This is a tough one....we went thru it last summer. We couldn't find any daycares that offered the 24 hr thing -- at least none that we were willing to entrust with our child. After much soul searching we ended up going the nanny route. We found a nanny that was willing to be available to us all the time. We offered her a live-in position, but she has her own place so that was fine. We really stressed to her the strange hours and the absolute need to be on time and reliable. But because I couldn't guarantee how many hours she's get each month, we had to offer her a straight monthly salary. And that is costing us a small fortune...especially considering how little she actually works. For example, last month she worked a total of 4 days and this month, she'll work 1 day. That's mostly because my husband and I bid around each others schedule and that coupled with the fact that I only fly day-trips has made it possible for one of us to be home with the baby 99% of the time. So that kind of arrangement might be something you'd be interested in.
I live down in Spring, not the Woodlands, so there may be other options available up there that I'm unaware of.
Personally, I'd love to get a small "co-op" of pilot parents going. A few pilot moms (or dads) that rely on each other and work their schedules together would be a great thing. Not only would it cut down on costs, but the trust factor would go way up, too.
I've often thought that a stay-at-home spouse of a pilot here could start a very profitable business catering towards child care of other pilots, too.
Just random thoughts above, I suppose. But if you find something great, please post it here or pm me. My nanny goes back to school full-time in the spring and I'm sure I'll be back in the same boat you are by then.
Best of luck and congrats on the new addition to your family.
