for Uncle Cole and Auntie Fallon. 

I told you the answer was pretty messy.  I'll wait for you to catch your breath.

We're hoping to stick with this plan until next May, when Fallon graduates.  (Am hoping to successfully bribe her with money and designer handbags so that she'll take over Lucy Duty.)  Believe me when I say that we know how much we are asking of them; this is not the arrangement we discussed when I was pregnant...  Unfortunately, no one could've forseen Grampy's accident.  And if one day it gets to be too much for Uncle Cole or Auntie Fallon, Casey and I won't have much of a choice in the matter.          

Now to answer the two lingering questions...

Why are we so gosh darn opposed to daycare?  The cost.  The quality of care (holy moly, the horror stories I have heard and read!).  My phobia of germs and strangers.  My brief stint as a nanny that scarred me for life!

Why do I hope to continue working?  I've kept it no secret that I would love to be a SAHM.  Aside from how much I miss Lulu, I feel horribley guilty for imposing on my parents and siblings; but truthfully, we are not financially ready to be a single-income family.  We were recently given the tools to plan and attack our financial goals, and we are finally capable and excited to do so.  (Thanks again, Becky!!!)  By working hard for the next 6 or 12 months, or even through a second pregnancy, we could possibly be ready to make that life-changing decision.

(And just to be excruciatingly clear, I do not judge any parent that puts their child in daycare.  There are certainly many developmental benefits that daycare provides, it's just not an option for our family at this time.)