Emily's First Fourth of July

She slept through it.  Sorta. =)

Jacob and I both had the day off, and I was hoping to get some errands done but, of course, everything was closed for the holiday.  So we decided to check out a local movie theater that had a "Mommy Matinee" show during the week.  The tagline is: "Moms, dads, grandparents, nannies and their babies are welcome. Let the kids fuss – we don’t mind!"  We figured that this was probably the best opportunity to see how Emily would do in a movie theater... go somewhere with other babies, and at a discounted cost!

We say "Dark Shadows".  The movie was decent, and Emily was awesome.  She slept through the first quarter of the movie, bounced around on our laps for the middle half, and slept through the last quarter.  She really only fussed a little bit when she got bored, but she was easily distracted by Alice Cooper on the big screen. =)

After the movie we headed home for a little bit, and then out to Jacob's folks sailboat docked in a marina on the Columbia, where we BBQ'd dinner, got Emily to go to sleep (soothing a screaming baby in a sailboat is difficult... more on everyone in the boat than the baby), and then sat on the boat and watched all of the fireworks going off in Washington (just on the other side of the river), and the show that the local marinas did together.  (Jacob and I have both been surprised over the course of the last few days how good Emily is at sleeping through loud noises.  Even tonight we have LOUD fireworks going off in our neighborhood, and she's sound asleep!) All in all, we had a pretty good holiday! 

Emily's first movie!

Back to Reality

I have been back to work (part-time) for four weeks now.  It was really weird going back to the office because it WASN'T weird.  I felt like I'd never left.  After two months away, everything just picked up where it left off... except I had a kid's picture on my desk, and a breast pump under it that I have to remember to use 2-3 times each day.

For the first two weeks Emily stayed here at home with her grandmas.  Jacob's mom watched her the first week (she lives near by) and my mom came to visit the second week to spend some time with her granddaughter while she (my mom) is on summer break.  The third week Emily started day care.

We totally lucked out with our daycare provider, who has been a friend of my mom's for over 30 years and who I've known my entire life.  She just happens to run an in-home day care just five miles from our home, and had an opening when we needed it.  =)

It's been interesting having to figure out my schedule and logistics for getting myself and Emily up, fed, dressed and out the door by such an early hour.  And then get her picked up, home, fed (a couple times) and to bed in the evenings.  This is what our day looks like:

6:15 -- My alarm goes off.  Usually I'm already awake feeding Emily breakfast or have been (and went back to bed for a half hour or so) by this time.  If Emily is awake, she hangs out in bed with her dad while I take a shower and do my morning bathroom/breakfast/get dressed routine.  If she's asleep, Jacob gets some extra zzzz's.

6:30 -- Jacob's alarm goes off.  He hits snooze.

7:00ish -- I get bottles, pump, diaper bag and work bag ready and next to the door.

7:15 -- Jacob gets up.  Emily is usually back to sleep by now... or just waking up again.  Either way, I'm on-call baby duty.

7:30 -- Jacob goes to work.  If I remember, I ask him to take the various bags out to the car for me (so I'm not carrying 4 bags and a baby out the door!)  I try to check my e-mail/facebook/blogs/etc... though usually end up getting Emily who wakes up again about this time.

7:40 -- If Emily hasn't woken up yet, I wake her up, get her dressed and feed her.

7:50 -- I change Emily's outfit as she has, without fail, poop-sploded all over the place while eating her breakfast.

7:55 -- I put my work-shirt on (I leave this to the very last minute to (hopefully) avoid getting spit-sploded on).

8:00 -- We leave the house for day care.

8:15 -- Drop Emily off at day care, leave my car there and walk a couple blocks to catch the bus to work.

9:15 -- Arrive at work.  Pump before clocking in at 9:30.

12:30 -- Pump again, eat lunch.

3:00 -- Pump again.

5:00 -- Off work, catch the bus back to day care.

5:30 -- Jacob arrives at day care, gets Emily, leaves his car and drives mine (with the car seat) home.

5:50 -- I get to day care, drive Jacob's car home.

6:10 -- Get home, play with Emily.

7:30 -- Attempt to put Emily to bed.

8:00 -- If attempt was successful, make and eat dinner and watch some TV with Jacob.

9:30 -- Wash bottles/pump.  Getting bottles ready for the next day.

10:00 -- Get ready for, and go to, bed.

And then I start the whole thing over again the next day. 

Since I decided to work out my maternity leave so that I could ease back into it, I'm currently working 20 hours/week, 3 days/week (Tuesday-Thursday).  Starting the second week of August I'll be back full-time and will need to leave the house 30 minutes early (about).  I think I can make it work without having to get up any/much earlier, it just means I'll have a little less *me* time in the morning, and that Emily will need to get out of bed a bit earlier. 

So far we are managing ok.  I think that day care has been good for Emily, even just in the two weeks that she's been going.  She even slept through the night one night last week!  She hasn't done it since, but I always go to bed with my fingers crossed. =)  Now that she has "friends" to play with, I almost feel bad on Mondays and Fridays when it's just her and I at home.  I don't think I'm exciting or stimulating enough for her. lol  But she puts up with me!

Portrait of Emily by one of her daycare friends!

Two Months!

Today marks Emily's 2-month "birthday"... in a way, I can't believe it's been two whole months already, but, in another way, some days it feels like much, much longer! lol

This month Emily has found her tongue (making for some funny facial expressions!) and her thumb (we have a sucker!).  We can hear her slurping on her thumb at night through the baby monitor.  It's pretty cute. =)  She's also been SOOO smiley!  It's amazing to see her smile now that 90% of them are "real".  I love when I walk into a room and she sees me and her eyes light up and she grins.  I like to think she has missed me as a whole, and not just the milk production!  =)

This month I have also gone back to work.  I finished my second week on Thursday.  I'm feeling pretty lucky to be back only part-time for a couple of months to "ease" everyone into the transition.  And lucky to have Nana and Grandma offer to babysit for these first two weeks.  Emily will start day care with a close family friend next week.  We really have been lucky in this.  Being back to work has been hard, but I think less so than if I were leaving Em with strangers.  The hardest part for me right now is just finding time in my day to pump... and a comfortable place to do so.  (I am currently locking myself in a bathroom three times per day).

Also, yesterday was Emily's 2-month pediatrician appointment.  She is just over 12 lbs and 23 inches... around the 75th-90th percentile for both.  The doctor said that she is healthy and doing fantastically. =)  I know... my daughter is perfect. ;)

Yesterday's appointment was also all about the vaccines... one oral and THREE shots in the thigh.  Absolutely broke my heart!  She screamed.  We saw actual tears (for the first time for me).  She slept for a couple of hours when we got home, but them she screamed all over again.  One of her perfect little thighs was so red and swollen.  We gave her some baby Tylenol and put a cool washcloth on it.  As I was cuddling and rocking her, she looked up at me with this hurt, confused look in her teary eyes that seemed to say, "Why did you let me get hurt?"  I'm crying again now just thinking about it....

Thankfully, this morning she is back to smiles and happy eyes.  Thank God.  I don't know if I would have been again to handle another look like that...

Yes, I know, the bear is on the wrong side... this will be corrected next week! lol

Giveaway Winner!

The winner of the PrintRunner postcard giveaway is.....

Meghan!

I know that she has entered these giveaways MANY times in hopes of winning some custom postcards for her beautiful daughter, Elsa, so I'm glad that this one finally paid off! =)

Another Awesome Giveaway!

One of these days I will get better about blogging... I'll try to get something up this weekend.  The last couple of weeks have been pretty crazy/hectic for me (yeah... excuses, excuses, I know!), but I do have something pretty awesome to compensate for my lack of attention...

A PrintRunner Postcard Giveaway!  

 (Here are the details!)

Postcard Size:  Postcards 5x7

Quantity:  100

Colors:  4/0 Front Only Printing

Paper:   14 PT. UV Coating on Front,

Rounded Corners:   Yes

Proof:  None

Ready to Ship In:  4 Business Days

*Giveaway is open to US Residents only, ages 18 years old and above. 

PrintRunner is a fantastic online printing company that I am very excited to be able to partner with for this giveaway.  If you received one of Emily's birth announcements, you've seen the excellent quality of their postcard printing services!

I am lucky enough to be receiving the same prize for hosting this giveaway.  I plan to help my brother and sister-in-law with some "well wish" cards for their upcoming wedding.

 

How would YOU use 100 postcards?  Leave your idea in a comment to enter this giveaway!  

Deadline to enter is Friday, June 22nd.  The winner will be announced the following day and has 24 hours to get me their e-mail address before I move on to another winner!

**P.S.  Don't forget to enter my other giveaway for a print canvas on my photo website!  Deadline for that one is TONIGHT!