Saskia's second toddler

There's a big problem with the daycare situation here, in that Walter is too
young for toddler playschool and the daycares only take them for a full day
with a minimum three day commitment (per week). I just want somewhere Walter
can have a good time for a couple of hours a couple of times a week without
me, given that I have no family on this continent so I can't just drop him
off with a grandparent. Anyway, I was talking this over with the leader of
his playgroup (parents stay there with the toddlers), and said I was going
to ask around to see if one of the other mothers wanted to trade
babysitting. Turns out she has a granddaughter living with her, two months
older than Walter, and loves the idea. So they came by today to visit and
get everyone used to each other.

I was nervous about Saskia's anxiety issue, but she was fabulous. She stayed
on her bed most of the time (I kept saying what a good girl she was and
treating her whenever she seemed especially relaxed), and when she did get
up it was to quietly approach the adult or the toddler and wag, or to come
sit by me and get petted or to see what Walter was doing. The adult was by
the end of the visit able to pet her--that was remarkably fast. The toddler
was fine unless Saskia got right up to her (Saskia was doing everything
right: looking submissive, wagging, stretching her neck way out and not
being boisterous, etc.). Once Saskia was too close the toddler (Mijntje)
would cry, and Saskia would look very concerned and try to lick her hands
(that's how she tries to comfort Walter when he cries). I would tell Saskia
she was scaring the girl and to back off, and she would, and I would say
"good girl" and ask her to get back on her bed, and she would. Mijntje would
immediately stop crying and walk after her a little way, curious about her.
Pascal, the woman, loves dogs and has had many, it turns out, which is a
real plus: she offered to watch Walter here but I wasn't sure how that would
go, but now I think we might try to do that sometimes, starting off with
five or ten minutes and working up to see how Saskia reacts and if she'll
listen to Pascal, etc. And I am now confident that I can handle Saskia
around 2 toddlers/vise versa. It helps that Mijntje is relaxed and quiet.

Saskia is growing up! In the old days (admittedly also in a much smaller
apartment) she'd have paced and paced and tried to get in everyone's faces
but leaped back when noticed, and been nervous, and eventually would have
had to be crated or banished to another room. I'm very proud of her.