Thank you god for Gen Gen!!

I’m not entirely sure when having a baby nurse became the norm but I’m sure as hell happy it is. I know our mothers did it all on their own and I truly praise anyone brave enough to do so but there is no way I would be able to function without mine. The whole process of finding a baby nurse can be very stressful as “all the good ones book up” and you should start interviewing as soon as you get pregnant…Only in Manhattan! 

Well as soon as I was 12 weeks I started asking anyone and everyone I knew if they liked their nurse and if they did I added their info to my crazy list and started making calls. After speaking to so many nurses I narrowed it down to 3 to meet. The first two nurses I met were as nice as can be, very calm and nurturing and seemed to have a lot of knowledge about newborns. I was very torn about which one to choose and thought I should just pick one and not even meet the third one. Shai said I should meet at least 3 to really decide and I am so happy he did. I heard about the last woman through 2 friends that used and loved her. From the second Gen Gen walked into my apartment I immediately knew I needed her in my life. She blew in the door like a freakin hurricane!! A crazy blond mowhalk, neon nails and a sweatshirt with a crystal skull on it…It was love at first sight. She sits down and literally didn’t shut up for one second. She told me she had been a baby nurse for 21 years (which I didn’t believe because she looks 30) and is also a registered nurse, which made me feel so safe. As crazy as she was, I knew I could trust her with my child and that she would teach me so many things. When she told me that no baby she ever worked with needed to be ferberized (cry until they fall asleep) if they followed her program I told her to sign me up! 

Fast forward to November 3rd, I come home from the hospital and there she is, in Jagger's room refolding every outfit, burp cloth and blankie in his dresser. She even set up his changing table with all the creams, wipes and diapers and pre creamed each diaper so they were ready! Who does that?!?! She gave Shai and I huge hugs then took Jagger in her arms and made a huge fuss about how cute he was, which any new mama loves. Over the next few days she started teaching us everything we needed to know as new parents like diapering, swaddling, feeding and bathing and helped us get comfortable in our new role. She was very patient with all our crazy questions and never made us feel stupid for asking anything. But this isn’t what we love about her…She makes herself at home and within days she felt like family. She is technically a stranger coming into our home but it felt so normal and natural. She was obsessed with Jagger and Tyler (my nephew), she made us all laugh and she is an obsessive cleaner and organizer…Gen Gen is a triple threat! My favorite thing about having her here is every night Shai and I sit in her room with Jagger and talk for hours about anything and everything. Her life stories are incredible and with all that she has been through she has the BEST outlook on life. She has more energy than anyone I know and it really starts to rub off on you. She also happens to be the craziest person on the planet, with a mouth like a truck driver and NO filter. Like I said, we are a match made in heaven! There is never a dull moment and I’m sure if we had a reality TV show it would kick the Housewives ass because she is so entertaining.

We originally hired her for 2 weeks but as the time came to an end I started freaking out and had her stay on one more week. I wasn’t ready to let go. When the last day rolled around I pretty much moped around the apartment, as I was TERRIFIED for her to leave me responsible for my little boy! I didn’t feel like I could do it. I am now 5 days without having Gen Gen living here and while it’s definitely the greatest challenge in my life, it’s also the most rewarding. I feel like I am finally a mama. Its funny how changing a diaper or getting him dressed for the day feels like such a huge accomplishment but it does and I’m proud of myself.

After all this praising I’m sure many of you would like to hire Gen Gen for yourselves but she will be staying on as our part time nanny as I couldn’t imagine not having her around to keep teaching me new things and to have a good laugh! Good luck to all you soon to be moms in finding the right match in a baby nurse!