The first time I met Ella she was about a year old. I was working in the nursery one Sunday morning at Elevation and she wanted me to hold her. She laid her head on my chest, I rocked her for a bit, and before I knew it she was out like a light. She fit perfectly against my torso and it felt nice to sit back and hold her. She and I bonded that day - and she's had me wrapped around her little finger ever since.
I really got to know Ella's mom Amy a few months before the birth of her second child, Austin. Since Amy sang on stage every week at Elevation for all 3 services, she needed someone to take care of Austin while she couldn't be with him. As you know, I LOVE children...so I volunteered to be Austin's caretaker for most of the day each Sunday.
I started watching Austin when he was 2 weeks old. Fifteen months later, he has me wrapped around his little finger, too. Week by week, I've watched him go through all of the major milestones babies reach: smiling, cooing, rolling over by himself, sitting up on his own, eating baby food, eating solid food, feeding himself, walking, running, climbing, talking, and so much more. Watching a child grow the way I've watched Austin for his entire life is probably the closest I'll come to feeling like a mom until I have my own children.
Ok...enough reminiscing. Let's talk about the present.
I'm babysitting Ella and Austin tonight. They've been absolutely bonkers since I showed up at the door. Here are some of the highlights from our evening together:
- I think wrestling an alligator would be easier than trying to pin Austin down long enough to put his diaper on him.
- As soon as I released Austin from the torture of putting his pajamas on, he headed straight for the toilet (which I had luckily just flushed). He got a few splashes in before I could catch him. When I directed him out of the bathroom, he stopped by the tub, picked up the wash cloths I had just wrung out from their bath time, looked directly at me, and threw them back into the tub full of water. Nice.
- Ella and Austin managed to roll their daddy's desk chair all the way from the front room to the kitchen table - without me noticing. I swear I'm a good babysitter. Those two are just sneakier than most other munchkins.
- Imagine 1-year-old Austin pushing his almost-3-year-old sister around the house in a stroller made for a baby doll. I know, I should have taken a picture.
- Austin used his "little man recliner" to climb into the real recliner where he situated himself perfectly in the middle, picked up his book about farm animals, and proceeded to "read" quietly.
- While I was intently watching American Idol to find out who the final 24 contestants would be, Ella climbed into the recliner (with an Elevation Church backstage pass around her neck), curled up like a roly poly, and began to snore. At the next commercial break I picked her up, carried her to her room, and tucked her into bed. She's the only child I know who plays so hard that she falls asleep in the midst of it.
I love babysitting the Corbetts. As crazy as those kids are, I couldn't imagine loving them more.
Thanks, Chunks and Amy, for letting me love your children as if they were my own. I can't wait to see who they become as the weeks and months continue to come and go.
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