Open Wide!

Because I didn't have enough going on today, I decided to give Callum his first taste of "solids" (aka rice cereal) for dinner tonight. He did surprisingly well!

My first day at work today was long and tedious, most of the time spent on the phone with IT, trying to get my laptop back on the corporate network. Yay.

I think it was also a long day because it was my first day away from Callum of course, but also because he had the worst night last night yet. Which meant Jon and I had the worst night with him. :( I was pretty tired all day.

Unfortunately, his cough and congestion seem to be getting worse instead of better. Normally, I can calm him down enough to eat and (eventually) fall back to sleep. But last night he REFUSED to go to sleep. He was exhausted and clearly uncomfortable and in pain, shrieking in our ears regardless of how we held him, rocked him, etc. It was horrible.

Today was also really rough. Halfway through the day I got a call from the daycare. They were really worried because he refused to eat and was extremely pissed anytime they tried to offer him a bottle. I finally went over mid-day to see if I could get him to eat and, at the very least, give him some Tylenol. He wouldn't eat but was very tired, passing out for a nap the minute I put him on my chest/shoulder. :( He continued to have a bad day after I left, so I picked him up early to try and get him to eat. He finally took a bottle after much waiting and coaxing which made the teachers (and me) feel a bit better.

Jon is working late tonight and most nights this week. Hopefully what we dealt with last night and today is the worst of it for poor Callum. Whatever "it" is!

My last day

Today is my last official day of maternity leave (even though technically I have three more days before work starts, since we're coming up on a long holiday weekend). I'm a tiny bit stressed and nervous about jumping back into the middle of crazy work after such a long time off. But I'm also looking forward to the change and seeing my old coworkers again. :) Since Tuesday will also be Callum's first day to start daycare, I actually dropped him off at school this morning, when I dropped off Logan, to spend time with his new teachers and classmates for a couple of hours. He was all smiles and did just fine - sleeping the majority of the time. When I arrived to pick him up for lunch, he was just waking up from a short nap, a little groggy and not quite sure where he was. I'm sure the screaming baby near him was also a different and strange experience for him to wake up to! :)

As for me, I miscalculated how difficult and time consuming it would be to get the kids out of the house this morning, given the time change from Hawaii. I had a 10am PT appointment that I had wanted to get to - but that would have meant getting out of the house a bit after 9am, which is 6am Hawaii time. :( I woke Logan up around 9:20am which he was NOT at all happy about - still very much asleep, cranky and whiny - fighting me the entire time I dressed him for school. Can't say I blame him. ;-) But, I figure this will force him back onto our time quickly anyway (Callum, on the other hand, will be harder to transition I fear!). Unfortunately, I was still too late by the time I got the boys dropped off to make my appointment - so I ran a couple of errands (grocery shopping and a pedicure!) instead, before going back to pick up Callum and meet my parents for lunch.

At lunch, Callum was on and off (as he has been for the last week). His teeth are definitely bothering him - he jumps at any chance he can get to bite and chew your fingers and is a nonstop slobbering fool. But, when I look in his mouth, it seems like it's still going to take awhile for any of those teeth to finally break through, poor guy. :( Such is the way it goes at this stage, I guess.

4 months old

Callum turns 4 months old this week (Thursday). A well traveled man, he's taken two plane trips and one road trip - all within the last month - wow!


We're leaving for Hawaii bright and early tomorrow morning, so I wanted to post a few things about his last month before I'm laying on the beach and not thinking about blogging, errands, work or laundry. I might think about making sorbet, but I'm sure a shaved ice or two will remedy that sickness. ;-)


This is the last month I have with Callum before returning to work and I've been thinking a lot about that. When my maternity leave ended with Logan, I wasn't crazy about leaving him of course, but I was ready to return to the world of adult conversation and doing something other than feeding and changing diapers. This time around, I don't feel as ready. I don't know if it's because Callum is an easier baby to care for than Logan, and therefore has allowed me the time to do my own things too, or whether I am more comfortable with parenting than I was before? Hard to say. But I do know I'm not as ready. :(

Over the last couple of weeks, I feel like Callum has really "woken" up. He loves watching his big brother and smiles bright and big anytime Logan comes by to say hello. He's also starting to laugh! It's more like a grunting laugh than a baby giggle, but he's learning. ;-) He has started to sleep a bit longer, on average about 6 hours at a time. Still not long enough if you ask me, especially once I return to work! But I know the longer hours will come with time.


He isn't crazy about the Ergo Carrier, although he's doing better and I'm hopeful he'll learn to like it while in Hawaii. And he absolutely hates the car seat (as you've heard from our recent road trip). He's now tearing up with those big fat tears anytime he wails and it just breaks my heart. :( But no matter how many times I tell him it's the law, he doesn't seem to care.


I can't remember exactly when Logan started to ween off breastfeeding but I think it was about this time. Callum is definitely doing the same. I know I'm not producing enough for his growing appetite but it's still very frustrating and upsetting for me. I still continue to try and keep him going but I know this precious time with him that I have is running short. On the other hand, it's probably a blessing in disguise, since pumping at work was such a challenge for me before, especially when only producing a few ounces. *sigh*


Callum has been showing more and more interest in Logan. He watches his loud big brother and smiles real big anytime Logan gets close and talks to him. Logan, too, has taken more interest in his little brother day by day. He often times forgets that Callum is still such a little guy. But, overall, they are both doing so wonderfully together, it's great to see our two little monkeys getting along like brothers should.

Derailed

The tabs at the top of my browser should give you an idea of my daily routine in front of the computer. It should also tell you how my day is going today.

Gmail - Inbox (1) :: Other Mail - Inbox :: Google Reader (1000+) :: Facebook :: AT&T :: Pies - The Pioneer Woman Cooks :: Diastasis facts :: Exercise After Pregnancy :: Amazon.com Online Shopping :: Vomiting

I read my mail, I read (too many) blogs, I read Facebook. I (need to) pay my phone bill. I (wistfully) read endless recipes, deciding what to try next (clue: pies!). I read about diastasis recti and look for inspiring postpartum exercises. Often times, I buy a thing or two from my favorite online store. ;-)

And then, when all else fails, I use the Internet to do research.

At first, I thought today was going to be GREAT! Callum had another wonderful night of sleep - a full 9.5 hours straight. Granted, my blouse was soaked since I hadn't pumped or nursed for so long, and I had to get up at 5:30am, but I was still happy.

I've been hoping - nay PRAYING - that he'd start sleeping for longer stints at a time. We are nearing the end of my maternity leave, after all, and there's only so much (productive) work I can get done with a few hours of sleep.

Logan woke up about 6:30am - which is a tad early for him, but not out of the ordinary. What was out of the ordinary, however, was that he had gotten up in the middle of the night and with no whimpering or crying at all, climbed into our bed and fell asleep. We weren't sure why but chalked it up to a bad dream or something.

I got him his usual morning bottle of milk, set him up with Bob the Builder in the den and climbed back into bed with Jon and Callum to see if I could pat Callum back to sleep (since he DID get up early). About 7am we hear Logan crying - Jon was getting up and about to jump in the shower, so he yelled to the front of the house, asking what was wrong. Logan says "I made a mess!" I thought maybe he just spilled some milk.

Oh how wrong I was.

Unfortunately he had puked up what milk he had drank.

Jon stormed around the house cleaning it up and telling me that this was it with milk in a bottle. The milk nazi had returned. *sigh*

He stripped Logan down and the two of them took a quick shower.

I had just gotten Callum to sleep and was drifting off myself when I heard Jon cussing up a storm. While dressing Logan, he puked again. :( It seemed there was something more going on than just an extra gulp of milk not staying down. He was pretty upset by the whole thing as he sat, heaving over the side of the bathtub.

I've lost count of how many Aisle 5 Clean Ups and Loads of Laundry I've done so far today. I fear it's not over yet. Based on my research (see above), we're to keep Logan as hydrated as possible, but only feed him a couple of teaspoons of clear liquid every 15 minutes, slowly building up to larger amounts as he holds it down. If he vomits again, we need to start over (and with a smaller amount).

I have yet been able to get past a few tablespoons.

YAY.

So much for getting Callum's room done and knocking those pesky to-do items off my list!

3 months old

Holy cannoli! (my latest obsession, the Cake Boss, is starting to come through in my speech) Callum is three months old today! Crazy how time flies.

This pic was actually taken a month ago - I can already see how much he's grown!

As I mentioned in a previous post, Callum is now turning around in his crib like nobody's business. His legs are super strong - he kicks and wiggles nonstop - whether awake or asleep. He's also been known to launch his hips up and thrust backwards while on the changing table, which makes for some fun times when you're battling a poopy diaper!

Callum is such a happy social baby - smiling and cooing galore. He still has his moments where he pitches a fit when he's left alone, but overall, he's just a content mellow little baby and rounds out our household quite nicely.


He also seems to be growing like a weed - he moved into his 3 month clothing right after his 2 month birthday. And just this weekend, I noticed that a few of his 3 month clothes are now snug around his belly! Our 4 month checkup doesn't happen until after we get back from Hawaii (so he'll actually be about 5 months old), which feels soooo very far away. Sometimes, I wish I could take him in more often just because of all these little growth spurts and developments I'm noticing - it'd be great to "weigh in" at the doc's and see how he's doing real time.


In addition to the smiles and coos we get, we've noticed he's been watching and inspecting his hands a lot more. This past week, while visiting an old friend, I noticed Callum grabbing and hanging onto his little toy rattle. He even brought it up to his mouth a few times - so he's definitely trying to fine tune those gross motor skills of his. He also likes to watch my hands as I pass them by his face, and occasionally has even tried to grab his feet! He can't yet sit up on his own of course, but I've been working on his balance every day just so he gets used to the feel of standing on his feet, or sitting up and holding his head/neck up on his own.

All in all, he's doing great and we love him to pieces!

As for me, I'm hanging in there. My bad days are when Callum has a rough night and wakes me up more often than I'd like (like last night!). But most days are great. My back is doing better now that I've returned to PT. I haven't been able to exercise as regularly as I'd like, since I'm still subject to whatever schedule Callum decides for the day, but I'm trying. I will probably go back to Weight Watchers soon, so that I can get rid of these extra pesky pounds that won't leave my belly and hips. I have to say I am also already getting a little anxious about returning to work, since it's creeping up pretty quickly. So, I'm trying to keep busy, stay productive, and enjoy every little second of maternity leave with Callum (and Logan) that I possibly can!

Halfway Done

I was just looking at the calendar and realized I'm now halfway through my maternity leave. MAN! Time is flying by. It's a bit depressing to think I'll be back at work so soon. And, the crazy part about it is, I get A LOT more time off than most women out there!

This past weekend we had another fun filled few days with friends. We spent Saturday hanging out with the Jodoins. Logan was in love with the fact that he got an entire day of "My Robert" all by himself. IN LOVE I tell ya! The boys played for an hour or two at the park to burn off some energy in the morning (I stayed home with Callum), then came to our house running around enjoying the many random toys we have spread out all over the place, "shooting" bubbles at each other in the front yard, and finally calming down enough to watch a little "Footoomama" (Futurama; don't judge.) before taking a nap.


The Chouns met up with us for a delicious dinner before we decided to try and get all 6 kids down for the night at the Jodoins' house so that we could have a little more adult hang-out time. I'm happy to say it was a success! We got all 6 kids down and kicked off an intense and very competitive game of Alhambra. The men were fiercely fighting for first place, while the women snuck in unannounced and stole the show (I won but Jenn was only a few points behind!). Winning against the guys makes the night that much more fun. Mwahahahahahahaha!

Sunday, we had grand plans to trek up to the city for Jon's company picnic, but ended up staying home instead when both Callum and Logan were being punks that morning. Our impatience with them could have also been because of the lack of sleep we got the night before, since we had stayed out late and Callum was up for awhile in the middle of the night, but oh well. It was also ridiculously hot out, so we pretty much holed up in our house with the A/C and a few movies.

That afternoon, we took off to Max's 2nd birthday party at The Jungle. It was our first time there and I can't say I'm a huge fan (reminds me of Chuck E. Cheese). Logan was a little intimidated by all the big kids pushing and shoving, but he slowly warmed up to the place. I would say he had an okay time - he dragged me around everywhere, not brave enough to venture anywhere on his own. And, since he didn't really know any of the kids at the party (we don't get to hang out with Max and his family as much as we should), I'm not sure he fully grasped that we were there to celebrate a birthday. BUT, the two of us did get a couple of hours of bonding time while Jon and Callum visited with Yevgeniy and Marina (Max's parents). The highlight of the outing, I think, was cashing in his bazillion tickets for two teeny weeny measly little army dudes. However, he loves them, so all is well in Logan's world.


Pics in this post are courtesy of Jenn, because I'm too damn tired to shoot photos these days. And, holding Callum 24x7 doesn't make it easy either! ;-)

The newest member of our family

A few days after we put Lola down, Jon broached the subject I had been avoiding but that we've talked on and off about for the past year. He said we should seriously consider whether we want another puppy or not - and if we do, he wanted to make sure I was ready to take one in so soon after Lola's passing.

Because I'll be at home for the next 6 months and able to crate/potty train a puppy while I'm home, we needed to decide pretty quickly about what we wanted to do. If we didn't take another puppy in now, we'd probably need to wait a few years before adopting another dog into the family (especially while Jon continues to work up in the city).

So while ideally I probably would have preferred to wait awhile longer before bringing another spastic dog into the house, logistically it just makes sense since I'll be home.

The house is also very different with Lola gone - much more quiet and less "hectic" (if that's possible with a 2 year old?!) and it reminds me of her absence. So yeah, there is that.

Odin has also been showing more signs lately of missing his little sister. The one who keeps to himself and is very aloof, has started to sleep in Lola's old bed in our bedroom every night and runs up for love and attention when I sit on the toilet every morning (just like Lola used to do). I think in his own special way, he misses Lola like we do. So yeah, there's that too.

It was too soon for me to agree to taking in a new puppy. However, my PM brain got to thinking and I decided we better at least start looking. I knew it would take some time to hunt down a breeder we liked and trusted, hope they were expecting a litter that meshed with my maternity leave dates and then sign up and reserve a spot to bring a pup home. I figured by the time all that was laid out, it'd also buy me some time to think more on the decision, which was a big one.

I gave Jon the green light - and off he went. A man on a mission. And within a day or two, he had a few different breeders and potential litters that would work for us.

YIKES!

I got nervous.

And then I looked at the puppy pics and my heart melted. DAMN! ;-)

We narrowed it down to two different puppies that were both still available and met the requirements we were looking for. Jon talked to both breeders extensively on the phone and set up a meeting with the first one since they weren't too far away (located in the East Bay, the other breeder was in Sacramento).

Last week we took some time off work to visit the breeder, get to know her, the pup's parents and of course, the puppy himself. He immediately came bounding to the door when she greeted us, and had no problem laying all over me as we talked with the breeder for over an hour. I had been unsure about getting another male dog (with another baby boy on the way, I feel like I'm quickly outnumbered with the testosterone in the house!) but it was clear right away that this pup was a Mama's Boy. And, really enjoyed both playing with his parents, and playing with us. Super laid back, adorable and lovey - just what we were looking for. :)

Our first meeting, he snuggled right up onto my leg.

Jon and I talked the entire ride over and back from the breeder's - and that night sent her a payment to hold him for another week until we could pick him up.

Meet Grover, the newest member of our family.


I had left work early today to go pick him up, but Jon surprised me (and Logan), by going to pick him up instead, so that he was waiting with Grover when we got home. :) He's a beautiful dark red Australian Labradoodle, one of seven pups (an accidental breeding!) born Dec 4, 2009.


He's been pretty shy this evening, not quite sure what to make of his new surroundings. He and Odin seem to like each other fine, he's a bit scared of the cats (particularly Iz, who's about his size), and keeps his distance from the very loud and excited, happy-go-lucky Logan ("C'MEEEEERE GROVER!!!!"). He feels most safe around me or Jon and follows us around the house and lays at our feet. And he LOVES to lay next to me on the couch, immediately snuggling between the pillows as if he's lived here for ages. ;-)


While I continue to miss my Lola, I'm also looking forward to the change in dynamics that this little guy will bring to our family. Welcome to your new home Grover!

My Last Day

Today was my last day of maternity leave (you may also notice the blog polls are now closed). And so the fun ends. :( I had a couple nice moments with Logan today but I don't think he quite understood that it was Mommy's last day to hang out with him. :( I'm a little nervous about going back to work - oh who am I kidding - I'm a lot nervous!! ;-) But, we gotta do what we gotta do. I just hope I'm not too much of an emotional wreck at work and can actually focus on a few things this week....

Jon, Logan and I had a nice relaxing weekend - Friday night Jon was kind enough to do the midnight/1am feeding and let me sleep a full 8 hrs. So, I was feeling really good Saturday morning and actually got in a muay thai class which felt great! We hung out with Jenn, Jarrod, their 8.5 mth old son Robert and Julie, Jeff and their 1 week old daughter Jessie (their other daughter Jamie was at her grandparent's) that night and had a really great time.

Today was another lazy day -- we didn't really do much in particular. Jon got tickets to the Sharks-Stars playoff game tonight, so we went to the game while my parents babysat Logan. He charmed all their neighbors and was a good little kid. They took some great pics of him (some of him standing on his own!!) that I will have to post later on once they send them to me. Jon and I had a nice time at the game - even tho the Sharks lost. *sniff sniff* All in all, it was a nice ending to my maternity leave. :)

More tomorrow -- I gotta get to bed now so I can get up at a decent hour to nurse, pack up all my stuff, and hit the traffic with all the other moms and dads out there. Oi vay!

2 Weeks Left :(

Today marks my maternity leave two week countdown - I'm trying not to think about it too much since it's so depressing! :( I have really settled into home life with Logan quite nicely and can't imagine what it's going to be like not seeing him all day long. *sigh* The good news is, Jon will get to spend some quality Father/Son time with Logan before he starts childcare (the child care center we finally decided to go with didn't have a spot open until mid-May, so Jon is using a couple weeks of paternity leave to bridge the gap). I'm hoping it'll be less traumatic for me and Logan too, since he'll still be with someone he knows for a couple more weeks, and I won't be *as* stressed at work from leaving him at a child care center for the first time. :)

Logan seems to have returned to wake up calls at night this past week. We thought it might have something to do with getting his brace off since he's a lot more mobile and fidgety without it on. But, I also wonder if he might be going through another growth spurt? He's eating like crazy again -- he's up every couple of hours and is super fussy and hungry. Two nights ago he polished off about 25 oz in a 12 hr period. Yikes!! I want to wait as long as possible before we move to solids, esp. given his digestive issues, but if he keeps this eating frenzy up, we may need to start sooner than I had wanted (one of the signs that it's time to start solids, so I've read, is when they start eating a lot more, never seeming to be satiated, and stop sleeping well thru the night). We'll see.

The weather finally cooled off today with a nice breeze so I spent some time sitting out reading on our backyard patio for the first time while Logan napped. A recent development of his is touching, playing with and sticking out his tongue. I stick mine out back at him and he smiles, but I'm not sure he gets the connection just yet. :)

Alicia and Sarah stopped by for the afternoon to visit with Logan one last time before their flight home this evening -- he is definitely a charmer with all the ladies, and his Abuelita and Tia are no exception! ;-)

Click on the pics to see more snapshots of their visit this past weekend.....

Date Night

Last night my parents babysat for us and had a nice time playing with little Logan while Jon and I went out on our first date since Logan was born. We had a great time! We didn't do anything too spectacular - had a nice dinner at Mantra in Palo Alto and then massages at Watercourse Way (much needed).

What was particularly amusing was what happened on the ride home -- after first swinging by Starbucks for some java, we took off to what I thought would be my parents house to pick up Logan. Jon, on the other hand, had completely forgotten about his son, and started heading in the direction of our home. It wasn't until I reminded him about our little critter that he circled back to my parent's house. Was he just on auto pilot or really that relaxed and mellow from his massage? Or perhaps we still are in a bit of denial about being parents? Whatever the case, we had a pretty good laugh. At least he didn't drive off with the baby on the hood of the car. hehehe

Yesterday was another big day. Most notably, Logan's new cousin Luke was born!! We are super excited for the family and can't wait to meet the little guy and see how Jon's brother Curtis, and his wife Renee, are coping as new parents :) Congrats guys!!

Because the weather has been super gorgeous, Kim dropped by with her 4 month old daughter Molly and we four took a stroll around the neighborhood. It was great to get outside and get some sunshine!

We also toured two more child care centers - and found ourselves in love with the center that our friends Julie and Jeff recommended (they focus on the child's development and daily learning which we both love, but also encourage the kids to have FUN, which made the environment a lot more comfortable and easier for me to accept). Of course, it's the most expensive one we've seen so far (and let me tell you, child care is NOT cheap!) but we think it'll be worth the cost. We're going to try and enroll Logan next week (we have to wait for their open enrollment period) and see if we can get accepted into the school. There are a couple gotchas - the main being timing - they don't have an opening for us until September when the new school year begins. :( Which means, we'll still need to find someone to care for Logan for the 4 months in between.

*sigh*

Any takers? ;-)

Our Funny Valentine

My funny valentine
Sweet comic valentine
You make me smile with my heart
Your looks are laughable
Unphotographable
Yet you're my favorite work of art...

Will you be mine?

It goes without saying that Jon and I share one very special and cute little Valentine this year! :) We wish all of you a beautiful year full of love and happiness.

This week has been busy with child care tours for us. We've already seen two and will be seeing two more tomorrow. We're on the fence about whether we should choose a location near our work or near home -- it seems like both options have their pros and cons. Right now all the tours are near our home until we decide whether to expand out near work (Mountain View) or not.

The first place we visited was really nice -- organized, spic and span clean, lots of great programs for learning -- they even have both Spanish and Mandarin classes available (for toddlers) that would be perfect for us. But our first tour was also a shock to me. The reality of my maternity leave being almost half over (yes, already! I return end of April) hit me as I stood in the infant room, watching 3 women caring for 12 screaming little babies. I also realized how much I am going to struggle with dropping our little Valentine off every day to a stark, cold, institutional facility - nothing like home - and though very good at what they do I am sure, he still will not get the same amount of love and attention that he gets now (how can he, when these poor women are caring for 4 babies to their 1??). Returning back to work is not going to be easy.

I liked the second place a lot more than the first -- it had a much more mellow atmosphere -- less rigid and institutional which felt more comfortable and appealing to me. Jon liked the structure and curriculum that the first center offered more. So, we'll see. We haven't made any decisions yet since we still have a few more to visit.... of course a lot will depend on which centers actually have spots available for the timeframe we need! :)

As I write this post, Logan does a number on my shirt, spitting up all down the front. I suppose there are a FEW things I won't miss when I return back to work! ;-)