Monday, October 31, 2011

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween from Big Mac!

And his cousin, the M & M!


I love this holiday... it marks Mac's first art project!
Man, the daycare lady is WAAAAY more creative than I am.

Friday, October 28, 2011

Working Mother

Yes, another post about going back to work.  I write about what I'm doing or thinking...so..that's what you get :)

The second and third days back to work proved even better than the first.  I went to a few meetings where I talked about things that weren't related to poop or vitamins or napping or...  I used big words.  It was fun.  As far as competence at work goes, I can kind of sort of see the loop, but I'm by no means in the loop.  Luckily, I'm good at drawing inferences from nuggets of information and can participate without seeming like a moron (I hope).  If that doesn't work, I can always fall back on maternity leave for an excuse.  And I did.  A big wig in the district asked me some question about what teachers were doing at one of my buildings and I was able to tell her that I had been in the building for 2 hours, so I wasn't quite sure.

Pretty soon I won't be able to use maternity leave as an excuse, so I am milking the crap out of it now.

Mac reportedly had great days at daycare, which calmed me down a lot.  He seems happy and content in the evenings and mornings--so maybe it's good for him.  It's no secret that it does kill me to be away from him for SO MANY hours during the day, but I feel more like myself now.  Turns out that a daily shower, clothes that aren't sweats, and feeling needed on a professional level make me feel like me.  Both of my schools have been great--multiple people have welcomed me back with treats and I even had a few tell me thank you for "everything" when I ran into them.

To summarize: I miss my big baby, but I think this can work.  Until we're independently wealthy, that is.  Then David and I both quit our jobs :)

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Back to Work... For Real

Today was my first day back to work.  

Since May.

I know...no room to whine...but it was still rough.

All in all, my day wasn't too bad.  I had a couple of good meetings and kept myself busy with a project.

And I got these!
The card reads, "We love you.  David and Maclin."

I've got a couple of stellar boys.

Maclin, reportedly, did well at daycare.  Our sitter said he had to HUGE poops and ate 3 bottles.  I was thrilled because 1a) I didn't have to clean the poop (ha!) and 2b) I managed to pump one more bottle of milk than he drank.  

Score!!

Still, I missed being around my baby boy.

I think it'll get better with time. 
It has to, right?

Monday, October 24, 2011

Rolls!

Someone managed to roll over... finally!

Ignore that his pants aren't snapped... I forgot to resnap after I checked for the poops :)

Friday, October 21, 2011

Marriage Advice

I was picking up for a friend's visit this weekend and got sidetracked by my "wedding box."  It's this fancy box where I put wedding memorabilia.  Since I'm still a hormonal mess (I blame post-pregnancy hormones AND my impending return to work), I got weepy when reading our vows to each other.

I also found a bunch of advice that I was given at a couple of my showers.  Some of it made me laugh out loud, so I thought I would share a selection with you.

You might notice that this advice has a wide range...which is probably explained by saying that the age range of people at my shower varied from 16 to 83. See if you can guess which ones were younger and which were older.  :)

  • Get a king size bed.

  • Respect each other's space.
  • Keep God in your marriage.
  • Slow down so you don't poop in the park.  (Long story that I should probably blog about)
  • Don't drink tequilla!  You want to keep this one.  (Another long story...)
  • Treat each other with the same respect you do your friends.
  • You can be right, but you don't have to convince David...just know it yourself.
  • The way to a man's heart is through his stomach.
  • Always make him think things are his idea.
  • Just make him happy.
  • Buy lots of cereal.
  • Always find time to have fun together.
And my two favorites come from my grandmothers... you might be able to pick up on the distinct personality differences between them.
  • Never take on a new chore as it will be your job from then on.  (Grandma Stainbrook)
  • Be very helpful and let him rest. (Grandma Brownback)
I'm not going to lie, I took Grandma Stainbrook's to heart.  Sorry Grandma Brownback :)

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Happy 3 month birthday!

Today, Big Mac is 3 months old.
He's growing so fast!

I can't believe my little man is already a quarter of a year old.  It seems like he's been a part of my life and our family forever.

This month, he's becoming more and more content spending time playing interdependently---he's even gotten good at swatting at toys!

The other day at dinner he surprised us by being able to pick up a toy.   Huzzah!


He's also this close to rolling over... he gets his shoulder up and reaches...but can't get that big old rump over before he gets pissy.  Soon, though!
 Love you, Big Mac!

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Back to Work

I go back to work a week from today.

Cue irrational fears and possible panic attacks.

Rationally, I know it'll be fine.  He'll be 15 weeks old by then (yeah, I took a heck of a maternity leave).  The sitter seems awesome and lives in our neighborhood...and it's good for kids to be socialized.  Blah, blah, blah, I know it'll all be ok.

I am still not looking forward to it.  I'm going to miss my little guy--our "conversations" and snuggling :)  I'm also going to miss not wearing sweatpants all day, but that's another story.  I would dress up if it meant I got to stay home.

In other news, Mac wore a 9-month outfit today....and he's going to be 3 months tomorrow.

That's my overachiever!

Sunday, October 16, 2011

My little pumpkin

On Saturday, David, Big Mac and I went to the pumpkin patch.

I was thrilled, David moderately happy, and Maclin just barely tolerated us.

I think it was too bright for him...
...but I quickly solved that with some badass sunglasses.

What, what!

Anyway, moving on.  

This post doesn't really need any words, so I'm just going to put a bunch of pictures of Mac around various pumpkin-themed items.









Mac says to have a happy Halloween...
...or he'll cut you.

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Leroy the Lion

Mac is starting to show interest in toys!

I'm so happy--it's such a blast to watch him smile and laugh at toys while starting to reach and grab.

His favorite, by far, is named Leroy the Lion.
He and Mac like to chill in their diapers


 Luckily, Leroy is a good sport when Mac tries to eat is face off.

On an interesting note, the quilt that Mac and Leroy and lounging on is the baby quilt Grandma Stainbrook made me when I was born.  It's super soft!

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Jump!

My baby continues to love his jumper... 
but now he's learned that it's not just for standing upright, it's also for jumping.

Look at him go!
And, yes, I did call my child smart for jumping.

He's a genius and I'm not afraid to tell him.

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Happy Birthday, David!

Today is David's 31st birthday!
(Isn't he handsome?)

Happy birthday, David!

In honor of the day, Maclin bought him a present...
but it wasn't something for David to wear, it was for Mac to wear around him.
Baby Legs!!!

Tiger Baby Legs!

Anyway, I am thrilled to be celebrating David's 3rd birthday as my husband.  It's crazy to think that his 28th birthday was the day he confessed his feelings for me (through a Lionel Ritchie song, but that's another story) and now he's the father of my child.

Love you, David!

Friday, October 7, 2011

Celebrity Guest

Today, I'm the "celebrity guest" at my blog-friend Nicole's blog, Pampers and Pumps!  
I've never been a guest blogger before, so I'm totally honored... go check it out here.

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Stop and Go

Lately, I've been all about the stop and go blogging.  I'll get a good solid week in, and then be absent.  Mostly, it's because I'll have a spurt of energy, write a bunch of posts and schedule them to post later on.  Tricky, huh?

Maclin and I have been having a rough couple of days.  On Tuesday, a girl I went to high school with lost her 4 month old baby.  She lives in my hometown and Mom told me that it was likely SIDS.  I can't even fathom how destroyed she must feel.  When I heard, I had already put Maclin down for the night.  He started fussing a little bit and, instead of soothing him back to sleep like I normally do, I got him out of bed and snuggled.

I didn't care about the schedule or routine we've been trying to establish--I needed to hug my baby boy.  Instead of worrying about how to make my transition back to work easier, I need to love Mac and focus on the moment.

Mac didn't sleep well that night and has been weirdly fussy since then.  He hadn't been napping well at all and just acts like he doesn't feel right.  So, I took him to the doctor today. Luckily, the doctor believes it's likely gas.

I hate being that mom that freaks out about nothing and storms into the doctor's office, but my doctor was very reassuring--saying he would much prefer to see a child for "nothing" than not see a child that needs to be seen.  Thank goodness.