Gigcups

We made it a week

Five days of work before calling in half a day is good, right?  We actually made it out on time and everything this morning, but just as we were almost out of town, Trey threw up all over himself and his carseat.  I pulled over and got into the backseat to try to clean him up, but it was just just too much of a mess.  I'm not sure they were even able to get a sub for me, but I guess that's not my problem!  We came home and got Trey a quick bath and wiped the carseat down, and he fell asleep.  He hasn't eaten anything yet, but he doesn't feel warm, so as long as he seems to feel ok, I'll go in to work for the afternoon.  Hopefully he'll wake up here in a bit and eat before we head to town.  My kids won't be back in class until 12:30, but we have an author visiting at 1:30 and guidance at 2:00 if we're done in time, so my afternoon should be pretty easy!

First week of work

Wow, I didn't even think about writing on here until yesterday.  Last week went by so quickly, yet slowly at the same time.

School-wise, I felt completely lost trying to figure out where to even start!  It was like I had been gone for an extra summer (but not so warm) vacation.  One morning, we did our word study sort on the smartboard, and I put the screen shade on so the kids could do the sort at their desks and then check it.  About 10 minutes later, one of the kids finally says, "Mrs. Welch, you didn't give us our spelling words."  Oops!  Silly kids had been trying to remember our words for the week from the 10 minutes we spent sorting them together.  The kids were pretty riled up...combination of Benchmark last week and me being back after my maternity leave, I'm sure, but were doing better by the end of the week.  I have really enjoyed getting to spend time with Kari and Lisa though and must say that they're the only reason I made it through the days as well as I did! :-)

Home/Family-wise, it was a hard week, but I think it really was good for me in the long run.  I think I appreciate my time with Trey much more after feeling what it's like to have kids and work full time.  I also think it will make me much more appreciative of the privilege of staying home after this school year is over.  Honestly, last week kind of was a blur, but I'll try to write just a snippet about each day.  It's kind of blurred together, and I forgot a lot of what Mom said about how his days went, so I'll probably just stick with evenings! :-)

Monday - I left for work at about 6:45, and Mom just kept Trey at our house.  It was nice to not have to worry about trying to get both of us put together and out the door.  After I got ready, I just fed him while he was sleeping, so he never even woke up.  It was hard kissing his little head good bye, and I did cry quite a bit on my drive to Rogers.  Mom said he did pretty well and took his first bottle (5 ounces!) with no trouble.  He fought the second bottle a little but took another large feeding, and fought more with the third bottle.  I was out the door as soon as school was out and drove home as quickly as I could without breaking the law!  I had planned on changing clothes before I picked up my little guy, but I just couldn't wait.  He nursed and fell asleep almost immediately.  I pretty much held and nursed him all evening.  Steve even made dinner when he got home so that I could enjoy some snuggle time.

Tuesday - Trey and I got out the door pretty easily.  Once again, I was able to get up and ready and then nursed Trey while he slept.  I felt like this morning was actually the hardest as far as leaving him.  Mom met me in the parking lot, and it was so hard to kiss his little head before I left him for the day!  Even though I know he's in the best hands possible, I miss him so much!  Mom met me at the McDonald's by the Pleasant Grove Walmart after school, and Trey and I headed home after I visited with Mom and Lydia for a bit.  I must have talked too long because he got very upset about 5 minutes down 540.  We stuck it out until we got to the Outlet Mall, and I pulled over to nurse him.  After a few minutes of nursing though, he started grinning at me, making it hard for him to eat.  I let him eat a little more and put him back in his seat so that we could enjoy talking to each other at home instead of in the front seat of the car!

Wednesday - Getting a little easier, but I still cried.  I think this was the morning that Pam saw me upset as I came into the office and felt really bad for me. :-)  I drove to Bella Vista to pick Trey up after school, but he was asleep, so I didn't wake him right away.  I finally woke him up to eat and we headed home at 5:30ish.  Since Steve had church, I just grabbed dinner on the way home because I was starving.

Thursday - Only teared up when I left him, no actual crying. :-)  Mom brought him up to school for me on Thursday because I was so extremely tired.  I had actually scared myself a little on the way to work because I was afraid I was going to doze off while I was driving.  I'll add the diaper experience as a separate post next. :-)

Friday - TGIF!  I don't think I had ever looked so forward to the weekend!  Mom met me at Hairlines since I had a hair appointment.  Got my haircut (try to post a pic this week), and nursed Trey before we headed home.  Made it home just in time to feed him and get him to sleep before the tornado sirens went off.  That's a scary sound when you're NOT at home alone with a baby!  I managed to carry a sleeping Trey, the laptop, and the diaper bag to the bathroom and then went back into the bedroom to grab blankets and pillows.  I'm apparently not a professional because I did wake the baby.  Steve was on his way home right through the storm, and his truck started acting up on him.  He barely made it home.  The bad stuff skirted past us thankfully, but it was quite the eventful evening!

Saturday - I thought Trey and I would sleep in a little, but the little toot woke up at 1:30, 3:15, 5:15, and 7:00!  Definitely getting his days and nights mixed up since he's not taking a bottle very well.  I went ahead and just grabbed a shower after I fed him at 7 because Steve was still home swapping out his trucks for work.  It was kind of a blah day, so Trey and I ran to Walmart and then just stayed around the house.  I got caught up on some housework and somehow managed to not get a nap!  Trey slept a lot through the day though, including one 4+ hour nap.

Sunday - We were originally going to have a picnic, but the weather kind of prevented that, so after church, Steve and Linda treated us to lunch at Callahan's.  We've spent the rest of the day just being lazy at home.  Trey has slept quite a bit, and Steve and I both got naps.

I didn't get to see the Easter service this morning, but thinking about Easter as a mom has made it a little different this year.  I have gotten very lazy in my relationship with God, not spending time seeking Him out like I should.  It's easy to blame it on being "busy" but that really is just a way to make myself feel better.  I find time for MANY other things that should not take priority, so the time is there, I am just choosing to spend it on other things.  As I was reading the account in Luke yesterday though, I could not fathom how God could sacrifice his only Son for me.  I cannot stand to see Trey hurt, let along think of sacrificing him for someone else.  How Abraham could trust God so much to be willing to follow His command to sacrifice Isaac...it just boggles my mind.  What a gift, beyond comprehension, and how greatly I have taken it for granted!  God sacrificed his only Son, turning His face from Him (how that must have wounded both of them!)...it should bring me to my knees daily.  I pray that God will soften my heart again so that it aches to know him better so that Steve and I be godly parents, leading Trey to a relationship with Him.

A few things I don't want to forget:

• Mom said that when I called her through the day from school, Trey would freeze and stare at the phone like he recognized my voice.
• Trey would grin SO much when we were at home through the evening.  I know he's not big enough to get all upset being away from me, but it really seemed like he knew, "Hey, I haven't seen you all day and I'm glad I'm with you!"
• Mom said he likes to talk with them while he's awake. :-)
• Since he isn't eating a whole lot through the day, he's nursing a lot in the evenings and at night.  Early in the week, he started waking up once to eat, but by Saturday, we were back to him waking up every 2 hours.  He didn't do that last night, so maybe it was just a fluke.  Makes it hard to get through the day without getting sleepy, but I enjoy spending time with him. :-)
• He giggled at me for the first time this week!  I was playing with him, kissing his hands, and it was apparently funny! :-)
• He's chewing on anything he can get into his mouth.
• He grabs at his shirt to try to put it into his mouth.  Still seems to be using his left hand more often.

Hiding in the bathtub from the tornado!

I think I'm officially a mom!

Ingredients:
a recliner
a cute baby
a mommy

Directions:
1. Get comfy in the recliner.
2. Take your baby's jammies off because he's sweaty.
3. Nurse baby.
4. Laugh at him when you hear him poop his pants.
5. Start getting a little nervous when the noises he is making get louder and last longer.
6. Get up to change his diaper.
7. Change baby's diaper and get him dressed and wonder why your backside feels wet.
8. Lean over and stick your head between your legs to look at your backside.
9. Go look at recliner.
10. Realize that cute baby's poop apparently oozed up and out the back of his diaper, pooling up in the recliner between your legs and that you essentially wiped it up with your backside while getting up.
11. Tie jacket around your waist so that you don't get poop all over the seat of your car on the way home.
12. Pack a bag with a change of clothes for mommy to keep in the car.

Pictures, pictures, and more pictures!

Oy and TWO months!

This going back to work stuff is going to be a little harder than I thought!  I kept meaning to update this week, but it's been extra tough to do anything besides snuggle with my little guy. :-)  It's hard to believe that he's been here for two whole months already.  I just hope the time at school will fly by as quickly as the time here at home has.

We've enjoyed a good last week of maternity leave.  Last Friday I took Trey up to school to meet everyone, and he was quite a hit. :-)  Mrs. McCormick (my long term sub) sent my kids out 5 or 6 at a time out in the hallway to see Trey.  They were a hoot!  I got a lot of hugs and we miss you's and got to give lots of reminders about looking but not touching. :-)  (Paranoid germaphobe new mommy here.)  We hung out in the lounge during the lunches and then watched the Bechmark "Prep Rally" that Kari and Lisa put together for the kids.  It was quite the fun production!  I really did enjoy seeing everyone and am trying to think of these last 8 weeks of school as a chance to visit with everyone before quitting my job.  (Gotta find the positives!)

We've mostly spent the week at home just enjoying our time together.  On Thursday, Trey had his two month checkup, so Steve took off work and we all went together.  He seems to be developing very well, and maybe even better than normal in some areas.  We had to see the nurse practicioner this time, but even she commented on how strong Trey is.  We also asked about his tummy sleeping and she said that of course as a nurse practicioner, she had to recommend putting him to sleep on his back, but she said that as a mom...all of her kids were tummy sleepers. :-)  After his checkup, the nurse came back in to give him his vaccinations.  This month, we just got the DTaP (shot) and Rotavirus (oral vaccine).  We go back next month for a shot only visit where he'll get the Pc and HIB (I think) vaccinations.  He'll still be getting his immunizations, but we're just spreading them out a little.  If it's too paranoid and unnecessary, all we've done is paid an extra co-pay every other month.

Two month stats:
23 inches long
11 pounds 14 ounces (He's gained 4 whole pounds since he was born!)

Yesterday, we hung out with my JBU friends Valerie and Megan.  We didn't do much...just sat around visiting and then went to see Valerie's new house here in town.  It's adorable!  Trey and I came back home and waited for Steve to get home from work at 11:00.  He's had kind of a rough week hours wise and has worked quite a bit!  We'll have to make sure that he gets to enjoy his day off tomorrow!

Today we went to a baby shower at CC and enjoyed getting to visit.  They had several cute games and a lot of yummy food!  On the way home, Trey apparently overcame his tummy woes (needing to poop) and emptied his entire little body all in one fell swoop.  Or maybe one fell poop.  I unclipped his seat from the base and noticed his diaper had leaked around his legs but thought maybe it was just because of the way he was sitting.  Nope.  I got him inside and on the changing mat...we went through a BUNCH of wipes.  And I'm getting good at using wipes to their maximum potential!

Here are a few things about our little man:

• Definitely a tummy sleeper.  He's sleeping between 5-7 hours when we put him down at night.  After that, we go back to about 3 hours between feedings.
• He naps really well in the mornings, several hours at a time.  Through the afternoon and evening, he takes cat naps between 30 minutes to an hour long.
• On Wednesday, he started this thing where he flails his arms out and flaps them while making a frantic whining sound.  He's done it two more times since then...not sure what that's about! :-)
• This week he noticed the animals on his floor gym while he was on his tummy.  He wears himself out in the first five minutes of tummy time trying to keep his head up high and starts to fuss when he ends up rubbing his face in his drool.
• When he's on his back on the floor gym, he's getting good to hit the little tiger and make the music play.  His entire body goes CRAZY.  We have a little mover!
• He is the happiest little guy and usually wakes up with a big grin on his face.  I love it!
• He still enjoys getting his diaper changed.  Not as much of a fan of getting onesies pulled over his head, but he only makes a face, no fussing.
• We started using his tub without the newborn sling yesterday.  Works much better now.  Our little guy is growing up!
• He took his first bottle last Sunday and didn't even blink.  Makes this momma feel much better about leaving him to go to work.
• He likes watching tv.  Doesn't matter what's on. :-)
• Still not a fan of the swing or pacifier.

I'll do a picture post when I have a chance later tonight or tomorrow hopefully. :-)

A new career

I probably won't publish this post just yet, but I wanted to get my thoughts down before I forget.  I've always wanted to stay home once I had kids, but before Trey arrived, I was presented with the possibility of a half time position at school.  Keeping a little bit of a paycheck and still having vision and dental insurance was definitely tempting, but once Trey got here, I realized going back to work was going to be harder than I thought.  I have cried just talking about having to go back to work for eight weeks this year.  Recently another half time position has become a possibility, but I really couldn't decide what I wanted to do.  Steve and I have been praying about it, and I wanted to see how things go once I return to work to finish out this school year.  Even though the position would just be a few days a week, I didn't like the thought of having to leave Trey regularly.  However, the paycheck and getting to see friends at work kept me from totally throwing the idea out the window.  Steve is totally fine with either option and just tells me to do what I want to do, so there's no stress for me to decide either way.

After visiting at school yesterday, including a visit with a coworker about the half time position, I think I have come to a decision.  On the way home, my normally laid back baby boy started fussing.  It soon escalated into not just a cry but frantic shrieking.  I quickly pulled over into a parking lot and got him out of his carseat.  I thought maybe he had a gas bubble, so I tried burping him, but that didn't work.  I tried nursing him, but that wasn't it either.  Finally I just pulled him up to my chest and rocked him back and forth, whispering, "It's ok.  Mommy's got you."  After a few seconds, he calmed down and fell right asleep.  In that moment, I realized that I want to be the one to hold him when he's upset.  I want to be able to tell him, "It's ok.  Mommy's got you."  I struggle sometimes to know when it's God's voice speaking to me, but I can't help but believe that this was His way of answering my prayer for His wisdom in this situation.  I don't believe He would give me these desires to be with my baby boy if he intended for me to go back to work.

I also remembered something someone (can't remember who) said earlier in the day about how subbing a day or two a week would pay for groceries.  When Steve got home and I shared my feelings with him, I suggested that I just get myself on the substitute rosters in Siloam and Rogers, and when we find ourselves needing a little cash, I can sub to earn a little extra.  This just provides me with the flexibility to work only when we need me to.  I'm not locked into working 3 days a week, even if we don't need the extra money.  An added perk to all of this is that knowing that I don't have to stress about whether or not I'm working in August has made me much less anxious about going back this year.  I am sure I will still cry, but I know it's just temporary, and thankfully, Trey is too little to experience any separation anxiety.  We'll finish out these eight weeks and then I will begin my career as a stay at home mom to my little man. :-)

BYOB!

Well, I finally stopped making excuses and had Trey take his first bottle from Steve today.  I was nervous that we waited too long and that he wouldn't take it, but he didn't even flinch!  He sucked down the first two ounces, so we gave him three more that his Nana got to feed to him.  He even nursed for a few minutes after that, so there doesn't seem to be anything to worry about. :-)

Trey's tummy has been bothering him a little today, so he's been kind of fussy.  Steve was swapping out his trucks this evening, and Trey and I went outside to watch.  He seems to have outgrown his dislike for the breeze because it didn't seem to bother him at all.  In fact, when I brought him back inside, he started crying, so we went back out on the porch.  He stopped fussing and looked around at everything for a while longer before falling asleep.

After a short nap, he nursed a little and then played on his floor gym for a while.  We also read Brown Bear, Brown Bear, and he sat and looked at the pages all the way through!  That makes this momma excited!

Seven weeks!

Yesterday slipped away without a chance to put up last week's pictures.  I feel like we're finally starting to get things figured out so that I can get more done around the house, although Trey has been on a bit of a nap strike for the last week, making things a little more tricky.  He has started consistently sleeping for 5-6 hours at night, so that has been nice!  After that feeding, we go back to the 3 hours between feedings, but it works out quite well.  He has about a 12 hour span that he sleeps except for diaper changes and feedings, but it's from about midnight to noon.  Hopefully we can get that moved back some so that I can get to bed a little earlier.  His afternoon and evening naps are fairly short, and it's a lot more difficult to get him to stay asleep once I put him down, but that might be part of the reason he sleeps so well at night.

I tried to fight the tummy vs. back battle, but this boy just doesn't like to sleep on his back.  It's pretty touchy getting him to stay asleep on his tummy when I put him down lately, but if I put him on his back, there's no hope.  I find plenty of things to worry about anyway, so I'm sure he will be just fine. :-)

Through the day, he still likes to nap on me, but when he's awake, he enjoys playing on his floor gym.  He cracks me up how he looks at his toys...a combination between WIDE open and crossed.  It gives me a good 15-20 minutes to get a chore done somewhere.  I do enjoy playing and talking with him while he's awake though, so I don't always get around to the housework. :-)

I'll do a more detailed post definitely by his 2 month birthday, which is NEXT SATURDAY.  Where has the time gone??  Until then, here are pics from the last week!