I have decided for the purposes of the DIS I will call the new baby Pixie.

I still don't have a nickname for her that I will use in real life.
I also had a bit of an epiphany about the pet sitter. I LOVE our pet sitter, so this has nothing to do with that.
I usually add a 20% gratuity to her paychecks, but this year I didn't because we had her come in every day for 15 days - our bill was HUGE! I did add a little extra, but I have been feeling guilty about it. Today something occurred to me.
Between 2007 and 2008 she raised her daily rate by 25%. That is a SUBSTANTIAL increase! If I raised my rates for the families I sit for by that much all at once I doubt I would have any extra sitting jobs! So really, since she raised her prices AND I had her come in every day instead of every other day, AND I did add a bit of extra to her check I don't think I have any reason to feel guilty. I can't think of any other service provider that has room to increase rates by 25%. She will be here 3 days in December and I do plan to add an extra 20% to that check.