A 15-year-old babysitter got very creative recently when she needed to keep a watchful eye on her little cousin. She also really wanted to make herself a sandwich and had to make a way to do so.
The Lakeland, Florida Mom, Claudia Sorhaindo posted photos to Facebook last week, after she received text messages with the photos of the 15-year-old J’Ann Sorhaindo making herself a sandwich while the 2-month-old Ava Pemberton rests comfortably in the front of her shorts. The photos were taken by J’Ann’s younger sister.
Sorhaindo wrote in the post: “So I had to run out the house for a quick min, so I asked my niece to babysit Baby Ava. A few min later I received a text saying that J’Ann wanted to make a sandwich but didn’t want to let baby Ava out of her sight. Lord send help this was her solution…creativity at its finest.”
Sorhaindo says they have a large family – many of whom live within walking distance of herself and fiancé Rolston Pemberton. J’Ann, is one of 17 grandchildren and is used to looking after her younger cousins, this is why Sorhaindo often uses her as a babysitter.
“Our family is so big that every month there’s a birthday party,” joked Sorhaindo.
The funny photos of Ava hanging out with her older cousin in fact, have a deeper meaning for the family. In 2011, Sorhaindo’s 3-month-old daughter, Jenelle, had died after a medication mix-up at a hospital.
“J’Ann knows how protective I am with Ava,” said Sorhaindo. “Some might say I’m a little paranoid. I’m always checking to see if she’s breathing, so J’Ann showed me she is making sure she is keeping her eyes on Ava.”
Sorhaindo says that her family’s ability to laugh together has carried her throughout the grieving process.
“They have helped me so much — if it weren’t for my friends and family I might have gone crazy,” said Sorhaindo. “(When my daughter died) doctors offered me depression medication and I refused it because having a family like mine — I won’t have the chance to ever get depressed.”
Sorhaindo was shocked when the images went viral and says that she shared the funny photos because they made her day and she wanted to make her friends and family laugh, too.
“I am very thankful for having Baby Ava in my life because I thought I couldn’t have any more children,” Sorhaindo said “And to see (these photos) brings tears of joy to my eyes.”