Partial answer
Thank you everyone who has been praying about our childcare situation. We have a stopgap in place to get us through the next two months, which will buy us more time to find someone more permanent. Our autumn sitter's sister is watching Claire today and will watch her several more times in January and February. However, she's in the process of getting work as a social worker with the city, so once she fills out applications and takes the civil service exam, she expects to get hired and begin her new job.

It's a good situation while it lasts. Claire gets to stay at home and the sitter can earn some extra income until she starts working full time again. Meanwhile, the search continues....