Finn's first (non free) babysitter

Well, it was bound to happen, the gravy train of free babysitting from the Brackens and Colleen ran dry one fateful night this past June and we had to break down and actually hire a babysitter. Colleen went as far as to selfishly end her sabbatical and get another finance job in NYC to circumvent our babysitting needs. We did land an A-list babysitter, Emily, whose last name is withheld due to the risk of "babysitter poaching" which venomously happens in these parts of town. If I knew photoshop better I would digitize her face or block her out with shadow.

Emily came over and was all professional, asking for cell numbers, doctor/medical information, Finn's routine, diaper location, etc... I was like whoa, hey, that's what we are paying YOU for. Don't try and ride my parent coat-tails... you are the big-time expert. Actually, I didn't say any of that. Molly directed me to not to speak with her. What bothered me was Finn's reaction. No parental separation for even a nanosecond... he saw Emily and lit right up, all smiles and playful flicks of cheerios in her direction. He started motioning to the iPod sound dock to set the mood right... his little baby mouth struggling to pronounce Barry White. He couldn't wait to get us out of the house so he could spend time with her all by himself. I knew at some point we, more specifically I, would become a liability in Finn's social/love life. But I thought it would happen in fifteen years or so, not at nine months. Finn loved Emily and we are lucky to have her in our arsenal. It was great to leave him with someone you trust; particularly since we were going to the Cotters for dinner and there is always a slight to moderate chance that dinners at their place can lead to a weekend incarceration or an impromptu trip out of the country. No one likes to wake up in Lisbon and remember you have a baby at home, no matter how much fun you had. Look at what happened to those Scottish folks (the McCanns, I think. The wife is the beautiful doctor who looks like Diane Lane... come to think of it, she is like the hot older sister to the attractive American study abroad murderer in Italy... holy international tabloid crime connection!!) in the media when their child turned up missing and they were just across the street! Everyone needs a go-to babysitter. And no, you can't have Emily's number. She is in Lisbon.

Editor's note: OK, I will just go ahead and acknowledge that it is a problem, and this is me speaking as a parent, to glibly refer to people with missing children and dead study abroad roommates. This may be a new low for the blog. I apologize and I am more than a bit ashamed. Sorry to weave these two tales into your baby story, Finn. Still, they (the exchange student is the top pic and the doctor is the last pic) are too attractive to commit any crime. I think that just must be a law-of-nature thing. At any rate, they should be free to walk the earth. Come to think of it, Emily the babysitter looks like another potential sister candidate in this thread I am unraveling here... I think I may have discovered some type of archetype here, Joseph Conrad style. It also says something about someone, most likely me, but also the culture at large, that I can type "study abroad Italy murderer" into Google and they deliver back the glamour shots they know I, and possibly countless others, are looking for without even taking a beat to pretend to struggle with the query. OK, I am stopping here... this cannot be helping us long term with booking Emily in the future.