First Day Back At Work

Tuesday was my first day back at work. I had moments where I felt like I had maybe been gone a day and others where I felt so out of the loop. One thing is constant-always more work than a person can do in a day. As I stated multiple times about how I was going to set boundaries; I found myself eating lunch at my desk and working 10 straight hours. I did get someone to cover the night class I was supposed to monitor. A 12 hour day on my first day back is ridiculous. I did put my foot down on that.

Mason and I were up early this morning so this whole drinking coffee thing might become part of my new morning routine. I am debating on a hot cup of Joe or a nice hot cup of tea. Either way, it appears my trip into the home office consists of me carrying a giant water bottle, something hot to drink and my mid-morning snack. I need to find a way to squeeze in some exercise during the day and also figure out the laundry/chore schedule. Last night I found myself doing laundry because Mason soaked through 5 bibs at school yesterday. (some days he is a clean eater, others, not so much)

Time to shower and get ready for another work day. I have some training to complete, my annual appraisal, and some HR/Payroll business to take care of. I don't think they will be completed today as I have meetings starting at 9 and running through most of the day plus real work to do. Like I said, always more work than time.

Long Long Weekend

Our long weekend was, well, rather long. We kicked off the festivities with the Turkey Trot 5K Thursday morning. By we, I mean our friend Andy who was visiting ran along with Jess. The rest of us watched, cheered, and then had donuts to celebrate their hard work. The kids enjoyed the early morning fresh air so a nap was had before we headed off to Thanksgiving dinner at the Polich's.The kids were really good on Thanksgiving, the food was fantastic, and everyone had a good time.

Friday we hung out at home and had some friends over for pool time. I didn't get in the pool but the boys and Rylee did.

Saturday we headed to the beach to play in the sand. It was so windy, we could barely stand up much less throw a football. Miller had fun and we wore him out. Mason liked the wind on his toes too. We walked down to Beach Place for our annual post-Thanksgiving lunch at Hooters. I spilled a beer down my lap within seconds of sitting down. Luckily it was windy out and dried me off be the time we had to walk back to the truck.

We ended Saturday with a mini-shrimp boil. Yum, yum! The kids were wild and I think their goodness was wearing thin.

Today we ventured out to have the kids' pictures taken. I misread the directions and took the wrong road. We figured out we were almost a half hour north of where we needed to be 10 minutes before our scheduled time. We called and arrived 20 minutes late. They accomodated us and let us squeeze in but Mason was being a fussy pants. So, back to the waiting area we went, had a bottle, sat for what seemed like an eternity and gave it another try. That time we were successful. Then we had to wait for more than an eternity to look at the pictures and then order them. It took forever to get to be our turn and I blame it on the people ahead of us who took over a half hour to pick out their photos! My goodness, it's not that hard. I had mine looked over, the number of prints and sizes figured out and done in under 10 minutes (and that included having to wait for the lady to come back and take my order and have her re-enter it twice because she forgot to save it). This took up our entire day. We left at 10am and didn't get home until 3:15pm. UGH! Not how we planned on spending our Sunday.

Tomorrow is my last day at home. I have to make a trip to the eye doctor. Other than that, I had planned on putting up the tree but that might have to wait until the weekend. We will see how ambitious Ryan is regarding "finding" the tree in the garage and getting it down (and if I really want to start decorating it).

Mason's First Day of School (aka Daycare)

Today is Mason's first day of school (aka daycare). He went to bed around 7 last night, slept until 4am (AWESOME), had a bottle, tossed and turned for over an hour, and then sound asleep until we had to wake him up at 6:30 to get dressed, pose for a picture, and head out the door.

Notice, it's tough to smile when you aren't awake. Miller hopped in for a few photos too showing off his new haircut. We went Sunday to get it cut and he had a new lady cut it. She was soooooo much better than the last one. He also sat on the chair by himself this time (read that mommy forced him, he cried, and eventually I won). The last couple times I had him on my lap and it was not fun for me or the stylist.

Other than that, the weekend was filled with chores. Ryan pressure washed the pool deck and sidewalks (looks great!). He also mowed. I cleaned house and did boatloads of laundry. Today I have an eye appointment and a chore list a mile long that I have been waiting to do once kid free. I better get cracking.



Mason's 10 week stats

We had Mason's 10 week checkup today. All is good and on track (and we didnt have to wait an hour this time).

height: 26 inches (97 percentile)
weight: 15 lbs 9 oz (97 percentile)

yes, he's a 2.5 month old in a 6 month old body.

He also had 3 shots and a cocktail ( which he sucked down without a single pause). so far, he seems ok- no increase in temp or fussiness. let's hope it stays that way.

Daycare Part 1

This week Mason and I made the infamous trip to daycare. I set up his stuff and chatted with the teachers. Luckily, they are the same infant teachers that Miller had so I was pretty comfortable with their approach to infant care and knew what to expect.

Overall, I am feeling pretty good about Mason starting daycare but I am waiting for the hormonal mom emotions to take over. His first official day is Monday. I know in my head he will be ok and that there really isn't an option for me as a working mom other than daycare. I NEED to go back to work. I love my tiime off and being with Mason but I am not meant to be a stay at home mom (at least for an infant). I would do much better with school age children where we could do lesson plans and crafts.

The time off from work was good for Miller and I. We did have a few times together over the past 2.5 months where it was just the two of us. Today I surprised him and took him to lunch. He was giddy about it. Tonight we worked on a homework assignment together and it was actually fun to see his mind working.

I know I am going to have a tough time over the next couple weeks with going back to work and sending my baby (who is now smiling and interacting with me) to school. Since the cat just crawled in my lap, I guess that's a sign that I still have someone to snuggle with during the day. Too bad it's Jazzy who may eat me at any moment without notice. She and Annie will probably be happy to have the house back to normal from 7-4:30 each day too. :)

Updates

We have been busy almost every week with something going on while I have been on maternity leave. We had many guests visit and last weekend, my parents were here to babysit so we could attend a friend's wedding.

The wedding was great. I have a few pics but most were just us being cheesy. Nothing worth posting. There were a few classic ones though that I may need to email to the "subjects" for a good laugh.

Miller had a fantastic week at school and home. It's been rough for the past couple months. We knew he would try us with Mason's arrival; which he did. Now it seems to have sunk in what our routine is and that Mason is here to stay so he better just get used to it. Also, it was our first "non-something going on" week in months.

Ryan had a little "procedure" done this week so I had Miller duty all weekend. Miller and I had fun and he was a pretty darn good guy. I finally cashed in on my date with him today. We went to Puss in Boots. It was cute-worth buying the dvd, not worth 3D theater prices. He sat through the whole movie and kept his questions/talking to a minimum. I was very happy and would take him again if I win the lottery. $33 for the two of us...ridiculous!

Ryan finally got a taste of Mason's fussiness that I get during the week. Luckily for him, crying doesn't bother him as much as it does me. I can take the crazy blabbing, dog barking, older kid whining over crying any day. It's a good way to balance out the annoyances in our life. LOL!

Next week has me taking Mason to school to meet his teacher, get his crib/essentials set up, and "practice" leaving him for a couple hours. He also has his 10 week check-up at the pediatrician. I know in my head everything will be fine but I can tell I am going to have a rough time with it (the daycare drop off). I am sure I will have an emotional post regarding those details.

The week of Thanksgiving he officially starts school so I can have 3 days to myself. Then it's back to work for me on Tuesday, November 29th. Wow, time sure does fly. Guess it's time to hurry and finish a few things I wanted to do on my time away from work. I knew I made my list too long!

Cockroach Experience

A couple weeks ago I was startled by a giant cockroach who crossed my path at 2 or 3am (I was getting a bottle ready for Mason). I had seen a couple prior to that incident but that one was the final straw. The next day I went to battle with cleaning out drawers/cupboards and setting traps.

Other than the giant one that made an appearance this weekend it has been rather roach free in our house. I actually made a mental note of it last night when I was making a bottle. Then around 2:30am...

I was startled by a sensation on my elbow. I brushed it away. Then I felt it again. I thought it was a spider and then felt it on the hand I brushed my elbow with. I jumped up and turned on the light expecting to see a spider or something similar that was trying to sample my flesh. Nope, it was a giant cockroach! I have never been so grossed out in my life. I had the creepy crawlies after that and had a tough time going back to bed.

Time for more traps in other areas of the house. I will win this battle. Die evil cockroach, die!

Halloween Weekend

Emily came to visit for the weekend. We had plenty of activities planned (even with all of the rain). I could write a novel so to spare you I will highlight and post a few pics instead.

Friday:
Mason and I picked Emily up at the airport. On the way back we picked up Miller who was bouncing off the walls to see her. We decided to start making the Halloween sugar cookies and cupcakes with him that evening. He did a good job but Emily and I quickly learned that baking is not our strong suit. We botched the cookies and cupcakes.

Saturday:
Emily and I finished frosting the cookies and decided the cupcakes were inedible. We sent Ryan to the store to buy some (thank you Publix). We also prepped a cheese platter (halloween shaped cheese cookie cutters were used). At this point, we decided it is fun in theory but people who actually host parties with all those details must be nuts and more talented than us. We were much better at prepping a table for crafts with the kids.

The monsoon struck around party time so that put a damper on any outside activity for the kids (and for some of our guests to paddle to our house). In typical kid fashion, most of the kids wore out their joy for their costume before the party and weren't in the mood for pictures. I think all of us posted that we missed getting our usual line up of families. My sister noted we were all to busy chasing our own kids. At least the kids had fun, swapped costumes, and two got naked in the rain (for once, it was not a Froyd acting crazy!). ;)  My craft idea was a good one but the kids were too wild. I sent home the extra supplies with everyone and it sounds like there was more crafting the next day. Yay! All in all, a good party.

Sunday:
Emily and I left the boys at home and went shopping. We were not very successful but it was fun to get out and shop.

Monday:
Emily and I took the boys to the science museum. Miller had a good time. Then we played a little before it was time to trick or treat. With the rain, not many kids were out. We were the first through our neighborhood so Miller made out like a champ. He had fun and was very brave to knock on doors, say trick or treat, and thank you without being prompted. Too bad we had an epic battle before that almost prevented him from going. Darn 3 year olds!

After trick or treating, we dropped Miller off and headed out for a delicious cheese platter and wine at a local cheese store. It was yummy and I can't wait to go back.

Tuesday:
Em babysat Mason while I went to the doctor. She got a morning full of smiles (and dirty diapers). Then it was off to the airport.

Good weekend and visit. Too bad her last weekend in her 20's was spent looking at what the 30's will do to you ;) LOL!