TechnoMom?

Yes, I am a computer engineer by trade and have been in the computer industry most of my adult life. But, I don't always feel very technology savvy. I try to keep up, but changing devices or services or whatnot all the time doesn't appeal to me. I want my technology to do what I need it to do, but I don't want to have to change all the time to get there. But some new technology does catch my eye, I try it, and I am impressed. The latest of those things involves my iPhone (a two year old model) and a surveillance camera.

Last summer you may remember that I was in the market for a surveillance camera. I had just switched to a new agency providing people to work as Ashley's personal care aide, and things were not going as well as I had hoped. I had some serious questions about some of the people that were given full and complete access to my home and who were responsible for the complete care of my child. I had that mommmy gut feeling that something was amiss. So I purchased two cameras, Dlinks, and set them up. The cameras gave me the ability to view what was going on in my home from anywhere using a computer, an iPad-like device, or my iPhone. And it worked. My suspicions were confirmed and we started the search for a new caregiver.

Over the recent holidays, though, I found another use for the camera.

The inexpensive baby monitor that I kept in Ashley's room, allowing me to hear what was going on in the middle of the night, stopped working. And even when it was working, it wasn't the best. It then dawned on me that I had the equivalent of a video baby monitor by using my Dlink and my cell phone. And it works great!

I now have my iPhone plugged in on my nightstand. The camera (and it is infrared for the dark) is on in Ashley's room and pointed right at her bed. I can hear and see everything that goes on. Now I don't have to wonder if the strange sound I heard was Ashley having a seizure. I don't have to worry if she needs me, because I can hear her "Mom, I need you" sounds. And if she is getting into mischief like when she decides to pull all her shoes out of the closet and play with them, I will know.

So maybe I'm not TechnoMom, but every so often technology does help me in ways I didn't anticipate. I love the cameras I have installed, even more so now that they serve multiple functions!