My Helper

Just a few days before Natalie and Sophia were discharged, the neonatologist looked me in the eye and said, “You can not be alone. One full-term baby is hard enough. One premature baby is very hard. Caring for two premature babies is very, very hard.” The doctor went on to say that the first months after her first baby arrived were worse than her residency.

Turks truly believe that it takes a village to raise a child. A new mother’s mom, mother-in-law, sisters, aunts, and cousins are ready to pitch in and help when needed.

One’s pride says, “I can do this on my own. I don’t need anyone’s help.” One’s more reasonable side says, “It would be nice not to have to clean myself.” And so, I asked a good neighbor/friend to recommend someone. Mrs. Love has two sons and has been a widow for 10 years. She lives in a building close by with her two sons, parents-in-law, and two sisters-in-law. She comes twice / week for four hours at a time. For awhile, I thought it was somewhat frivolous to have someone help me with cooking and cleaning, but after my sister-in-law saw what Mrs. Love did for 30 lira ($20), I didn’t feel bad anymore. (30 lira is actually a good wage. The workers at the local discount grocery store make 20 lira plus insurance for an 8-10-hour work day.)

Last Thursday, she vacuumed, wiped down the floors (by hand, since that’s the way they do it here), and cleaned the living room, kitchen, hallway and bathroom. She made potato leek soup, rice, and two salads, and she steamed broccoli for another salad I wanted to make. She went to the farmer’s market to buy groceries for me, and she folded a load of baby laundry. I’m not making this up! She did all of that in 3 ½ hours.

Maybe I’ll write a post sometime on the cleanliness standards of Turks (which are unbelievably high and I will never be able to attain!), but I’ll leave you with a picture that gives you an idea.

She folded two baskets of dirty laundry!

Apparently, I didn’t give her enough work that day!