[KayJayFly]

My daughter is heading to full-time preschool this fall, and we are very sad that we must say so long to our full-time nanny. As a working single mom by choice, I had absolutely no idea what to expect from motherhood, and I have to say that Susan has been instrumental in helping it to be an incredibly fulfilling – and manageable – experience.

Susan came into our lives when Ivy was four months old, and there was an instant connection between them. Susan is that rare combination – a calming force who also has the energy to care for and entertain a baby growing through toddlerhood. She has limitless patience and a truly special spark with children, making her a favorite among my daughter’s friends.

When Ivy was an infant, Susan followed all of my instructions to the letter regarding feeding and sleeping. She was adept in dealing with every step along the way – from handling stored breast milk properly to transitioning to formula and then pureeing food. She has always prepared all of Ivy’s meals during the week (except breakfast), and has managed to grow my daughter into healthy eater, and a vegetable lover. I do mostly organic and fresh foods with Ivy – and Susan has never fed her anything that wasn’t prepared at home before asking me first.

As a full-time working mom, I can say that I never once had concern over Ivy’s safety. If it’s possible, Susan is more cautious with her than I am – while still nurturing her desire to be a super physical girl. Ivy scoots and swings and runs with the best of them, but Susan always makes sure her experience is a safe one. Susan is not the type to get distracted by friends at the playground, she never talks on the phone when she’s with Ivy, and she’s not a texter. Other nannies have approached me to let me know how doting Susan is on Ivy, saying, “She is 100% focused on your girl all of the time.”

As a single mom, Susan has been a real partner in Ivy’s care. She has a hawk eye for anything slightly remiss, though fortunately those instances have been very few and far between. The one time Ivy dislocated her elbow (a very common occurrence, I’ve learned), Susan called me immediately, and calmly got Ivy right to Methodist emergency. Ivy was so relaxed, she was asleep by the time I arrived. I’ve always trusted her judgment implicitly, and known that no harm would come to Ivy when they are together.

Susan has always been exactly on time, and only called in sick once in more than 2 years. She has always treated my home with respect (helping me through two moves since Ivy was born), and been very pleasant company. She keeps the house neat and clean always, does Ivy’s laundry, and takes care of all the dishes and pots and pans she uses when preparing Ivy’s meals.

As Ivy developed, Susan relished teaching her numbers, the alphabet, colors, animals, etc. Each day, they had an outing in the morning and the afternoon – classes at Kidville, the library, music class, the children’s museum, the zoo, playground, and countless play dates with children who have developed into steady and wonderful friends to Ivy. No weather every stopped Susan from getting Ivy up and out of the house every day.

The best recommendation I can give for Susan is to say that Ivy is growing into a wonderful child -- she is confident, verbal, friendly, well-rounded, happy, and well-mannered. I’d, of course, love to give genetics all the credit for that – but I have to acknowledge that Susan’s part in our life, and her influence on Ivy, is likely a large contributor. Susan’s ten-year-old son, Anthony, who I’ve had the pleasure to meet a couple of times, is also testament to her wonderful child-rearing abilities.

Before joining our family, Susan worked for a year and half with a family who relocated to California and, before that, lived-in with a family in New Jersey for almost a decade, raising three boys.

Susan will be available as of Labor Day, and I am really hoping to help find her next situation. She lives in Crown Heights , and would love to work with a family in Brooklyn . She would prefer full time, but is open to part-time, too…

Please feel free to contact me with any and all questions, and I can put you directly in touch with Susan.



Thanks!
Kelly
Mom to Ivy, 2.9